Interesting Things.

Firstly, I went to the Taste of Chicago with Tiffany and her sister Karen two weekends ago. We saw Augustana and Counting Crows. For free. Or else, for $8, which is what the giant bbq turkey legs costed that we ate for din-din. See below.

Apparently Karen takes good pictures too-

We also walked around Millennium Park and also saw some new Japanese art that was there, including a red car sticking its tongue out and holding up a golden pig from which dangled a fat (presumably satired American) man. Interesting statement about...something.

The previous week we had walked across the lesser known BP Bridge also built by Frank Gehry near the giant amphitheater. Pretty sweet looking. At least all the kids with skateboards and bikes thought so, when security wasn't around. Those cheeky bastards.

Lastly we saw this on the train: Paternity Test to collect DNA. Turns out it doesn't actually test your DNA like I was amazed that it might- you still hafta pay the incredible lab fee.

So LAST weekend was the 4th of July, which I'm not sure I have any useful pictures from, except for me at long last driving my Uncle Tony's 67 Camero convertible. Its hot. In both ways. Jeffing Batmobile.

Did I ever show pictures of the Sunburst 5K we ran? These are stolen from the photos website. Looks fun huh. I'm in a random picture posting mood. Nice to see me beating Nathan. He hates this picture- since I didn't even know he was still behind me in the crowd as I was sprinting to catch Chris (I got bottlenecked running through the tunnel of the stadium) I didn't know Nathan was trying to catch me- till he zoomed past just at the finish line. But official race results and photos show me winning. I'll take it :)

ALSO, I found out today what happens when you accidentally freeze a whole big bottle of premixed margarita that apparently isn't enough alcohol content to uh, NOT freeze. I should have known, since margaritas come...FROZEN. Anyway, the bottle cracked all over the place. Thankfully the frozen margarita mix held the glass in place. I pulled it out in once piece and am now filtering all of it through coffee filters to make sure there isn't any leftover glass in the mix. Awesome.

In an attempt to thwart the landing of our brand new pets, fruit flies, on the underside of our cabinets over the kitchen sink, I wiped under there with paper towel and bleach cleanser. Apparently hasn't been cleaned there since we moved in (its black, metal, you can't tell its dirty really) and apparently the guys before us liked frying...SOMETHING, under there. When I wiped, it smelled like fried rice, and looked...like...THIS.

Finally, thanks to Andrea for posting random pictures on Facebook of me and Tiffany- from a sweaty bar at country night (I wore earplugs), St. Patrick's Day, and an ND football game standing next to "Stonehenge" after getting soaked in the rain (and the water fountain)...

And REALLY finally, I saw a 1.9 million dollar car yesterday at the Lamborghini dealership. Seen it before, but today I could actually walk IN and look at it. Doesn't LOOK like 1.9 million. But it is.

Okay really SERIOUSLY last thing- I toured a new hotel, The Wit, a couple weeks ago through the Chicago Architecture Foundation. "The Lightning Bolt" building. Has cool chartreuse (the color as described by the architect) glass zig-zagging up the facade. She was in her 40s, just started her own firm- young for such a big project. I'm jealous. She's in the money.... Nice view from up there too...and no I didn't feel like taking the very minimal effort necessary to rotate the photos before posting them.

That Brings Us to Now.

So, the present. Currently I have lots of concerts and other events planned for the rest of the summer. I bought my flight to Amsterdam for August 22nd, a flight from Prague to Dublin with Tiffany December 20th or so, and a flight from Dublin to Chicago the 23rd just in time for Christmas Eve :) Tiffany moves the first week of August and I'll fly down there to help her move and spend five days in Austin, sweating my a-FACE off, and then I'll be back for the final pack up, and to spend a few days at home. Its pretty hot here in Chicago and I'm not loving the 10 minute walk to the train every morning. I need a shower when I get to work. But I like my job. I just have a lot of other things to get done this summer! I started my purchasing frenzy in advance of going to Spain, including some Doc Martens that are guaranteed for life, and a new reversible (for different temperatures) North Face jacket that I bought for 50% of retail price (which was a bloody fortune) online that was new without tags. I still have a camera purchase in my near future and a couple other things. Oh 0% interest credit card I do love thee. Let me count the ways...

The Aftermath

I almost forgot- so after we left, the following happened. Sad we missed all the excitement.

My friend Brie turned her ankle and popped a ligament. Went to the hospital. Multiple times. Had it wrapped, had cortizone shots, still has a blue ankle. Was apparently not supposed to swim (though she did anyway).

Friend Luke went to the hospital after blacking out and other such things and turned out to have some kind of cyst on his brain. After days in the hospital and tests, he got flown to Miami to have surgery. Haven't heard from him yet.

Our friends climbed the volcano in town without us, and it was apparently pretty tough. I like tough. And cool views. They also took an all night bus ride to Tikal, saw the ruins, went swimming, jumped off a bridge into a river. Sweet. Jealous.

Another friend Margaret apparently got robbed at knife point as well! Man.

Feelings and Thoughts

To wrap up the trip, here was my emotional/thought experience. If this is boring or something feel free to skip. I still barely know who reads this stuff anyway.

My emotions on the trip went from one to the next.

First, I felt little, because I knew very little about the place we were going or what we were gonna be doing there. I wasn't so much apprehensive as just void of knowledge and thus expectation-less. I was a little excited the months beforehand of course, cause hey, I'm going to Guatemala, but still I didn't really know what I was getting into.

Second, I got a little excited when it was finally happening (cause beforehand I was focused on school and other things). And by this I mean when I was on the plane I was suddenly like "! I'm going to Guatemala!!" And my dad was sitting there next to me and I was like wow, here we go.......

Third, I got there, and man. As soon as we got picked up from the airport by Gilda, who even spoke lots of English, I got pretty quiet and timid. Between just being quiet and observant and interested, I also felt very foreign, and felt like I wanted to speak Spanish but didn't know how. These sort of feelings got worse in some ways as we got to Xela and I was pretty sure no one spoke English. We didn't know anyway, we were there for two weeks, and it seemed like the town was small and there was nothing to do. I wasn't depressed or disappointed but definitely withdrawn. I was interested in learning Spanish but even exploring the town seemed like there was nothing to do and it seemed maybe a bit dangerous.

All that changed on Friday after the dinner- by Saturday morning, I was excited to spend a weekend with some new friends, and by the end of the weekend I was really looking forward to hanging out more with them a lot more. People had interesting lives, varied backgrounds, and were from different countries and continents. Its always nice to meet someone with an Australian accent, too :) Also, when you're at a school learning Spanish in Guatemala, you're bound to meet interesting people who've traveled the world and know multiple languages- people don't leave the country for the first time to go to Guatemala. So people had interesting stories and experiences. It felt very much like summer, camp suddenly, especially after all staying at a hotel together and eating meals together all weekend, and having unique experiences in cool places.

So I went straight from thinking that another 7 days was a long time to thinking that 5 days were going to go by very fast. Luckily we had plenty of events after school to hang out and continue to get to know each other, and we had conversations about future plans to see each other again hopefully. I felt like we grew close very fast, again like summer camp, and that the time was coming to an end too soon where we'd all go our separate ways. I definitely relished the experience of traveling and meeting interesting people, as the best part of the trip, and its something that makes me wanna do it again, possibly in another country, to recreate that experience.

I will say that I was reminded of when I went to Italy- being in a country far away where people really don't speak English, and being able to communicate in their language with them, is very exciting and empowering. In Guatemala it was different because I grew able to communicate over the course of my time there, and I think it helped me grow out of my shell in the process, and feel more comfortable in my surroundings. It certainly made me interested in language and travel and foreign countries again- the feeling I had in Italy that wow, you could devote your life just to studying languages and learning about other cultures and traveling. But what the hell, then you'd be missing out on your own, which other people travel to see and learn about :)

I felt a bit of the sadness that a once-in-a-lifetime experience had come and gone, but I've traveled enough now and will enough in the future that I knew it was just one in a series of travels. It isn't to say that I took it for granted, but I didn't lament it being over as much as I otherwise would have. I was happy to come back to Chicago because I'm happy with my life here, and I was excited to start the summer spending time with Tiffany doing all the things we'd planned. I was even excited to use my computer, iPhone, and other miscellaneous things :) The first time I listened to music in four days down there (I brought an old iPod) was like listening to the songs for the first time- that was pretty great. Makes me wanna like "fast" from listening to music once in a while. But I won't :)

Lastly, I quickly found out how easy it'd be for even someone like me, with strong ties back home to people (and technology) to get isolated someplace like Guatemala, and be okay with it. Because internet access was sparse and crappy, I quickly got sick of trying to be in good communication with people, and after I made some friends, I got more interested in being in the moment down there, spending time doing cool things with cool people. I think that for someone like a few people I met, it'd be easy to be content traveling for a few months at a time and get completely disconnected from your real life. Its enjoyable in some ways too because your day, your routine, your head and thoughts, everything is so simple cause there's just not a lot going on. Its very relaxing and easy and peaceful, thinking only a few hours or days into the future about simple things like meals and little trips. No stresses of American life, but of course no comforts either. But it was nice- like a retreat. Easy I think to get addicted to that feeling and I understand why people run from the US and just move to a place like this, never wanting to return to a crazy place like daily life as a middle-classer in the US.

Anyway my blogging has about come to an end now thankfully except for maybe a preview of coming attractions that I'll post next...

A Tidbit

By the way I just have to say a few cultural things- just a few.

One- bottled water was plentiful for us Americans. Typical water-cooler type, like at your job. They were sensitive to the fact that we had problems with the water, and made sure we were careful. It was nice, but its a pain to brush your teeth with water from a glass.

Two- putting toilet paper down the toilet for some reason is not okay. Especially where Americans are, they have little signs please don't throw stuff in the toilet. But seriously??? Combine IBS plus a diet heavy in beans, eggs, and salsa, plus excitement thrown in just from eating food in a different country and not feeling so hot, and then tell me I can't flush my toilet paper?!? I guess I'll uh, just take a shower afterwards. Too much information? Well my dad brought these "Wet Wipes" that gave a new meaning to the grade school phrase "ass wipe". Sorry if you didn't really wanna read this paragraph.

Three- mosh is this stuff we got for breakfast. It was actually really good. Basically super watery oatmeal, served in a mug so you can drink it- hot, lots of milk, and I put lots of sugar. Lily knew I liked sugar- also in my tea with milk, which she thought was funny. Hence me being "el bebe".

Four- Lily ate a fresh orange with picante salsa on it. Said she'd been eating it that way since she was a kid. I tried it- not bad- but not my thing, cause it was hot. I do like that Spanish discerns between picante and caliente, which in English are both "hot", but they refer to taste vs. temperature. Good job, Spanish speakers of the world.

Lastly, I have lots of thoughts about the trip that I will sum up in the final entry before I move on to talking about present life.

The Long Trip Home

So Friday was our last day. We went to class like normal, said hi to everyone like hi, its our last day. Sad. We took some last pictures of the school, and had a little ceremony at break to get our diplomas, where we sorta hadta say a mini speech in Spanish. My dad said "gracias- that's it." We took more group pictures, said our goodbyes, got email addresses, went to our "home". We had our last lunch and said goodbye to Lily- she said she doesn't like doing goodbyes. Her friend the taxi driver, down the street, took us to the bus- it wasn't far, but it was sunny and warm and our bags were heavy.

Cynthia, me, Gilda

On a side note, Cheryl left the day before, and stayed with Gilda, our lady, in Guatemala City. Then we left with Cynthia, Cheryl's sister, and all stayed at Gilda's again. Got a good night's sleep and showers and got up WICKED early to get to our flight. Our day of flying was uneventful and we got to Chicago just in time to either race my dad to the train or else take our time and catch the next train- we took our time and got some deep dish pizza, and then dad got on the Southshore- we sat and talked for awhile about the trip and the future and life while waiting for the train. After more than 24 hours of traveling since we left Xela, it suddenly felt like the trip was completely over when I walked away from him on the train. I was happy to start life again in Chicago (and a new job on Monday) but sad for the trip to be over.

The waning moments of our latest epic adventure.

And now its time to recap some things.

Futbol Xelaju

Our last hurrah as a group was the soccer game, a semi-final of one of the many leagues, this between Xela's team and some other city. We went way early cause soccer-nut Gabriel, my teacher, wanted to get good seats. The place only seated like 5,000 people so what the heck. But we went early anyway. like 2.5 hours early! But we sure didn't miss anything. They had some other league game going on when we got there. We got to see the crazies slowly assemble in the stadium, and people bought their misc. paraphernalia. We had some Domino's Pizza that was like $1.50 a slice, which people complained about until I compared that to stadium food in the US. They also sold soda in plastic bags, see picture, because people were throwing bottles onto the field. Same reason they didn't sell alcohol (as if the BOTTLES were the only problem with that idea). Awesome.

Paul is making a weird face in every picture. Fabian has a beard in every picture. Note the amount of head scarves and face tattoos and such.

The field from our vantage point- to the right you could also see the volcano (different picture).

Paul really hating the Pepsi-in-a-bag.

Like I said- Paul, weird faces. Guy on the right is Frank. I mean on the left.

The crazies set off fireworks all during the game, including shooting them onto the field, and beating drums, but all in all we felt the crowd was quite sedate given what we expected. People were also throwing firecrackers over a small fence into the corner of the field where the full-gear riot police were standing (who escort the refs off the field). Xela played crappy most of the game, and was tied 1-1 because they got a lucky penalty kick. In stoppage time (after the 90th minute of the game) they scored the game winner- and then scored another like a minute later!! It was great and people were going nuts. They got lucky, but they won. Oh we also got sparklers before the game. No idea where those came from. And the team ran out through a giant inflatable tunnel. So that was my first soccer game on foreign soil. That's all I have to say.

Fireworks.

Sparklers.

Riot police getting firecrack-ed.

Us posing for another picture on someone else's camera.

Riot police escorting.

AH, what I forgot to mention was the fact that one of the "vendors" had her (pretty big) child strapped to her back with a blanket, his shoes sticking out the bottom, as she walked around and sold stuff like random gum. It was one of those realizing moments that Guatemalans are just generally less fortunate than us.

We went out afterwards briefly, cause it was our last night, and cause people wanted to go out- some people anyway. So my dad, me, Brie, Paul, Fabian, and Luke and Luke's friends went to a little bar that was kinda nice and had low big squishy comfy furniture. We had a couple beers and called it a night. I wouldn't really say we went out with a bang but hey we had some beers and stayed up late. And after our last night came our last day...

Chocolate de Victoria

Wednesday we went to the first chocolatier in Xela. The lady's ancestors had been making chocolate since when the Spaniards came to Guatemala, because it was around then that they discovered that the cocoa beans were fragrant when heated up. Previously they'd been used as currency apparently- the Spaniards came and wanted all the gold, which apparently the Mayans didn't really care about that much.

I told Brie to smile cause she was in the picture. She did.

Victoria and some of her many self-promoting posters.

I dunno what ASICHOQ is. But those are bags of sugar. And three girls from Dayton.

We found out that the beans were local, as was the sugar from sugar cane that they used, and the cinnamon flavoring in it. We watched the lady, Victoria, who has traveled the world attending conferences and both learning things and sharing things, make her chocolate. We thought it was gonna be a factory but it was basically a room with a meat-grinder type of machine (that actually WAS electric though). basically she took the raw chocolate beans and put em through, ground em up coarse, picked all the ground chocolate up (with bare hands) put it back through meat grinder into a giant pile of raw sugar, and then mixed that all together with her hands. The ensuing coarse warm sugary crunchiness was kinda like crunchy brownie batter- crunchy cause of the raw sugar. This was mixed with hot hot water and made thick hot chocolate, and also made into bars (which we didn't see made, but bought lots of). They took great care to explain (in Spanish) that their chocolate was healthy and they ate lots of it and weren't fat, because their chocolate was natural and lacked all the fats and oils of mass-produced chocolate, made that way so it is soft to go through the machines. Yes this chocolate is pretty hard also. And did I mention crunchy.

Anne is enjoying the raw chocolate beans, which come out of one giant chocolate fruit thing- they're the seeds, its the shell. We ate them, they were a bit bitter, like super dark chocolate with no sugar, a bit like coffee.

Victoria is making the chocolate mash.

Lots of photo taking.

But I personally liked it, even though when people got back with their purchases some weren't so thrilled. I'm still working on my three bars- one vanilla, one cinnamon, one normal flavored. We took some group pictures and headed back after buying the motherload of chocolate. It was hot in the room and minibus so we were ready for a shower. My dad was multiple times bent out of shape about the cab fare once again, until I reminded him that for a 10-15 minute cab ride the fare (1 quetzal 50 centavos I think it was) was roughly the equivalent of...nothing.

Buy buy buy.

This kid was happy.

Happy!

Las Cumbres

So upon returning from the weekend, we had made a bunch of new friends. I found myself compelled to be dragging my dad around spending time with our new friends as much as possible, which is why we returned to Cafe Luna Monday. We also wanted to do all the activities that week that the school organized, and everyone else felt the same. And suddenly after two weeks had felt like a long time, we had five days left before we were leaving town and only so much time to spend with new friends, as well as the fact that I had found out that the day after we were leaving they'd be climbing the volcano. Nuts.

Anyway, Tuesday we went to a place called Las Cumbres. It was called a natural sauna, but it was basically a series of steam rooms. The catch is that the steam rooms were located over steam vents from the volcano, and you basically opened a concrete lid that covered a hole down to the depths of Mordor where the steam came from. And it was HOT. You could fit 4-5 people in each room, and we predictably split up by gender and used the little changing rooms and sat in the little steam rooms, taking turns jumping in the cold shower to cool down before heading back in.

Margaret is looking at me.

Outside seating.

The little volcano on the ground there is a hole with a lid, built over one of the steam vents. Pretty cool. I thought the steam kinda smelled like fresh corn tortillas.

Here's the vent hole:

The lobby of sorts, open air, started getting drippy wet when the rain started.

After that, since we had like three hours there, people were sitting around and a storm started rolling it. We were up in the mountains more, and the storm was like on TOP of the mountain next to us. The lightning was incredible for a second- loud, bright, close. It started POURING too. Storms are cool :) Everyone else ended up inside but me being the contrarian that I am decided to stay outside and watch the storm, watch the rain roll off the tile roofs and such. It was cool. Finally I caught up with everyone else in the little restauranty place where they were having smoothies and the like. We hung out for awhile and then finally headed back, but it still wasn't too late cause we went right after school. But the rest of the night, like many, we had dinner and talked to Lily, studied, and went to bed- my dad at like 9 sometimes, me around 10:30- lots of studying and journaling to do. He was tired though- first time he's slept more than me in a long time I'm sure- but he was bushed most every night.