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Latest stories from Guatemala

Parasites & The Porcelain God: Time to Leave Xela

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1436]

A rough night it was... the soup we ate for lunch must not have been boiled long enough to be free from bacteria and parasites.  I haven't been this sick, even in India.  At first I thought it might have been all the spinning in tonight's salsa lesson, ... Read more >

Tags: Misadventures

Ground Hog Day: Huevos y Frijoles Cada Dia

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [2074]

Every day here is like that movie "Ground Hog Day," with respect to our meals.  We wake up and by 7:00 a.m. our nasty breakfast of a hard bread roll smeared with a layer of leftover refried beans (which have been sitting on the counter in a ... Read more >

Tags: Food & eating

Prison Yoga

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1594]

One of the reasons I selected Xela and this particular Spanish program with ICA, was to be able to volunteer with the special program they have with the women's prison.  They were looking for me to teach yoga, and now with my Yoga Alliance Certification, ... Read more >

Tags: Work

Chichi Market Day

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1158]

Brilliant colors abound everywhere, the streets are crawling with woven textiles, leather, produce and a ton of interesting handicrafts from traditional clothing, to carved masks, to dolls to musical instruments.  There's a small white church at the far ... Read more >

Tags: Sightseeing

The Mysterious Maximón

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1270]

We're in Lago Atitlán, an amazing little town surrounding a dormant and now flooded crater lake.  The vistas surrounding the lago are stunning, and local culture is alive and thriving here.  Looking out over the lake we can see three other volcanoes:  ... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Alphabet Soup for Brains

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1019]

It's been five straight days of class, five hours a day, one hour lunch break and then hours of study at the local cafe, another hour break for dinner, and more studying, review of flash cards and finishing up homework before we drop into a sound sleep ... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Soaking in the Steamy Springs

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1204]

After four days of intense study, we are rewarded with a trip to Fuentes Georginas after class for today's cultural activity. It takes us nearly an hour by car to wind up the mountain side, taking in the gorgeous views of the volcanos and steaming ... Read more >

Tags: Mountains

11 People and A Leech Sharing a Shower

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1563]

It's been four days and we now realize our living situation is not going to get better.  And when we hear stories from other students about how great their home stays are, we realize what "could be."  Our situation continues to rapidly deteriorate.... Read more >

Tags: Misadventures

Spicing It Up: Learning to Salsa

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [891]

A benefit of the Spanish program here is the chance to participate in all types of cultural activities each day.  Tonight's big activity is salsa dance lessons at a local salsa bar.  One of the Spanish teachers is also a salsa teacher.  One of my goals ... Read more >

Tags: Laughter

First Day of Living Locally in Guatemala

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [850]

We wake up at 5:30 a.m. to the sound of fireworks.  We thought the fireworks in the morning in Antigua were more for the Independence Day celebration, but as we learn, in Guatemala every birthday is celebrated early in the morning by firing off rounds ... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Welcome to Our Xela Family

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1055]

Our new mom is in her mid 40's and has three kids, two teenage daughters, and a son in University.  The house is pretty big, with two open courtyards in between what we believe to be 6 bedrooms.  We learn that the only shower with hot water has just broken, ... Read more >

Tags: Family

Bus Ride to Xela: On Board Entertainment

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1506]

We're en route to Quetzaltenango or Xela as the local Maya call it.  The bus rides during our travels thus far have provided the most adventure, entertaining stories and insight into local life and culture.  Guatemala is no exception.  There are various ... Read more >

Tags: On the Road

Happy Independence Day: Guatemala Style

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [918]

The streets were transformed this morning, into musical masses of young students marching through town with their school bands proudly displaying school flags and Guatemala country flags.  The streets are packed with marching bands, students dressed in ... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Firecrackers for Alarm Clocks

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1160]

We awake at 4:30 am to the all so familiar wounds of calling roosters, along with the sunlight slipping through the slits in our eyes.  We hear firecrackers ripping in the distance, crackling through the sky.  We're still on Spain time, and our stomachs ... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Crossing the Atlantic: Adios Espana, Hola Guatemala!

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1141]

Up early, a last Starbuck's in hand, nearly now a memory from the developed world, and a last minute push to get an untested website up and running.  Despite heroic efforts all night and early morning, as Darrin reluctantly admitted, never launch untested ... Read more >

Tags: On the Road

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