Volunteering

So I havent yet bitched about how unorganized the volunteering is here. So in the pamphlet we have like 6 options for volunteering but only 2 dealing with hospitals or medicine. We were told to pick our top 3 options last week so they could set up the schedule, yet last week they had only showed us 1 place, the TB place, which no way in hell am I working there. There was another one I was interested dealing with rehabilitation though I found something else! I was complaining to my teacher about how annoyed I was that there werent enough options to volunteer in a medical setting and how they havent even showed up the options we do have and how the TB place is not an option and bla bla bla, so she said she knew a doctor because she ran a spanish school once and one of her kids at the school was living with this doctor so she got to know him one way or another. SO, she said she'd ask him about me volunteering there! She asked and he said that he cant accept any volunteers right now because he has 8 med school kids already but to ask the other doctors at the clinic. Its a clinic for poor people, but the doctors are real and the clinic is nice, for a clinic. Anyway, we went there the other morning to get the answer from one of the other doctors, and she said yes! She's a pediactric doctor so I'll be volunteering with her for the next 10 weeks, 3 times a week, or 4, depending on if everything goes well! She didn't seem really nice, which makes me nervous to come in Monday but I think it's just because we snuck up to her right after her patient left and just before she could call for another...so who knows. But it's great and perfect because I really need patient contact experience and volunteering for PA school and I have none! I'm really excited but life is about to not be so easy going. The directors made out the schedule though for me to be there monday through friday and I'm like, what, no. As well as we only told the doctor 3 times a week, so I need to talk to the doc about maybe 4 times a week, but 5 I think is too much anyways. The one things that really blows though is that my schedule is opposite of Jill, Amy, and Gregs. I have class in the mornings and they work in the mornings then they have class in the afternoons and I have work in the afternoons! I'm so sad! Now I'm going to be so left out of all the jokes and shit cause 2 of them work together is one way or another every day...booooooooo. Whatev, I came here to learn spanish and volunteer and if this is the only way I can make that work, then so be it. Jill has Tuesdays off and I will too maybe so we can hang out then and we'll still have conferences and going out and the weekends together so it's not so bad. I'm scared to start volunteering though, this weekend I really need to study medical spanish stuff so I know what is going on and can understand stuff. I hope that as time goes by she teaches me stuff and I get to help like with little stuff like taking temperatures, blood pressure, SHOTS, whatever. No one else has this type of volunteering, it's really cool and I'm so thankful to my teacher for it. She loves me, I pretty much tell her everything because, why not, we like to just sit there and chat away about all sorts of topics. I'm going to see if any of the other doctors have openings for volunteers so maybe Jill, Amy, or Greg can get in there if they want. It's weird because Jill, Greg, and I have pushed a lot for other volunteering opportunities and no one else has. I think it's because no one else needs the medical experience cause they've all been accepted to med schools and we haven't. So we have caused a lot of headache for the directors. It's annoying though that we came here to volunteer in medicine yet there aren't barely any options for volunteering. Also when we ask about other hospitals it seems as though they don't know anything and don't want to try to look and get info for us, they are just like, if you want to do something else you can look into it. That's not what I paid $$$ for! Like, they should have gone to every hospital and clinic to see opportunities and not just called. Calling here doesn't work cause if you get the wrong person they'll just tell you that it's not possible cause they're busy and don't want to deal with you. You really need to get in there and talk to the docs themselves, which is also hard to do apparently. I think they could do a better job at their job. And, when we push for this they aren't really friendly about it, kinda lame. I'm also still annoyed that they didn't protect us better when we visited the TB hospital. I'm happy though in general. I love my life here, it's the easiest, most fun, ever. Though it's kinda like I'm in middle school. I have to go home everyday for meals, I have to ask permission for friends to come over, I don't cook, they call me for my meals "kira, vas a desayunar!" they ask me what I did in school and if I like my teacher...it's funny. I'm like 4 years old, 13 years old, and 23 years old all at once. Lateley there have been a lot of planes flying, before there never were so I'm thinking the airport opened up; my teahcer said that it was being renovated to be international but I wouldn't think it would be done by now. But, maybe just the runway is up and running again...I'm tempted to go check out the airport and maybe catch a ride to see what the area looks like! I bet flying lessons are super cheap here and I think they speak english while flying, I think that's the rule of the world in flying. Though I don't really trust the maintenance here, and falling out of the sky would blow. It's so stranger here cause in the school, there is the family, and they there are the students who are studying there who aren't part of our group who live there for however long. Though, students come and go every few weeks so we meet, them, get to know them, like them, then they leave. The guys from England or wherever are leaving today, and we just got to know them and they were so fun! So far we've met and had leave us, Jess, Billy, Martin, and today Richard and Steve. It's weird. It makes it hard to even want to get to know the new people cause we know they'll be leaving soon anyway, but I'm trying, kinda, though there aren't really young ones right now. One old man is there, he probably weighs 250, lives in Florida, and is probably f/ing near 75. I'm not really sure why he wants to learn spanish now, but I suppose he can do what he wants. What else. I love salsa, it's so fun, Jill looked into getting private lessons at our school. We always see one of the teachers out dancing so it's great cause he dances with us and he's really good. Salsa is really easy for girls, you just have to be able to follow and keep the steps yet it does take some practice to be able to follow. Guys it's way harder, they have to come up with all the next moves and makes sure they lead well and still keep their steps yet hold the hand lightly. Although my spanish teacher is great, I think she isn't the brightest. I told her my hair used to be as blonde as Jills and she said that maybe my hair got darker cause the water here has chlorine here!! I'm like, no I died it like this, and chlorine is bleach and makes things white and would make my hair green, not darker. I couldn't help but tell her that was complete bullshit, but she said that's what everyone says cause girls with blonde hair, when they leave, it's darker...maybe because theres less sun here, but chlorine, no. I'm running out of things to tell you all. I get my computer in 6 days! So excited! Well, thats it for today folks. Buen dia a todos.

Sensor

Ive decided to stop writing about things that may scare you all...so this will now be a semiclean blog...dont want anyone to worry, Ill write my scary things in my written journal. Today I go to a clinic to see about volunteering there, its nearby so thats great and only I would get to do it. My teacher set it up for me, shes my favorite teacher yet. She would do anything for me! Anyway, have a great week!

Lazy Weekend

This weekend was worthless! Saturday we stayed at Baviera, the coffee shop for like 7 hours, 5 of us, iming eachother...not talking although we were sitting next to eachother. But it was great! We needed the relaxation time. Then that night we came back to the school and watched 21, an entertaining but not the best movie. Then sunday Jill, Amy, Alexis, Crystal and I went to play vball at the complejo (sports complex) but the net we bought was too small to fit between the poles that were set up so...we improvised. We took 2 soccer goals and moved them the perfect distance to set up our net and it worked great! Turns out Crystal is a great setter so Jill and I were able hit, it felt great to hit! Ended up playing against 5 other Guatemaltecos who said they were able to play but then ended up sucking so we quit with them and played doubles for a little while. Then skipped lunch with the folks and ate at Subway, always a special occasion, soooo yummy. What next...nothing really, Jill and I tried to watch the olympics but they weren't on. Here they are only on in the early early morning and late at night so it's nearly impossible to watch which really sucks. Then I went home and did nothing, ate dinner, then came back to the school and checked the email, then went home again and read, and bed...nothing at all this weekend and it was fabulous. I've moved on to intermediate spanish...nothing special, still learning stuff I already know, I think the key is just to talk for 4 hours rather than learn unless you dont use stuff correctly...whatev. I speak so much better to my teacher than my family, its great, sometimes I surprise myself when sentances flow out and I didn't really think about it. Getting better! Next week Amy's friends come with my computer, yea! Then I can skype all the time! Ok, I'm bored of blogging, sor. Love ya.

The week of booze

So, right now we are sitting in Baviera reminising about last night. My head hurts and I want to watch the olympics. So, last night was the most fun yet. It's pretty blurry to me now so Ill give snippets. We started out at the school cause it was this guy, Andrew's 20th birhtday so there was a little fiesta. The english guys brought a bottle of rum so we started there. Actually, we started at 430pm in a cafe after Jill and I got our pedicures. Anyway, then EVERYONE came out, like 15! Usually just a small group goes out but everyone did and it was fantastic. First we went to where the english guy, Richard, got a job, called Beer and Pool, creative. Got a liter each and did 8 counts. Let me inform you as to what an 8 count is...Jill made it up. So you go, 5 6 7 8, then you start drinking until the next 8 count is over, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8...we had to drink the liter somehow! Then we left to La Rumba, of course. Where things began to get blurry. On the way though it was raining so Greg and Jill tried to fit into my sweater in front of me, so I couldn't see shit and they were bitching because I couldn't walk! So I attempted to salsa, and couldnt even do the basic steps, basico, pero no. I dont know what was going on until the birthday boy wanted to take a shot of tequila, which I despise but it was his birthday so I did...then I was having a really hard time holding it down and spitting on the floor cause my mouth was watering, wanting to throw it up, when all of sudden, the birthday boy projectile pukes everywhere! That was the end of holding it down cause I bent over and puke all over the floor! So gross! Ruchi was in direct line of fire cause her hair was full of chunks. Then, we just moved to another place in the bar and sat down. Jill says that all night her, Greg, Amy, and I were hugging cause it was 8 of hearts day, duh. You have to understand that us 4 kick ass and are always together, I love them! Anyway, every now and then we'd see Amy flipping around on the dance with who knows, Jill got to dance with the salsa instructor and asked him for private instruction, so we may do that so we can compete! Every time someone came up to ask us to dance I just said no and I was too drunk, haha. So we left Rumba and of course stopped by the new place, the hot dog stand, which has great hot dogs. Walked home in a group, which I had to pee really bad, so I just went ahead and took care of that in the street, no one saw and it was safe, but just kinda funny. Then, that was the night, for the most part. It was super fun and I love it here.

As far as the week goes, it included too much boozing. Dont know what happened to us but we ate out for dinner twice and the first time had one bottle of wine, the next we had 6, then the next day was salsa night so we went out, didnt do anything thursday night, then last night happened. Though this week I have a new instructor and she's great! She loves me! She's also complimented my spanish a couple times, which is great cause it gives me more confidence that I'm actually learning. She also does stuff for me all the time. Like I told her I wanted to take Paco home, so she asked the grandma if I could buy it and she said she'd just give it to me! So, mom and daddddddd, I'm going to look into getting it back to the states! This bird is awesome and would cost at least $800 in the states. So I'll look into it, but I doubt it will work out, I don't know how I'd get him back with all my stuff. Thursday we went to visit the hospital who has HIV and tuberculosis patients and is one of the options for volunteering...just hanging out and making friends with the patients. It was my first choice but after going there, no way. The lady said there was 0% chance of getting tuberculosis from the patients but that was such a lie. We get there and she tells us that the ones with masks are contagious so its good to wear masks too when talking to them, BUT she didn't give us masks and often the ones with masks would have them dangling around their necks or on top of their heads and we had to sit with them and play a fucking boardgame! Freaked me out and pissed me off they werent more precautious. So, I might have tuberculousis now. The hospital was crazy, like rooms full of beds and sick people. One lady had an eye with the pupil white, scared the shit out of me. After the hospital visit was salsa lessons, which are going great, we love it. So, the week after next we begin volunteering, though we dont even know what we're doing. Finding that some things arent too well organized and there aren't many options for volunteering with things having to do with health. So Jill and I are being proactive and are going to try to get opportunities at other hospitals. We'll see, visiting the general hospital monday and perhaps also another one my teacher may hook me up with. So, thats all for now, just hanging out this weekend cause we have nothing to do. Going to try to watch some of the games too!

Answer to dyl's question: they said things in front of people they werent supposed to, let secrets slip

Adios por ahora!

Jills Bday weekend aka la playa

It's been too long since we were at the beach to remember all the details but I'll try. Here goes it:

The few days before we left I ran around looking for things for Jill's 23rd bday, and bought a 25 shot firework, bottle of wine, candles, a ton of stuff from the store like a crown, magic wand, candy of course, glow earrings and necklace...and wrapping paper so I could wrap each gift individually so she'd have gifts the whole day. Oh and I made her a cake, which she picked out the flavors, chocolate with the icing that's the sprinkle stuff thats delicious. So we met around 2 on Friday to head out to the beach. All piled into a microbus, fun as usual, cake and all, to the terminal to catch the chicken bus that we would be riding for the next 3 hours. So, we get on the bus at the terminal and wait 2 hours and we're still not out of Xela, it is guatemala. So it was all peachy at first but then as we drove, more and more people got on the bus and the rule is 3 to a seat so I was on the inside and then Jacobo then the Guat next to him then like a million standing so when the bus turned it often felt like my ribs were going to crack. I have a pic of the bus from my seat, still not posted, sor. Every stop the bus makes, people from the town get on in the front of the bus and try to sell stuff like dried platanos, cold drinks, nuts, whatever, and go through the whole bus and exit the end of the bus. Sometimes there were so many people on the bus that people would try to get in in the back of the bus but it was full so they just hang on to the ladder or the door while the bus drives until somehow they find room inside the bus. Uh god, Jill was sitting in front of me and her window was down, and they keep food and whatever on top of the bus and when we the bus took off, fucking nasty dirty juice poured into her window and blew on to me. It smelled like ever living hell and that was the beginning of me being super dirty. As we got closer to the playa it got warmer and warmer and it was glorious to take off my sweater and put on my sunglasses. Closer to the coast is where the bananas are grown so there were fields of banana trees and some other plant beneath them that I still dont know what they are but they looked cool. When we got to Coatepeque to switch buses, we made a booze run and once we got onto the next bus we began to booze for the bday! It was dark by then, and we had another like 2 hours on the bus to the beach so we drank 3 beers in that time, not much but enough to feel a little buz, then we got to Tilapa and opened another. When we got to Tilapa we were informed that we had to take a boat to Tilapita and I made a joke that it would be this wooden boat without an engine and the guy would use a stick to take us to the island...when we got to the dock, there was a wooden boat with a guy, but it actually had a motor. SO we all piled in, Jill and I had a beer in hand, meanwhile the others probably thought we were alcoholics cause someone dropped a beer and Jill picked it up and started drinking out of the hole in the side of it (pic). Got to the island, to find the roads were still made of sand, and were the whole way to the casa. No need to describe the house as you will be able to see it is nothing. Funny cause the windows are screens but above the windows and below the roof there is nothing so you still get eaten by mosquitos...duh. So we got to the beach, the director Liz made a fire for dinner but by that time we were pretty drunk and they probably hated us, but we ate and they used my knife and whatever. There was this 10 year old, Victor, who lived at the hotel who hung out for a long time, that was the beginning of wondering what their parents were doing and if they ever knew where their kids were. I really dont want to write this blog right now. Too much. Ok, so we drank and drank, got into the ocean, I hit someone with my headlamp, and the headlamp broke and flew off into the ocean into oblivion...sorry Dad, I'll buy you the same one! Didn't get too far into the ocean that night cause we had heard the ocean was dangerous and had a serious undertow, which it did, cause just getting in knee deep it pulled you in pretty hard. After that we were so sandy and gross that we decided it would be a good idea to find the hotel pool, which we didn't know where the hotel even was cause they dont have lights there so we went in one general direction past our casa and ran straight into the pool! It was amazing! I went to bed earlier than the rest of the crew cause Ruchi pissed me off and Amy added to the fire, so that's that night. Opened up my sleep sack which was perfect and slept on my mat, also perfect! No mosquito bites that night, why I don't know. But the next night I did even though I had toxic amounts of bug spray on. So woke up, with great bangs, hot as hell and covered in sand still. I had bought balloons for Jills bday and Greg and I blew them up and I hung them around the room. Then I gave her one of her first presents. The sand was black! The hotel, haha, Jill had asked earlier if it might have water sports, such a joke. We had breakfast at the hotel but it wasnt like you got to order your food, they just had plates of beans, eggs, tortillas, platanos, and coffee out for us. Not to mention we were the only guests for probably 15 miles. So throughout the day we swam in the ocean and played in the waves, laid out a little, kept giving presents, set up the vball net in the pool and played a little, met 2 other travelers, one from the states but had a big english accent, the other from italy...whos spanish was awesome cause it was spanish with an italian accent so for some reason it was really easy to understand, got fresh coconuts and drank the milk, lazied around. Lunch was good, after lunch the cake which survived the journey on the bus and was delicious. Later that night we had dinner, once again no menu, but it was fresh seafood so it was alright. We made a bonfire at the beach and made smores afterwords with the whole group...and while they were doign that, I went and set off the fireworks! They kicked ass, like full on show for 25 shots. Didn't drink much that night and attempted to go to bed early but eventually realized we werent going to bed so we all got up and hung out in hammocks then came back to bed and had a giggle fit for like 30 minutes until Eric told us to shut the fuck up...haha. It was great but so hot we couldn't fall asleep and I couldn't breathe cause I sprayed so much bugspray on myself and my sleep sack. Next day got up early, breakfast again, showered in the nastiest shower ever, and we vamanosed. This whole time kids accumulated and hung around us until we were all really annoyed and worried they were going to steal everything. This one little girl claimed it was her birthday just so she could get jills crown and magic wand and after jill gave it to her Victor said she was a liar and it wasn't her birthday...so guatemalteco. Anyway, slept like hell that night so the bus ride home I was pretty much sleepy sitting up with my knees crunched into the seat in front of me. That's pretty much it for the weekend I think...maybe Ill remember more tomorrow, I'm super tired cause last night we were out till 3am and had to get up at 7 for breakfast and no nap and salsa class. I'll try to account my week tomorrow morning for you kids. Hope you found this entertaining, if not, sor. I'll post pics someday.

Answers to Qs

From Dylan: Did you feel the presence of any lithium in the water or anything? There are some hot springs up here that make me feel a little drugged afterwards beyond the normal relaxation that comes with hot water.
A: NO, felt nothing of the sort...after many beers and rum, I felt drunk though...haha.

From Dylan:Do you still only drink bottled water? Do you have to watch out where you get your ice?
A: Yes, only bottled water, even the locals drink bottled water. About the ice, well there pretty much isnt any here expcept for places like pizza hut and mcdonalds. If you order a shake anywhere that is not corporate, you get flavored water type stuff that is slightly colder than room temperature...If youre in a corporate place you usually dont have to worry about the lettuce, tomatoes, water, ice, anything really.

From Dylan: How safe do you feel down there? It seems like the town is safe and travelling in your big group works. But will just you and another girl feel safe on a trip that remote? What's it like in that regard? Kate and I just finished our 9 day road trip through Central Mexico.
A: Safety isnt really an issue during the daytime up until dark. Around dark you shoudl walk with someone else, but Ive walked home at like 9 once and was scared cause there werent any people and I was a lone, but there wasnt any other option since no one was at the school with me. So I ran. Later, around 11 and later, you should be in a group. Weve heard of people getting mugged but its more like give me this, and you do and they go, if you refuse, they hurt you. So they tell us to keep money on us just to give those types if it happens. Otherwise I feel safe, you just have to keep alert and keep your ears open cause cars and busses like to screw with you and get close to you if your in the street so if youre walking you should be on the sidewalk when there are cars. A bus has gotten 5 inches from me from behind once and my heart almost stopped. Other cars have swerved towards me to scare me, thats annoying. I think that Jill and I will be fine on that trip because we will be around many people during the day, travelers, and its not much of a problem. The places we are going also are pretty touristy so Im not too worried about it. The only thing is getting groped on a bus or having a drunk sit next to you and annoy you for hours. As long as we dont do anything stupid well be fine, and were not stupid so...I think well live. And when the hell did you go to Mexico for 9 days and why did you do that rather than visit me assholes?!!!?

From Dylan: So how is it that you plan to have the stomach for medicine but you fah-reek out when there is rice in your meatballs?
A: I will pass on meatballs with rice looking things to the nurses.

Well apparently there were only questions from Dylan...any others? And sorry for not writing a blog about me weekend yet, havent really had a lot of time since Ive gotten back. Over the weekend like 6 other people came to the house so they are always using the computers and since I dont have mine, dumb idea, I have to wait or borrow...tonight I hope! I will take more pics today for you all and videos, I have one for you lindsay! Also, later I will be adding more pics to the folder in picassa about the beach, cause I havent uploaded mine yet so check that folder again. I will try to let you all know when I add photos to an existing album so you can see it...can you see my friends folders? Just wondering cause right now I just take their pics when I want and upload them as my own, but if you can see them without me doing that, that would save me some time, but then again its ok because I need to get those pics for myself. Ok...

Lots of Pics for you all!

3

Las Fuentes y Mas

la playa and others