Time to Reflect

Alana, Kate, Karla, and myself.

Once known as "The Core Four"...not sure what nerd made that up ;)

Silvia, mi casa-madre in Colonial Candelaria, Antigua. I barely fit through that door behind me ;) It was like when Alice drank that liquid and grew HUGE in Alice in Wonderland and had to stick her arm out the window just to turn around.....yeah....kinda like that.

My roommates: Troy (32) and Nicole (30) -- Canadians. At our last BBQ. They gave us chicken buses as a token souvenir and goodbye present.

Also at a Friday night BBQ...the chicas :) I have no muscles to show off.....so I didn't...

Doreen, Nancy, Karla, Alana, and me....Howie, I was teaching "out, cock, down" ;)

This post may seem a bit late....but instead of doing tarea de espanol (my spanish homework), I feel like reflecting on my time spent thus far. Particularly in Antigua, Guatemala. I don't feel as if I could ever paint the real picture for you. It would surely come out incomplete and kind of messy. And as much as I treasure my photos, they can not even begin to exude the true beauty that is Antigua. I am going to try to do it justice though...one last time.

Let's start with the kids.

I miss them SO much!
Now, do I miss:
The yelling: Seno, Seno, Seno...ALL day long -- no.
The blank stares when asked to do something -- no.
The constant rushing to finish a project or assignment JUST to get a sticker: no.
Do I miss:

The never-fading smiles--YES.
The affection, hugs, and kisses -- YES.
Their grimy little hands all over my face and in my hair -- ABSOLUTELY.

I just miss THEM. You wouldn't think you could fall so hard so fast for SO many....but you can and you do.

I need to see them again. (The plan is to go back to Antigua for a few days at the end of my travels in April...when Chris comes to visit-he will get to meet them!).

And the people:

Karla - my first friend on this adventure. A fellow American and an East Coast resident nonetheless. A tiny bit timid, but it's only really in her voice. An amazing listener and so welcoming. More afraid to speak broken Spanish than to jump off a slippery rock 30 feet in the air and into a freezing cold lake!

Kate - my first "International" friend in Guatemala. Kate and I taught the Kindergarten class together. A cool 25 year old blonde Aussie. The opposite of a nerdy traveler, Kate has been on the road for months. With a great sense of humor and def no head torch in sight...she travels light and without expectations. I was so thankful for her positive attitude, quick wit, and previous teaching experience ;)

Alana - another Australian buddy! Alana has the most BEAUTIFUL skin I have ever seen. She also has this calm about her...not much ruffles her feathers. And her travel wardrobe is SUPERB. She knows how to let it "hit her," how to "take it all in" and get the most out of this experience that she can. She is open. She has enjoyed her time thus far so much...that she has post-poned Uni (college) to stay in Guatemala a couple more weeks and also try and get down to volunteer on the project in Nicaragua. I hope to run into her again there :)

Troy and Nicole (my roommates) - an adventure loving "team". A young married couple out of Canada. Troy exudes this incredible energy and spirit, always thinking positively. And Nicole...well...we are a lot alike (except she is way more fit and really hilarious). We found ourselves on the same page A LOT. This kind of bothered Troy ;) Their relationship was and is an inspiration. The way they truly respected and cared for each other was so nice to see and be around.

Santiago and his beautiful family. Doreen and her fixed smile and infinite patience.

And while I can't mention them all, the other volunteers (around 30) all brought something interesting and different to the table. Eighteen year olds and beyond (some WAY beyond) all here for the same reason. Very cool place to be...

Did I ever mention the BBQ's??

The GVI interns/employees opened up their house to all the rowdy volunteers for a night of too much food and drink. Everyone was meant to bring something...like contributing to a dinner party. It became a pot luck of sorts, with chicken on the barbie as a constant. Karla and I made fresh guacamole 3 out of my 4 BBQ's and form my last I brought 12 packages of Chocisitas cookies...a tienda favorite among the Santa Maria crowd. With every BBQ came goodbye's, speeches, and dancing. YES, dancing. Picture this: a large circle of people all dancing the same dance (you pick it up rather quickly actually) and then at a break in the song...."FREESTYLE....LEIGH!!!!" And I have to jump into the middle of the crowd and...well...freestyle! So hilarious and so much fun. It is like this every week....a unifying experience.

And the city....

One of the most beautiful old cities I have ever been too. Cobblestoned streets (bad for flip flops)and colorful buildings. Gorgeous flowers and pretty parks. And the DOORS!!!!!!!!! I know I haven't put any photos up of the doors in Antigua...but hopefully you will get to see them (I am working on a little project with the photos). They are truly magnificent. I was mesmorized. The others thinking I am crazy, stopping every couple feet to gawk and snap away. The knockers as well....copper faces and hands. And you can't miss the views of the volcanoes...especially in the morning on a clear day. Another something you won't miss...the Chicken Buses. Basically brightly painted old school buses discarded from the U.S. that carry hunderds of people and their wares. Yes, chickens too. They roar down the streets puffing out CLOUDS of black smoke. But they are part of charm :)

My time there has expired and now I am into my second week in Honduras and it is totally different. More on that later. I can't believe I am at the halfway point in my travels! Thank you again to all that supported me attempting this journey and supported the projects I am working on. I wish you could all be here to see the way that you have helped. I will be posting pics of my Copan kids within the next couple of days....so that you can meet them too.