From My Mom

Wow! Where do I begin in my attempt to recreate this wonderful experience visiting Hannah here in Guatemala.  It has been an amazing 16 days of fun,  adventure, travel, cultural learning, and... exhaustion!

I arrived on a Friday night, bleary-eyed from traveling hours with my contacts in and sitting in the middle seat of both flights, first from Seattle and then a connecting flight from Houston.  I was sure that the haze outside of the cab window was simply my contacts getting dry! NOT. Guatemala City is very polluted but I didn't really know that until a week later because early the next morning we headed out for the beach on the Pacific Ocean.  The "we" that I am referring to is Hannah, Hannah's roommate Aubrey, and Aubrey's parents, Randy and Cary. 

We spent 3 nights at the beach, sleeping in thatched-roofed huts, eating Guatemalan food,  swimming in the ocean and playing in the pool.  The outdoor showers were beautiful, and yes they were surrounded by walls!  I was very interested in how the plumbing worked - bamboo pipes disguising the PVC piping, rain water catchments, etc.  The mosquito netting was a plus, especially once we realized what sleeping without one did to dorm mate/roommate Diane!!

We love Paredon!

It was on to Lake Atitlan on day three.  OMG, the most beautiful lake - 1000 feet deep and surrounded by volcanoes. We rented a gorgeous house for very little money.  FYI always light the pilot light when using a gas oven; explosion heard around the lake!!   We boated to the villages around the lake where we got some Guatemalan goodies and saw previews for the Semana Santa processions. It was there that we did a little cliff jumping off of 10 meters!  Lousy form but what the heck! 

Cliff jump victory dance!

With our buddy, Darwin

The house with the flammable oven

After four nights there it was on to Antigua and the Earth Lodge for another couple of days.  The Semana Santa processions were absolutely amazing. Elaborate "carpets" of colored sawdust and stenciled shapes of colorful sand.  The processions are throughout the Holy Week (Semana Santa) and represent the Last Supper and Crucifixion. We then had lunch at a restaurant owned by the mother of one of Hannah's students.  She later invited us to dinner at her house in Guatemala City (which was lovely!). Later we trekked up and down from the Earth Lodge (which uses proceeds to support a local village school) to Antigua in the back of a pickup truck!  The curvy, eroded roadway was a bit hairy!

"Carpet" this time made with plants

Antigua was once the capital of Guatemala but it had experienced too many earthquakes.  I didn't feel any while we were there but a slight volcanic eruption could be seen! I really, really enjoyed walking around the beautiful city, taking in the sights and the diverse culture.

Group shot at the Earthlodge

We headed back to Guatemala City on Easter Sunday.  Hannah had Monday off so we hung out at her apartment. Tuesday found us heading to her school at 6:10 am via school bus.  Her students were very excited to meet their teacher's mother.  I was very excited too!! They gathered around me to ask me questions such as, "who is your favorite soccer team" and "what is your favorite color", etc.  I was also asked if I liked to ride my bike. That question pertained to the scars on my knees! 

Miss I Lean

At lunch, I was asked if I painted my eyes blue (eye lids) - yikes!! That had to do with the prominent blood vessel above my left eye! Dang that thin Scandinavian skin. I went to school every day with Hannah and the kids were amazing.  But so was their teacher!  I want to be a 3rd-grader in Miss Hannah's class! Hannah has those kids eager to learn every moment of the day.  On Friday they got to learn about diarrhea from me, the GI nurse. I was asked some very good questions!  Hopefully, they will try to maintain good hand hygiene!   I was sad to say good-bye to them on Friday, but a couple of the kids told me that I was their favorite guest (sorry about that Mike!) I really hope to go back to see them next year.

Saturday, Hannah and I toured the real, unpolluted part of Guatemala City with her friend Juan Pablo.  He gave us history of the beautiful city and the country of Guatemala as we walked. Saturday evening we headed up to Pacaya.  You could still feel the heat from the 2010 eruption.  Roasting marshmallows over the ground was unreal!

At the Train Station Museum

A top Volcan Pacaya on a cloudy evening

Got home in time to get packed.  I was very sad to say "good-bye" to Hannah.  I kept thinking about how proud her father would have been - her sense of adventure and willingness to take risks are his legacy! Thank you Hannah for a trip of a lifetime!