Sunday, August 29, 2004
And They Just Laugh It Off
Three weeks ago one of my students came to me and said "Ms. Melissa I didn't have a good weekend." The way she said it made me think that this was just one of those kid things. She then proceeded to tell me about 3 men that came into their house, beat up her dad, held a huge shot gun to her head, robbed them and locked them in the bathroom. She was so calm about it. She said she was upset because she had just cleaned her room and they went in and wrecked everything. I said "Well yes, you should be upset about that." We talked a little longer and then went back to class.
Then last week another one of my students came up to me and said "Ms. Melissa, they(the other students) are talking about me just because we got robbed this weekend." I asked her what happened. At 11:20 am Saturday morning, four guys came to the door. The gardener opened the little window in the door. The men said they had a package. The gardener didn't believe them and said let me get the key to open the door. The men then showed him one of those big shot guns and said..."We know you don't need a key to open the door...we've watched the house all week." So the gardener let them in. The four men then tied up the family and locked them in the bathroom...at some point there were discusions about cash. Because my students dad did not have a lot of cash, they got angry and started to beat him up and threatened to kill them, at which point my students sister went and got her piggy bank and said "Here, take it all", but they didn't.
This same group robbed another student's house in a different grade that same day.
What amazes me is how calm and matter of fact the kids are. I am absolutely amazed at how brave my students are and how they do not let fear rule them.
What's scary though is that this is happening a lot right now. My roommate and I have tried to think of things we can do to prevent us from getting robbed, but there isn't anything you can do. If you are targeted and they scope out your house, that's it.
|
Three weeks ago one of my students came to me and said "Ms. Melissa I didn't have a good weekend." The way she said it made me think that this was just one of those kid things. She then proceeded to tell me about 3 men that came into their house, beat up her dad, held a huge shot gun to her head, robbed them and locked them in the bathroom. She was so calm about it. She said she was upset because she had just cleaned her room and they went in and wrecked everything. I said "Well yes, you should be upset about that." We talked a little longer and then went back to class.
Then last week another one of my students came up to me and said "Ms. Melissa, they(the other students) are talking about me just because we got robbed this weekend." I asked her what happened. At 11:20 am Saturday morning, four guys came to the door. The gardener opened the little window in the door. The men said they had a package. The gardener didn't believe them and said let me get the key to open the door. The men then showed him one of those big shot guns and said..."We know you don't need a key to open the door...we've watched the house all week." So the gardener let them in. The four men then tied up the family and locked them in the bathroom...at some point there were discusions about cash. Because my students dad did not have a lot of cash, they got angry and started to beat him up and threatened to kill them, at which point my students sister went and got her piggy bank and said "Here, take it all", but they didn't.
This same group robbed another student's house in a different grade that same day.
What amazes me is how calm and matter of fact the kids are. I am absolutely amazed at how brave my students are and how they do not let fear rule them.
What's scary though is that this is happening a lot right now. My roommate and I have tried to think of things we can do to prevent us from getting robbed, but there isn't anything you can do. If you are targeted and they scope out your house, that's it.
|
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Celebrating My 25th Birthday at the Beach
I have spent the last week celebrating my 25th birthday. It began last weekend with a trip to my favorite beach in Guatemala, Monterrico. We (Sabine, Stacy, Anne, Paulo, Danny and Kai) got to the beach around 11 a.m. We immediately jumped in the ocean and spent an hour playing in the waves. Meanwhile, the woman across the street was cooking rice for us. At around 12 p.m. we ate and really got the day started.
Sabine, Stacy, Anne and I decided that we were going to go to the pool. Somehow we got on the topic of the Olympics which led to talking about synchronized swimming which led to water ballet and before we knew it we were choreographing our own water ballet in the hotel pool. I think practice for about two ours with all the people watching us like we were complete lunatics. Then we gave a performance for the boys and all the people watching. We even counted so that we could stay in together. It was absolutely hysterical to watch I am sure.
That evening we went out to dinner and then sat on the beach and watched one of the most amazing heat lightening shows I have ever seen. The sky was clear above us, but then off to the south were all these huge billowing clouds with heat lightening.
The next day we all got up at the crack of dawn and decided to play in the ocean. Anne and I were standing on the sand when we saw a huge group of people gathering around a boat that was on shore. We went to see what they were looking at and inside the fishing boat was a stingray. It was huge.
Stacy came up and so we decided to go swim in the ocean. As we were playing in the waves we saw the group of kids near us had something in each of their hands. I went to look and they were sand dollars. They were gray and fuzzy which I never new. So I decided I wanted to go look for them. I was standing in the water probably not more than 15 feet out. I reached down into the sand and shook my hand around. Almost immediately I grabbed a sand dollar. I did this about 4 times, each time finding a sand dollar. It was absolutely one of the coolest things in the world. (What is kind of funny is that I got a package from my mom Monday after I got back and in it were sand dollar earrings. How ironic.)
All in all it had to be one of my best trips to Monterrico.
|
I have spent the last week celebrating my 25th birthday. It began last weekend with a trip to my favorite beach in Guatemala, Monterrico. We (Sabine, Stacy, Anne, Paulo, Danny and Kai) got to the beach around 11 a.m. We immediately jumped in the ocean and spent an hour playing in the waves. Meanwhile, the woman across the street was cooking rice for us. At around 12 p.m. we ate and really got the day started.
Sabine, Stacy, Anne and I decided that we were going to go to the pool. Somehow we got on the topic of the Olympics which led to talking about synchronized swimming which led to water ballet and before we knew it we were choreographing our own water ballet in the hotel pool. I think practice for about two ours with all the people watching us like we were complete lunatics. Then we gave a performance for the boys and all the people watching. We even counted so that we could stay in together. It was absolutely hysterical to watch I am sure.
That evening we went out to dinner and then sat on the beach and watched one of the most amazing heat lightening shows I have ever seen. The sky was clear above us, but then off to the south were all these huge billowing clouds with heat lightening.
The next day we all got up at the crack of dawn and decided to play in the ocean. Anne and I were standing on the sand when we saw a huge group of people gathering around a boat that was on shore. We went to see what they were looking at and inside the fishing boat was a stingray. It was huge.
Stacy came up and so we decided to go swim in the ocean. As we were playing in the waves we saw the group of kids near us had something in each of their hands. I went to look and they were sand dollars. They were gray and fuzzy which I never new. So I decided I wanted to go look for them. I was standing in the water probably not more than 15 feet out. I reached down into the sand and shook my hand around. Almost immediately I grabbed a sand dollar. I did this about 4 times, each time finding a sand dollar. It was absolutely one of the coolest things in the world. (What is kind of funny is that I got a package from my mom Monday after I got back and in it were sand dollar earrings. How ironic.)
All in all it had to be one of my best trips to Monterrico.
|
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Leaving Kai at the Airport
One of my friends Kai came in from Germany last friday. I had talked one of my friends into giving me a ride to the airport so that we could pick him up. So Kai's flight was supposed to get in at 7:30 pm. We left Antigua at about 6:45 pm. The road from Antigua to Guate is so curvy. So after about 20 minutes of flying around the curves we get to San Cristobal (10 minutes outside of Guate) where I open the car door and throw up. I was so car sick. It was absolutely horrible. You see, it normally takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to the airport but we managed to make it in 30 minutes. So you can imagine going around these curves was not so good. Anyway.
So we get to the airport and start waiting for Kai. We waited until 9pm and I never found him. I saw down at about 8:30 and decided that if I stayed in one place he would fine me (I was also still not feeling so great). I never found him and so we left at about 9pm. I got home and was so worried because I had left my friend at the airport. He didn't my phone number nor did he know where I lived. I spent from 9:30 to 10:30pm calling the aiport trying to find him. At 10:45 I hear a car outside the house, I open the door and it was Kai. I was so happy.
At 9pm he left the airport after waiting an hour for me. He went by taxi to Antigua and then spent an hour looking for hotels until he got the idea to go to Iris's house at which point she pointed him one house down to my house. The taxi at first said it would be $65 and I told him, no he had to give me the price in quetzales because I worked here and I was paying in quetzales which then the price came down to what would be about $50...oh my God what a night.
|
One of my friends Kai came in from Germany last friday. I had talked one of my friends into giving me a ride to the airport so that we could pick him up. So Kai's flight was supposed to get in at 7:30 pm. We left Antigua at about 6:45 pm. The road from Antigua to Guate is so curvy. So after about 20 minutes of flying around the curves we get to San Cristobal (10 minutes outside of Guate) where I open the car door and throw up. I was so car sick. It was absolutely horrible. You see, it normally takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to the airport but we managed to make it in 30 minutes. So you can imagine going around these curves was not so good. Anyway.
So we get to the airport and start waiting for Kai. We waited until 9pm and I never found him. I saw down at about 8:30 and decided that if I stayed in one place he would fine me (I was also still not feeling so great). I never found him and so we left at about 9pm. I got home and was so worried because I had left my friend at the airport. He didn't my phone number nor did he know where I lived. I spent from 9:30 to 10:30pm calling the aiport trying to find him. At 10:45 I hear a car outside the house, I open the door and it was Kai. I was so happy.
At 9pm he left the airport after waiting an hour for me. He went by taxi to Antigua and then spent an hour looking for hotels until he got the idea to go to Iris's house at which point she pointed him one house down to my house. The taxi at first said it would be $65 and I told him, no he had to give me the price in quetzales because I worked here and I was paying in quetzales which then the price came down to what would be about $50...oh my God what a night.
|
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Making Frijoles
Little did I know that there is an art to making frijoles. Frijoles in Guatemala are just black beans, cooked, blendered and then fried. I have been eating the frijoles of Iris for over a year now. Because I am living on my own I am not eating them so I decided that I would just make them myself, little did I know that you can mess these things up in an instant.
My first attempt was a miserable failure. They were inedible and I ended up throwing a pound of frijoles in the trash. They were absolutely disgusting. When Iris tried them I thought her face was going to implode. So I tried again. Once again it was a tasteless black mass that I just couldn't eat...so I threw them away. I asked Iris, what I was doing wrong. So she told me exactly how I needed to do it and Tadaaa.
My frijoles kick butt. They are not exactly like Iris's but that is only because I am not willing to dump in as much oil as she does when you fry them. I am so excited because this means when I get back to the states I won't be without my frijoles. (The ones in the can are just not the same.) I have eaten them almost every single day since I have been here. Beans and rice and three tortillas and I am a happy camper.
On a different note...I had Dr. Pepper and Reeses Pieces for the first time in 7 months last week. HEAVEN! It's amazing the simple pleasures in life.
|
Little did I know that there is an art to making frijoles. Frijoles in Guatemala are just black beans, cooked, blendered and then fried. I have been eating the frijoles of Iris for over a year now. Because I am living on my own I am not eating them so I decided that I would just make them myself, little did I know that you can mess these things up in an instant.
My first attempt was a miserable failure. They were inedible and I ended up throwing a pound of frijoles in the trash. They were absolutely disgusting. When Iris tried them I thought her face was going to implode. So I tried again. Once again it was a tasteless black mass that I just couldn't eat...so I threw them away. I asked Iris, what I was doing wrong. So she told me exactly how I needed to do it and Tadaaa.
My frijoles kick butt. They are not exactly like Iris's but that is only because I am not willing to dump in as much oil as she does when you fry them. I am so excited because this means when I get back to the states I won't be without my frijoles. (The ones in the can are just not the same.) I have eaten them almost every single day since I have been here. Beans and rice and three tortillas and I am a happy camper.
On a different note...I had Dr. Pepper and Reeses Pieces for the first time in 7 months last week. HEAVEN! It's amazing the simple pleasures in life.
|
