The new model for Gallo, Cerveza

(Hana looking out at the sunset in San Pedro)

Xela, Guatemala

We finished with Spanish school with great success. Our last night in San Pedro, I took my host family out to the bar for drinks and dinner. It was a joke throughout the week that I like to drink a lot, (due to the fact that I couldn't work the keys in the door, so I crashed at Hana's one night, making them think that I was so drunk I couldn't find my way home), so I invited them out. They took me up on it and we went to El Barrio, where I bought them beers and dinner. Afterwards, the two daughters snuck back out of the house and met Hana and I at the bar. Good times!

I feel that I have learned a lot of Spanish, or at least got my mind refreshed from the Spanish I did learn back in high school. Well, pretty much I am not timid anymore to at least try to speak the language. My mind was a lot more interested in the local Mayan language, and I learned some words which made my host family laugh. I felt like I was everyone's entertainment for the week.

In San Pedro we met with Anthony for lunch and he filmed us, maybe for part of the Discovery Channel show, or just for fun...but after filming us, he told me that I should be a model. Well, as some of you might know, that was always a secret dream of mine, to either model, be on TV, or even better, in the movies! So, Anthony is this great photographer and journalist, so he offered to take my picture to start my portfolio. That afternoon we had a photo session over looking the lake. It was amazing. At first I was so nervous and was thinking about ditching out, it was the high school shy Kristen that came out fo me again. But, I sucked it up and showed up. Anthony was great. He totally made me relax and hopefully we got some great pictures! He even offered to develop them and make a contact sheet for me. I was so lucky to meet him and run into this situation. Later, we went back to his hotel and talked about life...It was a great conversation. He is planning on writing an Angel book, about certain people's encounters. I am going to write up my story of Eric for him to publish. Amazing how life just works out. Anthony was so generous and I am very grateful to have this opportunity...plus it was a blast!

(Photo Shoot with Anthony)


Now we are in Xela, Guatemala visiting a friend of a friend that Hana knows. Ryan met up with us and is kindly letting us stay at his house, called the Yoga House. Yes, they do practice yoga there, but we haven't done it yet. Last night we went to the market and bought food for a huge community meal and ate like kings. A lot of the house mates helped cook...it was wonderful, but didn't feel like Guatemala, more like a college setting in the states. Another crazy small world connection is that Ryan is from Coupeville, Washington and went to the same highschool as Kyla, and actually knows her! Strange! Today we toured around Xela and are planning on heading to San Salvador, El Salvador tomorrow.

(Ryan, Hana and I at the Market in Xela)


Other crazy spanish language stories...We were having break at school, where we get to eat snacks and rest our brains. Well, when the teacher came to tell us it was break time, I said ¨Tengo hombre¨. All of the students and teachers laughed, but of course I didn't get it until they explained to me that I said ¨I have men¨. I meant to say ¨Tengo hambre¨, I'm hungry.

Also, Hana and I have talked about every subject possible, so how we are sitting around the table, like old women, soley talking about our aches and pains, and of course our bowel movements.

Life is Good,
Kristen

San Pedro Photos

Just a view of our lives in San Pedro:
(San Pedro, Guatemala - our CoeurdAlene away from home)

(Kristen´s casa)

(Hana´s Casa - just around the corner from KK and RIGHT NEXT to the restaurant/bar Jarachik, i.e. I fall asleep to great music until all hours of the night!)

(Chicken Bus barn in San Pedro)

(Casa Rosario garden language school - Hana's lesson with her Maestra, Flory)

(Kristina and her maestra, Christina! NOTICE the intense concentration on KK´s face)

(Hana and KK´s Chicken bus ride)

(And more chicken buses - this photo´s for you, Jim!!)

Mi Casa es Su Casa (My Home is Your Home)

Happiness IS . . . walking into Kristen's casa (which is a restaurant on the bottom floor, with a spiral cement staircase up to the sleeping quarters), chatting (in spanish) with her mom and sisters, and feeling quite at home coming in and out any time of the day.

Happiness IS . . . hearing Kristen's voice each morning say "Hanita!" as she walks right into my house and climbs the cement staircase to the roof, where the kitchen is, and joins my sisters and I around the firepit stove while my host mom (Olga) prepares my daily breakfast of a banana pancake and locally grown Guatemalan coffee!! Yesterday during lunch, my little sister Sindy was dancing around the kitchen with a green halloween mask on. In her surprise, Kristen tried to say "Miedo!" (which means Scary!), but instead, she said "Mierda!" (which means shit). That sent the whole family off in laughter for a long while! We are good entertainment for them. Kristen's family in particular delights in giving her a hard time and we feel all the more at home.

Happiness is NOT . . . Chicharron (pork rind). When it comes to food, I'm up for just about anything. HOWEVER, last night was the most difficult meal I have ever eaten. I was served a plate of beans, eggs and a big slab of "puerco" (pork). As I cut into the pork, I realized that it wasn't meat, it was skin. In the US, pork fat is sometimes used to flavor baked beans, but I had never experienced eating it as the main dish. No one in my family was eating with me last night, so I tried to politely ask them in spanish if I was supposed to eat the "puerco" or if it was only to flavor the beans. With my limited vocabulary, I got the hint that I was supposed to eat it, so . . . I started to choke it down, even though the texture was completely unappetizing to me. About halfway through, the neighbor's (live) pig started SQUEALING like crazy. That's when I had to call it quits. No mas Chicharron para mi!

I can´t begin to tell you what a small world I live in. Just moments ago, here at the internet cafe, I ran into a man by the name of Anthony Lobaido. (Megs and T-ra, can you believe it????) The first time I met him was in San Pedro, Belize in fall 2004. MEgan, Tara and I were sitting out on the balcony of Ruby´s hotel, when Anthony nearly fell down the stairs in awe of Megan´s striking beauty. He was in Belize doing a story on military training in the jungle (of which he actually participated in the training). Adventure is his life, and he is currently in San Pedro, Guatemala shooting a mini-adventure series for the Discovery channel. You can imagine the surprise just now when I recognized him, asked him his name, and then before he could answer, it came to me and I said "ANTHONY LOBAIDO!" He was stupefied. Kristen and I are meeting up with him tomorrow.

As Kristen and I are entering more fully into our spanish immersion, it is quite SHOCKING to sit back for a moment and realize that we are carrying on conversations in spanish and surviving each day IN SPANISH! It´s AMAZING!! On the other hand, as our spanish is improving, our english is muy malo (very poor). We are forgetting how to say things in english. For example, yesterday we could not remember the english word for "piña" (pineapple). Our friends here tell us this is a good sign! :)

We send you our love! We have two more days of language school (and homework)and then are headed to Xela, Guatemala to visit the friend of a friend. And so it goes.

La paz (peace),
Hana T.

San Pedro, Guatemala Versus San Pedro, Belize

There is no comparison, only that they are both surrounded by water. San Pedro, Guatemala reminds me a bit of Coeur d´Alene due to the fact of the fresh water lake...it smells like CdÁ.

We made it to San Pedro, Guatemala...chicken bus from Anitqua to Chimal (1 hour), Taxi to Panajachel (2.5 hours), Water taxi to San Pedro (20 minutes), and then after walking around lost for 30 plus mintues, we got another taxi to Casa Rosario, which still left us lost...but eventually we found our spanish school. Last night we weren´t able to move into our host families house, but we stayed at the dorms that the school owns. We found the Buddha bar, which is fairly close to the school, and hung out there for hours last night, eating, drinking and watching ¨Big Fish¨ projected onto the wall. It is COLD HERE! I was freezing in my long pants and warmest long sleeve on. It must be the altitude that is making this place so cold...but the plus side to that is there are no bugs! During the day, the temperature is around 75-80 in the sun, but in the shade it is cold! Maybe I have just climatized to Belize weather and the humidity, who knows! Today´s goal is to find some warmer clothes, maybe a blanket.

We woke up this morning around 7 am to make it to our host families houses for breakfast at 7:30. Both Hana and I ate a pancake, which tasted so good! I live with Maria, who owns a restaurante just down the street from Hana, who lives with Manuel and Olga. At breakfast, I struggled to make conversation, but pretty much was silent. Our 4-hour spanish class was good. I am put with Christina (due to the fact that we both have the same name, as everyone here calls me Christina). She is 20 years old and has two jobs. She has never travelled outside of Guatemala and has lots of sisters. She likes to swim, cook, and is afraid of snakes. Pretty much we got the basics down in the 4 hours, all the small talk you can think of. Tomorrow I am told that we are going to work on verbs. Much needed, since I only have two in my vocabulary. My head is going ¨loca¨ with trying to come up with the spanish translation to my english mind. We will see if this week will help!

I ate lunch back at my host families restaurante, and ate chicken, mashed potatoes, y ensalada. I sat with Rosa, who is 19 and works in the laundrymat. Pretty much that is all I know of her, other than she used to work in Max Pizza shop. It is hard to be immersed in Spanish, solemente speaking spanish.

Off to go shopping and tour the town with Hana until 6, when dinner will be served. Talk to you in a few days!

Dad- The Chicken Buses are converted school buses that the locals use to get from one place to another...We took pictures and will post them another time.

Christina

Photo Recap

San Pedro, Belize.
Sailing adventures with Danny and Capt. David on the 44 ft catamaran. Snorkeling at ShaRK/RAY alley.
*Kristen and the Ray*

*I believe I can fly*

Headed to San Ignacio in Western Belize with our London buddy Chris. We got dropped off along the highway and started our trek into Clarissa Falls, the cattle ranch out in the Belize countryside.
*Walking into Clarissa Falls*

Cave ADventure near San Ignacio: ACTUN TUNICHIL MUKNAL
*Cave Entrance*


*Kristen manuevering through cave*

*In the Cave with my Homies*

We had some time just sitting deep within the cave before viewing the bone remains. With everyone gathered around in a circle, I started beatboxing the tune 'At The Club with my Homies' but I changed the words to 'in the cave with my homies!' One of our tour buddies was excited and said 'Now this is what I call true UNDERGROUND hiphop!" ha!

*Mayan pottery, left as it was found*

*Stalactites and stalagmite formations near the grand chamber*

*Chris, Hana, Kristen prior to swimming out of the cave*

*Cave Exit*

And now we are in Antigua, Guatemala, hanging out with our new friend MaTT. He took us on a dessert adventure last night and while hunting for cheesecake, we came across the central park decked out in white Christmas lights. AFter dessert we had a mini fireworks show!! As soon as I finish this entry, the three of us are heading to San Pedro, Guatemala for this upcoming week of language school!
*Matt, Kristen Hana in Central Park, Antiqua*

Kristen's Entry, "When all Else Fails, Just Laugh"

I am amazed by our journey so far. I was spoiled by the cruise I went on before this trip, and the two wonderful weeks in San Pedro, Belize. We were taken into the community of San Pedro, and it was so comfortable. It was relaxing and down right just fun! We got to know people more than just their skin surface, and made some new quality friends. I couldn't have asked for a better time, and great way to kick off the journey.

After leaving the island, we were into the hustle and bustle of the world. We had to get from here to there in one day, and on our own. It is amazing how small you can feel. Thankfully we met another co-heart in crime to help us get to San Ignacio, and spend a couple days with us so we found another small community to help us transition. I have to admit, I was feeling a little down and out, and not really social. I was bummed about leaving San Pedro, but with seeing new sights and some crazy adventures...I got into this part of the trip...real traveling and exploring. The Mayan Ruins, Cave Spelunking, and crazy bus rides are a trip. Sometimes I could only sit and laugh at where we are and how we got there. Times would be so hectic, that is all we could do. For an example, when we were trying to exchange money and buy the bus ticket to Guatemala City, Hana and I were at such a lost for spanish words and translations that we just lost it in front of the poor sap. We made it though...

People just tend to come into our travels at just the right time. I keep thinking to myself...it is amazing how things just work out. Meeting Chris traveling to San Ignacio, helping us decide on what to do the next day. Elsa, for explaining that the taxi from San Ignacio to Tikal is the best option, (which saved us some huge hassle at the Guatemalan boarder). Adrian and his buddy on our all night bus ride from Flores to Guatemala City, who saved our butts at 6:00 in the dark scary morning...helping us catch a taxi to the next chicken bus to Antiqua and pointing us in the right direction in town...and our new friend Matt, who helps us navigate Antiqua and finding our Hostel. People just happen to come at the right time to guide us where we need to go.

So here we are in Antiqua, Guatemala. It is a beautiful city that reminds me a lot of European towns. There is the cobble roads and the cute little cafes all over the place. Not to mention, the three huge volcanos that surround the town...one being active! I am a little sad that we don't get to explore this area some more...but we are in DIRE need to go to this language school in San Pedro, Guatemala. School starts on Monday, and we are taking tomorrow to travel from Antiqua to San Pedro, which includes more chicken buses and a water taxi. We have a full week in San Pedro, living with our own separate host families and our own private spanish teacher...one on one help. I am excited and nervous for our next adventure. I can't wait to spend a full week in another place, to get to know the community, but very nervous to be apart from Hana and learning Spanish. As one friend told me...when you feel yourself becoming too comfortable...change something. So, I am changing and going out and immersing myself into the culture. Stepping outside of the box.

Hopefully the next time I write...it will be full of spanish words!

Also, a welcome to all my new friends who are added to this e-mail and blog!

Hasta Luego,
Kristina

Hana{s Entry, "When all else fails, just take a chicken bus!¨

If there was one piece of consistent advice that friends gave me for this trip, it was to AVOID SECOND-CLASS NIGHT BUSES!!!

Well, after a LONG night and day of (unintentionally) traveling the Guatemalan highway (CA13) on second-class NIGHT buses and chicken buses, Kristen and I have arrived safely in Antigua, Guatemala - a very beautiful town surrounded by volcanoes. By the grace of God, our connections and transitions thoughout the entire trip thus far have been timely and smooth. And people keep showing up in our lives at exactly the right moments. On our night bus, two young German guys somehow knew we were headed to Antigua, so they took us under their wing when we arrived in Guatemala City at 5 o'clock this crazy mawnin and quickly got us the heck out of the city to Antigua. We are now settled into the Black Cat hostel with a new friend, Matt (from Seattle) - my first experience of communal hostel living!!

To back track a bit . . .
So we left San Pedro with broken hearts . . . much like leaving family back home. There was hardly a spare moment as we caught the water taxi and bus to San Ignacio. We were dropped off along the highway in Belize alongside a sign that said "Clarissa Falls" and pointed several miles down an old country dirt road. The three of us walked along in the glowing evening light and found ourselves in the midst of a herd of free roaming humpback cattle. Upon arrival at the ranch, nestled in alongside one of Belize's rivers, we met the owner Chena. She is a dear friend of Gary Chamberlain and the Seattle University students. It turns out that right now is the busiest season for Clarissa Falls, but when Chena heard that I was associated with Gary and SU, she said she just couldn{t turn us away!! (Gary - Chena sends her love and wants you to know that they will miss you dearly, but are excited for you in wherever it is that your journey leads.) ANd thank you to all my SU buddies who encouraged me to stay at Clarissa Falls - it was a new adventure for me in Belize.

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) - a compelling cave tour - hands-on and AWE-inspiring every step of the way... to SWIM parts of the way, clambor through narrow passageways, climb rock elevators, ascend ladders up to burial sites deep within the cave, turning out our lights and sitting in the utter darkness for a few moments of silence... I am intrigued by the Mayan culture. Mindful of their history and curious about the mysterious collapse of their dynasty. Mindful that this cave was sacred space for them - it appears that sacrifical offerings were made, with bones remaining from both infant and adult sacrifices. Traces of fire pits in the great chamber. Was there dancing? What rituals occurred here and why? Do spirits still dwell in here? Approximately thirty tourists are allowed in the cave per day. Yet the Mayans do not eagerly enter - the space is intimately entwined with their heritage, yet I wonder why they do not return... if it is out of respect or fear of what occurred in the caves, or what presence remains in the caves? I do not know, but I wonder. At first encounter, the cave was seemingly lifeless, but as we began to explore and observe, I noticed life energy throughout - bats, crickets, spiders, WATER, energy continues to circulate - to create and destroy - stalactites and stalagmites are forming as we speak, though very SLOWLY (1/16th inch/yr) and bat guano slowly dissolves large bat holes into the limestone that are scattered spontaneously throughout the chamber ceilings. It is it's own ecosystem, very much alive. I can't believe I was allowed to be a witness.