Close to a bittersweet ending

So much has happened since the last blog.

Last weekend I got the okay from Virginia to go to Tikal thank god. I took that 10 hour bus ride for the third time and had an assigned seat next to a random Guate named Axel. When I picture what a man name Axel looks like, I think of a burly slightly intimidating man. This guy was just a sweet little pudgy man with a silly laugh. I found out he sells motorcycle parts and lives outside the city. We talked and laughed until my sleeping meds kicked in. Conveniently I woke up and we were in Flores (our destination).

That day, we got a boat tour, I swam in the lake and my friend Sarah and I went in to all of the local establishments. Flores is such a very chill place and also very quaint. All of the buildings are brightly colored with white trim. There are cobblestone roads and a cluster of shops and restaurants. That night we went to a restaurant that was lit by white Christmas lights and had mouthwatering seafood. We had an early night because we had to get up for the sunrise tour at 4:30 am. I decided to take the same tour again because I didn't feel completely safe doing something alone.

The next day I figured I would get a different tour guide that would say different things but no. I got the same tour guide but I loved him the first time so it wasn't a problem. It was even more fun the second time around. I also went zip lining again and that too was more fun the second time around. I am becoming a pro Tikal tourist! Thinking about the zip lining makes me laugh for a number of reasons. We kept making jokes about the instructions in English because we thought everyone with us only spoke Spanish. Once they started laughing too we realized the people zip lining with us spoke English too and so we tried to cut down on some of the inappropriate jokes. The 14 year old guide helping us kept hitting on all of the girls asking if we had boyfriends or if we were married. I don't think he realized we didn't plan on robbing the cradle... especially in a foreign country.

Finally we were ready to board our bus back. We thought that arriving 30 minutes early was a responsible gesture but the bus ended up coming 45 minutes early and we missed it. Thankfully, two random men rode up on a motorcycle and told us the bus was waiting. They were mad at us for not being there but I was mad for them coming so early! Oh Guatemala. In the end we made it back safe and sound in time to watch the world cup final.

After watching the world cup final Henry invited us to play soccer. We sat there debating whether to go or not because of the rain but our decision to go was a wise one. We played in the rain Gringos versus Guates. I didn't score any goals but I did save some as goalie, made some assists and stole the ball a couple times! Yep I'm bragging. But everyone else did the same thing haha.

This week has been interesting. We have played some different games with the ladies, even catch! Yesterday Christina and I went to disinfect beds and when we lifted up a mattress pad a ton of cockroaches came crawling out!! I felt like I was playing real life Wack-a-mole trying to kill them all. I started to wonder if my mattress at the home base was housing some roaches...
Christina and I have also started nicknaming ladies by the signature things they do. I'm not sure if this is the nicest thing but it makes work more fun. For example there is a lady that always kisses our hands so we call her hand kiss lady. Another woman is always talking about god so we call her Dios lady haha.

Last night we went out on the town to Zona Viva and met up with Cole's friend from high school who lives in Guatemala. He brought friends who were all very cute AND spoke English. We started out at Tacontento a chain restaurant and then moved to a private little club, a hotel and another club. We did a lot of dancing and mingling. Sarah even found a McDonalds to get food in the midst of our lively night.

Today we didn't go to work because we went Iximiche, another area of Mayan ruins much smaller than Tikal. It was a gorgeous day and one of the biggest attractions was finding out our Mayan animal and personality based on our birthdate. Mine is armadillo and it says that I am a good counselor, am a leader, value justice honesty and peace. I thought all of those things were pretty accurate but those can also apply to a lot of people.

I have such a mixed feeling of emotions right now thinking about having to leave here but also excited about going home. I am getting very close to everyone here, volunteers and patients. The night life now has picked up and I am so comfortable in my placement. I am ready to be back in my own culture and not to be confused on what is going on 75% of the time. Tomorrow is my last night to go out and I am excited for that of course. I can't wait to see everyone when I get back! Until my next blog, Xo Carolyn