Música!

(I wrote this last night. I just got the chance to post this online. This might happen frequently.)

The first thing I noticed when I entered the apartment of my host family was the music playing in the living room. I asked what it was and, sure enough, it was Christian music.(For those of you who don’t know, the music I mostly listen to is Christian rock.) About an hour later I heard a song I recognized, except in Spanish! It was great. And then a little while later I heard two other songs that I recognized, but in English! I asked my host mom if she understood the words, and she said no.I find it interesting that the radio station played both English and Spanish songs. I wonder how many people that listen to the station actually understand the English songs. Also, we went to an Arabic restaurant the other night with a live band, and they sang a few songs in English (including the song “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith). And just last night we visited a new restaurant/club that had a live band which played a couple songs in English. (It was a great folk band. We helped ourselves to some dancing, too. I discovered that I don´t have the ability to shimmy.) Many of the people there (including the band members) seemed to be of European descent, and I heard a few people speaking English. It seemed to be a popular place among international students and volunteers, or whoever all those light-skinned people were.

I absolutely love the city of Xela. It is the second largest city in Guatemala, but it doesn’t feel that big to me (until I climb a hill and see the whole city). Our school is near the central park, but the neighborhood feels safe and it’s strange to think that I am so near the hub of the city.  What I think I love most about Xela is that anywhere you look, you are surrounded by mountains/ large hills (I don’t know if they are all large enough to be called mountains, haha.) Today we decided to venture up one of those hills. Baúl caught our attention mostly because it’s right at the city limits and there is a small circular pavillion and cross near the top of it. So this afternoon, we headed east until we were headed out of the city, up the mountain. After about a half hour of climbing, we managed to stop a pickup and hop in the back of the truck and got a ride the rest of the way up (probably not very safe, but we found out that we had only walked about half way, and we were already exhausted). At the top we found a city park. It was so random, but so great. It had such a great view of the city.

I just had a great conversation with my host mom. We talked about my school, my involvement with ministries such as camp and church, and my family.  We also talked about her church and her work and her daughter’s school. Erica is the sweetest girl ever. Gloria and Erica live in an apartment about five blocks away from my school (it was fun hauling my 65-pound bag up three flights of stairs!) They also have a small dog named Blackie, who lives on the roof of the apartment building, and a 2-inch-in-diameter turtle named Luna (she’s so tiny!). They are both really great people, and I had a great time showing them some pictures on my computer.  I showed Gloria so many pictures—photos from concerts, my brother’s wedding, friends, and my trip to Haiti. It was so cool getting to share my life experiences with her through photos. I also played some songs for her off my iTunes. One of the first things that we discovered is our similar tastes in music (as noted above).  Erica came home as I was doing this, and I noticed that she was wearing a Jonas Brothers shirt. So I played a little JoBros for her. (I am proud to say that I have a lot of Jonas Brothers music in my iTunes.) Then I showed Erica some of the pictures and we talked about school.  Her favorite subject is English. She was looking at my books and noticed that I had a couple of Junie B. Jones books in Spanish, so she is borrowing one. It makes me happy because Junie B. Jones was my favorite thing to read back in second or third grade.

I keep being surprised at the amount of “American” influence there seems to be here. Many people speak English, and there are many signs in Spanish and English.  It isn’t an overwhelming amount, and now that I think about it, it could be compared to the US and the fact that many things are being presented in Spanish in addition to only English. Even my family’s choice of food is definitely similar to food in the states (today I had spaghetti, tonight some chopped up hotdogs mixed with eggs, and tomorrow morning I’ll probably have some Fruit Loops; and Erica’s favorite food is pizza…like most children in the states).  There are McDonald’s, Domino’s, Taco Bell’s, etc. The other day we found the “Walmart” of Guatemala (it was founded by Walmart even though it had a different name and none of the price tags or anything had the Walmart logo). I don’t know what you think of when you hear “Guatemala,” but in comparison to the US, I didn’t think it’d be so…similar. I didn’t expect McDonald’s or Fruit Loops. Of course, it is different.  There are just more similarities than I expected. This is the city, and I’m sure things will change once we head up to the villages this weekend and in a couple of weeks.

As I type this, I am sitting on my bed, listening to the sounds of the noisy street below me and Gloria and Erica in the next room working on some of Erica’s schoolwork. From tomorrow on, I will have schoolwork of my own.  We start classes tomorrow…!  I’ve been happy with the amount of Spanish I’ve been able to use with Gloria and Erica, and Gloria has even told me that my Spanish is advanced. So that has been encouraging as I am about to begin my class.  I am taking Latin American literature…I’m just hoping that my teacher speaks slowly and is patient with me! And that I don’t have too much reading to do each night…there are many parts of Xela that I have not experienced yet! ;)

Prayer requests: Gloria has an interview for a new job today (it’ll probably be over with when I finally get a chance to post this to my blog). Pray for guidance among the employers and within Gloria. Pray for us students as we begin classes! Also, pray for us students in our host families. I think everyone has been placed with some great families, but language is still a barrier for all of us, and many are struggling with homesickness. Pray for understanding (or at least appreciation) of this mixed, yet unique, culture. I am praying for you all back in the states—especially those beginning new semesters!

Please feel free to comment, and I welcome questions. Well, I am about to fall over—I am so tired from the climb. I hope to hear from you soon. Buenas noches!