Tuesday, July 11, 2006

No Màs Helado de Mcdonald´s Para mi!

Hola chicos y chicas,

Lo siento, pero i am having trouble coming up with original greetings and it is only my 4th or 5th entry! It has been 2 weeks since i arrived in Guatemala, and I feel quite settled here in Antigua. After much consideration i decided to quedarme (stay with) my Spanish School and with my maestra, Olga, for at least the next couple of weeks. My ability to speak Spanish is improving and i am really enjoying my conversations with Olga. Next week during school time the two of us are going to take the infamous chicken buses to various local towns so I can learn more about Mayan culture. I just attended an informal Spanish lecture and demonstration at my school about the importance of Maize to the Guatemalans. I found it really interesting. Hopefully next week I will start volunteering at a local non-profit in the afternoon for 3-4 hours per day. I plan to tour two organizations at the end of the week and then I will select the one which seems to be the best fit for me.

Over the weekend 4 new students (de los estados unidos) moved into the guest house and although I have been speaking a bit more English thrououghout the day than i had hoped to, I am enjoying the company. Until this weekend the only other students at the house were a few boys in their teens and early 20´s. Although they were very nice and quite mature for their age (i guess traveling to a place like Guatemala takes a bit of the teen out of the teenager), we had little in common and meals lasted all of 10-15 minutes. Now there are six adults all within a few years of my age. Meals are like being part of the big family i never had- especially lunch and dinner when we are joined by the school director´s wife and adult son and sometimes by Mario, the director as well. Yesterday afternoon a few of us stayed too long at happy hour where bottles of Gallo, the Guatemalan equivalent of Corona) are practically given away for11Quetales ($1 = 7.5Q) each. (Actually it was the chatting, not the drinking that kept us- really) (I actually abstained on account of my gut (see below)) When we arrived at the guest house 10 minutes late for dinner, the frijoles negros (my favorite source of protein) were nearly gone. The boys from last week didn´t care for beans too much. In my best and most polite espanol, i told Francisca, our cook and housekeeper and my new amiga, that all of the current students like black beans. She promised to make more today and because of my comment we will probably be enjoying our frijoles negros 3 times per day from now on....

if you think 11Q ($1.50) beers are una buena oferta, tonight at the popular bar, Mono Loco, (crazy monkey) it is ladies night, and women can buy cuba libres (cheap rum and cokes) for 3Q. Of course guys flock there like flies on... I have no problem passing on this deal, but i may end up at Mono Loco tonight (after i complete my tarea (homework) por su puesto), because later in the evening everyone files into the bar next door for salsa dancing. Acutally, going salsa dancing in Antigua is a bit like riding the subway in San Francisco (I don´t have experience in NY or Boston, but i imagine they are similar if not worse) during rush hour. The bar is deserted until about 10-1030 when suddenly it fills up and the claustorphobic run for the hills. A few couples show off their moves throughout the crowded bar, and the rest of the bailadores pack into a small square of a dance floor in the corner of the bar. Last week i was lucky enough to get one dance in before i too succombed to claustrophobia and the cigarette smoke. Luckily there is a small window on the wall separating the dance floor from the sidewalk, where i discovered i could stand outside and check out the scene while enjoying the semi- fresh air. In Antigua the talented dancers are separated from the rest becasue they can execute their moves beautifully on the sometimes sticky brick or stone tile floors. I do miss the beautiful wooden floor at the Century ballroom in Seattle. One thing i really appreciate about the salsa dance bars/clubs in Antigua is that there is a nearly 50-50 mix of Guatemalans and foreigners. Most of the other popular Spanish student hangouts in town seem to attract a nearly strictly gringo crowd- even when there is live latin music (non-salsa).

One of these pro-gringo establishments is called Cafe Rainbow. Cafe Rainbow is a cafe/restaurant with expat waitresses, as well as a bar, bookstore, and travel agency. On Sunday night I ate dinner at Cafe Rainbow with my new friends and, taking a break from Guatemalan cuisine for the evening, I ordered a gringo tofu and vegetable stir-fry, and of course a bit of Gallo. For some reason, after dinner i decided that i needed an ice cream cone and sadly i entered the one McDonald´s in Antigua- A nearly criminal act for someone who frequently condemns the presence of American junk food and fast food in Guatemala. Anyway, i had that craving for ice cream (no, i am definitely not pregnant) and all of the regular ice cream shops close pretty early for some reason. For only 3Q (40 cents) i walked out of the huge red building with my prized treat. Unfortunately, 2 or 3 hours later i was inititated to what i guess i will just call "traveler´s gut". I suppose no more details are necessary. Luckily my enfermidad passed through me by the next morning. Although i have taken a few food safety risks in the past two weeks, I am guessing that this nutritionist´s bout of "traveler´s gut"was most likely caused by a combination of too much afternoon Guatemalan sun, un poquito de cerveza (beer), the stir-fry, y ice cream.... hmm maybe my decision to change careers is a good one!!!

Disclaimer: I suppose this entry makes it sound like i do a bit more drinking than studying in Antigua. Although i could definitely put more time into practicing my conjugations, i assure you that the ETOH consumption by this gringa is not at all what you might infer by reading the above fabrication.

Oh dios mio! i am late for dinner again. Cross your fingers that there will be some frijoles left by the time i get home.

Adios for now,

Julia

2 comments:

Carlos R. Cruz said...

Monoloco is by far my favorite bar in Guatemala. Just came back from living in the DC area for about 10 years, and I love the diversity and ambiance you find in Antigua (specially at Monoloco). Plus, you get to watch all the sporting events down there…. Go Bosox!!!

YourMomCalled said...

Hey Julie!

Sounds like a blast! How are your Spanish Masterpieces coming along?! :)

Miss ya,
Lisa