February 20, 2004

• Wow oh wow oh wow!!!! I can’t believe that I’m actually in Antigua, Guatemala!! I keep thinking that I’m having a dream and will suddenly be back home waking up in bed!! Seems so strange… The flights down were great… except for Jana who was writhingly ill on one of them. By the time we landed in Guatemala she was feeling much better, we were so thankful for that. The ride to Antigua from GUA City… oh my, bless our poor driver’s heart! He did his best to try to converse with us, but Jan and I learned rapidly how rusty we actually are on our Spanish. Most of our sentences so far begin and end with, ‘Huh? Uuuuuummm, no comprendo.’ We have already begun work on that department and we’ve spoken a few complete sentences with the help of a phrase book. A few.

  
  

  The sites and smells of a new country are always fascinating… Burger King advertising, ‘El Gato in the Hat’, Dunkin’ Donuts tries to blink out a welcome… And hey, I even saw a bus that was named after me! Okay, so maybe not quite, but the trans busses down here are all named after women - the more common names are Maria and Anna, but there painted in bold lettering on the back of one of the first busses we saw was one nicknamed ‘Clarita’. Awwwww, way to warm my heart fast!  And oh, the coffee down here is amazing!! This is one of the largest coffee farm places in the entire world, sooooo you can only imagine what kind of coffee they serve down here.

  
  

  Seriously though, we DO need your prayers… I never realized how lost I could feel in a culture, and I do feel very vulnerable and needy right now. I’m so excited about this opportunity, yet there are soooo many things about it too that scare the daylights out of me… Right now the biggest prayer request is that we would be ready adjusters to the culture and that we would humble ourselves and be students not only of the language, but also of the people… It IS very humbling to be here and not know a thing about anything, plus be in a place so far from home that doesn’t feel like home. It’s already winning our hearts though, and I think it will become a dear part of our hearts by the time we leave to go home…

  
  

  This is a beautiful part of GUA… Antigua is nestled in the base of giganimous volcanic mountains, surrounded by lush beauty and it is completely Guatemalan culture… This is a big tourist town, which will take a little something to get used to, but the flavor and culture is distinctly Guatemalan. Jan and I got a fruit smoothie this afternoon while we were walking around that Marylou decribed to me earlier as ‘big enough to take a bath in.’

  
  

  Dad, Kris, and Gina fly in later tonight and I am soo excited about seeing them!!!! I can’t wait to explore Antigua with them and also see some other people that we know!!

  
  

  clarita <><

  • 7:43 pm
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