Update

To anyone who has been awaiting a new post...I am very, very sorry for making you wait so long. Internet access has been scarce. Plus, I'm a terrible blogger. I should retroactively fail J2150.

So now to make up for that, I'll try to update you on the last 2 and a half weeks. Here's the short list of things I've done.

- Hiked up to Cerro de la Cruz, a huge hill with a beautiful view of Antigua. - Spent a lovely day relaxing on Monterrico beach on the Pacific Coast. - Climbed the Pacaya Volcano! At the top, the landscape is a lot like what I imagine Mars is like. - Went for a swim in the Lago de Atitlan, which Aldous Huxley once said is the most beautiful lake in the world. - Toured a macadamia nut farm. - Visited Tikal, one of the most spectacular Mayan Ruin sites in the world (and where 5 shots from Star Wars episode IV were shot).

And that's just in my spare time!

On weekday mornings I work at a daycare in a class of Parvulos (kindergarteners). At first, I was overwhelmed by how wild the kids are. I'm talking bookshelf-climbing, pasta-flinging crazy. But, they've really started to grow on me. A few days ago, someone taught them how greet people in English without me knowing. When I walked in that morning and they all shouted "HIIIIIIIII!," my heart melted. On top of being adorable and hilarious, they really are the best Spanish teachers, too. Kids are patient with language and speak simply. I could not have asked for a better crowd to practice speaking Spanish with.

I know that this blog is severely lacking in pictures, but never fear! I promise to post all of my awesome pics as soon as I can get them off the memory card (which will probably be after I get back to the States on Friday).

Yesterday I tried to climb a volcano...what did you do?

Take out the "tried to" and that's what this blog was supposed to be called.

Yesterday I woke up at 3:35 am to hike the Acatenango Volcano. We rode a van up a mountain for an hour and a half (which felt like a bumpy county fair-quality roller coaster the whole way). When we started hiking, the altitude hit me really hard. I got really dizzy and my heart was racing. I seriously considered sitting the rest out, but after some encouragement from my friends, I kept going at a slower pace. I was pretty sure that I could make it to the top, but then disaster struck. Our guide, Luis, found that the path was blocked because of recent eruptions at the volcano next door (Fuego Volcano) and lots of rain. So what did we do? Hike back down, of course.

By the time we got down, Luis said it was to late to go up using another path; by the time we came back down the afternoon rain would have made it unsafe to hike.

So then we went to wait for our shuttle...in the pouring rain. I will NEVER forget the time I sat under a tree in the rain in the middle of nowhere Guatemala for 2 hours.

Other adventures I've had since my last post include:
- Visiting a cacao farm where they make their own artisan chocolate. Turns out I'm actually a pretty good chocolatier...backup career?
- Toured the colonial church ruins in Antigua.
- Went to a local bookstore where the cashier was from Knoxville! Then, he got a phone call and had to leave. In a bizarre turn of events, I was put in charge of the store for 10 minutes while his assistant ran across the street to get my change.
- Visited the Saturday market in Antigua where they sell everything from nail clippers to live chickens.
- Took a chicken bus (old schoolbus painted extravagant colors for use in Guatemala) to Pastores, a local town that specializes in leather goods. I bought custom-made cowboy boots for about $30! What a deal.
- Started salsa lessons! There's not really a whole lot of instruction at my studio, but hey! I'm totally fine dancing with a guy who can REALLY salsa for an hour a week...no problem!

Next weekend we're hiking the Pacaya volcano....maybe we'll actually make it to the top of this one!

Days 1 and 2

I made it! Talk about the most exciting 2 days ever.

I woke up at 4am on Monday to fly through Atlanta to Guatemala city. On my second flight, I helped an old Korean woman fill out her customs forms using mostly charades, which took up most of the time on the 3 hour flight.

When I got to Guatemala City I met Alex from my school (which is called COINED, for future reference). He drove me to the city I'm staying in, Antigua. The only thing I have to say about that trip is "holy mountains!". Guatemala is beautiful!

We went straight to the house I'm living in and I met my host family, Oswoldo and Candaleria. They're both 80 and still kickin'! There are 2 other girls from my school living in the house, Dalia from Montreal and Helene from Sweden. After my first lunch at the house, they walked me to the school.

Even though I was a day late, I still made it to orientation. The director of the school, Jorge, is really nice. He gave us a walking tour of the city to help us navigate the place. After dinner I went with Dalia and Helene to the Rainbow Cafe, a really cool coffee shop with murals on every wall and live music.

The next day I didn't have much to do so I spent some time just wandering around (I need to mention here that I will never be lost in Antigua because there is a volcano at the end of my street. It's even better than the Twain smokestacks for finding your way home). I spent the afternoon at a cafe terrace overlooking central park. Beautiful!

That night a group from my school went out for dinner at a place called Cafe Sky, which is at the edge of town and has a great view of the mountains. In the 7-person group we had people from 5 different countries: the US, Canada, Korea, Norway, and Sweden. How cool is that?

I came here to get some global perspective, but I never imagined it would be quite like this. Not only am I seeing what it's like to live in Central America, but I'm also getting to know people from all kinds of backgrounds, ages, and cultures (fault lines, anyone?). It's SO amazing!

And the best part is I've only been here 2 and a half days!

All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go...

If you've been paying attention to my posts you know that I was supposed to leave for Guatemala today.  Unfortunately that's not the case; I won't be headed out until tomorrow.

I showed up at the airport almost two hours before my flight to Houston was supposed to leave this morning.  Only when I tried to check in at the United Airlines counter, they said I was supposed to be on an earlier flight that had already left.  As it turns out, Orbitz and United Airlines had moved me to an earlier flight without informing me.

So after dealing with some seriously rude people from United, we changed my ticket to a Delta flight tomorrow morning.

So..that's that.  Hopefully I'll have another (better) update for you tomorrow!

Shots! Shots! Shots!

...No, not those kinds of shots.

Over the last few weeks, I've been doing the serious things that have to be done in preparation for my trip to Guatemala.  The least fun of these was going a travel clinic to get vaccinations.  I ended up only having to get one shot (typhoid fever), and some serious mosquito protection in the form of a spray for my clothes and DEET lotion.  Luckily, in the city I'll be staying in (Antigua), malaria is not an issue, so I don't have to take malaria pills.

I've also started to think about packing, which is going to be a daunting task.  Ask any of my roommates and they will tell you that I have more clothes than anyone else they know.  So, the idea of reducing my entire wardrobe into one small duffel bag is hard to wrap my mind around.  Not to mention that I'm only supposed to bring the bare necessities.  Here's what is recommended:

• 5 shirts
• 2 pairs of pants
• 1 skirt or dress 
• 2 pairs of shoes
• 1 bathing suit
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 light rain jacket

And that's supposed to last me 5 weeks?  I know that I'll be able to wash clothes while I'm there, but I don't think I'll be able to pack that lightly.  I'll do my best, though!  

In other exciting news, I finally got my work assignment and home-stay assignment!  I'll be working at the Children's House Daycare, which is run by a charity called Hospital de Hermano Pedro.  It provides childcare for local kids (9 months to 6 years old) who have single or working parents.  I'll be helping take care of the kids, playing with them, and also organizing recreational activities.  My home-stay is only about three blocks away from where I'll be working, so I'll be able to walk to work every day! 

I also get afternoons off.  I only work Monday through Friday from 7:45 am- 12 noon.  That means that I'll have afternoons and weekends to explore!  I've been reading tons of guidebooks and talking to my middle school spanish teacher (who has been to Guatemala) about the fun things that I'll be able to do in my free time.  Here's my Guatemala "Bucket List" so far:

• Visit Lake Atitlan
• Climb the Volcán Pacaya
• Visit a Coffee Farm 
• Explore Panajachel, a small town by the lake
• Check out all the Colonial Architecture in Antigua
• Visit Mayan Ruins
• Tour a Macadamia Nut Plantation

And I'm sure I'll find other awesome things to do when I get there!      

Hola!

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine

It's time to start my adventure!  After years of dreaming and months of planning, I have finally booked a trip to Antigua, Guatemala for the upcoming summer.  Even though I've traveled to awesome places before (New York, Mexico, Toronto, Bahamas, etc.), I consider this to be my first big trip.  Why?  Because I'm going all by myself.  I'll be staying with a host family for 5 weeks and volunteering with a childcare organization.  I'll be speaking mostly Spanish, which will hopefully help improve my speaking skills.  I am BEYOND EXCITED for this trip...but also a little bit nervous.    

So, for those of you who don't already know me, here's my awkward first-blog introduction:

My name is Bridgit, I'm currently a sophomore at the University of Missouri- Columbia.  I'm a double major in journalism and Spanish.  I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and consider myself a "southern girl."  I work at MizzouRec as a TigerX group fitness instructor teaching Zumba and other dance classes. When I grow up (which is sooner than I would like to think it is) I want to be a radio reporter, and my dream job is to work at NPR.  My favorite color is green, and my favorite things to do are reading and dancing.

So, what exactly is this blog for?  I wanted an easy way for my family and friends to see what I'm up to.  The people that will be most interested in my life will be scattered all over the globe this summer, from Missouri to Tennessee and even all the way to Russia.  Keeping a blog seemed like the best way to keep everyone updated.  Plus, it's a good way to put my journalism skills to use while I'm out of the country.

So keep reading!  I'll be posting pre-trip updates from now until I leave in July, and then as much as I can when I'm actually on the trip (internet access allowing).

Adiós for now!