Fourth of July Party

Tuesday 7.6.10

Last weekend I spent in Antigua, Guatemala for a meeting and a 4th of July party (which was actually held on the 3rd). It was exhausting. It was fun, but tiring, and I’m glad I’m home. I arrived last Wednesday mid-day and spent a few hours at my old host family’s house. The first thing they said to me when I walked in was “wow, you’re more beautiful” which made me feel good until another responded… “yes, she’s chubbier now”. Which did not make me feel good. In Guatemala it’s not considered an insult to call another gordo or gordita, which basically means fatty, though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take it as a compliment. The combination of tortillas, rice, bread, and very little physical activity is not a good combination for me.

All in all I enjoyed my visit to my old host-family. I heard a bunch of gossip about other host families and just had fun chatting for the whole afternoon. I can tell how my Spanish has improved just because of the ease I felt in conversing with them.

I also had a good time seeing all my friends I hadn’t seen in about three months and meeting new people. But, like I wrote earlier, it was exhausting. I got very tired very quickly of answering the same questions over and over… “what is your name, where is your site, what is your program, when did you get here…?” I decided early on to not ask any of these questions; rather, I thought more creative questions to ask people the first time I met them. “What is the greatest number of tortillas you have eaten in one day? What is the most disgusting food you have ever eaten in Guatemala? How many days have you gone without showering at your longest stretch?” I also met the US Ambassador. I wanted to ask him how many tortillas he’s eaten in one day, but I did not.

Back at my site now, sleeping in my own bed, and in another two weeks I’ll be back in Antigua for a meeting called “reconnect” where all of us who came in January will get back together for a week of venting and Spanish classes, then after that, my mom comes to visit!