I cannot believe that it has been three weeks since I got to site! All the over volunteers have said that the days will sometimes be slow but large chunks of time will go fast, they are totally right! I have been really busy, visiting communities, still setting up my house, laying out in the 80 degree weather reading, and washing my clothes (by hand)! It has been really fun going out to the communities because I have met so many people that way. It is awesome because this week I hardly had to buy any food because every time we went to visit people they would give me, corn, limes, oranges, this other kind of fruit you find here, and all other kinds of veggies! It is great! Things are still kind of hard in the loneliness department but now I am starting to like the time I have to myself, I get a lot done, such as reading and cleaning, I know, me cleaning there must be something wrong! I have also really enjoyed cooking for myself! Although I cannot make much right now because of my limited space, I have been doing what I can! It turns out that I really enjoy cooking, it is something that I look forward to doing every night!
So a couple of things that I have noticed/experienced while I have been here in San Martin…
First off, the story that relates to the title of this blog! I was in the community of El Platanar the other day visiting some of the coffee producers and we passed this “construction site” and one of the guys came down to say hello to the guy I was with. When the guy got close enough I realized that the front of his t-shirt said “Kappa Alpha Theta,” I almost lost it but stayed composed but probably looked really weird trying to see the back so that I would know where it was from! You may be wondering how a man in Guatemala got his hands on a Theta t-shirt well, here in Guatemala there are these wonder stores called PACA! They are pretty much like a huge rummage sale (we all know how much I love those, right girls)! They have used American clothes and sometimes you can find real gems, for example, I found a pull over NorthFace fleece for Q 20 ($ 3) in the PACA market in Antigua! You can find almost anything in these stores/markets, including “Kappa Alpha Theta” t-shirts!
My main form of transportation here in San Martin are “jalones” which are just pick-up trucks that people use to take people to and from aldeas, or San Martin and Chimal! They are now, Q1 cheaper than the bus because of the rising gas prices! The other day, being the cheap person that I am, I decided to take one from San Martin to Chimal! I was at the front of the bed of the truck leaning up against the metal bars that they have put up around the bed of the truck! Taking a jalones has its advantages and disadvantages, the advantage being you get to take in the amazing views that you cannot see from the bus but the disadvantage it that many times you come away with some sort of injury! Mine, which resulted from bumping up against the metal bars was a huge BLACK bruise on the side of my hip, gotta love the fun times!
Chimal, which is short for Chimaltenango, the capital city of my department! Chimal is hard to describe because it is one of the dirtiest, polluted, disgusting city ever, but then it has this nice mall with a food court, a Gap, and a movie theater! It is amazing that you can go from communities that little to being able to find almost anything “normal” you want in Chimal! It blows my mind!
Well, that is about all for now! Nothing to exciting but you know life in San Martin is not all the exciting, wink!
and cookies and pastries! 
and cookies and pastries! 
just another day but without work, so we just lounged around the house and watched tons of TV! Although I was sick with the stomach flu which kinda made the day suck! 
just another day but without work, so we just lounged around the house and watched tons of TV! Although I was sick with the stomach flu which kinda made the day suck! 
