Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The joys of life...

One really nice thing about my Peace Corps experience so far has been the joy that I get out of the little things! One little thing can make my day or even my week sometimes. For example last week I went to the store to buy milk and got overly excited because my milk carton had starting putting the plastic opening tab back on the cartons. It was exciting because they had been missing for a couple of months! I know it sounds ridiculous but really it made my day.

Another example, I was in the market looking for blackberries to make jam when I happened upon this women selling what looked like zucchinis, mind you not that exciting but I have never seen them and have craved them so much since I got here. So I asked her what they were just to double check and sure enough they were zucchini. At this point I was willing to pay almost any price for these but when she told me they were Q1 per large zucchini I bought five…I think she thought I was incredibly weird! Now for those of you who don’t know the conversion rate, one quetzal is equal to 13 cents. It was a glorious day!

I wonder what it is going to be like to come home…and not get excited when they change my milk carton.

Now where there is joy there is almost things that can totally ruin a day. Traveling is the most common thing that will ruin a day. There are many things surrounding traveling that can achieve down right nervous breakdown status. These include, a packed bus and having to stand, getting suck next to a puking child, sitting in the seat where the window is broken and it is either raining (or more like down pouring) or it is so incredibly hot, they bus breaks down and you have to wait or either cram on another already packed bus with all the people from your crammed bus and the for me the worst waiting for a bus at the bus stop in Chimal and being told that you want to go somewhere because obviously because you are white you have no idea what you are doing, PEOPLE I am have been living here for 14 months I know where I am going and how to get there. More than once I have had some harsh words for the ayudantes (helpers/money collectors on the buses) who grab me and/or my things. The thing that is hardest to accept is that no matter how long I live here I will always be a tourist because I am a white, blah!

Chula, my kitty, is getting so big. I cannot believe how fast she is growing and how mischievous she can be. I know that when she does something or gets scared by something she comes bolting across the patio and into my bedroom or in the morning if I have slept to late she starts out by patting my cheeks with her paws and then if that doesn’t work she nips at my nose. The cutest thing she does is when I am reading before I go to bed is she will sit in between my arms and put her paws up on the book next to my thumbs like she is reading with me!

1 comment:

Alyssa LaRenzie said...

I've heard zucchinis are a hot commodity. One of the girls at the missionary house I stayed at asked if we could mail some pickles back.
Ah the little things in life--like being a gringo always and forever. I'm glad you're enjoying your time in Guatemala. I will certainly be reading your blog now that I've found it!
--Alyssa LaRenzie
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