Guatemala

Elmer is wearing the bracelet rather proudly although of course his loyalty is with Brazil. Monday I was alone with the kids and after the four hours I was ready to have a screaming fit. They just don’t listen to anything you say and do what they please, whenever they please. They decided they wanted playdoo to play with and they all crowded in front of the closet where the material is kept and started fighting who would get it first etc. I had it by than I told them to sit down or nobody would get anything to play with. That actually worked because I got a bit louder and I guess they could tell that I was serious. Small victory but hey kept them in line for a little while! Sometimes I feel really bad about what kind of life they have. I don’t only mean the clothes but their skin has a look to them which I guess comes from malnutrition and no body lotion etc. Their faces are fine and they are cute mostly but got runny noses which just get wiped on their sleeves. They fight and hit each other a lot so in the end someone is crying. All the things we take more or less for granted and they are missing/ lacking gets to me sometimes. After my lunch I needed my nap since I was beat. I went home for freshening up since Elmer and I had a date at night. Being Monday usually no hairdresser shop is open but Ema took me to one and I got my hair cut. I just love this place where you can just walk in and get served. The lady did it slightly differently but than again it isn't that difficult to just cut the split ends in a straight line. At night of course he wasn't on time for our date but neither was I. He was working out in the gym and came straight from there. In the park Hanna and Hedda were waiting with me. Elmer and I went to Queso y Vino because I craved a good wine for a change. It was pretty funny since there I bumped into Carmen, Fabian and Bianca, Elio etc. all the German speakers since someone was leaving and they had the good-bye dinner there. We were celebrating our 2 months one day early because he was working during the day and otherwise usually nights. It was a fun night together, really crazy talks, stopped for a final drink in Reilly’s and they had a bar quiz going on and if you got the right answer you would win free beer. It was good for many laughs but I couldn't for the live of me think of the answer since they were music questions or about English soccer (PLEASE!!!). After that we were like let’s get some sleep and sleep in...

We sure slept in nicely. When the alarm went off I pushed the wrong buttons on my phone and turned the alarm completely off which was pretty stupid to do. I was planning on returning home to get my play-with-the-kiddies clothes and than go to work. Instead I woke up when his alarm went off very early because he had to be at Monoloco already at 9am for a staff meeting. I took the bus home and Ema was like where have you been ... so we ended up chatting and spending lots of time together so that in the end it just wasn't worth going anymore to see the kids that day. I was about to take my nap but than decided against it. I had to arrange a couple of other things. In the afternoon I was supposed to meet Carmen but she didn't show up or call or answer her phone so I went to Funky Monkey for a chat. I bumped into her later since she knows where I usually hang out. She looked bad, red eyes, sniffy nose ... I was like what has happened. She told me that she was upset about the phone call she had with her boy-friend. I guess it gets difficult even if it is only 3 months that people are separated. I returned to Ema's and freshened up and had dinner. I went with Carmen by tuc-tuc and that meant finally only 5Q fare per person. At night I went to Monoloco and met all the usual suspects there. I got to know her friend Jose and that was a fun conversation. I am sure my Spanish is still a disaster but at least I get to practice it. Going home as good fun since we were in the end a group of about 7 people who all live in Jocotenango. I found us a driver who I knew who would give us a good price. He is a friend of Elmer’s and of course asked where he is. I was home pretty early and called Elmer to let him know that I got home safe and sound.

Wednesday - not much to tell except went to work as usual. Oh yes Camilla and me were in for a surprise because the director told us that there was no food for the kids except rice and bread. So we took some money with us and went to the market and bought the most basic things for them. Still the whole thing is kind of weird. At home had lunch, slept for a while and in the afternoon was in Funky Monkey and called it an early night at home, being in bed by 8.30pm.

Thursday I went to work as well. The usual thing except for some reason they were angels in the school but once we got to the playground they turned into devils and we had 15 kids to take care of. I was beat afterwards. I had my alarm set because I had a date with Marcela to go shopping for clothes and I can proudly say that I found new clothes two new pairs of jeans, 4 new tops, shoes etc. So now I can really blend in here at least optically since my Spanish still gives me away. I had sent Elmer's brother an email with a picture from us as promised and since than we are emailing and I get to practice my written Spanish which is good for me. I found a good online dictionary so my vocabulary is also getting bigger since I tend to learn more words every day without noticing it. Although it was Elmer's day off he wasn't here in Antigua since Monoloco had an excursion planned for the staff. They were all gone from 6am-6pm to a fun park. So we had agreed that I would come by his place and than we would go out at night. Sure enough the tuc-tuc driver took for me a ride because he didn't know where he lived although I gave him the address. Loser! His brother in law was getting a hair cut when I arrived than it was a late dinner for them and the kids were tired. We were all chatting and I am getting better at it. I guess the biggest difference is that because I chat with Elmer non-stop, chat with the kids and his sister means just more and different topics than with Ema. It is better for my Spanish to hang out there more and chat with them. Maria Fernanda e.g. shows me proudly her homework and other things she shares happily. She loves to hug me ... her brother is a bit more reserved being a boy of course but than again he also likes to laugh and joke. I feel very good there and Ema is just laughing at me when I tell her what we have been up to. He told me to close my eyes once they had had dinner and I got a gift. A little cute stuffed toy flower! I just love him and he is such a sweetheart. He was like I went away for a day so I thought I should get you something. He is a real sweety! We went to La Sala and found a place to dance which was good fun. In the break I was ready for a beer for a change. After the break from the live band the floor cleared quickly and we had lots of space. Carmen and José were there as well and danced. Elmer and I tried out new moves and more turns it was a fun and sweaty night out. We went back to his and stopped on the way to get more water since we were still thirsty. Another thing here is at 2 or 3am in the morning some stores are open and will sell you stuff like drinks, cosmetic artikles etc.

Friday morning {02-06} we slept in and around noon time we showed up in The Black Cat for our breakfast. Connor was just laughing and asking the usual for our drinks ... I had no real plans for that day except that I had a date with Camilla to go shopping and another one for 4pm. Elmer had to work at 6pm so there was plenty of time. I thought he was going to visit his parents and son so I would stop by the internet and write some more. No, he came up with a nice surprise like why don't we visit my parents ... great, I had not bought a gift or anything ... since it is far away he was like either we could rent a motor bike or take a tuc-tuc. We stopped by Frank {he is German and has been here for ages and is a bit weird but he likes me a lot from all the Germans that are hanging around he says I am the only normal one} who gave me a flyer for his motor bike shop the other day and told me to stop by. He was there and we asked how much it would cost to rent a bike for an hour ... in the end he made me a special price. So off we went and I felt really stupid since I was wearing a jeans skirt and it hiked up nicely. His parents live in a very nice place with lots of space and air. I hadn't realized until than that he also has a little brother who is only 11 years old. Introductions were made and I was shown around. Than Elmer brought his brother to school and visited his son while I was left to chat with his parents. I have no idea how good my Spanish was but the conversation was flowing and it was interesting to get to know them. It was so different from my meeting of the parents in Europe. None of this stiff lets sit down and have a tea, no we were outside and they were in the shade while I was sitting in the sun and playing with the dog. Elmer came back and we had lunch except that we both weren't that hungry. He had some salad and I tried it since I try everything here once. I must say that by now I love the food here and would really miss it. Since I mentioned that I love mangos I was given one without a knife. So I was like okay what is the correct manner to go about to eat it. It was freshly washed and they take a bite and suck the juice out and than you start peeling off the skin and eating the flesh. At least I wasn't looking afterwards as if I was in a war with a mango. It was time for us than to get back to Antigua. We made a stop at his since he needed his gym clothes. The kids saw the helmets on the table and got all excited about it. We had a little commitee that waved us good-bye. We brought the bike back and than he went off to the gym and I went off to my appointment. Since Camilla doesn't have a phone I couldn't tell her that I wasn't going to make it for our meeting. I had decided to get a tatoo. It is really cool and it is a sun on the inside of my left ankle. Might be a surprise for some of you o,))) Anyway after that I went by the internet place and Elmer came by before work. I went home than and had a very akward shower since no water contact where the tatoo is. I had my dinner an headed out again. I was planning on going out with Marcella and just wanted to say quickly hi to Elmer in Monoloco. However Hanna, Hedda, Luis etc. were there so I joined them for a while. Marcela came by since she was early I was really surprised. Abbie decided since it as really dead to close early. We went together to Sin Ventura for some dancing. I had a dance partner and she told me later that he was an instructor. No wonder that I felt like whoa this is very different. It was good fun with him until it changed and he started hitting on me. He wasn't even impressed when I told that I have a boy-friend I guess he had a bit too much to drink. I left at around 1am and went back to Monoloco. Elmer didn't have dinner so he asked me if I could buy it since the policy there is that they aren't allowed to buy food. So we had a very late snack at his and by the time we went to sleep it was like 3am.

Saturday, we slept in until about noon. We started getting up and had a slice of bread. It took a while until we were ready to leave the house. I was chatting again with the whole family. They are just so nice. Elmer told me the other day that his sister was cracking a joke if I was his new girl-friend or new wife. I didn’t quite get it so I asked Ema and she told me that is just the way it is here especially since we spend so much time together. Okay, fine with me I don't care which title I get as long as I am happy. We wanted to see a movie but the best seats were already taken and the movie was stupid on top. So I stopped by Funky Monkey to ask if Morgan could cover for me an extra hour. Having swapped so often with him he owes me but he couldn't since he had to be at his other job. He told me though of a good place were we could have lunch. They actually had fish on the menu and guess what we had. It was a whole set menu and I got to try a new dessert some kind of fruit that gets boiled with sugar and cinnamon. Preparing it sounded like preparing cranberries but it tasted a bit like plums. I just love tying new dishes. So far there are only some veggies that I am not too keen on they remind me of pumpkins. After that for some reason I wanted an ice cream so we walked back to the park. He wanted a cold beer since it is humid and hot here. On the way to work I meet Hanna in one of these stores and we chatted a bit. Depending on where they will be tonight I might join them later. Elmer kept me company until he had to start work. I got to know some more artists since he helped me prepare a play list with Salsa, Merengue etc. Work has been bloody boring this afternoon and only picks up around 9pm when suddenly the place is full and everyone has weird requests of some reason or other. I haven’t made up my mind yet what I will do later on all I know that I will want my dinner in Monoloco and it will be quesadillas since I just love them with guacamole. That is what I had and was thinking about what to do next when some guy started chatting with me and suddenly Hanna was right next to me with her two friends. We checked out Sin Ventura. It was crowded, hot and sticky and the guys were drunk. I happily declined dancing with them. By now I know too many guys to be able to walk into any place and not at least know the face if not the name. We left and went to check out La Sala and there we would have had to pay 10Q to get in for 30 minutes that seemed stupid. So we left and since all the places were closing they decided to go home and I went back to Monoloco. I was kind of tired and expected him to finish up and to go and get some sleep. Instead Billy and his friends decided to have a party and part of the staff stayed on. They got so pissed that Chris whose hair was shoulder length was at the end of the evening 2mm. I wonder if he woke up and ha a fit when he looked in the mirror. Gee, we sure had really too much to drink. I hadn’t realized just how much Elmer had to drink. In the end he was really drunk and it took me forever to get him home. He managed to make such a racket that his sister woke up and let us in and his brother in law got him into his room and I took care of the rest.

Sunday, he really didn’t want to get up for work so I decided that the wet, cold wash cloth would do the trick it sure did after a while. No one felt sorry for him but they all felt sorry for me having to take care of him. In the end he managed to get to work just in time otherwise they get fined. I went home after a short chat with Marcela. Nobody was home when I arrived so I figured time for a shower and than a nap. Mario and Ema came back when I took my nap since they tried to open my door I woke up. They told me later that they saw the wet foot prints in the bathroom and wondered who was home. I said hello and chatted with Ema a bit since Mario was off napping. She asked me if I wanted lunch and I said sure. Today it consisted of rice and potatoes. I had to pack my first bag really quickly and of course it started pouring when I had to go and I was running late so a tuc-tuc it was. Mike opened the door and told me that the guy hasn’t cleared out of the room yet so I parked my bag in Morgan’s room. Tomorrow I will empty the bag and get the house key. It should be good fun because Mike will be gone until Friday to El Salvador for his visa and Morgan and me are okay with each other anyway. They both know Elmer and there isn’t a problem on that side either. So I got a quick tour today through the kitchen and the rest Morgan will tell me I am sure. I left with Morgan and we both went to work but to different places. I stopped in Monoloco real quick and I guess Elmer wasn’t the only one suffering from a major headache so were Jordan, Kenny and the rest. I went to work and Marcela was happy to leave since she said it was very boring. I can only say that I got busy straight away and had lots of different things going on. So I had no time to be bored and when it was a bit quieter I finally got to write more. Elmer stopped by on his break and I told him to please take the Danish bread {which they don’t like here at all, having to many grains, Elmer is like me though lets try everything once} home and we could all have it for breakfast with some jam. On his way back he brought me a soup so that I wouldn’t starve like yesterday. He is such a sweetheart! Sure feels sometimes like being married since we spend so much time together but the biggest difference is that we both still have our own lives but talk all the time about we have been doing in the absence of the other one and it is so much more my idea of what a marriage is supposed to be. It will be fun to find out how it will be if we cook together as well … Now I am just waiting for my shift to end and than I think I’ll have a small bite in Monoloco and wait for him to get of his shift. We still want to talk some more since we hadn’t proper time yet although we are both tired. I haven’t decided yet what I will do about work tomorrow since I have to arrange a couple of things and move and do some shopping in the market as well to get some fresh fruit etc. Jason was already asking me if I will watch and cheer theme soccer game again on Wednesday and I really don’t know yet. Maybe I should swap to working some days in the afternoon … Only 2 more hours of work and than I can call it a night here!

True to his word José showed up but around 10.45pm and I mentioned that I was starving. He told me to wait up and he would return in a second with dinner and otherwise if he would get hold up to call him. He came by when we had just finished up and we went to his restaurant. The food was nice and afterwards we went to another cafe and met his friends there. The funny thing was though that we bumped into one of his waitresses also from Germany. We chatted a bit in German and at the end of it she turned around to José and said I like her and she would fit in the team. Get this talk over with and hire her. Thanks for the flowers! I will hear more on that score Friday! Since it was all a bit hectic because I was starving by the time I got off my shift I hadn’t popped into Monoloco. Since I know that he will be upset with me if I don’t let him what I am doing and that I get safely home. I wanted to call him since I had kind of forgotten the time and it was already 1.10am. My credit on the phone had run out - bugger! I ended up borrowing José’s phone to call him and he was really mad at me. Not a very good note to end the night on! Oh well, José brought first Sandra home and than me.

I was supposed to get up early and had my alarm set and all but I had been up so often at night (visiting the bathroom) that I decided to stay in bed. Ema checked on me and I told her that I would be fine once I had some more sleep. I think it was the medication that is kind of aggressive! Oh well, I slept until Elmer called me and my brain isn’t working in Spanish when I just wake up so to understand much is next to impossible and get the right answers out as well o,))) The conversation was still a bit stilted but when he called me later in the afternoon it was fine. Only I was slightly distracted because the kids were moving my stuff around and not really to my liking. Yesika took them out of the room in the end. I told him that I would go out since I had seen enough of my room for a day. I wrote him the first letter in Spanish since I knew we wouldn’t have time to chat much being Monoloco night and it being FULL. He read it and than stopped by and told me okay point taken and now everything is fine again. Actually better than before since he finally got a few points! I was surprised as too how many people I know by now since there is always someone I chat with. Lots of them will be moving shortly either to travel or to go home. Morgan was asking me again if I could swap my shift around with him. I told him that I would have to check if I only have that one shift lined up and than it wouldn’t be a problem. It was a fun night and I finally had my cheese quesadillas which I just love with lots of guacamole. I didn’t drink much but Jordan (bartender) figured that drinking alone is no fun and that a tequila is just what my stomach would need. So we had one and I liked them before but now I REALLY like them with lime and salt. The others went over to Sin Ventura but I couldn’t be asked. I waited for Elmer to get of his shift. One of his colleagues was to give me a ride home but it took forever and his shoes and pants at the bottom were soaked. The boys had to clear the roof of the water and usually they end up wet as well ... He wanted to go home so we took a tuc-tuc! I don’t know if it is the weather but the motor sounded funny. We arrived safe and sound at my place but when they wanted to leave it wouldn’t start for the next 5 minutes ... He called me around 2am to tell me that he had finally gotten home. The motor was acting up some more and than they got stopped by the police on top and the guy didn’t have a license ... what do you do here? Right, pay them off! So after that chat I went off to sleep.

My alarm went off but I woke up before it and got dressed. I had breakfast for the first time in ages and it consisted today of eggs and bread. I took the bus than to the project. The director told me what it is all about and that the other volunteers would tell me the rest. Oh yeah, he told me that I have to pay 25USD but I don’t buy that crap since I prefer to give them material or treat them to other little extras. Today we had 12 kids age 5-6 years and very different. Some very small for their age, others a personality and one girl never speaks but she is very bright ... In the morning hours they got tasks like writing numbers in their books, coloring and counting ... after about an hour they loose interest and run around and start showing off to each other. Around 10pm is a break for them and they get food. The milk with some weird looking grains look absolutely disgusting and more like water with color. The bread gets dunked in it and some of them eat it and others don’t. The kids are all poor and grew up around the market. They aren’t very clean (no lice though) but they get to brush their teeth after the break which is like a game to them. The girls like to cuddle while the boys run around and try to impress each other. After one day only it is clear to spot who has the authority there. The smallest guy but with the most brains. Last week the volunteers took them to McDonald’s and they took every scrap with them home. Some hadn’t been in school than so they got their treat today. I went with Ida and about 8 kids to the playground. They really are a handful. They don’t listen to anything you say really except when it is about crossing the street. Ida bought them ice-creams and they were really happy. I was beat after spending 4 hours with them and was rather dirty and grubby. I walked home and was very thirsty by the time I got home and am really thinking about getting a bike to move around quicker. I wished that I had time to take a nap but no I had an appointment with Marcela to go shopping. However, no reaction and she didn’t show up. Instead I bumped into Carmen who looked like a ghost. I asked if she was sick and she told me no but that she was still recovering from a shock. I was like did you get robbed or something. She is like kind of someone had run up her account to 8.000 EUR debts which explained why she was unable to withdraw money. It seems that is happening a lot here lately they somehow manage to make copies or something when we use the ATM machines because I heard that a lot of that has happening. She therefore had to deal with a lot of running around making a statement to the police, other authorities etc. she said she was glad that her friend was with her and just took over. It really pays off a lot to hang with the locals and they are always so nice and want to help you! I ended up in the internet cafe and writing mails and working on this entry. Elmer and I meet briefly and than we both found out that we had a misunderstanding somehow. I was here uploading PICTURES to my photo gallery - so have a look guys!!! Which took me forever to do so I was running late to get home. He came by and told me that he had the night off and what was I doing. I just looked at him and went what. He I told you that I had swapped shifts ... great! I was beat and all I wanted was to sleep so that was great communication. Oh well! He brought me home and I had dinner and called it an early night.

I got up, had my breakfast and was off to work. The kids were already screaming hola amiga. I got straight away books into my hands and they wanted me to make them some tasks. When I tried to get the boys attention to do their tasks as well it was like talking to a wall. In the end I made it a game and at least I got them to do some counting and got them to understand what the number means in regards to how many fingers you use. I guess that can be counted as a little breakthrough. The weather wasn’t great and it had rained a lot but we still took them over to the park. The walk there was good fun since the other class was doing a project and the boys had somehow managed to get hold of one of the boxes and started to fill it up with their idea of an island. They stopped like at every corner and gathered stuff and arranged it than. It was very entertaining to watch them do what they wanted. The girls felt like holding hands and even Kuki did. They are all very nice and most of them come for hugs and play with your hair and touch you and climb all over you ... you just have to love them. In the park we got them all some ice cream and they were happy. Than it’s started to drizzle and than pour so it was time to get back to the school. The boys were running from one tree to the next one ... in the end there were 6 boys with their backpacks in the tree and refused to go back. We had to pretend to leave to get them to come down ... they wanted help partly than or would toss their bags to us and climb like little monkeys out of the tree. What can I say except that I got a lot of exercise one of the girls was tired and wanted to be carried back to school. She wasn’t all that heavy compared to a European child but do that for 20 minutes and you feel your arms the next day. It was good fun and since we had still time to spare we played with playdoo for a while and had just lots of fun. I took the bus home this time since I had to get some sleep. I got home had lunch and a shower and retired to my room but sleep wouldn’t come. So I decided time to start doing some paper work and that kept me occupied for a while. Elmer and I were having talks as to when and where to meet during lunch. I came for the first time round his place and got to know his sister and her kids a bit more. My words had deserted me partly but what the hell. We left to watch a movie at Cafe 2000. There we bumped into Heidi, Hedda and Hanna. We had a bite there and than it was getting a bit chilly so we went back to his for a change of clothes. While he was getting ready his niece walked in with a book in English partly and I got to translate it. Elmer was in a great mood and started playing around. His sister and nephew had joined us in the mean time as well and we had good laughs all together. Eventually we left again and went dancing. There is just nothing better than that I can tell you! Dancing is just such good fun!!! I stayed at his over night.

Friday morning we had to get up early like shortly after 7am since we had to be at the soccer court at 8am. One team from Monoloco played another restaurant. I watched and cheered with the other handful of supporters and took some pictures. I met Victor’s girl-friend who was visiting from Canada. Victor is the boss from Monoloco. We girls had a nice chat and the boys were really into the game. He is a very good soccer player. They wrapped it up around 10.30am and Jordan gave us a lift back in town. We went to The Black Cat again for breakfast (money vs. food is great). After that I had a look at Mike’s place if I would take the room over there and I must say that it is very tempting especially having seen 2 other rooms as well. I don’t know if that will happen any time soon but it sure would be great! I need to have another word with Mike and Victor about the money side of things. Once we had completed the necessary things. We went back to his place and he freshened up. We were both beat and decided time for a nap. We had a quick bite before he started work again and I headed for Funky Monkey for the internet. I dropped by later and told him that I am going back home for dinner. I stayed in Friday night and watched a bit of TV till 11pm since I was tired.

Saturday was a bit hectic in the morning. The family was packing and leaving to Coban for the weekend. Yesika and the kids were going back for good since their one month stay is over. I can finally have some peace and quiet in the morning no more ramming the door in the morning like at 6-7am what a relief! I got my breakfast and also had to hurry along to get to work in the end I was running so late that I had to take a tuc-tuc. I waited for Abbie and we opened up the Cafe. I got to learn more new stuff which is great! The server at the moment has more and more hiccups and we are waiting for the technician to come by and fix it eventually we think it must be a hardware problem. The server went down so often that we decided to close the cafe for about 3hours. In that time I got to go to the bank and get smaller bills and than we started pulling unused cables ... that was a very dusty and dirty job to do. When I was done at 4pm I was ready to have a shower. Instead I went with Kate and Elmer to have a look at another place. Elmer and I agreed that it wasn’t that great ... we decided since I hadn’t eaten that much to have a coffee and cake. He went to work and I had planned to go home. On my way home though I felt like having a snack and stopped in a taco place. I meet Sarah there and we girls started talking and decided to go out at night together. We had agreed to meet again at 9pm. I had to stop by the supermarket to buy more toothpaste, cream, oil etc. and was running late to manage to meet the deadline. So tuc-tuc home and I was looking forward to my shower instead Milton was in the bathroom. I waited for him to finish and than it was just running around to get back in town (starting to be such a pain in the butt). I made it in time to Funky Monkey and chatted with Marcella. I left my backpack with Elmer and waited for Sarah. Marcella wanted to join us later on so we said that we would go to Monoloco and have a bite there. We shared a liter of beer and some food and ended up sitting in the furthest corner from everything. Elmer came by later for a brief chat. We wanted to move to another location with Marcella but instead it started to pour so much that it was pointless to move anywhere else. We got a seat at the bar and had some cubas and moquitos and had good fun. A very annoying and drunk guy wouldn’t leave her alone and started pawing us. Elmer saw it and basically told the guy to leave his girl-friend alone, the response to that was no problem I am interested in the other one. Haha … Sara told him in the end to get lost! It was raining so much so that took a tuc-tuc back to his place.

This mooring not much of a sleep in since he had to be at work 10am. I got up with him and stopped by in Funky Monkey to write some more. Than at 11.30am I meet Sara for brunch, we couldn’t find a place that we both liked so we ended up in the market. I had my all time favorite beans, eggs, rice, tortillas. After that we both started looking for things she needed some presents and I was hunting for a Germany bracelet and a shirt for the Mundial to wear. We did our shopping for a while and than we decided enough walking time to sit somewhere and have a drink. We ended up in Cafe 2000 and watched a movie there. Simon was there as well but he wasn’t clear on what he would be doing later so I upped and left with Sarah. She was tired and I said that I would write some more in my diary and than go home. Have a shower, read a bit and go to bed early for a change. I am just waiting for Elmer to finish up his shift so that he can also get his surprise - a Germany bracelet! I wonder if he would wear it at all or just ignore it ... the people her tend to be for Brazil. I have to read tomorrow more about what I have written and do a spelling check properly and than I’ll publish it and you’ll all have lots too read.

Weekend what did I do actually? I got escorted home and was in bed around 2.30am than woke up thanks to my alarm. I had lunch with the family and than was off to work in Funky Monkey. It was pretty slow and time dragged by. Elmer came by between his shifts to say hello. On his way back to work he surprised me with some chocolates - so sweet of him! After work I didn't have any real plans made out. I had met Tim who was working on his laptop and he knows the whole crew from here as well. He told me that if I didn't know what to do to give him a call and than we could have a drink. I did that and we had a drink in Reilly's. By the end of the night he paid me plenty of compliments and wanted to ask me out for a date. Since he was leaving Sunday 11am that made no sense whatsoever! We agreed though to meet for breakfast. He escorted me back to Monoloco and Elmer was almost done with his shift. The nice thing is that they know my name by now and greet me always so the security guy lets me in o,)) We ended up in the park again for an hour chat and by the time he had escorted me home it was 2.30am again. My stomach is still weird and upset so in the morning I wasn't feeling too great I was tempted to call Tim up and say no thanks for the invite. I managed to crawl out of bed at 8am to meet him at 9am. Breakfast was fun and afterwards he had to pack his stuff which was good fun for me to watch. Never had a clue what anthropologist pack but he sure had lots of papers and electronic equipment for his research. Before I waved him off he just had to try to kiss me - what is wrong with guys?!? Oh well, I guess I'll see him again in July when he returns with about ten students. Afterwards I went by Funky Monkey and had a nice chat with Marcella. We girls will go shopping together on Wednesday most likely! I was so tired that I decided to call it bedtime. In the end I bumped into Rudolfo and escort in Mc Donald's and we chatted some more. By the time I actually got home and went to bed it was more like 2.30pm. I was nicely sleeping when the phone was ringing and it was Morgan asking if I could cover his shift but I was like no I need my sleep. The next time that I woke up was around 7pm when Hanna called me about dinner. I took a shower and got ready to go out again. I was supposed to start my project Monday but since I was feeling so bad and was throwing up again I decided to start one day later. Elmer had changed his shifts around so that e would finish up around 9pm. Actually he was true to his word and was out of there by 9.15pm. Hanna came by Funky Monkey and we chatted for a while and she told me that the weekend trip to the volcano was good fun but that she was pretty beat and all her muscles were hurting. She went home and Elmer and I went out. He changed clothes at home real quick and than we went to Ricky’s Bar for drinks and he was starving so for inner as well. It was the fist time though that just the smell of food made me nauseous and he apologized 10.000 xs for eating. We slept in and went to The Black Cat for breakfast which was good fun. Afterwards he went off home and I went to Funky Monkey to check my mail. Lea was there and asked me if Morgan had called me since he wanted to swap shifts. I told her no and of course speaking of the devil he walks right in. I said okay I'll take over your shift! Elmer returned and was surfing the web as well for a while than he went off for work. I waited a bit because I had a date with Hanna in the park. I bumped there in Camilla who I hadn't seen in a while and she is really happy with Terry. So once Hanna had arrived we went looking for a Salsa school she had heard was good but no luck! We quickly picked up some drinks and food at the supermarket and than I had to leave them to get to work. Very quiet today and nothing out of the ordinary. It was raining again today but not very much today! The nice thing is that there are regulars who know you after a while and you just chat with everyone. I got another job offer today to work as a waitress in a restaurant. If Jose is true to his word we will meet later on for a drink and he can fill me in his idea of work, money etc. It was funny earlier since Elmer was upstairs working looking over the balcony and chatting with me being downstairs. It is really kind of funny that we work so close by. They are still looking for female bartenders but I think that I will skip that one. I actually have been told that people see me around and recognize me amd it seems they like me.
The only good part of being sick is it does wonders for one's weight! When I get off the shift today though I'll treat myself to some Quesadillas in Monoloco because I just love them.

Two years ago that was my wedding day now all I am is glad that I am divorced! Actually I should toast to that later on!

What can I say this week so far has been packed with lots of sleep. Tuesday night wasn´t good at all for my health. At first we started out in Monoloco with the German speakers and that was very entertaining. They moved over to Sin Ventura and for me it went downhill from there. I couldn´t stomach the air there and in the end I was literally sick. Elmer called and I told him to please hurry up because I was sick and just wanted to go home. He got us a tuc-tuc and cradled my head so that I wouldn´t get more sick and even once he was home, called me up to ask if I was fine and in bed...
My first shift in the Internet place Funky Monkey was Wednesday and it was fun and very different. Actually lots of tourists spoke to me in their best Spanish until I answered in English and they were relieved. The Spanish speakers liked me and tipped me well o,)) Much to learn but than again that is the challenge I guess. No progress yet on the apartment or flat-sharing front but hopefully soon ... I really want to live in Antigua since this constant back and forth isn´t only time consuming but also annoying for the wallet! I want to live my life and that just isn´t possible in the host family.
Thursday Hanna and I met for a girl’s chat and it was fun. In the end we were in Cafe 2000 watching movies when my mobile went off and I had a text from Elmer. I replied and though nothing of it since he was off visiting his parents. 5 minutes later someone was covering our eyes and it was him. He was already back in Antigua and around the corner checking his mail so we all watched a movie. I was about ready to go when I realized that the next movie was ¨Memories of a geisha¨ which I really wanted to see. I had to go home though for a shower and change of clothes. Elmer came along and afterwards he changed and we went out again. He grabbed a bite there again while I was happily sipping a coke and listening to my stomach. The movie ¨Snatch¨ was pretty stupid so we left and checked out La Sala. It wasn´t all that great there either because it was way too full. The air made me nauseous again and I stood by the door for a while. Jamie showed up suddenly out of nowhere. He was the boy-friend from Vilda and I hadn’t seen him around. We chatted once since he mumbles a lot the others usually just said yes or no to whatever he said since they couldn´t be bothered to understand him. He was like are you alone here ... The crowd was too big and I asked Elmer if we could just leave and go into the park and chat which we did and that was far more fun. He escorted me home again.
Friday I slept very long and than Sweety called me and after lunch (first one in a week that I had with the family) consisting of mashed potatoes I went back to bed since my stomach was being weird. I woke up because Elmer called me asking if I was in town and wanted to meet his son. Have to take a rain check on that one! I showered and around 5pm was in Antigua today. I send Elmer a text to tell him where I was and he showed up for a quick 30 minute chat before work. I have spent the last 3 hours surfing the web, writing mails, going through other things that a PC is needed for and next thing on my list is downloading pictures from my card to a CD ROM! Than quick stop in Monoloco and I think that I will call it an early night and go home. Tomorrow I will work again and who knows what I’ll do than...

The next day we slept in which isn't that hard to do considering that it is vacation time. By now my favorite drinks are the liquiados (fruit with either water or milk). We always had our share of fish and shrimps there. We had lots of fun together in the water and the current was even stronger than the day before. Okay, the sand was hot but how people can burn their feet I still don't understand. Guess they never had to dash across a black-tarred street that is steaming in the sun?!? The bar that night was more full and dancing in sandals is really awkward so I decided that no shoes are an even better option. At night one of the places had Heroes del Silencio on via their loudspeakers and we just sat there at the beach and enjoyed the view and the music. People were crab hunting which was fun to watch. The last day we took very easy since the pick-up was scheduled for 3pm. We were however in for a slight surprise. The driver had told us where we should be for the pick up in the way back and shuttles were standing there but not for us. At 3.15pm I was starting to wonder what had gone wrong and of course at such time the credit on the phone had run out. So we searched for a phone to use and called the agency. They said that the driver gave wrong information and that the driver had left already 3pm and that he had tried to call us, which was a lie since we had a signal and no phone call. After lots of calls going back and forth we had to take a boat to the other side of the mangrove swamp and wait there for a pick-up. We walked for a bit and than after some bargaining a boat took us along to the other shore. It was actually pretty much fun since I got to see more of the mangrooves and got to learn more words that I hadn't known before. The only down side was that my back was exposed to the sun and his face. We both were glowing later on! In that village were we arrived we had to kill more time for about 1,5 hours. By now we were starving and I got to try out a new dish tortiallas filled with cheese etc. and water not out of a bottle but out of a plastic sack. Finally the shuttle showed up and we got in. I was beat and went to sleep while Elmer was awake. At home around 7pm I quickly unpacked, showered, changed and went off to Antigua to meet again for dinner. Over dinner he told me that the ride back was terrible because the guy was driving like a maniac and when looking at the time that is correct. After dinner we went dancing in Casbah which was playing a bit of Salsa, Merengue and later on Disco etc. it was fun for a while but than I had enough of it all. I wanted to go home by tuc-tuc and that resulted in a nice argument. He was mad at me because it isn't safe etc. all very true but I do know what I am doing. In the end he escorted me home and made sure that I was in before they headed back to Antigua. I know that he means well but sometimes there are no other options.

Monday was washing day! I am not kidding that was like almost all my clothes that ended up in the wash. During the day I can't even remember anymore what I did. Oh yes, I arranged through Marty the tickets for Pana, checked mails etc. At night we meet for a late dinner and had a hot cholocate afterwards which made us both sick as we found out next day. Great!

Tuesday we got picked up around 12.30pm for the trip to Pana. Once there we took the boat to San Pedro de la Laguna. Toni (originally from Granada) who was also on the shuttle was with us and we stuck together for the boat ride and than searching for a place to sleep. We found one and than our paths split. The days flew by we stayed there most of the time and it is nice quiet and relaxed. One day we thought we should go visit Santiago but they had some kind of Christian convention going on with people from Mexico ... in total like over 1 Miollion people expected. We walked a bit around but we both didn't like the place and took the boat to Pana which is also not to my liking too touristy. At night it was fun though in one of the local places to go dancing - no tourists there! Than we went back to San Pedro next day for the weekend. Friday night was good fun dancing as well. Saturday night had a different note to it. There were some medical students from the City there and Friday night just loud but Saturday night loud and very drunk. One guy dealt me a nice blow which made me stumble over the dance floor and Elmer caught me. After asking if I was okay he went looking for the guy. They started pushing each other around and it would have resulted in a fight since that guy was spoiling for one but his friends intervened. Elmer just wanted an apology from that guy for treating me badly. Their honor thing is sometimes annoying! His mood was shot and mine as well. We finished u drinks and left. Took a drink with us and sat on the balcony of the hotel and chatted until very late. What else did we do during the days not really all that much eat, sleep, chat ... recover from the night before o,)) One day we rented a kayak for two hours and that was good fun but gee that was much sun as well. He loved the one spot that we had found with cristal clear water for a swim. He hates it when he gets dark while I am pretty happy with my tan right now. The day afterwards of course our shoulders were killing us. Just to add to some backpain from the boat ride the day before. In the afternoon the lake is a far cry from calm and we were shaken around either bumped with our heads against the roof or bumped heads with our neighbour and into each other. I had the seat next to the side and my knee was blue and my arm was hurting where it constantly banged into the wood. Not to forget the shower you also got for free. o,))) We talked a lot and had good fun together. In D’Noz there was a little kitty that he started playing with but she got tired of that in a while but would only settle in my lap o,)) he was being ignored. The next night when we returned to watch a movie she was there as well and hoped right into my lap. Oh yes, we had almost daily afternoon downpours or early evening so you start getting good at dashing around or where possible run around barefoot. Sunday we had to take the boat back to Pana for the pick-up. The shuttle came with delay and than they complained that I hadn't paid up full that wasn’t true but the agency had put 1 person down instead of two. Since Marty was also on that shuttle he had sorted it out for me. It was the same agency that left us stranded in Montericco. Idiots! I at least got lucky they dropped me off at cityhall in Jocotenango the rest just got dropped off in one spot in Antigua and could make their own way. Great service! Elmer and me met again for dinner in Monoloco. I was really looking forward to some nachos but in the end hardly touched anything. I was feeling crappy and we made it a very early night but I got told that there would be no way that he let me go home by tuc-tuc. So I spend the night at his place. Since I wasn't feeling much better Monday morning I called in sick for my project work.

Taking the bus back home I bumped into Vilma and Tobias. Vilma told me that I will start my project a week later and that Camilla didn't like hers and had changed into mine. So that should be good fun! I slept most of Monday, wrote some letters and took it easy. However a whole day more or less inside made me nuts. Elmer had the day shift so we met at night. He was surprise, surprise only 15 minutes late and we checked our mails, went for a drink at Reds and meet the others there. Hanna and I set up a meeting for this week. I got to meet Inga who is also working in my project. Camilla was happy to see me again and in the end I crashed at his again. Since he is working late shift today we had a nice sleep in. He is off now to see his parents and I decided that there is no point in going back to Jocotenango so I am at La Fuente and updating my blog. Also at the moment it is dry and none of those power outages that can be really annoying when you type an email ...

Tomorrow or teh day after I have to find a place where I can get my pics burned on a CD ROM and than I should be able to upload some pictures hopefully!