Warmth has finally come to San Andrés Itzapa, and the afternoons have a pleasant glow as the sun shines over the volcanoes and valleys and our home in the middle of it all. The kids take advantage of the sunny days by biking, playing soccer, and just wandering around enjoying the afternoons. I am finally able to take off my jackets and don some of the warmer summer clothing. The evenings still have a comfortable chill that makes it perfect to snuggle under the covers with a good book. I have recently found a few classics that I somehow missed reading in high school, and so currently I am reading The Lord of the Flies.

This past Wednesday evening I returned from a short trip to Nicaragua. I left last week Friday, April 16, to visit friends (and take advantage of my rental car!). It was so wonderful to be back, to see everyone and all the changes that have taken place. Chureca was more smoky than I remembered, and houses have been moved and roads built as the Spanish plan moves forward. In Cedro and Chiquilistagua the changes are more slight – children are bigger, my students have new boyfriends or girlfriends, and other friends have found new jobs or begun to build additions to their homes. However some things don’t seem to change – the warmth of Lorena’s porch and the hospitality and friendship I have found there, Yescenia’s jokes and laugh as her children run around showing me new pets, and other friends’ insistence that I sing songs to them – and these are the things that I carry with me in my heart.


The Flores Family - My Home Away From Home

Returning to Guatemala has been a change, not only in the heat and altitude, but also in my own feelings. While I appreciate the beauty of the country and the deep warmth of the people I have met, I feel more of a stranger here than ever. I have obviously always been a tourist, a foreigner passing through; but I have never felt it so strongly. This is indeed a blessing, as it would be extremely difficult to move on when the time comes if I felt as strongly toward this country as I feel for others. Nevertheless, there are still months to enjoy the majesty of this magical country and take pleasure in the friendships I have made, and I look forward to the adventures that are to come.

Correction to previous entry!

I must admit that I was not fully informed before I wrote my last entry about the bus strikes. It was, in fact, much more complicated and frightening than my previous report of better wages, road conditions, etc. Unfortunately, the situation in the city buses in Guatemala is much more violent and corrupt.


Each month the city bus drivers of Guatemala city have to pay 1000 quetzales ($125.31) to the local gangs for "protection". If they refuse to pay, they are subject to assaults, and in many cases, death. The bus drivers were getting fed up with having to pay so much, especially because a bus ride costs 1 quetzal per passenger, and decided to go on strike. In solidarity with them, the rest of the bus drivers accross the country decided to go on strike, so as to bring immediate attention to the plight of the city bus drivers. The government is listening - for now - and there is now a larger police force tackling the problem. On almost every red City bus you can see a police officer or security gaurd riding right behind the bus driver. This has made the buses a bit safer for now, but it is unclear of how long assistance will be provided.

Yesterday I had to go to the Immigration office in the capital to renew my visa, which I must do after being here for 90 days (after the next 90 days I will have to leave the country for Belice, Mexico, or Costa Rica - as Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua have an international agreement on migration and travel). After a quick visit and passport pickup, the other volunteers wanted to hop on the red buses to go to a mall called Tikal Futuro. I, however, have heard too many tales of theft and assault on the buses, even with the increased security. City buses in Managua? No problem. City buses in the midst of a gang, transport, and police war? No, thank you.