Free Time

Due to my current situation as stated in the previous post, I seem to have a bit of time on my hands. I refuse to leave the house unless necessary and I am okay with that and so I am trying to spend some time in creative ways. So what did I do today you may ask....

1. Read... I read some of the book of Daniel and Luke in the Biblia, a couple chapters of Friday Night Knitting Club, and an Allure magazine from 2006!
1.5. Played a bit on the internet.
2. Talked to my college roommate Kerinsa for about an hour on Skype. It was great catching up with her!!
2.5. Played a bit on the internet.
3. Made some spaghetti for lunch which I ate in the car on a quick trip up to see my friend Jaime's house.
3.5. Played a bit on the internet.
4. Cleaned out my closets. WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY CLOTHES!! I have no clue why and how I have acquired such a large wardrobe here, but you would be happy to know that I gave away everything I have not worn/only worn once or twice since I got here! No need to horde clothing!
4.5 Took a break from the internet and began cooking black beans.
5. Ordered pizza with Rebe and watched a movie.... took a break from Dawson's Creek... though I may still watch one episode tonight!
5.5 Back to the internet but this time with a purpose.
6. Watched childhood television shows on youtube such as Today's Special, Zoobiliee Zoo, and You Can't Do That On Television.
6.5 Forgot about my black beans and burned the bottom of the batch because I was so engulfed in what i was doing on the internet!

As you can see, I may not have television, but I surely have the internet which kept me quite entertained but caused me to ruin my last bit of food in the house!
I know my life is exciting!! Be thankful I normally leave the house and can thus provide more exciting blogs!! :)

When life throws you a lemon....

make lemonade!!! That is what I have always heard. Well, sometimes the lemons are bigger than you need for one pitcher of lemonade. This past week, I was thrown quit the lemon. As you have seen in previous posts, my car was in the shop due to the last accident and I was using Laura's car while she is in the States. I use the term was because it was stolen in front of a friend's apartment complex last week. I went with a friend to the doctor because she is expecting a baby and day now (can't wait to meet little Sienna Marie) and my friend asked if I wanted to go! OF COURSE!! And it was at noon and the whole street was filled with cars from local businesses and apartment complexes. When we returned from the doctor and tour of the hospital, the car was gone. After I literally sat down on the pavement and picked up my heart from the ground, I talked to the police. They had no clue why and actually stated that they were stunned that it happened on this street... as was I! I am now in the process of getting all the police reports filled in their correct places (not as easy as at home) and thank God she had insurance! I am working on that as well! Laura is pretty bummed her car is gone, DUH! But she has been so nice about this whole thing. I feel terrible and just wish it was my own car that was taken. But alas.... nothing can be changed now!

I know many of you may be saying, KELLY WHY ARE YOU STAYING THERE?? I know this, because I have thought this too. I know that I am supposed to be in Guatemala for many reasons. It is an incredible country and I know that God wants me here. I am learning so much about myself, and the Lord, and how to lean solely on Him in times of need. And through all of these times of trouble, I have remained safe. My personal being has not felt attacked or threatened in any way. Things are things... and they can be replaced.

Just to help myself and those of you out there who read this know why I am supposed to be here I will share some reasons I am here!

1. I love my job! I loved teaching where I teach and who I teach! The kids are so different than many of you picture Guatemala. I teach many of the wealthier families and although they do not deal with many of the hardships that many Guatemalans face, these kids fight their own battles. I love being a happy face and light to them daily! I want to be that person they know they can depend on and who loves them! But don't worry, I am also very strict :)

2. I love my roommates! I live with 2 other incredible women. Laura and Rebeca have become two new friends that I thought I was too old to make! I guess I thought that no one would ever compare to my college and childhood friends. I thought that no one would ever know me like they know me. But Laura and Rebe showed me that you are never too old to make lifelong friends! They are a constant support whenever I need them.

3. I love my church! I love La Iglesia Bautista Shalom! I think I love it because some of my favorite people in all of Guatemala attend this church. I can walk in and feel the love of the Lord and receive a wonderful greeting from the whole congregation. They don't make me feel like "the gringa" every time I am there!

4. I love my ministries! I have so much fun teaching English to the guys in Global Soccer Ministries. I have even more fun when I am given the chance to go out and serve with them in the community. And I also adore working with Vida Joven (Young Life) here in Guatemala. My time does not allow me to be with both groups often, but when ever I do have the time, they welcome me with open arms! I also love these groups because they have opened their arms to my fellow gringos from school and allowed me to share their vision with so many of the teachers I work with here!

5. I love the weather! I know that may seem silly, but it is true! It is really hard to wake up gloomy when the sun is shinning and it is 60 to 65* outside YEAR ROUND! I love that I can throw open my door in my room and climb back under my covers and enjoy the morning (that is weekends and vacations only)!

6. I love the people! The reason I love Guatemala is the people. The people I know, the people I just pass on my street, the people I see at the grocery store, the people I see in the villages around the country... the people! The culture is so warm and they have a sense of love for all of those around them. They invite you into their home and feed you a meal even if you just stopped by for a quick visit. They treat you like family even when you have just met. They don't rush through a conversation or on to the next customer, but truly take time to talk and engage in a conversation with you! I am learning a lot about how to be 100% where I am when I am there. I don't want to rush through something just to get to my next location or conversation. They have taught me to slow down!

Well, I hope that you enjoy this bit of lemonade that I have made out a lemon!

Why Allison should start a blog.... by Kelly

Although I normally stick to posting pictures and trips/events in Guatemala, I am taking some time today to write reasons why Allison should start blogging. I think that she might have some things to say and I will offer 5 reasons below. If you can think of more reasons please post them under the comments. If you don't know Allison, she will hopefully start blogging soon and then you can find her site on the right side of my blog and you will get to know her! Come on Al!! Join our blog world!!
1. Allison travels to great metropolises such as West Point, GA, Mobile, AL and Chattanooga, TN on a regular basis for work... enough said... who doesn't want to learn more about these places.
2. She has a new dog how supposedly like to pee on the floor when guests arrive, therefore we had to ignore the pup the one time I was in town :)
3. Her job is just incredible. Besides working with Brittany's dad, she get to wear adult clothes and take MARTA daily! I want to know more about this!
4. She has an adorable new nephew! That is enough reason to blog right there!
5. She is the most up to date of any of my friends on good reads, TV story lines, and pop cultures and since I live FAR away I need to know this stuff! BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG

(That was me chanting for you to start a blog!)

A day in the 17th century

On Friday and Saturday, Joseph and I traveled to the 17th century town on Antigua Guatemala. This is only about 45 minutes from Guatemala City and it is always an escape from the millions of cars and buses... and people! The air always seems so much cleaner and most streets are very walking friendly (if you can handle the cobble stone). So after visiting a local children's home, we set off for the cross of Antigua. The cross is located high above the city and you can take daily tours to walk to the top, or you can drive up there like we did. Sadly we could not get a clear view of Volcan de Agua (water) behind Joseph, but I am sure that you can tell by it's width, just how huge it truly is!



Most of our time was spent gallivanting through the local ruins as seen below. They are incredible in their architecture and beauty. I most love the color yellow, because it seems that most of the places I captured had some sort of yellow in their paint. Antigua is a ancient architects dream!


As we were walking around, we looked up to see Volcan de Fuego (fire) puffing in the distance. It seemed to be very active the day that we visited.


Side note:
Antigua is a great place to enjoy some of the best food in the galaxy, on a travelers budget. I (Joseph) have been there twice and enjoyed the best burrito in Guatemala, steak and cafe lunch. Although the burrito was at an "American" restaurant, it had local touches that made it very flavorful (the corn was a great addition if anyone from Barbarito's is reading). Secondly I will discuss the cafe lunch. It was the last meal we had in the city and hit the perfect spot. A light but filling turkey salad sandwich (Kelly's favorite) and delightful french toast made me think of the Last Resort in Athens. Finally, the Casa Santo Domingo a restored monastary made into a hotel/restaurant has a great atmosphere. This was flat out unbelievable. Kelly and I both had a tenderloin steak with a potato, mushrooms, and broccoli. But, before that we had a black bean soup that I have determined to be the best soup in the Western hemisphere (sorry Mom). Oh yea, all had with a glass of red wine for a price under $30.00. Yet another for you to come to Guatemala.
Signing off for my first and last post on Kelly's blog:
Joseph Brubaker

there and back again... a Tikal tale

Yesterday, Joseph Brubaker and I embarked on a journey to the Mayan Ruins of Tikal near Flores, Guatemala. It is a 45 minute plane ride away and we had to arrive at the airport at 5:30 a.m. We flew on a small plane and landed in Flores at about 7:15. After finding a shuttle for $13 round trip, we began hiking the ruins of Tikal at 8:30 a.m. It was an amazing day full of sunshine, huge temples and plenty of Mayan people. We happen to go to Tikal on the day that many Mayan tribes unite in front of the Gran Jaguar Temple in the Grand Plaza to... as told to me by one man... "unify the Mayans and not lose any more of their ancestors culture." We pretty much booked it through as many ruins as we could get to and we made it to see the entire park (minus the one spot about 20 km away from the rest). We packed our own lunch and stopped only for quick water breaks. Our food was eaten on the run and we climbed every last stair we could find. When our shuttle was departing at around 2 p.m. to take us back to the airport and fly home, we were not only satisfied with our decision to travel this great distance, but exhausted after seeing these incredible sites.

Our small airplane that allowed this journey to occur!! Thanks TAG for letting us book in less than 12 hours of departure!

From the top of Temple IV. You can see the smoke from the Mayan ceremony in the Gran Plaza and Temple V in the background. We thought this was the best, but little did we know....This was our favorite temple... Temple V! Look at how incredible it is! And yes we did climb it... see below.


Yes, we were really high... and it was really steep... and my heart pounded a little bit when I looked down to the ground... and it was my favorite place to sit!So my quads are killing me after climbing stairs such as these all day! (Look Joseph even had to break coming down!)

The Gran Jaguar Temple and the Mayan cultural event in front.

More places to climb at the gran plaza.


What a great sunset at the end of the day!!

Not just your typical vacation....

This was not just your typical vacation: sitting on the beach, sightseeing through a foreign place, hiking through the unknown terrain, meeting new locals or eating new cuisines. This was not your typical vacation because we did ALL of these things. There was no OR in our trip! We relaxed on the beautiful beaches of St. John and St. Maarten (and Nassau, but it was not as beautiful). We wandered the shops of St. Maarten. We hiked (but really we rode on a open air bus) through the mountains of St. John. We met people from all of the world!! Our favorite waiter was from Serbia... where is that??? We ate anything and everything that we wanted to from seafood, to steak, to Chinese, to Mexican, to chocolate, to chocolate, to chocolate. Yes, we ate chocolate!!! It was a wonderful trip filled with laughter, tears from laughter and Jenny learned many new Seagraves'-isms.... We are one wild and crazy bunch!! :) Here are some photos of our trip!

No more photos please!! We just can't laugh anymore!