Our Family Photos

3/26-3/29

3/26: I went to the exercise class at the church again. This time I took Cole, Alysa, and Laina. Cole played outside with all of the boys the entire time. He took his basketball and his razor and seemed to be having fun. Alysa and Laina were the opposite end of the spectrum. I spent part of the class holding one of them and the other part of the class trying to talk them into sitting on the floor. There were a bunch of other girls their age but neither Alysa, or Laina wanted to have anything to do with them. Near the end of the class the girls baby doll was missing (they'd left it in the bathroom!!) and another little girl had a doll just like it. Alysa freaked out that somebody was playing with her stuff. Once they found "baby Jake" (their doll), Laina thought it was pretty cool that the other girl had a doll like hers. It turns out that the little girl is deaf and it didn't matter if the kids spoke English or Spanish to her since she could not hear anyway. Laina and her sat together with their baby dolls for the rest of the class.
3/27: Alysa picked up on Cole working hard and getting a bike so she decided to do the same. She worked her little tail off trying to help out around the house. It was well appreciated so her and Laina got new bikes yesterday. Today Alysa decided she wanted to learn to ride without her training wheels. Chris took them off and about 5 seconds later she was off on her own. She hasn't looked back since. She says she likes not having training wheels because they were too noisy and now she can go fast!
All over the place are ice cream stores called, Sarita. They have ice pops (like Otter Pops) for Q1. That is about $.12. I told the kids that I would give them the money for one if they tried to order it themselves in Spanish. I was completely shocked when Cole and Morgan took me up on it. They each came back with a popsicle and were almost as proud of themselves as I was of them! Cole has really shocked me with how his personality has changed since we got here. He was the kid that I was most concerned about bringing to Guatemala since he is so shy and doesn't like change. To my pleasant surprise though, he is the most outgoing one and the one that is trying to learn Spanish the most. He has even started riding his bike to our security gate on "Mario Day" (as Laina calls it) to ask the guard how to say different things in Spanish. Cole then teaches him how to say it in English. I sent him with some cookies for Mario if he promised to find out how to say it in Spanish. He forgot what they were called on his way home though. He has also learned how to say hat and gun. The other day Cole said, "I think Mario and I are going to be great friends". (I wonder how much of it has to do with the fact that he carries a rifle and drives a motorcycle!)
3/28: Today we were able to pick up some more of our furniture from the street vendor. We got our night stands, desk, buffet, and bookshelf. We went first thing in the morning and saw all of the pieces but they weren't stained yet. There were a couple of guys working on staining stuff on the dirt road. It just amazes me how much work/labor people do here. I have seen very little machinery. Everything seems to be done by hand. It gives me a whole new appreciation for things. Even though the furniture isn't perfect, (The ground was obviously not level where they were building it!!) I love it and am so excited. Now I have to go get some cool accessories/decorations to put on the tables!! I have several pieces in mind already!
3/29: Today was a fun "experience". We got everybody ready for church (not always the easiest thing to do with 4 kids) and out of the house so that we wouldn't be late. Everything was going great...I was recognizing people and everybody was saying hello. I had studied the Relief Society (womens class) lesson in both Spanish and English in hopes of understanding something that was being said. Unfortunately I didn't get to go. Right in the middle of the Sacrament (when everybody is as quiet as can be), Laina looked at me and said that she didn't feel good. Before I could do anything, projectile vomit (vomitar - my word for the day!) was all over me. She did several explosions before she stopped. I was covered!! What I didn't catch with my clothes, I tried to catch with her blanket and the rest was on the floor. Before she had even finished at least three women handed me napkins or bags. It was fun trying to sneak out of the chapel with throw up all over! We did our best to clean up but there was no hope, we had to go home. Since we were planning to leave right after church for Guatemala City, we didn't go back.
At the house, I was able to use our outdoor hand laundry sink to clean off the clothes and blanket. It was the first time using the sink and I now LOVE IT!! Before, I would have to take thrown up stuff outside and try to hose it down. There are so many things that I am really growing to love here!
As usual, the drive to Guatemala City was GORGEOUS yet crazy. The traffic was very minimal since it was Sunday (Domingo). We only had two kids with throw up bags...just in case. For anybody that comes to visit us, you will be required to take the maximum amount of dramamine before going on the drive. It is defnitely not a drive for anybody who suffers from the slightest motion sickness!

Everyday I wonder how people survive here on what they have. I don't know how people can make enough money sitting on the street selling stuff to live. I really have a lot of respect for the people here. (I was told they are Guatemalteca's...not Guatemalans) They seem to work hard for what they get. I compare it to a lot of people in the U.S. that expect to be given everything..... if something isn't working for them, the government should take care of it. Rather than give up some unnecessary luxuries, they will go into debt. O.K. Off of my soap box.

We will be in Guatemala City (here it is just called Guatemala or Guate) through the end of the week. Chris has work here so the kids and I are just tagging along. I am not sure what I am going to do with 4 kids in a hotel for a week. I also don't know if I am going to be brave enough to venture out. I am TERRIFIED to drive in this city. There are about 7.5 million people in this city. I am SO glad that we are in Xela rather than Guatemala City. I am much more comfortable in the smaller town and the slower pace of life. It has a completely different feel to it. I feel much safer and welcomed there!

The past couple of days have been good days for learning Spanish. I had a little confidence booster when my friends told me that I know a lot of words. Now I just need to figure out how to put them all together to form sentences!

3/24/09-3/25/09

We have hit our one month mark in Guatemala....and survived!! I can not believe how fast it has gone. At the same time though, it seems like it's been forever since we were in the States. Whenever I get frustrated with my Spanish, Chris reminds me that we've only been here a month.
Yesterday (the 24th) marked a milestone for me. I drove into/around town myself!! Chris had some work to so the kids and I went exploring. I didn't even get lost on the roads I'd never been on! I even went into a convenience store and bought a soda for Chris! One of my main areas of focus right now is understanding the numbers when people say them to me. Since $1 = Quetzales 8, everything is in big numbers!! I do fairly well up to 10 but past that is another story. Luckily at the convenience store the soda was only Q7.
Cole has inherited his dad's work ethic. He is constantly helping out and doing stuff around the house. You just suggest that something needs to be done, and he does it. He has desperately wanted to get a bike for a while so Chris finally decided that he has earned one. The two of them went shopping today and came home with a bike. The kid was in high heaven!! The bike has pegs on the front and the back so him and Morgan rode around forever. They even rode over to the security guard and said Hola. It is definitely hard for the kids to break out of their shell and try to talk to people!

3/23/09

Morgan and Cole's poem about the dust bunnies here. I always thought of them as a myth but they really exist!! They grow and multiply as fast as real bunnies!!

Disturbing
Under everything
Stubborn
Too many
Bed buddies
Uncontrollable
Nothing but dust and dirt
Nuisance
In every nook and cranny of the house!
Everywhere
Stuck to everything

3/20/09-3/22/09

As I have mentioned before, safety isn't always a main concern in Guatemala. It becomes more evident each day. In the states, you would get put in jail if you left your kids in a car. Here, it is common place. Kids stay home by themselves...nobody wears seatbelts....you cross in the middle of the street....etc. I am really struggling to find a balance between how I was raised and how people here were raised. I don't want to come across as overbearing and paranoid but at the same time, I AM!!! It has been drilled into my brain to always watch and protect my kids and always do everything in my power to keep them safe. I have the constant battle of should I relax or do the kids need extra protection here.

My newest experience was going to the market for the first time. Lily took me and Morgan to one of the local markets on Saturday morning. It was one of the craziest experiences (but haven't they all been!!). I seriously felt like I was in a cattle prod. I was being shoved around from all angles. At one point, I moved my arm back to adjust my bag and elbowed a lady right in the forehead! (That tells you how short she was!!) I felt bad but she just kept on pushing through the crowd. It is a good thing that Morgan and I were both taller than everybody and had brighter hair so I could keep an eye on her and her on me!! I could not believe the number of people there! Especially since it is a daily market!! It was fun to get to spend some time with Morgan and to watch her reaction to things! She really is growing into a young lady!
We found TONS of fresh produce as well as some pottery, baskets, and lots of resale items. At one stand the lady started talking to Lily who translated for me that they thought I looked like a mannequin. They thought it was really funny when I posed like one!
When all was said and done, I got the biggest pineapple I've ever seen, 1# tomatoes, a coconut with the husk removed, 1/2# blackberries, a cucumber, a big bunch of broccoli, and 12 bananas for about $3.50!! Next time I am going to try some other things. They have really cheap potatoes, carrots, peas, etc but I didn't need any. I think that whenever we go back to the states, buying produce will be painfully expensive!
After the market we stopped at the zoo/park and met Chris and the rest of the kids there. Lily's kids and mine had a great time on the huge slides.
That afternoon, Lily invited the kids and I over with a couple other ladies from church to make cookies. The other ladies didn't speak any English but they taught me some new works. Chop= picar. Short = cortocircuito. One of the ladies (can't remember her name) is really short and wears the traditional dress. She told us that her grandfather was discriminated against for speaking his native language (ki cha) so he told his children not to teach it to his grandchildren. There are over 20 native languages here. It is so amazing to see all of the culture here and to be part of it and to learn from the people here!

3/19/09

Cole got a new best friend today....a fuzzy caterpillar that he found in the deadbolt hole of one of our side gates. He named him Stevie. Cole said that he can't put his slippers on because he's afraid Stevie might be in them. If Stevie manages to get into the house and crawl up the stairs, down the hall, and into his room, I will be amazed!!
I got an email from my older sister saying that she's proud of me for immersing myself in the culture. Today I would have made her especially proud. I went to a baby shower for two girls at our church. When I got there, there was nobody that spoke English. I muffled my way through things and met a few new people. I was extremely relieved when Lily came and could help me out! I thought It was pretty funny that they played the same baby shower games here as they do in the states. We played the game where everybody has a clothespin on and if you cross your legs you loose your clothespin. We also did the game where you try to guess how many squares of toilet paper it would take to go around the expectant mothers belly. Once they started opening presents, I started to panic a little. A gift would be raised and the person who brought it would start saying something. I was so worried that they would want me to say something when it was my turn. Everybody seemed to be understanding when I just raised my hand and didn't say anything.
After the shower was done, a group of girls grabbed me by the arm and literally pulled me into another room for an exercise class. Let the fun begin!! Nobody spoke English but it didn't matter at all. I was able to follow along to the most interesting exercise/dance class that I have ever been to!! Let me set the scene....a small church classroom with freshly cleaned tile floors....hispanic music played on a portable CD player.....me wearing the tightest pair of jeans that I own.....and everybody packed in so tight that I can't even lift my arms all the way out to the side without hitting somebody. All during the class I just kept laughing thinking of something else to write about. I sure wish I had taken my notepad to write them all down!! When we first started I thought it was an exercise class but then they started doing some dance moves with hip actions that my body doesn't quite understand how to do! I started to think it might be a salsa class or something. I'm sure everybody was getting a kick out of the tall white girl trying to keep up with them!! At one point we were doing a version of squats. I was cringing as everybody's knees were protruding out over their toes. (One of the many things not to do that was pounded into my brain during college) They went so low that their bums were almost touching the ground. After the class was over my new friend Lily was there to talk to me and to help me communicate with the other women. It was pretty cute when we were walking out and one of the children (the kids came with their mom and played outside) came up to me and asked if I would bring my kids next week. Lily's boys helped translate for me!!
Even though every joint in my body is hurting right now (even my toes from my jumping contest injury with my family back in December!!), it was definitely worth going to get some exercise and to start making bonds with the other women here.

3/17-3/18/09

Tuesday was a pretty boring day. I didn't even leave the development. I think we're getting to the point of having the house almost all put together and getting a little bored. I did get my sewing machine out for the first time and was able to make sure it wasn't damaged on the way here.
Word of the day: Jacket - we think it's Chumpa here but not positive.

Wednesday was fun, more productive, and miserable all at the same time. I must have eaten something bad because I was sick all day. It wasn't too bad in the morning when we went out but by the afternoon/evening, I was pretty miserable. Fortunately, it was just me and not the whole family!
We found a couple of fabric stores. I was trying to find some flannel to make baby blankets for a baby shower but no luck. I did find a shop that had pretty inexpensive fleece though!! I might have to make some more fleece blankets for the house! At one store there was an older lady working that was sitting on the floor. She grabbed Laina to hug her which completely caught Laina off guard. She was pretty scared but got over it. The other kids learned from Laina and kept their distance!!
We stopped by the grocery store and a lady from our ward was there and waved to us. I probably wouldn't have recognized her but Morgan did. We were able to exchange names and that was about it.
On the way home, we stopped at a little furniture place on the side of the road. There is a group of men that bring handmade wood furniture in from their village twice a week to sell it. We've stopped almost every time to see what they have and what we need. We ended up ordering about 10 pieces of furniture for the house. They said that over the next two weeks they should have it all done. The best part is that it is cheaper than buying similar items made out of cheap plastic at the stores!!
Living here in Guatemala reminds me a little of being at my parents cabin. The house is so peaceful. I love waking up every morning and looking out our window at the mountains, the volcano, the open field with its old, fallen apart house, and the big trees. It always makes me smile when I see the chickens run across the field. I am so glad that we decided on this house a little ways out of town and away from all the craziness!
Pictures: A park that we walked through today. The purple flowers are for my mom...and no, I don't have a clue what they are called!!
Word(s) of the day: Cuantos anos tiene? How old are you?

3/15/09-3/16/09

Church today was another 3 hours of brain overload! I try to listen but don't understand 99% of it!! The 3 older kids went to class with Chris to translate and I went to the Sunbeams class with Laina. I figured the 3 year old class was more my level!! (: After church it took us about an hour to leave. Everybody was coming up and talking to us. I was pretty excited because I was able to recognize a few people. Remembering (or even pronouncing) their names is another story!! The little kids love following Alysa and Laina around.
On Monday, we went to see the Beehive School. I am pretty excited about it since it is bilingual so the kids will learn Spanish. I was really excited to find out that our new friend, Lily, will be Alysa's teacher for the English part of the day. Alysa is definitely the most timid of the bunch so we were a little worried about her not wanting to go to school. At the school, they have 1/2 day in English and 1/2 day in Spanish. The school year runs from January to October here. Since the Morgan and Cole have already finished half of 4th and 2nd grade, we opted to move them up to 3rd and 5th rather than have them repeat all of their current grades. It will probably also help with the difference in physical size!! Another advantage to the Beehive School is that Laina will also be able to attend the preschool. Since classes run from 7-1, we've got some work to do to be able to get up and ready by then! The school also mentioned something about having cub scouts, ballet, karate, and some other sports. It is also cheaper than the American school...and closer!! If all goes well, the kids will probably start next week.
Photo: On the way home today, there was a crew of guys putting up telephone wires. Rather than having one of those fancy trucks with the ladder that goes up, they use their little Toyota with 3 wood ladders roped together going straight up!! I can't imagine trying to climb up that ladder!!

3/14/09

Today was the ground breaking ceremony for the Quetzaltenango Guatemala temple. When we got to the site, there were already a ton of people there. We were expecting to stand at the back of the crowd with the kids but instead they had us park at the front and sit up on the stand. It was nice since the stand was shaded from the sun. There were several talks which I didn't understand but the feeling was the same. After the talks were done, they had special people invited to do the actual ground breaking with the gold shovels. After several groups of people finished, they asked everybody that was there to work on the temple to come down. You can see Chris in one of the pictures. After everything was done, we got a chance to talk with lots of people. One family in particular came over to see us since they recognized us from church the previous week. They are the Orellana family and they both speak English and have 4 kids. They invited us over to their house to have S'Mores that night.
After we left the ceremony, Morgan and I went into the grocery store to get some graham crackers. I thought it would be so easy but as usual, nothing is packaged the same or labelled the same. We finally just grabbed a couple packages that we thought might be graham crackers and left.
Around dinner time, Lily Orellana and her 4 kids came to our house to show us how to get to their house. (There's no way we could figure out directions....I can't even tell people how to get to our house!!) She told us that she works at a bilingual school that is owned by members of our church. She asked if we wanted her to show us where it was so we took a quick drive to see the school then went back to their house. It was the first house that we have been to so it was pretty cool to see how things are set up here. The property lines are fenced off with block walls about 10 feet tall. There was a garage door in the front wall that we drove through to get to the house. Inside the wall was the parking, house, and yard. In the back of their house they have another kitchen. (Another block building with a firepit type stove). They built a fire and everybody roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. The kids had a blast. It was really nice to get to know some of the people here and to learn from them! After a while, they put the cover on the fire pit and put a pot of water on to boil to make a special drink out of some sort of flowers. She also made beans and cooked tortillas over the fire. It was pretty cool. She said she'd teach me how to make tortillas. It was pretty late by the time we got home and it was wonderful how well the kids fell asleep!!

3/13/09

Today wasn't the best day. The morning started out good with a trip to central square with the family. After that though, it went down hill.I had disaster after disaster. (O.K. So, I'm a little dramatic!!) I tried to make salsa.....it turned out disgusting! I tried to make stroganoff for dinner and I could barely gag it down! I tried to make my chocolate chip cookies and they were edible but definitely nothing like my usual ones!! It is amazing how much of a difference the ingredients make here!! In addition to my horrible cooking, I decided to venture out on my own to go to a Relief Society activity at the church. It was my first time driving and it was quite stressful! When I got to the church, the gates were locked and nobody was there. I thought maybe it was just the Latin time so I waited around for about 20 minutes and still nobody showed up so I headed home. It takes a lot of courage to go somewhere for the first time anywhere you move but it was 10x worse when I knew I couldn't communicate very well and that I would stick out like a sore thumb. I had spent quite a while trying to get my nerve up to go so when I did go and nobody was there, it was quite the let down. I later found out that the person who had translated the announcement for me had mixed up the days.
In addition to those disappointments, Morgan crashed on her razor and skinned up her knees and hand pretty good.
Needless to say, it was a trying day for me. I do have to say that I am shocked that it took this long to have a bad day!!

3/12/09

AHHH, It was wonderful to try to sleep in today. After yesterday's marathon we were desperately in need of some sleep. Chris had some work to do so the kids and I went out for a while. We walked to the park and played for a while. I wrote down in my notes how much I like our area. It is so beautiful, open, peaceful, quiet, and gorgeous. As soon as I finished writing that, the owner of the land where the house was build came over and introduced himself to us. He asked if we liked how quiet it is. I showed him my notes and he laughed. He said that he is going to send his wife over to visit with me and that if we ever need anything that their house is open to us. I have been very pleased with how friendly and helpful everybody has been for us.
After he left, the kids and I decided to be really adventurous and go for a walk....outside of the gates!! It took enough courage to try to talk to the guard as we walked out. It was a fill in since our favorite guard, Mario, is sick today. The kids were a little disappointed that they didn't get to say 'hola' to Mario. We walked to the tennis club but didn't try to go in. We then went a different way that we have never been before. We found a tortilleria right by us that I didn't know was there. We found more houses, cows, and actually stopped and tried to talk with a lady that had two little girls with her. She said that it was her house and I tried to explain where we lived. We exchanged names, and ages of our kids and then tried to say more but neither of us could figure out what the other was saying!! It was a good start though.
Things I want to do: Learn to weave, make tortillas, play the marimba, go on a Book of Mormon trip, and visit Tikal. I found out yesterday that our visa's our only good for 3 months. At the end of the 3 months we have to leave the country for 3 days. I think we'll be spending a little time in Mexico if that's the case!

3/11/09

WHAT A DAY!! Holy cow!!
We started our day at 1:30 a.m. when I found out there was no water to the house....again! I tried to go back to sleep but knew I had to be up by 4:00 so I didn't get much sleep! Chris and I got all four kids up and took them over to the Cheney's house (the family here working for the church) at 4:45. We left the kids there with their daughter while Bro/Sis. Cheney caravanned with Chris and I to Guatemala City. We took the highlands and got to go through lots of construction. The first hour of driving was pitch black through the mountains. The roads were insane. Several times there would be loads of rocks sitting in the middle of a lane with a twig as a warning marker! I don't know how many times the roads went from two lanes to one with no warnings. Or from being one direction to both directions! Needless to say there were a lot of prayers!!
Once the sun started to come up, it was absolutely beautiful! We were so high up that the mountains were sticking out above the clouds. This place is gorgeous!
In Guatemala City, we were able to exchange our little piece of junk car/van for a real minivan. It seems SOOOO huge after driving that other thing for two weeks! After that, Chris and Bro. Cheney went to do some work and I went shopping with Sis. Cheney. The stores and selection was so much better than in Quetzaltenango! I found a few things that I couldn't find anywhere else....cooling rack, bread crumbs, root beer, etc. I still didn't find Kleenex or an oven thermometer though.
To bypass all of the construction, we opted to take the lowlands/coastal road back home. That wasn't a very wise decision. We ended up getting sent on some detour and then we ended up behind ten million semi's trying to go up through the mountains. It is so scary how people pass on the roads here. They don't care one bit if an oncoming car is in their way. Especially the chicken buses....they seem to have the right of way everywhere. Chris kept telling me to do something on the computer or go to sleep but there was no way I could do that with the nonstop stress of the driving!! Chris said that he now knows where they get their inspiration for all of the car racing video games. We also decided that the roads/driving is 10 times worse than the Sterling Hwy (before all of the improvements!) and the Alcan combined. It's a miracle that people don't die every day on these roads! On a positive side though, there seems to be very little road rage. (:
It was after 7:30 by the time we got back to pick up the kids. They had had a blast with Alaura (spelling??) . They did nails (except Cole, he read), watched a bunch of movies, played with the dog, etc. About 10 minutes before we got back the water and power to their house went out. At least it's not just us that is having problems!! Our water problem ended up being a broken water main to our house. It was fixed while we were gone!! We now have water again.

3/9/09-3/10/09

Nothing really different has happened these past two days. Just more shopping. We have had a random leak in our kitchen. Every once in a while we'll have a layer of water on the floor. We came home the other night and the whole kitchen was covered. We had the builder come out.....again. He had to get a crew of guys over and they pulled out all of the kitchen cabinets on Monday. They had to tear out all sorts of concrete outside to find the problem. Tuesday they tried to repair the concrete holes. So far no more leaks.
Tuesday morning we went to visit the American school here in Xela. It is a private organization that runs it with "missionaries" serving as the teachers for a year or two. The entire schooling is done in English. They have a library, computer lab, etc. We got a nice tour of the campus and the kids were all very excited. We even got an application for me to teach and send all 4 kids. In the applications you have to sign a statement of faith. It basically says that you believe in Christ etc. Chris brought this up to the director and asked if there were any religious requirements to attend the school. He told us that their statement of faith is very broad so that it covers all religions. He then proceeded to say that the only thing they have written down is that they do not accept members of cults including the Jehovahs Witnesses and Mormons. Chris and my hearts just dropped. The worst part was that he said it in front of all the kids. Needless to say we had a nice little talk with the kids on the way home about how some people don't know enough about our church or understand its beliefs and therefore they are scared of it. I don't think we will be pursuing that educational avenue to the huge disappointment of the kids. Right now we are either going to homeschool or talk to a lady that I met at church last Sunday. She told me that she works at a bilingual school. I'll have to get more information from her. The kids really need some interaction with other kids and a better opportunity to learn Spanish than what I can teach them!
On Tuesday afternoon, Laina got so tired she curled up on the 4 day old couch for and fell asleep. A while later she came into the kitchen crying. I couldn't figure out what was wrong until I noticed her pants were soaking wet. She had an accident in her sleep all over the new couch!! UGH!! To make matters worst, the couch is one piece....the cushions do not come off so no flipping the cushion over as my brother Matt suggested!! Luckily for us it is the microfiber material so I think we got most of it absorbed off of the couch with the towels!
Different thoughts: I can not find kleenex anywhere!! We have the most see through useless toilet paper in the world. I bought the first package that I saw and I can't wait until the entire package is gone so we can try some different stuff!!
My morning routine has changed a little. With it being so cold when we get up in the morning, I have actually had to blow dry mt hair after I was it!! I NEVER use a blow dryer. The only reason I even brought one was for when Morgan wanted to "style" her hair. I am sooooo glad I brought it!! I also have been putting on moisturizer AND foundation every day!! They both have SPF so that seems to be helping a little with the sun exposure.
Also, we do not have day lights savings here. I believe we are now on the same time as Utah/Idaho. I haven't confirmed that but I think it's the case.
3/9 word of the day: Llamo - name/called
3/10 word of the day: estoy perdido - I'm lost
Picture: Some Mayan statue we saw on the way to the school.

3/8/09

A few days ago somebody commented that I seemed very stressed out from what I writing in my blog and that they were worried about me. It has bothered me for a few days since I have tried so hard to be optimistic. I don't want my blog to come across as me complaining about things but rather as me trying to share and explain the changes that our family is experiencing. My last Sunday in Las Vegas we had a lesson and our wonderful teacher handed out a little magnet. I brought it all the way to Guatemala with me and have it on my fridge. It says, "Nothing is as constant as change...find joy in the journey - now. -Pres. Monson" I think that my life is full of change right now and I am looking for ways to find joy in the journey. I am truly having fun here and enjoying the journey. Of course there are tough moments and trials that we will be going through but it will only make us stronger. We've been here less than two weeks and it has been life changing already. I look forward to see what the Lord has in store for us over the next couple of years here!

As for today, it has been wonderful. It started out with two new space heaters. I was able to get out of bed and shower without getting hypothermia. It was actually hot last night because Chris had the heater turned on. He sure was pleased with them! We actually got everybody up, dressed, fed, and off to church on time. Church was very eye opening. Each ward has its own building. Our wards building is in our little town of La Esperanza. It is all gated up including bars on every window. The parking lot was very sparce so we figured there wouldn't be very many people. However, when we got in to the chapel there were a lot of people. The chapel floors were all tile and there were no pews - just stacking chairs. I was very worried about taking the kids to an all Spanish sacrament meeting but they didn't seem to mind. There weren't any hymn books. Apparently everybody has to provide their own. A nice sister sitting in front of us turned around and handed us her book. It was very cool to attempt to sing the songs in Spanish. Morgan and Cole were singing with me also. After Sacrament ended we were mobbed!! Everybody was coming up and talking to us. The lady that let us borrow her hymn book spoke very good English and told me that she works at some sort of bilingual school. I was amazed at how many of the members knew at least a little bit of English. I was able talk to many of the sisters and practice my limited Spanish and where I couldn't say something in Spanish they could help me with English. Morgan was surprisingly eager to go to class. There was another girl her age that took her. Cole was very reserved, as was Alysa and Laina. I took Laina to Sunbeams and Alysa joined us a little while later. They were very clingy but learned a few new Spanish words. Their lesson was on taking care of their bodies. There were two sets of missionaries in the ward. One for the ward, and one "elite" set that travels throughout the week to train other missionaries. The "elite" team went to primary with Morgan and Cole and translated for them. Morgan even bore her testimony of the Book of Mormon with them translating for her. There were several little kids that spoke a little bit of English as well. The kids were all very friendly and wanted to be their friends. There was one little girl that wouldn't leave Alysa alone. She even followed Alysa into the bathroom and crawled under the stall door. After class time, Alysa, Laina, and I joined Morgan, Cole, Chris and the Elders for primary exercises. A sister in the ward, Silvia, came in and asked me to come to Relief Society with her. I went but didn't understand a word! Silvia told me that there is an activity on Friday to make "pastels" cakes and I think to exercise. I might have to go check it out. Everybody in the ward was very welcoming. All the sisters gave kisses on the cheek which caught me a little off guard. There were several ladies in the ward that looked very old and very wise. I bet they have some good stories to tell!! I am very excited to get to know the members of the ward and to learn from them. It seems like it will be a great ward.
After church we were able to go home and relax for a while. It was so nice not to go shopping!! Never thought I'd say that! While I was sitting on our new couch (It's so nice to have something to sit on!!), it started shaking. After a second Chris and I both looked at each other and realized that we were having an earthquake. It lasted for about 5 seconds. None of the kids felt a thing. My first thought was that the entire house was going to fall down but nothing did. Maybe it shook the leaking pipes back together and we won't have water all over the kitchen floor any more!! (Wishful thinking!!)
Right as I was attempting to sanitize our vegetables and make dinner, the missionaries came over. It was the traveling missionaries that had helped the kids out in primary. (Elder Anderson and Elder Pogue) They were a great source of information and reassurance for us. They seem to be very good missionaries but unfortunately for us one of them is going home in 3 weeks to Puyallup, Washington. We were able to talk for a while and then asked them to stay for dinner. I was so humiliated though since all we had were hot dogs and potatoes. I had made a pan of brownies and there was left over ice cream from Alysa's birthday so we got by. I will have to have them over again to redeem myself! I think we'll be having the missionaries over for dinner a lot while we are here!

While sitting in church today a thought came into my head. In our last ward, we had a wonderful bishop that constantly challenged me and made me leave my comfort zone. Looking back I realize how much it helped me to grow...even if I hated it at the moment! I truly feel that that was a preparation for me now. There is NO COMFORT ZONE here!! I have two options, I can become a hermit and keep to myself or I can open myself up to those around me and even though it is uncomfortable, I will learn and grow. I have opted to learn and to grow.

3/7/09

I might survive without my Tupperware. We went to the store and bought some containers today for the kitchen. It definitely helps me feel like at least my kitchen is somewhat in order!! After today's shopping trip, we stopped on the side of the road on the way home. There was a guy that made furniture and we found a few pieces that we liked. Chris asked the guy how much money they were and he kind of smiled and told him a price. Chris then said, "o.k. so, that's the gringo price, what's my price?" The guy laughed pretty good.
For dinner tonight we were invited to the Cheney's house. They are the American family that is here from the church to work on the temple. They have their youngest daughter with them that is 14. They have been traveling around Central America for the past 11 years working on temples. We had dinner and watched "Bewitched". The kids had fun playing with their dog and I had fun learning from Sis. Cheney's experience. She taught me the way to clean fruits/vegetables. Since everything here is irrigated with "used" water, we have to properly clean everything. Step 1: Buy your food. Step 2: Scrub everything to get off dirt. Step 3: Soak in a tub of water with special soap that you buy at the store. Step 4: Rinse with boiled/purified water. Step 5: Dry Step 6: store until ready to use. Yup, another adaptation to make!!

3/6/09

I attempted to use the stove again this morning to make panqueques (pancakes). Nothing better than getting out of a warm cozy bed to run outside and turn on the gas!! I just have to laugh. I’m sure any of the homebuilders that might have seen me in my pajamas, flannel shirt, crazy hair, and fuzzy slippers would have laughed also! The kids reaction to breakfast was worth all of the cold and embarrassment though. Cole ate 4 by himself!! One benefit to living in Guatemala is that I don’t have to worry about my cooking constantly setting off the smoke detectors…they don’t have them!! I am going to start a book about all of the safety issues here!! Yesterday we saw an electrical pole that was cut in half and was just hanging by the wires!! The homebuilder for the house we’re in was telling Chris that they don’t put in many 3 prong outlets because they don’t use them very much here…..people just cut off the third prong.
A prominent LDS family here owns a furniture store that Chris and I visited when we came down in January. We went back today and finally got a couch, dining table/chairs, and a table for the “school” room. The delivery guys came while Chris was gone so I once again got to try to communicate with very little Spanish. I am getting very good at pointing and grunting!!
We also took the kids out to the temple site for the first time. They thought it was so cool to see where the temple is going to be. I couldn’t believe how dusty it was! The kids really enjoyed climbing the trees on the site. It is sad that the trees are all going to have to be torn down though!! Last weekend we found a place up in the mountains (everything is in the mountains!!) that I thought would be so beautiful for a temple to be. Chris explained that when they decided on the temple site, they had to take into consideration that the majority of the people who will be attending the temple will be coming by public transportation so it had to be close to a bus route.

Word of the day: Despacio - slow

3/5/09

Chris found out last night that the temple ground breaking ceremony is going to be on the 14th. Today they started to move dirt so that they will be able to get cars to the site. It was kind of weird having Chris gone to work. We will most likely need to get another car so that the kids and I aren’t stranded everyday. (That or learn to ride the chicken buses!!)

The novelty of being somewhere different is starting to wear off for the kids. They are showing signs of boredom and missing their friends. Every day they ask when we are going to start school. I’m still not quite ready to start homeschooling!! We don’t have any of the supplies/curriculum yet! Hopefully we’ll be able to get access to the “club” across the street that has a basketball hoop. That will keep Cole busy for a while. We also need to get some tennis rackets and start learning how to play tennis. The kids do enjoy riding their razors and playing at the park. There’s only so much of that that they can do since the sun in SOOO intense here. They can’t leave the house without putting on sunblock!

Chris and I came to the realization today that we are just going to have to live with dust and bugs!! In order to get any heat in the house, we have to open the windows during the day. It is always windy here and we are surrounded by empty farm land and construction work so dust is everywhere!! I will never be able to keep up with the dust. (Yes, a maid is sounding more appealing but I’m still not quite ready for that!) The only bugs that come in are the flies. I am paranoid that a bird is going to fly in!! We had one on the master balcony that kept pecking at the window and fluffing its feathers. Fortunately I had shut the door just a little while before it came over!!

Chris was able to get the stove hooked up today. What an ordeal! He had such a hassle trying to find somebody that would sell him a gas tank. Our landlords dad finally gave us one of his old ones that we could get filled up. Chris got it filled and got the hose to attach it a couple days ago but hasn’t been able to get the hose through to the kitchen. The builder came by today and found a block but was able to correct it. We now have gas to the kitchen stove. It has got to be the scariest thing for me. I can’t even use the barbecue because the idea of gas and fire freaks me out. I am so paranoid that I am going to explode everything!! Anyway, this is how my new stove works: I have to find the monster key chain, unlock the prison door from the laundry room to the back yard, go out and flip the switch on the gas tank (looks like a big propane tank), go back inside, find the matches, light the burners, cook the food, turn off the oven/stove, run back outside and turn the gas off. So, my first meal that I made with the new stove was my usual standby…..spaghetti. I also decided to make some break/rolls (Thank you Sis. Tobler for talking me into bringing my Bosch!!!) . I got the dough all made and went to start the oven. I got it to light without any problems but then realized that there are no temperature settings. There are numbers 1-5. I guessed that 350 degrees would be half way between a 3 and a 4. While the bread was cooking, I started the spaghetti. Remember that I don’t know Spanish and I can’t understand all of the labels at the grocery store. I bought what looked like hamburger meat. Chris didn’t know what the label said either so we concluded that we were probably eating dog or something worse!! It tasted good though.

Well, the rolls/bread turned out pretty good. My guess seemed to work out on the setting. I will definitely need to buy an oven thermometer though!!

Word of the day: Los Siento – I’m sorry

3/4/09

UGH! More shopping. I feel like I am going to break down and cry when I go into the grocery store and I can’t find what I want/need or I can’t read the labels to know what anything is! The smallest things that I took for granted in the states!! I wish I could just go once and buy everything that I’ll need for the next three months and not have to go again. I really miss my food storage and the system that I had set up. I really loved my extra freezer full of meat and chocolate. (It’s a good thing I stashed a bunch of chocolate in my bags!! It’s been coming in handy!)  Even though it is tough, I realize that it is just another one of the many adaptations that I am going to need to make while I am here.
We did a little exploring today. From our bathroom window we can see a big dome church that is further out of town in a direction that we hadn’t been yet. Morgan wants to do a documentary so we figured we'd try to find it.  It was a pretty cool building that Laina says is beautiful. Not only did we find cool little towns, more little shops, and the church but we also learned that we need to watch for speed bumps. They are huge! We hit a few of them and thought that car was going to fall apart! I don’t know how any car survives here. The Toyota seems to be the most popular and somebody told us that they hold up the best on these roads.

Word day: puedo – I can

3/3/09

Today was a little more of the same.  More shopping...I think grocery shopping is the hardest!!  I don't know what anything is.  Everything seems to be different.  It's kind of funny that the stuff imported from the U.S. is often cheaper than the local stuff!!  Weird!  I want to make chocolate chip cookies (once I get an oven that works - still no gas - maybe tomorrow) but I don't know how they will turn out.  It'll be an experience...as is everything we are doing!!  Not only is it difficult to have all the ingredients different but all of my cooking supplies are different also.  I sure miss my Tupperware!!  The thought even crossed my mind to order some at full price!!  (Full price and Kristina definitely don't go together!)  

Before we came down here, we tried to figure out how to access our money.  We can't open an account here since we really don't exist!!  We figured out that we could open a Citibank account in Las Vegas and use our ATM card to pull out money here at the Citibank.  Not so easy!!  The Citibank in the U.S. only issues Mastercards.....here, they only use Visa.   Plus, the ATM at the Citibank isn't even a Citibank ATM!!  Go figure.  On top of that, we just found out that every time we use our Visa credit card, they are charging us an exchange fee.  UGH!!  

Ever since we found out about the opportunity to come to Guatemala, I've felt like there is some sort of service that I need to be doing.  I'm not exactly sure what it is but yesterday I thought about collecting temple clothes for the locals here to have when their new temple opens.  If anybody has any thoughts or would like to help me, let me know!!

My biggest frustration right now is not having any curtains.  All the windows have curtain rods but I can not find anything that stands out to me.  This is one of those moments when my mom needs to be here to do it for me.  For now though, we've got blankets covering the bedroom windows with clothespins.  With it being so incredibly cold at night, we could really use those blankets on the beds!!  We even broke down and bought everybody slippers last night.  Wow, they made a world of difference this morning.  Not to mention having hot water and being able to take a warm shower!!  One thing that I would really like to have that they don't have down here are flannel sheets.  We've been covering our pillows with fleece or flannel jackets so that they are a little warmer!  Yes, we should probably go invest in some space heaters.  

Even though we have a ways to go, it is starting to feel a little more comfortable.  Our landlord brought over a plastic table and chairs for us to borrow until we get our own table.  Dinner tonight was our first meal that we actually got to sit down together for!!  

Today was Alysa's 5th birhday.  We couldn't make her cake (she was devastated that we didn't make it yesterday) so Chris went and picked one up at the Xelapan.  She seemed to be happy and enjoyed the gifts that she got.  Make up...more make up....beads...more beads and a little plastic table with chairs. 

 

3/2/09

It doesn't feel like we got anything accomplished today but we did.  Since we still didn't have hot water this morning, we ran back to the hotel (before checkout!!) and everybody got to take a scorching hot shower.   We then rushed back to the house to meet the landscapers.  The head guy was about the same size as Cole!!   Once they left, the builder of the house came to see what the problems were.  He left for a little bit to get supplies so we ran back to the store again for some more odds and ends.  We were hoping to get to the grocery store but ran out of time.  We ran back home to meet the builder again and just hung out around the house while he fixed the hot water and the siren that would go off every time we flushed a toilet.  They apparently didn't do a very good job fixing the toilets because Chris is in the bathroom right now trying to fix them.  Hopefully we'll have hot water at least in the morning.    On a positive note, I was able to get a lot of laundry done today since we were around the house.  

Since we still don't have any groceries in the house (at least nothing that I can cook without the stove!!...still no gas.), we ran back into town for some good old fashioned  Pizza Hut.  The kids are LOVING all the play places at every restaurant!!  

I sure hope we get to the grocery store and toy store tomorrow.  It is Alysa's birthday and all of her birthday presents are still at the architects office in Guatemala City!!  Plus, I don't have a stove to make her birthday cake.  She did have fun going to the toy store today to spend her birthday money from Grandma Hunsaker!  

Random stuff:  They do not have Dr. Pepper anywhere!!  This will be a great chance for Chris to kick the habit!!  Every restaurant has Pepsi, Sprite, Orange, and Grape.  They don't even have root beer!!

The other day, Morgan said that Guatemala was starting to feel like home....not so sure about that quite yet but at least she thinks so!!

Word of the day: permiso - excuse me  (We practiced this one a lot today!!  We also used yesterdays word to order aceitunas on our pizza.)

Pictures:  

This is the only 7-11 we've seen here.  It was across the street from the hotel we went to.  

Alysa on the front balcony of the house.

3/1/09

Today was a little more trying for us. We were so excited to get to go to church this morning. It was pretty difficult though when the showers were ice cold!! In the maids quarters there is a bathroom with a separate plug in water heater for the shower. I was the guinea pig and tried to use that shower. I have never been so scared of being electrocuted!! By the time that we gave up on trying to get any hot water, church was half over. We finally just packed up some stuff and headed for a hotel to get a warm shower. On the way we drove by and found our new church. It's crazy that even the church buildings are all gated up!!
After everybody got showered, we did a little exploring. We found a couple new monuments, and some cool views of the city. I think we're kind of starting to get our bearings around here. The big volcano is my landmark. The elevation at our house is over 8000 ft. I can't even imagine how high it is to the top of the volcano.
When we got back to the house, Chris was able to get the washer and dryer hooked up. I attempted to cook dinner. When I bought food for the day, I didn't realize that our stove is gas and that we have to get a gas tank delivered to be able to use it. I had to experiment with new food items that I'm not used to as well as using a microwave to cook everything and also trying to read directions in Spanish!! As worried as I was, it actually tasted pretty good. It is going to be an adjustment to not having a dishwasher. Washing dishes by hand is not one of my favorite things to do! We'll have to get the kids trained real quick!
It was really cold and windy today. Since there is no heat in the house, everybody was bundled up. After dinner all of the kids climbed in our bed and watched a movie on the computer. We still don't have any furniture except for our beds!
Some of the things that I've noticed here:
Cheese is hard to find and expensive.
There is a constant layer of dust on everything.   There are gaps in all of the doors and dust just comes right in.....and bugs. Plus there are no screens on any of the windows!
Every single door (even the pantry) in the house has a lock and each lock has a separate key. The key ring for the house is HUGE!
Everything is small. I can barely fit a pan in the sink! The girls love the little tiny toilets. The handicap stalls are about the size of the toilets in the church nurseries.
The sun goes directly over head. The sun doesn't shine in on the sides of the house. I keep waiting for the sun to come into the kitchen but it just goes over top.
Our word for the day: Acetuna = olive
With it being the Sabbath, we didn't do as much running around and had a little more time to think. I think I do much better when I don't have time to think. It's going to be weird when we get settled and Chris goes to work. I don't know what I am going to do!

2/28/09

We survived our first night in our house.....even with no water.  Yes, we returned back to the house around 9:30 and there was no water at all.   Other than that, the night was chilly but good.  It was definitely quieter than at the hotels.  

The morning was spent trying to get the water back on.  Apparently we are on a well with the community and the landscapers left something going and used up all the water.  It has been corrected and we now have water but we have no hot water.  The electric water heater isn't doing anything!!    Chris has been going crazy trying to fix the water situations here but everything is so different than in the U.S.   He's also been trying to hook up the washing machine.  

The day was full of repeated trips to the stores and back to the house since there is no room in the little van/car to fit anything that we buy!!  I can't begin to count how many times I had to say 'No hablo espanol" today.   Every aisle I would go down somebody would try to help me.   It was pretty weird that they don't sell very many dryers here.  Apparently everybody just hangs their laundry to dry.  Chris had to leave the kids and I at the house so he could get a dryer and fit it in the van.  After several hours, I was starting to get pretty worried that something dreadful had happened.  The panic set in that I was in a place all by myself, had no home phone or cell phone to call anybody....not that there was anybody for me to call anyway!!  The only person near by was the security guard that I can't communicate with anyway!  I have to say that I did quite the happy dance when I saw the security guard run around to open the gate to let Chris in!!  Needless to say, getting a cell phone for me is going to be a top priority this week!!  

Our last trip in town was a good one.  We found a little restaurant with a great play place in it.  The kids had so much fun playing but I think the highlight of it was when a couple Guatemalan kids started talking to our kids in English.  The kids were so excited to understand what somebody was saying to them.  After we finished eating, Chris stayed with the kids while they played and I ran over to the Hiper Paiz (Super Walmart).   On my way I saw a couple of elders.  I couldn't decide if they spoke English or not so I almost didn't stop.    I turned and saw a third elder that was about Chris' height with my color of hair.  I figured he had to speak English.  Turns out that he's from Dallas, Texas.  He gave us their number and said to call them and they'd give us the number for the elders in our area.  I was so excited to find out where our church is!!

A random thing that I've noticed here is that there are always fires.  Just today the workers on the house closest to ours built a fire on the lot.  I'm not exactly sure why but it constantly smells like fire.  Alysa said that it smells like roasting marshmallows!!  

Our Spanish word of the day: Mas = more

Pictures are from our development.