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guatemala has a reputation as a land of eternal spring, but there are two recognized seasons. summer is the dry season and winter the wet.
fortunately, the rainy season here is not bad. every day, bearing a storm passing thru, there is a good stretch of sunshine or at least a break in the rainfall.
the rainy season starts at the end of may and every summer there are two weeks of canicula (sp?), almost no rain and a bit more warmth.
my sister told me how hot it’s been in dc. i have two good friends visiting for two weeks, and they just happened to choose a time that feels like a spring break from dc. i met up with them at lake atitlan and they’re hanging in xela with me for a few days.
august will be a summer vacation for me. i’ve decided to come back to guatemala in september.
i’m still enjoying this time, learning spanish, doing yoga, working less. i now have a paid job working on a website (for a club in dc) and am doing some volunteer work (both computer stuff and dj-ing).
hope all is well and if anyone is looking for a house-sitter in august or has a guest room craving a warm body, please let me know. 
i’m moving again! the apartment i’ve been living in has been really nice, but there are a few rules that got me looking to move along.
we had a dinner party for my room-mate´s birthday that ended up being a little bigger than planned (about 25 people showed up) but still ended by 11 pm. our landlord, who lives there, told me the next day we couldn’t have any more parties. bummer!
my other gripe is that if i have a guest spend the night, i have to pay. i’m hoping both of my brothers will be visiting in the next couple months and i’d rather be in a place that is more along the lines of “mi casa es tu casa”, my house is your house.
enough of the negatives, a big reason i want to move is that xela’s yoga studio is located in a large group house and they have an open room! unlimited yoga is included in rent and i am planning to go to class three or four times a week. ~something i’ve wanted to do for a long time.
man, i sure did get more homesick this time around. my last post was like a list of things i love to do in dc. the combination of these and being close to amazing friends and family made it harder to be so far away.
but… i am back on the yoga/relaxation/heal-my-body path and dj-d a party on saturday that was a lot of fun. i am also excited to be eating typical guatemalan breakfasts – eggs with tomato & onion, black beans, picante, tortillas, plantains and coffee. yum! i have become hooked on this meal almost as much as ethiopian food.
in addition, i have made good friends here, it’s super affordable and the city amenities i’m lacking are balanced out by access to the beach, natural saunas, affordable yoga, etc.
this afternoon i am heading back to lake atitlan which promises to be a good combination of relaxation and fun. i am going to dj a party with nice weiss (from LA) and kokopelli (from Xela) — the guys i’ve played a handful of parties with.
this picture is of me and my friend pedro, it links to more pics from last weekend…
today there are International Demonstrations on Climate Change being held “to coincide with the United Nations Climate Talks in Bali, Indonesia, December 3rd to 14th 2007.”
in an effort to raise awareness and save electricity, my favorite internet cafe (infinito) in xela is offering one hour of free use, but limiting all users to only one hour. if it wasn´t for them, i wouldn´t even know of today´s event.
there is a lot of doom and gloom that i could mention about the state of the planet, but i´m taking this opportunity to simply mention a few groups that i am a fan of and one action item.
one of my favorite organizations is the Center for a New American Dream. their motto is “more fun, less stuff” and they help people change the way they consume to improve quality of life, protect the environment, and promote social justice.
one of the simplest ways to avoid creating more pollution (and energy use) is to bring your own bag when you go shopping.
two cool groups i´ve encountered down here are the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) and Xelateco – both of whom work for enviornmentally-friendly development. among other things, they build solar-water heaters that are awesome. my volunteer housemates all work with aidg which has a partnership with xelateco. i plan to volunteer with them soon.
there are plenty of other ways to reduce our impact on the planet and save it for future generations, please post one of your favorites as a comment to this post.
my race to do all of my computer stuff in one hour continues now… 
i’ve always loved bartering, and there’s a good amount of it going on here.
i am currently doing a language exchange with a spanish teacher who works at one of the spanish schools i went to. he has taught in four different schools in xela over the past six or seven years.
he’s a cool guy, just a few years younger than me and his teaching experience is really helpful – he gives me li’l lessons as needed.
i also started an exchange with twin teenage students. their english is really good. they just need to practice, learn new words and the proper use of words. they actually teach english, as volunteers, to elementary schoolers.
it is great to be practicing/learning for free and helping others learn english at the same time.
a friend of mine brought a 160gb ipod and has been bartering music for blank cds, work and time in an internet cafe. yesterday, i was asked to do some design work in exchange for time at the same internet cafe. sweeeet.
by the way, intercambio means interchange or exchange. one of the easier words for me to remember.
less than two weeks ’til i’m back in the states! woohoo.
the beach trip last weekend was a lot of fun, but wow, i sure was sore afterward.
when i was 17, i discovered i have scoliosis. since then, i’ve done an okay job of keeping my back from getting worse, but i could be doing a lot more. one of my chiropractors said i should do push-ups and sit-ups every day – keep the muscular system strong and the skeletal system will benefit. i’m not even close to that regimen, but at least i’ve maintained a decent level of fitness.
nevertheless, it is very likely that my scoliosis is a route cause of other body issues i have had over the years: plantar fasciitis in my left foot after running a marathon (this injury is gone thanks to yoga!); and my current fave, carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists.
to make a long story short, paddling out to catch waves took a lot out of me and bothered my shoulders/back. i am now motivated to start swimming and do more yoga, push-ups, crunches etc. …back on the healing track.
the dj haps are picking up for me here. i’m spinning tonight with a local dj and another that is in town from los angeles.
tomorrow night i’m playing solo – a mellow set from 7 to 9pm at a cafe/lounge. in addition to being stoked to be playing music again, it’s nice to be earning a bit o’ money.
hope you all have/had a good weekend.
i booked my flight! i can’t wait to be home and hanging out with family and friends! i’m going to visit a couple friends in nyc, then be home in dc a few days before christmas and stay ’til late january.
dj-ing was a lot of fun last friday. a local dj that i met a few months ago opened up the night with some lounge and house music and i started playing at 10:30. there was a good-sized dancefloor and people enjoyed the mix of old-school hip hop, funk, party breaks and house.
i have another gig a week from sunday. in addition to being really happy to be spinning, it’s good to be making some money.
yesterday, i had a great thanksgiving dinner. thanks to encouragement and a recipe from a good friend here and advice from my sister, i made gravy for the first time. i was really excited that it tasted like gravy and everyone said they enjoyed it.
in addition to the things i thought of being thankful for yesterday – having so many people in my life that i love and encountering many kind, fun, helpful people in guatemala… today i realized how thankful i am to have made this trip and to have time to focus on improving my health and world outlook.
i should add how lucky i am to have bought an apartment when i did. if i hadn’t made that move (back in 2000), there’s no way i could have made this trip the way i’m making it. i am incredibly lucky.
as great as dinner was, it definitely reinforced missing family and friends and wanting to be home. thanks, love and hugs to all of you for being a part of my life.
tomorrow morning, three friends and i are heading to the pacific coast for some surfing. we’ll be there for about three days. i’m stoked.
about a month ago, one of my room-mates spotted a rat in our kitchen. a few days later, i saw one, too. i have lived with mice and roaches in the past, but rats are a bit more nasty.
not long after, aurora (our local room-mate) brought a kitten home and our landlord said our rat worries were solved.
riiiiight, this cute li´l teenager of a cat is going to scare off or kill a rat that´s almost as big as her.
lo and behold, she was right. i saw nina carrying a rat 4 or 5 days later. wow. none of us have seen a rat since.
i have definitely missed my cats, selu and claudio (aka clouda), but i am happy to have another kitten to cuddle and play with.
claudio and selu at cornelia and matt´s house
last night i played futbol (soccer) for the third time with some local friends. i barely played futbol growing up, but have always enjoyed and respected the game, partly because of how much athleticism is involved. if i remember correctly, professional players run an average of five miles per game.
last night i scored my first goal. very exciting for me. my next goal is to make fewer mistakes!
another thing i’m excited about is my second dj opportunity. i played a party on halloween with two other djs and will play solo this friday night.
dj-ing here is a bit of a challenge for me, because i have to use cd players and the majority of my music is at Cornelia and Matt’s house. but, it feels real good to be involved with music again.
guess what my costume (pictured at right) was for halloween.
the hint… a movie title with three words. there were a bunch more spanish and english words/phrases you can’t see in the picture.
tomorrow i leave for two weeks in costa rica. i’m meeting up with a friend and his girlfriend to go surfing and then seeing other friends who will be there — one of whom is getting married on the northwest coast.
i’m starting to feel more at home in xela, especially after cooking meals with my housemates. there’s a market within a short walk that sells a great selection of produce (and more) and a tortillería where we buy fresh (and hot) tortillas.
on sunday i went to another futbol game with some friends. xela won 1-0.
free, matteo, alix, romeo
a few hours later, a different friend invited me to play futbol. i had a lot of fun. they play every week, so i hope to join them for more games after returning from costa rica.
hanging out after the game with three guatemalans, one argentinian and one american who has lived here for years, taught me how far i have to go in learning spanish.
when people aren’t dumbing it down/slowing it down, i have a hard time keeping up. it was good motivation to study/practice more!
off to prepare for my trip…
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