Back Home in Quiché

Well, after a very fruitful trip to Portland, Oregon, I am now safely back home in Quiché, Guatemala. I was very fortunate to see so many loving friends and family members that mean so much to me. I'm so sorry to have not spent time with everyone back home, but it just wasn't possible. It was lucky enough for me to have the opportunity to honor my Grandma at her memorial service, and share this time with family! I'm very happy everything came together. Thanks so much to all for the assistance, support, and understanding that made my trip such a pleasant one.

Toby and I miss everyone and we look forward to seeing more friendly faces down here in our neck of the woods soon! Love to you all!

Toby's Flying Solo...Well, Actually Brittany Is

Today, Brittany is faced with a long 3 and a half hour bus ride to spend the night in Antigua...alone. Tomorrow around noon she departs for "home" or at least what used to be, to Portland, Oregon to attend the memorial service of her grandmother, the late Nancy Snow. Many thanks go to her father Andrew Kaza, who without hesitating helped us send Brittany home by buying her a plane ticket back to Oregon. Without the assistance we would have been forced to spend a large amount of our remaining financial resources. This event is on track to be one of the largest gatherings of the Kaza family in recent history with relatives flying in from Vermont, England, California, Texas, and of course, Guatemala. All of Grandma Snow's children and grandchildren will be at the memorial service which will be held at the First Unitarian Church of Portland. Of course Brittany is also looking forward to spending some valuable time with friends and family, taking advantage of some of our favorite Happy Hours and restaurants, drinking plenty of coffee from Stumptown, Dutch Bros, and Coffee Rush, along with visiting our favorite grocery store New Seasons and lapping up the great Portland microbrews again. This is also great timing to pick up a few needed things including LSAT Study Guides and some firefighting safety gear for Toby, along with some of Brittany's favorite foods that we don't have here (pretzels, chocolate, etc) and some things for our new kitty Nieve, like toys, treats, and Frontline for flea protection. Duty free in the Guatemalan Airport is also sure to be a stopping point with 5 dollar Stoli Vodka being just too good to pass up.

The 10 day trip is sure to include times of reminiscence, love, friendship, relaxation, and probably a little gluttony. Unfortunately there will also some anxiety as Brittany has somewhat of a fear of flying. The recent plane crash in Brazil couldn't have came at a worse time for her psyche as she prepares to flyout for home. Hopefully the thought of friends and family meeting her at her final destination tomorrow will calm her nerves.

Toby and Nieve love you and will miss you!!!

Teacher's Conference in Xela

Two weeks ago to kick off the new term of classes starting, we were fortunate enough to travel on the company dime to a Regional English Teacher's Conference put on by the Instituto Gualemalteco Americano (IGA) and the US Embassy. Not only were we excited to meet other teacher's and volunteers, but also to travel and eat delicious food without having to worry about the cost. Xela is Guatemala's second largest city and in addition to its cosmopolitan feel it has an incredible variety of delicious restaurants.

We had a great time at the conference meeting quite a few other teachers, mainly Guatemalans though. Because we were American, the other teachers tended to lean on us when in came time to present ideas when working in groups. We were disappointed that the Guatemalan teachers didn't have more courage or confidence.

One girl from NY really connected with us and we ended up staying at her and her husband's place later on in the weekend. We went on a hike, went out to eat, and really just connected with them both. They are here until December so we're planning to travel with them a bit or have them here in Quiché. We were also fortunate enough to win a set of 200+ full page color photos in a raffle that can be used with early beginners of English. This is going to help tremendously because we don't have easy access to magazines and other photos to build a collection.

The highlight though was going out to dinner with the 2 key note speakers and the Senior Teaching Fellow and her husband, all from the states. For about 3 hours we had great Spanish food, even better connection, and Toby got to have his first glass of wine in 6 months (courtesy of one of the guest speakers who bought the most expensive bottle on the list). We made some really good connections with both professors that can help us with our work here, and personally. One woman highly suggested we look into her university Monterey. It was very inspiring to talk with them and see all the possibilities for our futures.


On the way home we made a need stop at the mall for a few things we can't really find in Quiché such as butter, fresh bread and delicious cheese. We also picked up some brown rice, jam, and a few other essentials. It turns out that all of these great items and more can be found at Hiper Paiz, a formerly Guatemalan-owned family store that got so big, Wal-Mart just HAD to buy it. Well, it is all we have so we happily buy from these little Wal-Marts all over Guatemala. In addition to the groceries we took a little time out to play air hockey, another one of those things that you don't realize you miss till you move somewhere without it.

Río Dulce

Ahhh....and what a sweet river it is. After kickin' it in Lívingston for a few days we headed up river a couple of hours to the area of Río Dulce town and Lago Izabal. This area is one of the most beautiful in the country and also very popular with boaters around the world.

The trip up the green river offered a light breeze and a lush greenery view. We diverted into a few tributaries to check out locals paddling in canoes, birds, and a field of Lily pads. One stop along the way Aguas Calientes had hot water coming out from rocks into the river. Up from the steaming water we climbed a hillside to reach a muddy cave where formations are still alive. Funny enough a fellow traveler we were with touched a formation, and we advised him no to do so because it kills the growth. He replied with a, "Oh, I know that. I'm a geologist. I just forgot." Seems like something that basic a GEOLOGIST would remember!


Since most places are situated along the lake or hotel Toby and I stayed at the lovely Swiss-owned Casa Perico, only reachable by lancha (boat). The hotel was hidden up a stream and privately tucked away in the swampy jungle area. One main restaurant/patio area connected to the other bathrooms, rooms, and kitchen by wooden boardwalks. We felt so secluded from the rest of the world here. It was a great environment to relax and just enjoy the warm weather. Included at the hotel were wooden canoes that we use to paddle out to the main river area to swim and lay out on a floating dock. This was one of the highlights for sure!


While in the Río Dulce area we also took a few day trips to see some other sights in the area. One majestic site we visited is the Castillo San Felipe built on the narrowed part of land where the lake and river come together. This was originally built in the 1600s to protect the booty stored along the lake shore from attacking pirates. Consequently it was sacked, rebuilt, stocked with more soldiers time and time again. Today it has been restored to its former glory, hosting great views of the lake and river areas.


Another great spot to visit is the Finca Paraíso hot waterfall. On this farm's property a river flows steadily towards lake Izabal, and along the way a big hot spring fed waterfall cascades down. We tucked under a stone ledge in the rock wall where the hot water falling turning this little space into a toasty natural steam room. Although our attempts to make it back to town and our hotel became quite a fiasco, we're trying to focus on the majestic waterfall instead. It was a gorgeous site and our first experience with a hot waterfall.

Needless to say, we certainly enjoyed the opportunity to swim every day of our vacation. Quiché does not offer pools and beautiful streams to splash around in, nor the humidity to escape. However, this trip was just the ticket and gave us time to be in nature, relax, and rejuvenate before the new term of classes.

Lívingston Relaxation

During our vacation break from teaching classes, we decided to head to the beach! The Caribbean coast of Guatemala is not very lengthy, but provides a unique culture unlike the rest of the country. The town of Lívingston, only accessible by boat, is home to the Garífuna people. Garífuna are descendants of Africans brought to the islands in the Caribbean but were cast off to the coasts of Honduras and Guatemala many years ago. They speak an indigenous language made from a combination of African languages, as well as Spanish, and quite often English. Being of African descent they connect more with the hip-hop culture of the United States more so than the rest of Guatemala. And amazingly enough, there is a huge community of about 50,000 Garífuna in New York.

The highlights of the trip were firstly, plenty of seafood choices for Toby which he indulged in at almost every meal. Included in the seafood fest was a portion of tapado soup the local seafood specialty made of coconut milk, plantains, and an assortment of sea animals like octopus, shrimp, squid, whole perch and crab. This is a must try!

Secondly, we trekked 2 hours along the beach in search of the hidden Siete Altares (Seven Altars) waterfall. We finally arrived to a beautiful river cascading more than 7 times, but creating refreshing pools for our swimming enjoyment. Up into the jungle, the highest pool is the deepest, and has a large waterfall, where one can sit on the rocks. Funny enough, when we arrived at the best pool there was a large crowd of Guatemalans hovering around the edges, but not swimming. The majority of Guatemalans do not know how to swim, so we prepared for their stares as we dove in. Needless to say, there was a lot of staring, and then a few macho guys struggled to swim over to the rocks, as I jumped into lifeguard mode and prepared for a rescue. No accidents occurred, but we continued to enjoy the falls and the beautiful scenery.


Thirdly, we stayed in a bad-ass hotel on the river, with a private thatched cabaña, complete with mosquito netting. This hotel had a serene tropical flower garden, a hammock way out on the dock, and incredible iced lattes. We just relaxed the day away watching white herons and pelicans as we sipped our coffees and read.

Lastly, the Caribbean sea was quite memorable. Although not sparkling like the gorgeous beaches of Hawaii, the temperature was incredible and a refreshing break from the humidity. Toby and I have never experienced water so warm! It was like swimming in a therapy pool.

The long bus ride and efforts to arrive at the coast were well worth our trouble. The food and culture of the Garífuna people are strikingly different to the Highland Mayan we are accustomed to in our daily lives. The water soothingly relaxed us every day!