First Weekend

:: Today is Day 8 in Guatemala ::

Until this weekend I had done almost nothing other than go to work at MTM, maybe go to one of the little grocery stores around the corner from my house, and "get settled" into my room. This of course included coming to terms with the fact that I cannot plan my life by looking online anymore. I can't get a decent map, directions, instructions for taking the bus, find out which stores sell bed sheets, etc. anywhere on line. I also can't access many US based entertainment websites - such as Hulu, Pandora, or any network website (such as abc.com where I tried in vain to catch up on Grey's Anatomy, or univision.com for Eva Luna which Hannover's parents got me hooked on).

The shower has also been a problem. I tend to take very hot showers – even when its 100 degrees outside. I’m not saying there is NO hot water in my house – simply that its not enough. Today was the first time I actually felt that the water was warm and that’s only because my housemates were using the water downstairs so the water pressure was low. So today for about 30 seconds I had a warm shower. However, I have learned to cope with this. I have figured out that if I work out immediately before taking a shower my body temperature is warm enough that a cool shower is actually enjoyable bareable. This of course means that every morning I fight with myself about whether I want to get up an extra 45 minutes early to workout or suffer through a cold shower. So far its about 50/50.

:: Friday ::

So Friday night I did nothing. I had thought about going to a movie but I couldn’t figure out how to find movie listings. Apparently my housemate Ceci hates pretty much everything mainstream and when I asked her she just ranted about how terrible the movies they show here are. I mean, I have to agree, they get movies from the US (either dubbed or subtitled) and lets face it – most of them are crap. But that doesn't mean I won't watch them.

:: Saturday ::

Palacio Nacional - Saturday

Saturday morning I woke up around 8:30am, worked out, showered, had cereal and yogurt for breakfast, and walked out the door. My only plan was to find a place where I could buy a purse. I just figured I’d walk down 6a Avenida (Sexta – 6^th Avenue) until I got to the Mercado Central. So I walked the 10 blocks. I was paranoid the whole way, kept looking over my shoulder, walked very fast, and had tucked my money and camera into several places in my clothes that I considered “hiding spots” – just in case. Truthfully, there were several people walking around at 11am and I didn’t pass a single person that looked like they might rob or kidnap me.

When I arrived at the central plaza I didn’t really know where I was going. So I just wandered around, followed the trail of street vendors and pedestrians until I found the Mercado Central – which happens to be underground. I also found some shopping centers with stores that reminded me of “Fashion Q” or “Fashion Avenue” that used to be, and probably in some cases still are, in the Pasadena/ Alhambra / Highland Park areas. In addition to the purse, I ended up buying a blouse, a pair of earings, and a belt.

Since I had already missed the 11am tour of the Palacio Nacional and I didn’t want to wait for the 2pm tour, I headed home. I walked the 10 blocks back to the house. My little trip had taken 3 hours. The last time I walked for 3 hrs straight was probably in September 2008 when Hannover and I were still exploring Boston on foot because we hadn’t bought a car yet.

Plaza Central - Saturday

At 5:30pm I went out to dinner with the women from MTM. We went down to 6a Avenida, exactly where I had been in the morning, but continued walking down 6a to an area that resembles The Promenade, only without designer stores. I found it very entertaining that we ate at Café Casa which is probably as close to a French Café as you are going to find in Guatemala. The food was o.k., I might go back if I get a Starbucks craving and need my coffee fix. Although now that I’m having some GI issues I’m thinking it might have been that ICED coffee I had last night. I must remember to never get ice.

They dropped me off at home because my roomates were having a housewarming party. They, like me, are new to this apartment. However they’ve been living in Guatemala City for a while and have their circle of friends. They said I could invite people, but who was I supposed to invite? The women from work? I needed to see what kind of crowd we were talking about first, and I’m soooo glad I did. I was wearing a nice blouse, jeans, and black flats. Turns out I was overdressed for my own houseparty. So I went and changed into a T-Shirt. If I had loose, faded, torn jeans that might have been more appropriate too. Just so you are getting the right visual – it was a group of 20-something year old European and Guatemalan human rights volunteers and activists. Very early on I was feeling “too school for cool”. I disappeared for a while to make a skype call and came back thinking people would be drunker, there would be more people, and I might have an easier time breaking into a conversation with someone – because clearly I was the only person who didn’t know anyone. Didn’t work. After standing around and having a few uncomfortable conversations I decided to go to bed. Besides, I was having stomach cramps. However, I must tell you – the music and the singing yelling didn’t stop until probably about 4:30am.

:: Sunday ::

Me and my Piña con Chile inside the Mercado Central.

This morning I forced myself out of bed, got ready and headed out the door around 10:15am. This time the plan was to buy a comforter or blanket, and sheets. The fitted sheet for my bed was broken and I have struggled with it every night because I wake up sleeping straight on the scratchy mattress underneath.

Instead of turning left from my front door as usual, I thought "Why not go right? Maybe that lady will be selling atole at the park." But I didn’t make it that far. The Transmetro bus was parked around the corner. Turns out that every Sunday they give free historical tours of Guatemala City! The buses look like they are new, and Transmetro is operated by the Municipal Police so it seems much safer than the other local buses. However, the full tour will have to wait until next time – for now I just wanted a ride rather than walk the 10 blocks to the Mercado Central again.

Plaza Central, Fountain & Palacio Nacional - Sunday

Clearly Sunday is the day to go to the central plaza. The same area I had been in on Saturday, was now filled with vendors and performers. I bought myself a bag of pineapple with chili for breakfast and headed towards the Mercado Central where I had seen blankets and comforters the night before. Within 15 minutes I had bought a blanket. (I need to find one that was pretty enough for me – but simple enough so that when I bring it home Hannover doesn’t insist that its tacky and toss it into a storage box in the garage.) Now for the sheets. I thought surely there must be store on 6a Avenida that sells sheets, right? I walked, and walked, and walked. There was a pattern: shoe store, clothing store, restaurant, shoe store, clothing store, restaurant… occasionally broken up by a mini mall or movie theater. After walking for 10 blocks, I turned around and came back up the other side of the street.

It was 78 degrees outside and I was pretty close to exhausted when I passed a very inviting tequila bar and Mexican restaurant called “Los Cebollines”. Clearly, having a margarita in the early afternoon without having lunch is terrible idea. “Table for one please.” They didn’t even have any tables for two. So I sat at a booth for four by myself. I made sure to request a booth with a view of the two flat screen TVs so that I could at least pretend that I care about the Guatemalan soccer league. I must say, ordering a special made margarita in a Guatemalan bar is fun. First of all, I like my margaritas on the rocks, but considering the issues with tap water – I said no ice. Second, I didn’t want Jose Cuervo Silver, I wanted Herradura Blanco (the selection turned out to be limited). The waiter was a bit confused. I explained that I didn’t want an extra shot of Herradura on the side, but rather, that I wanted my margarita made with Herradura instead of Jose Cuervo. Got it. About a minute later he came back and told me that he would have to charge me for a shot of Herradura and a lemonade in order for them to make me a margarita the way I wanted it. Okay, that’s fine. Ultimately, the margarita tasted exactly like he descibed – a shot of Herradura in a lemonade. Maybe next time I’ll just have a beer with my tacos.

The food was good and the waiter was nice so I paid my bill, tipped him, and continued my search for fitted bed sheets. I did finally find them. I paid more than I might have liked, but the truth is they would have cost me double at Target.

My New Sheets & Blanket!      Next: PILLOWS.

So that’s all folks – this was a shopping and walking filled weekend.

Next week is the MTM road trip and court hearings. And of course, like anyone who has ever done a family road trip anywhere in Latin America knows by now – there will be shopping.