My year in Guatemala: Rain

Yesterday happened to be one of my favorite days here in Guatemala I think so far. There were laughs, tears, danger, love, and hot chocolate.
But I'll back up a minute first.
This past week a really sweet and awesome guatemalteca volunteer graduated from university with a degree in social work. On Thursday 8 of us made the trip to the capital to see her graduate and it was unlike any other I've been to. She was the only one graduating so it was very individualized. She presented a bit of her thesis and made a speech at the end. Her professors talked about her work and success. Her family was so proud and it really was a beautiful ceremony.

Then yesterday 9 of us went to her house to have lunch and celebrate. It was so cool to see a different part of Guatemala. The family was really nice, especially her mom and grandmother, and we just felt so welcomed in. What really got me were the speeches. Karla and her mom just talked about how much the other meant and it was so touching. It was beautiful and made me tear up. After that all I wanted to do was to tell my mom how much I love her and how incredible I think she is. (hey mom! I love you and I think you are incredible!). As the afternoon was getting later, we volunteers started getting antsy. Taking the buses back to NPH would take 3-4 hours and we didn't want to be traveling in the dark. But then there was cake, and gifts, and the time kept passing. As we were stepping out the door, giving our last hugs and goodbyes, a too-generous-couple offered to drive us, all 9 of us, part of the way. The only thing was that it was a pick-up truck, and its rainy season. We're young, we don't care, we'd really appreciate it! we all said as we climbed in and packed ourselves like sardines.
Faster than 60 mph, about 2 hours, holding on for dear life on the turns, pondering the landscapes when it was clear, laughing huddled under our jackets when it rained, it might have been my favorite traveling experience ever. The too-generous-couple decided to just keep going and they brought us all the way home.
Refusing to accept gas money, the couple waved goodbye and we headed to our houses, ready to change into warm dry clothes and thinking about the great time we had and the wonderful people we met.
And then the perfect day drew to a close sipping hot chocolate, watching the sound of music cuddled under blankets, and being with good friends.

My kids continue being their sweet, mischevious, wonderful selves. Today I'm hoping to find a cheap chess set because one of my boys from my section really likes playing and I've been craving it for a while. The other day I have a family project with a sweet family. One of the three has special needs, so it was really cool to see how the siblings interacted and I could tell they really loved and took care of each other. Walking to and from Parramos, they hardly ever were not arm in arm.