Has it ever been a long time...

Hola Amigos!!!!!

I've been so busy, I haven't taken a second to get on here and say hi to you all. School is over, and I've left Guatemala...but a lot happened before that.

Semana Santa...

Easter Week is one of the biggest celebrations all year in Central America. Guatemala, and especially Antigua, is primarily Catholic. The Catholic church in Antigua has amazing festivities that last all week, and people come from all over the country...and the world to see them. Everyday, sometimes two or three times a day, there were HUGE processions with hundreds and sometimes up to a thousand Guatemalans parading down the street in purple robes and carrying massive floats with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. It acts out the Catholic stations of the cross, as Jesus makes his way to be crucified. On the evening of Good Friday, Jesus comes out in a glass casket and the costumes turn black. They are pretty incredible and the entire town comes out to see. It kind of felt like I was at a carnival though...people with balloons for the kids...spinny toy things and cotton candy followed every procession.

But the most amazing part of Semana Santa was the alfombras. Families in every part of the city go in front of their homes, sometimes as early as 4 in the morning, to construct incredible carpets for the processions. Some are made of vegetables, grass and flowers and other make elaborate designs with coloured sawdust. They spend houuuuuuuuuurs making them and five minutes later, the procession comes and tramples them. I was so sad every alfombra I saw ruined, but my family just laughed at me. Sure they were beautiful, but they weren't made for us, they were made for Jesus.

The whole process is incredible. I had the opportunity to make 2 sawdust alfombras with my family. And everyone was there. Alllll the kids and grandkids. They all take part and all seem to know what they are doing. I couldn't imagine something like that happening in Canada with my family. I love you guys...don't get me wrong...but picturing us making an alfombra together is a funny thought. My mom would try and get everyone involved, my dad would take an extreeeeeemely long time making the designs meticulous, I would invite my friends over and we would just be silly, my brothers would work because they had to but probably be complaining, and Ashley and Alex would probably get bored and go down the street to find friends to play with. I just think it's a pretty amazing tradition.

Laurel and I building an alfombra

Semuc Champay...

Semana Santa is crazy, and the population of Anitgua almost doubles at the time. So I took three days at the beginning and went for a little trip to Semuc Champay with Clive and Janey, Melissa, Katie and Sabrina. Semuc Champay is a nature park in the rainforest in the central part of the country. we stayed in the town of lanquin, about a half an hour drive away, and went into Semuc for a daytrip. The most amazing part was Las Cuevas de Las Marias...the natural caves beside the river. We had a two hour cave tour that consisted of holding candles while we swam, climbing little metal ladders and jumping of cliffs into deep pools for swimming. It was pretty incredible...and I was so impressed as Clive did pretty much all of it. For a 67 year old...he is an adventurous man. After the tour, they put us in tubes and we floated down the river in the sprinkling rain to our restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, he went into the park, that consists of beautiful and clean natural pools that are situated in rock above a huge waterfall. They were incredible to swim in...especially when it started pouring rain and the girls let me belt out broadway musicals...

Because of the rain, the already crazy muddy drive back to our hotel was quite an adventure. We had a take a couple of runs up one very slippery hill...but Carlos our driver was quite skilled. It was a bumpy ride...but was not nearly as bad for me as the ride on the way from Antigua to our hotel on the first day. The day before, Katie and Sabrina and I had watched a procession and decided to grab a quick lunch from the vendors set up in the park. I had a deliciouuuuus sausage taco...but I don't think my tummy like it too much. Katie and I were sick the entire car ride there and the whole first night. Thank goodness we woke up in the morning absolutely fine to explore some caves.

In front of the waterfall

Clive and Janey at Semuc

My Birthday/Easter...

What an amazing day. I went out the night before to Fridas Mexican restaurant with Katie, Sabrina, Melissa, our Gautemalan friend Elmer, Our Korean roommate Min, and his friends Tony and Eric. Speaking three languages at the table is always my favourite part. I adore the Koreans. They are such gentle and kind people. I feel very blessed to have met them and spent time volunteering with them the last few months. Anyways...I made the mistake of drinking two iced coffees after 10 o'clock at night...

At midnight, we all went to central park and I had Happy Birthday sung to me in 3 languages. It was a treat. Katie and Sabrina and I went home with the coffee in our system and watched 3 or 4 episodes of 24. Adam was really sick before he left in May, and couldn't move for a couple of days. So he rented a lot of movies and managed to get us all addicted to 24. My warning: Do not start watching that show.

Needless to say, we did not go to bed. At 5 Katie and I walked over to Melissa's house and picked her up for a sunrise Easter service at the hill with the cross that looks over the city. It was a beautiful service and a beautiful view.

Katie and Melissa at the service in above the city

Later in the day, we all headed over to Clive and Janey's house where Melissa and I dressed Katie us like a bunny and hid eggs for everyone. About 20 students came over and searched for eggs and ate the cake Janey bought for me. Janey tried to give everyone surprises with cake on their birthdays...however she made the mistake of mentioning in Semuc Champay that someone had a birthday on the 8th and she needed help planning it. Haha. It was mine. So I had the opportunity to plan my own birthday.

Easter at Clive and Janey's

My Birthday

At night, Sabrina was sooooooooo fabulous and took Katie and I out for a very fancy and very nice dinner. They even let her do the thing where she can smell the cork before drinking the wine...why...I have no idea...

All in all...it was a wonderful day...

End of School...

April was a bittersweet month in Antigua. All 4 of our Korean roommates left. I had exams and papers and presentations coming out of my ears! I think they all went really well, especially my Economics project. On Sunday, we had 5 HOURS of presentations...on economics...I doesn't sound like it would be very interesting...but I was really impressed with the jobs that everyone did and enjoyed them a lot.

Watching economics presentations

Cameroooooooooon!!!

Last Wednesday, Cameron showed up (haha, saying that makes it sound so sporadic, but really it was planned a while ago) in Guatemala. I couldn't do a lot with him last week because I was soooooo busy with exams and presentations, but he explored the city and took a butt load of pictures.

Cameron in the market town of Chichicastenango

With Meghan at the final party

We left Antigua on Tuesday after a pretty emotional goodbye for me...and now we are in Costa Rica!!!! We spent a night in San Jose at a pretty amazing hostel and are now on the beach in Jaco on the Pacific. It is beautiful...humid...and I saw a huge lizard today! We went for a little hike/trek through the rainforest this morning. Climbed a waterfall, climbed some rocks, and sat down to enjoy the left over Pizza Hut from last night. That's right...little Jaco Costa Rica has a Pizza Hut, a Subway, a Quiznos and a KFC. I've found I've barely needed spanish here at all! Sometimes people who do speak English as well let me speak Spanish to them because I want to...but it's really not necessary.

The view from our hotel in Jaco, Costa Rica.

Our room has a little kitchenette in it, so we've bought some food to make Quesedillas tonight. Yum Yum Yum!!!!!

Miss you all, love you all....and I'm dreadfully sorry about not writing in a month! Please update me!!!!!