Beauty – Page 8

Primeramente Dios | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

February 8, 2017February 19, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

This is the stuff culture shock is made of. If you’re from a country where church and state have designated playgrounds, this continent’s roots may hit you like a brick wall. It’s not bad, it’s[…]

Learning a Language | Pilgrim’s Progress Installment 1

February 8, 2017February 8, 2017 First Person ForeignBeauty

Characters: Abuelita/Clara (Host Grandmother), Rosario/Chaya/Doña Rosario/DoRo (Host Mom), and La Clarita/Clara (Host Sister) Here I sit in my sunny apartment in Santa Clara. I’m learning that language isn’t perfect, it’s never perfect even when you’re[…]

Hembra | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

January 27, 2017February 1, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

The first week in site, welcome and instructions came in a shower of words from my host mom. Lots of words. At dinner, she’d eat a bite, wipe her mouth and say more. Eat a bite,[…]

Cualquier Cosa | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

January 12, 2017February 19, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

When I moved to site, I become immediately aware of two phrases: “Cualquier cosa, con confianza.” Like peanut butter and jelly, they compliment each other and often come as a pair but can just as[…]

La Navidad | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

January 9, 2017February 19, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

I’ve never been awoken into Christmas morning by a rooster, bombarded by the harsh snaps of endless cohetes and bombas (firecrackers), with small chicks chirping for food around my feet as I walk downstairs to greet the[…]

Fomentar | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

January 9, 2017January 9, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

December 17, 2016: K’oliw! (kuh-olee-ew) is K’iche’ for “Is anybody here?” I say this as I walk into the kitchen. I took my second Mayan language class (Cuerpo de Paz pays for 20 hours) and[…]

El Monte | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

January 9, 2017February 19, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

December 22, 2016: Today we went back to ‘El Monte,’ the same spot as the first. I’ve gone with her to three ‘montes’ but this is the first time I’ve returned to the same spot,[…]

Cortar Café | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

My alarm went off at 7:17am. Already winning. On my second morning in my new pueblo of Santa Clara, I descended the stairs to find my host mom in her tasked cooking pace, donning her[…]

The First Night in Site.

January 5, 2017January 5, 2017 First Person ForeignBeauty

A first impression fest indeed. Santa Clara: I don’t know what this map means except that the lake is shaped like a fleeing flea. Or perhaps a cow leaping. Or maybe like a lake. My site[…]

Week Seven: Thank Heaven You’re Done.

November 22, 2016November 22, 2016 First Person ForeignBeauty

Week Seven was a pile of dung. Not really. It was like a roller coaster and I came close to high-fiving Heaven’s gates and dragging my shoes through piles of poo every on a 4-hour rotation.[…]