i like to make my day planners mine. you know, add some spice. for 2012 my wonderful mom brought me a fancy 'adult' agenda. and i set out to find the perfect quote to set my mind straight everytime i open it.

'another i is beginning'

2012. guatemala.

going back to cleveland for the holidays was amazing. exhausting, but good. i felt so busy, but i wasnt really. shower, drive to meet people, drive to run errands, eat lunch, ect. just a different type of busy i suppose. but it was fun to see everyone and share that time together. i felt like the luckiest girl in the world...

and i did come back to guatemala (i know you had your doubts). just in time to celebrate our one year anniversary in-country. i reread my journals and it's just so incredible how much we can grow in such a short time. we are so adaptable (if we choose to be).

but the year has started out a little rough. some of you may have heard about peace corps making some changes in central america- mainly honduras, el salvador and guatemala mainly related to security concerns. without going into depth about the exact situation here-i had a few anxieties about joining the peace corps and they mostly related to working for a federal agency. go figure, it's a frustrating place to be at times. the end of the totem pole, that is. but i made my choices and i'm here in guatemala. and i'm not going anywhere.

here's to: knowing where home is.

almolonga my friends. almolonga,

quetzaltenango,

guatemala,

centro america.

All the superlatives come up short as you try to describe the beauty of Lago Attilan. In reality it is a 20 mile wide volcanic crater, but you don’t realize it because within the crater itself rises 3 immense volcans that add a surreal feeling to the place, almost like a painted backdrop. They were described to me by a local ex-pat as pimples on the face of the true volcan, but incredibly unique to those of us who don’t experience volcans in our daily experience. The shoreline is steep, yet dotted with five or six villages. While it should have been a national park, the land has been lapped up by expats who have found their version of paradise and some who build multiple for vacation rentals as extra income. The home we rented came with a challenging climb especially with luggage but with the help of our ever helpful property manager,Ramos, we arrived to an incredible property/incredible views/incredible jardins/incredible birds/incredible shower(enjoyed after several that were not so hot),incredible weather. There is a tension that comes with foreign travel: language issues, security issues, logistical issues, so it was nice to have somewhat of a break from that while basking in all that the area offers : roaming quaint villages, kayaking in the shadows of volcans, swimming in a 900’ deep lake(although they say the water is dirty as it is a catch basin with no outlet so whatever they put in there stays in there). Sam is so engaging with the Guatemalan people and they respond so well to her that we enjoyed regular visits from Ramos and his hija who Sam befriended. We even got regular visits from their perros who would knock on the door and make themselves at home while enjoying a little snack. So Thanksgiving dinner was in my mind a 50/50 proposition. High altitude, propane oven, and then the EXPLOSION!! The burners had igniters but not the burners in the oven, son Donna turns on the gas expecting the oven to light. When it doesn’t, she lights a match, not realizing the gas has built up in the oven. Picture a ball-of-flame leaping out!!The sound was a bit like lighting your gas grill x100. I was glad the door was open or I’m sure I would have been buying a new Guatemalan stove (I can just see me carrying that to the boat) Ramos got us some help in lighting the thing and it all went off without a hitch after that. Pumpkin pie, mashed papas, green beans, pollo breasts, muy bien. A thanksgiving to remember!! I didn’t mention the boats. The only way around the lake is by boat. These are converted fishing boats, well kinda converted for people, but you never know what you might be sharing space with. It is nice that this has been maintained as a small business for the locals with few larger tour boats. This was a special time for us as we all relaxed and good conversation flowed, great sleeping with naps, books were consumed. Guatemala!!!