Livin' Life

Since I have been here it seems like I have had one once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after another.  I am getting to do so many things here that most people will never get to do in their entire lives.  Just two days after climbing an active volcano I found myself mingling in a group of over 200 very important people from all different countries.  For our business internship me and Kyle are working at a five star hotel in Antigua called Camino Real.  The director of the food and drinks department at Camino Real wanted us to see how an event is catered so she invited us to a cocktail party put on by the hotel.  Going into it all we knew was the location of the event and how long we needed to be there.  The event was at a church with a beautiful outdoor courtyard surrounded by ruins.  We got their long before the event was going to start and got into the ruins without even being questioned or having to pay the fee.  We have found out that gringos (Americans) in suits can pretty much do whatever they want and no one will even try to stop them.  We got to help the chef of a restaurant in a five star hotel prepare all sorts of delicious foods for the guests.  Then we got to watch some traditional Guatemalan dances.  At this point we still had no idea who all the guests were and what they were all doing there.  We started chatting with a man from Surname who was the CEO of a large company.  He told us that these were all representatives of different countries who were part of a week-long convention about tropical lumber.  He told us there were people there from all different countries like Mozambique, Malaysia, Peru, Costa Rica, Guiana, Chile, the U.S., Mexico, Cameroon and many more.  I have never before been with so many people from so many different places and I certainly never expected to find myself at an event of such high class and prestige.

                Even after we fulfilled the amount of time we were required to be there I could not tear myself away from such an incredible opportunity.  We ended up talking to a Bolivian couple who had lived in many countries all over the world and the wife spoke five different languages.  They have family in Detroit and relatives working in the White House.  They were the sweetest couple and really encouraged us in our pursuit of Spanish.  They also invited us to visit them in Bolivia and go with them to see a hotel cut out of a dried up salt sea in the mountains.  When we finally left the wife, Ana Maria, gave me about seven hugs and said she would be waiting for us in Bolivia.  When the night was over I think we were both a little star struck and in disbelief that we got to be in such an incredible situation.  Altogether it was an amazing opportunity and I am so grateful for my time here and all that it has exposed me to.   

(I don’t have pictures from the event but these are of the hotel)

The entrance to the hotel at night

The Lobby

One of the 6 courtyards

The Restaurant

A $55,000 statue

This is a room

A dining room in one of the rooms

The biggest Jacuzzi in Central America!

Us and Roselyn, the boss of reception

                About halfway through our time here a little café called Por Que No? (which means why not?) opened right around the corner from our house.  Since then it has really become almost like a second home for a lot of people in our group.  The owners Oscar and Carlos are incredibly sweet people and take such good care of us.  Carlos’s wife Carolina also works there and their baby Martinee is usually around too.  On any given night you will find at least one Spring Arbor student there.  It is also a really great place to meet other students, travelers or Guatemalans who are not really into the typical night life in Antigua.  Because it is right on the corner I always stop by and say hello on my way to or from home.  They always ask how my internship and everything else is going and like us to check in at least a few times during the week so they know we are okay.  It is so nice to know that I can always go there and feel safe and loved and it really is my home away from home.

Our Por Que No? friends

Carlos, Martinee and Carolina

The other night me and Kyle got to go to a town just outside of Antigua called Jocotenango.  Our friend Nathalie that we met at Camino Real lives there and we had a little movie night at her house with some of our other co-workers.  She is leaving to tour Europe for a month so it was kind of a goodbye party for her.  Her house is really nice and being there, eating pizza, and watching movies is the most American I have felt since I got to Guatemala.

This morning at breakfast there was another earthquake!  It is probably not good that I get so excited about earthquakes here but they are so cool!  It is something that I never experienced before coming here and it is just a really strange feeling.  Hopefully this one didn’t cause any damage anywhere else.

This Saturday my Mom and my roommate Jenna are coming to visit for a week!  I am so excited and I have been planning all the places I want to take them and things I want to show them.  It will definitely be cool to be the one giving the tours for a change.  I am so excited that they will get to experience a little bit of life in Antigua!