Jul 06

I find it really interesting that I got Sean's email today, the day before leaving for Guatemala.

Sean is volunteering in Belize this month and told a story about waiting for over 6 hours to meet a friend, who never showed up, only to find out that she has been waiting 6 hours for him in another place.

He reflected a lot about finding God's will in adversity. Since I'm going to a place with a long history of adversity, I know I will be reminded of what he wrote.

I can't help but think that my whole approach to this short trip will now be changed. Thanks Sean! I think I was supposed hear your words before leaving.

Stay tuned to find out.

It doesn't look like anyone but me is reading this blog, but if someone does happen to find this, there's currently an interesting article about Fr. Stanley Rother at

http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jul2006/Feature1.asp

Tomorrow - EARLY - we leave for Guatemala. So now I'm in my pre-trip ritual stage.

I'm cleaning my house like mad. I'm not sure why I do it, but I like to leave the house as clean as I can make it before a big trip.

The incredible heat wave of the last week has broken somwhat. It's only going to be 89 degrees instead of 106, which is a real blessing.

I'm currently watching the final time trial of the Tour de France, expecting Floyd Landis to take the yellow jersey, and then I'm off to cut the grass. Ugh. Definitely not my favorite activity.

After that, it's time to finish the laundry and start packing! The weather in Santiago Atitlan is expected to be between 60-75 degrees with occasional thunderstorms. Looks like I'll have to take a fleece afterall.

Early to bed tonight since we have a 6:30am flight.

Now that the important issues of who is going with me and getting the airfare squared away, my thoughts are turning toward what I should take with me.

I'm really not considering all the rules of the normal backpacker since we're only going to one place for a short time. So, the whole weight vs. reward considerations are really not too pertinent.

When I visit SA with students, I always take along a few easily prepared food items. It's nice to have a touch of the familiar for students who have never been out of the country and it helps to ease the issue of what to cook for 20+ people on every meal.

One thing I've learned about SA is that their version of the corn tortilla is the basic breadstuff eaten by the locals. It just doesn't do anything for me.

The local panaderia will provide what they call pan dulce - small rolls with sugar on top. Very nice, but the consistency of the bread is a little like sawdust. You can buy packaged sandwich bread in some of the shops, but it's as blah as anywhere else in the world.

So, I'm considering taking along a box of Bisquick. I know what you're thinking ... but sometimes a good biscuit or pancakes is just the ticket on a chilly morning with a cup of the local coffee.

And how can you go anywhere without a jar of peanut butter. I mean really... what is life without peanut butter when you're hungry?

ahhhh.....

I had an email from Pepper today. He's just back from Santiago Atitlan where Tracy has been for 2 months on a research project.

Seems like he had a good time checking out San Pedro. I've never been there. I think it's the closest town to SA by lake, just across from SA and reachable by ferry.

Matthew and Tracy spent some time there kayaking and cliff diving into Lake Atitlan. I've always wanted to boat on the lake so I may have to give it a try. This is the first time in quite awhile that I've been there without a group of students to worry about.

I'm pumped about going and having lots of free time. I'll be happy to report on what fun things I can find to do there.

I'm also glad that Tracy will still be there when I arrive. That'll make the trip even more enjoyable. Yea!