We safely made it to Guatemala!
We were met at the airport by a Cool Bus (a yellow school bus with the word Cool instead of School).
The bus ride from the airport was insane. It was during rush hour, so that made it extra crazy. Roads were packed with all sorts of cars and motorcycles. Many of the cars had very tinted windows – even the front window. I was very impressed with the other buses on the road. They were very shiny, variety of colors, and rather blinged out. Some of them even had their front ends raised up like they were tricked out. Many buses had cargo carriers on top.
We passed by a bunch of familiar restaurants, such as Domino’s Pizza and McDonald’s. There were a lot of car repair places. Lots of graffiti, too, but much of it was tasteful or advertising. We saw some people selling things on the street. One guy was even selling lamp shades.
The motorcycles weaved in and out of traffic, and we even saw one get clipped and wipe out. I don’t think he was killed, but it was pretty scary.
As I write this, at 8:41pm, we occasionally hear fireworks. I believe that they light them off to celebrate birthdays or something. They’re loud!
During the drive here. we saw the volcano off in the distance. It puffs smoke every five to ten minutes.
One vehicle that we passed had a passenger holding a shotgun. We saw armed guards in front of quite a few businesses. Many of the places we passed had tall walls with barbed wire at the top.
The place that we are staying at is called My Father’s House – it, too, is surrounded by barbed wire. However, inside the compound is very nice.
Domino and I are staying in our own room (most families have their own room). The walls are a bright yellow color, and the floor is red tile. The room has two beds and a bunk bed (so the room sleeps four). Each room has their own bathroom and shower. Of course, we aren’t supposed to drink the water, or even use it on our toothbrush. We were given water bottles that we can refill for the week. Another interesting thing about Guatemala is that their septic systems are very bad, so we are not supposed to put toilet paper in the toilet. Instead, there is a trash can next to the toilet that we put our dirty paper in. Yuck. After we arrived, we did introductions and were told about our plans for the week. Basically, three days we will be working. Working includes food distribution, painting, and roof repairs. The other days we are here, we have other plans. I’m sure I’ll share them with you as I journal. Dinner was awesome tonight. We ate boneless chicken that was pounded out and fried, along with mashed potatoes and green beans and carrots. It was delicious. After dinner, Domino and I played a game of pool with a broken pool stick, and then we headed back to the room to get ready for bed and do our journals. I hope I get some good sleep tonight. Breakfast starts at 7:30am.