I am back in Guatemala!!
I apologize for the blogging hiatus, but I just wanted to enjoy being home. And I did enjoy it very much-- it was a lovely Christmas/New Years spent relaxing and spending time with family and friends. I was very encouraged by having the opportunity to fellowship with some of my favorite people. Definitely gave me a little boost to return and finish this year well.
As for the culture shock aspect... it was definitely strange being back in the states in a lot of ways. Just crazy to think how different the world is. It was a little overwhelming at first, but I settled back in and was just so grateful to see familiar faces. Culture shock is a hard thing to explain, and everyone experiences it differently. And two weeks was hardly enough time to fully process everything. There were some angry moments, some sad moments, and some funny ones. I think the craziest for me was my attempt at grocery shopping. I would just walk around staring at all of the aisles--- walking so slowly, looking all around. And then I would just bump into people or do that thing where you and someone else need to pass each other and I would be the one in the way, but I would just stand there awkwardly (instead of moving out of the way), very out of place, making strange noises that were supposed to be words, but I was just so dumbfounded that coherent words just didn't come out. I must have looked like a crazy person. I'm just had forgotten how intense super grocery stores can be-- so, so, SO many choices. THINGS everywhere, people everywhere. Hadn't experienced that in a while.
But anyway, it was a fantastic trip home but now I'm also glad to be back in Guatemala. I had a very long day of travel-- that included train, airplanes, bus and taxis. I was kinda proud of myself for making it back in one piece. Getting to the bus station in Guatemala from the airport was the most nerve-wracking-- but I did it!
After I finally made it back, I had a nice reunion with my host family, with a new addition-- a girl from some college in Minnesota. It will be interesting to have the family dynamic change, but should be nice to have a housemate. Although, I'm sort of living a lie now...
My host mom informed me that the school she is with didn't this girl to be placed in a homestay with other native English speakers. So the way my mom got around that little rule was to tell them that I speak English, but I live here because I'm a relative of her brother that lives in Miami. And since I'm "family" I have to stay. Haha. Apparently I can pass for being related to a Guatemalan. Awesome.
Anyway, looking forward to catching up with my teacher friends tomorrow and then my students on Wednesday!
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