This year is ending faster than I can keep up with.
And if I had any doubt of the country I was in before, I certainly have been reminded this week.
1) I can't go to my sister's college graduation, happening today. Instead I am currently attempting to watch a live feed over the internet which cuts out and reloads every 5 seconds.
2) I have a parasite. If you recall that crazy rash from last week.... I went to the doctor, got steroids injected in my behind, and then was sent off for a stool and blood sample. Turns out my blood showed that the number of cells that usually increases for regular allergies was at a normal level. But, the cells that increase when you are fighting an allergy caused by parasites was double the level it was supposed to be. Apparently you can have an allergic like reaction to the toxins parasites release inside your body. Gross. My white blood cells in general were high. So the doctor prescribed me some parasite killin' medicine! I'm pretty sure they've been in my stomach for a while, so I'm glad to get them out and get rid of all the symptoms.
3) I rode a chicken bus to the coast yesterday. I hadn't done that in a while. That will remind you where you are real quick. In case you have forgotten what a chicken bus is...it is a recycled US school bus. And they pack in people like sardines. Literally, in my row there were six of us. I was on the edge of the seat, basically in the aisle, smooshed against another guy in the aisle from the seat next to mine. And then, there is no aisle. So when people try to get through, you try to maneuver around, but really they just smash all up in your grill. I really am not a fan.
Speaking of going to the coast yesterday, most of the teachers went to the house of some members of the school board who have been living in Guatemala and working with the school for many years. It was their rubber farm we went to visit earlier in the year. They have invited us to their house several times this year and it is always so nice to go. Where the live by the coast is almost a different world and so, so relaxing and beautiful. A perfect getaway. We had a giant summer barbeque! So much fun. They also have a small coffee farm on their property. Their rubber farm is their work, but the coffee is what they've referred to as their "hobby". They gave us a little tour and I learned all about the process of making coffee. I'm not a coffee connoisseur by any means, but I learned about why it is expensive and why it is so much better quality. The process is incredibly intricate. The coffee plants themselves take a lot of work, but the harvesting and preparing process is detailed and time consuming too. They have to harvest the beans when they are red and ripe. We got to taste the actual fruit around the bean, which is actually pretty sweet. But that fruit has to be removed to get to the bean. They send the berries through a machine operated by hand to remove the skin, and then it goes through a fermentation process to remove the flesh. After this point, it must be protected against getting wet, or the coffee will be ruined. Then the beans are sun dried for 2 weeks. To give you a picture-- if they harvest 500 lbs of the coffee berries, it will only amount to 200lbs. after it has been dried. And it will lose even more weight after it is roasted. Which is the next step. After roasting, flavors can be added. I also learned that they are at the perfect altitude for growing the coffee. It can be grown at lower altitudes, but produces a much lower quality coffee. (which is most of the kind that the US drinks). It was a pretty fascinating tour.
And one more thing- the big grocery store here, Hiper Paiz, which I'm pretty sure has been owned by Wal-mart all along, has officially been changed to a Wal-mart. Like full on Wal-mart sign and everything. Very strange.
Countdown until home: 17 days?!
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