Xela, June/July
Greetings all, well we have been in Guatemala now for a little over two months and are starting to get settled in. As you read in our last post we have found a nice place to rent, both have jobs and are studying Spanish. We’ve had a few changes to our work situations, some additional sources of income have come our way and we are beginning to make some friends and social connections. First off we both are working at least 5 days a week not making much money but a little goes a long way here in Guatemala and its better to think of in terms of how many tortillas we can buy than what it equals in dollars. With the money we make, we are able to pay our rent, buy groceries and have a little left over for personal stuff!... So technically we are not spending our saved money. The job John applied for at the bakery fell through because the place actually is going out of business. In the mean time he was able to find work at a little café/bar waiting tables called El Cuartito (the little room). After John’s computer crashed a few weeks ago we were advised to take it to a café/bar where some computer savvy fellows worked. After talking with the Guy’s at El Infinito about the computer they said they could help, but before we left Kindra inquired as to whether or not they were looking for any help, they said they were and she started working the following week. Both places (El Cuartitio and El Infinito) are nice laid back places to hangout and work. Kindra is also teaching English 5 days a week in the mornings to some local Guatemalan adults. She is also teaching English to elementary age children once a week in the afternoons and if these things weren’t enough she is also finding time to give Thai massage. We are still making and selling our caramels around town, actually to 4 different places! Some at El Cuartitio, some at El Infinito, a little book shop in town and a Spanish school where one of our roommates works! The caramels are a big hit we have to make 2 batches of around 60 caramels a week to keep up with the demand for the home made sweets! Kindra has also been testing the caramel in a variety of other facets, for example caramel cookies, and caramel covered apples. She is still working on perfecting both but has been able to sell the cookies and apples at our local supporting establishments.
After around 3 weeks without a hot shower at our new place we finally got the landlord to come and fix it so…hazzzzaa we are livin' the good life, a hot shower with the water pressure of a weak spray bottle (but hey we’re not complaining). We have a 4 burner stove but no oven, which is kind of a bummer, John is missing making cookies and vegan baked goods L but no worries, there are plenty of good bakeries here in Xela that sell a plethora of carbolishous sugary deliciousness . We have a microwave and toaster, as well as a blender and a small fridge. The fresh produce here is great and we have no problem living on fresh fruits and veggies for cheap! We have also been able to find some items were not able to find in Mexico and Belize like fresh ground peanut butter, dense dark bread (mostly just lame white bimbo and wonder loaves here) and Donuts to rival Dunken donuts. All of which are made at a little bakery run by a family of Mennonites living in Xela. It’s only open 2 times a week so we try to ration our supplies as best we can. The weather here is mild and very tolerable, when we first arrived it was raining every afternoon consistently for about a whole month and now we have only been getting rain once or twice a week…usually in the afternoon. The mornings are chilly and it usually does not get above 75 or 80 during the day especially with clouds in the sky.
We are both study Spanish, Kindra is taking private lessons 2 times a week and John is practicing with the Rosetta stone and will probably start doing a language exchange sometime this week. The café where Kindra is working is owned and run by two guys’ who are Dj’s here in Xela. John got to talking to them about Dj’ing and they invited John to Dj at an upcoming party they are throwing and at their cafe. Although it’s a different kind of Dj’ing than John is used to(they use all digital Mp3 files, along with a computer program and digital interface that allows the Dj to control the Mp3 with an actual turntable and “time coded” record) its still fun for him and a nice past time/ hobby to resurrect! When he has time John started running again is still practicing Bikrim and Ashtanga yoga. We make a big pressure cooker full of fresh beans once a week and usually eat them with the hand made white, yellow or blue corn tortillas that are sold around the corner from the house at 3 or 4 different little tortillarias. We also went to a nice little pot luck dinner at Kindra’s Spanish teacher’s house, and had a chance to make some friends and eat some good food. On a bit of a negative not both of us have experienced a little bit of Gringo/a prejudice. On her way to work one morning Kindra was kicked by a street person seemingly unprovoked, and the other day at the café where John works he was harassed for a good 25 to 30 minutes by a drunken Chilean dude who was convinced that all people from the US should be extinguished. We have felt more than welcomed and treated kindly since we have been here and still do but these things will happen, and it pales in comparison to the prejudice that minority’s face in the US. We feel blessed to have been so welcomed and well treated thus far! We have been going on hikes around Xela and the surrounding mountains and riding our bikes to the local markets and grocery stores. Heather, Kindra’s best friend from LA is coming to visit in a few weeks and we could not be more excited to have a guest with us….which leads us to our invite to any of our friends and family who want to come and see a beautiful country and stay in a cool little town with us, bring it on, you are more than welcome and we have plenty of room and a bed for you! But get a hold of us via email before and we will instruct you on the proper procedure for bringing items to us that are unavailable here, hehe just kidding. Nothing too exciting just living at the moment, we are happy and healthy and miss you all, talk to you soon, peace and love...pictures soon to come
Kindra, John, and WallaceJ
