tikal !!

Hello world!! We're back from YAV retreat/ visa renewal in Tikal and Belize! It was an amazing trip, and such a blessing to be able to recharge and relax for a week. A huge thanks to my supporters for making it possible!!





So I'll start with the full report on Tikal...
We took a 9hour charter bus from Guate to Flores in the very northern part of Guatemala (which included only 1 road-side pullover to see why there was smoke and a distinct burning rubber smell... No answer found. It also entailed watching only the last 15min of Big Daddy approx. 3 times, and the disc menu on The Pacifier for about 20 mins straight) Once we arrived in Flores, we stayed the night, and then bright and early, took a 1hour shuttle to Tikal- The ancient Mayan ruins that were constructed/ inhabitted between 800BC and 900AD.



The whole park is 16km x 16km, so we definitely got our walking in-- we saw a LOT of the temples, and climbed many of them which were many many meters high (using less-than-safe ladders... turns out i'm kind of afraid of shakey ladders.) It's in the middle of the jungle (read: malaria mosquitos), so we saw two different types of monkeys, many exotic birds, and a bunch of other animals! It's unknown why the town was abandoned, but I'm guessing that people got tired of climbing so many stairs in their huge headdresses. Or the jaguars ate them.

After a very long day exploring with our tour guide, we had a huge late lunch and headed back to the town of Flores for a dinner of street food buffet. Mmmm.

All in all, I'm so glad that we could go -- it's such a huge part of Guatemala's past and I'm really glad I could experience it-- thanks so much supporters! :)

half-way point!

Well friends, I've made it half way through my YAV year in Guatemala!

So far, my time here has definitely NOT been what I expected it to be, but I'm really really thankful for the chance to be here -in Xela and Antigua- to grow, explore my faith, learn about Guatemala, and experience COMPLETELY different government, food, climate, and economic situations than I'm used to. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for me over the next 6 months, though I can only imagine what it will be...

Things I Miss About Home
- Free refills
- Diet Dr. Pepper (and, of course, the off-brand versions I usually bought)
- Cooking for myself (when I want, what I want, as much as I want)
- Driving (Though I really do like taking public transportation... except when it gives me fleas or I get on the wrong bus)
- Being able to blend in
- Washing my face with warm water
- Being able to go outside when it's dark
- Mail being reliable/dependable
- Schools that teach people how to think critically/ solve problems

Things I Like Better Here
- Coca Light (it just really is different than Diet Coke!)
- Warm Spring weather allll the time (yeahhh... sorry about that snow!)
- Having a super long lunch break where I can read (I've read like 18 books already this year!)
- Not having exams or essays ever (Although having a finished product really would be nice once in a while...)
- Corn tortillas EVERYwhere
- People being more concerned with work relationships than work productivity (though... that obviously has its downsides)
- Trying to like coffee
- Getting care packages (send me one!)
- Hearing/ feeling thunder and learning it's actually a volcano puffing
- Seeing beautiful Mayan women wearing beautiful traditional trajes
- Women carrying baskets on their heads like its no big deal

So there you go, friends-- Thanks for sticking with me through the 1st half of my journey.
bendiciones, juli

PS: Don't forget to look at my pictures...
picasaweb.google.com/julierinsmith

Quinceañera !

Well world, week 1 of my Antigua life has come and gone --- and I'm settling in slowly but surely :)

This Saturday, I went to the quinceañera of a niece of my host mom, and let me tell you, it was QUITE a production. I'm pretty sure they spent more on this than I will spend on my wedding.

It started with a mass that was to start at 4:30pm (so it started at 5:30), complete with a (very high school) small orchestra and marimbas! Highlights from the mass included the birthday girl's wedding dress; the priest's sermonette, in which he urged the birthday girl (Daniela) to enjoy her parents now because they would soon die, and to only make friends who don't do drugs. Pretty good advice. After the service, we sat and watched the birthday girl get her glamour shots taken in her dress, and then there was a receiving line outside (Wasn't quite sure what to say... "I'm a stranger to you, but way to go- you made it to 15??").

We then went to the reception in the back of the pickup (in dresses, yes- always classy). It was held at the high school basketball court/ Ciudad Vieja banquet hall and and it was FAN-CY...There were seats for about 300 people, and lots of bow-tied waiters. To say that people pull out all the stops for their quinces is an understatement... There were 3ft-tall-ish center pieces on each table (And yes, my host mom did take ours home with her) and a swing haphazardly hung from the rafters (again, we're in the gym) where Daniela ceremonially received her last doll to represent changing from child to young adult after her grand entrance to the party (which, of course, included fireworks). Then there was a father-daughter dance with a toast, and then! Oh, then, there was a special surprise. Daniela's siblings had all pitched in to have a singer come to the party, and so the DJ gave Daniella some clues about who it was (he was on Latin American Idol!) and she had NOOOOOO idea who he could be... Then he came out, and of course! It was the sort of- not really actually famous- I think I've seen your face before Jose Franciso Juarez! Duh!! He sang some (very awkward) love songs to the birthday girl, and then we all ate a Guatemalan-fancy dinner, complete with pitchers of coke and individual bottles of rum on each table.



At about 8:15, the lights went out, the candles were extinguished, and the whole place turned into a disco/ High School homecoming dance!! All the 15year olds flooded the dance floor and started bumping and grinding, right there in front of grandma!! It was complete with fancy lights, a smoke machine, and a bubble machine! [Sadly, no, I did not participate, being 1 head taller and a lot lot whiter than everyone else on the dance floor.] We stayed, watching them dance to SUPER loud reggeaton music until about 9:15, when they STILL had not cut the cake, but we headed home anyway, centerpiece in hand.

It was a really fun night, and definitely not what I expected going into it... But then again, nothing in Guatemala is ever what you expect it to be.

Hope this update finds you well, faithful follower!
bendiciones, juli

a wedding!

Nothing like a wedding to welcome a stranger into your family... So on Saturday night, I went to the wedding of my new host Dad's brother!

My host parents said we'd leave at 4:30, so I got ready, and at about 4:40 went into the kitchen to signal I was ready to leave... Then I started watching TV because it was 4:50... then 5:00... then 5:15... Then finally at 5:30, my host parents surfaced, and we were off in the pickup (a nice change, because my other family had no vehicle)... But only after getting some gas (less than 1 gallon... and all the while the engine running...).

When we arrived to the venue (a restaurant), we realized the ceremony had already finished (by this time it was after 6) Wah Wah. So we parked the pickup, and my host mom started shyly making the rounds, saying hello to the 60ish guests, before we took seats at the one big U-shaped table. Soon, dinner was served (4 plates at a time- truly Guatemalan style), and I managed to spill beans literally all over my skirt. Smooth. Luckily, we were sitting outside in the dark, so no one knew except for my host mom who helped me to clean it all up.

After about an hour of eating, the bride and groom (and 1 other couple) danced to about 1 song, and then at 7:30, they got into their car to ride off into the sunset on their honeymoon. The rest of the guests hung around chatting inside, (with more and more people coming and expecting food up until we left!) and eventually at around 10 we said goodbye.



It was fun, but definitely awkward, because not only did I not know anyone in the extended family, but I barely even knew my host parents! Haha. I was certainly glad I could go, though... it was definitely a unique experience.

Hope all are well,
bendiciones, juli

Note: My host mom is not really smiling because earlier that day one of her front teeth fell out eating corn on the cob. Seriously. I didn't have the heart to ask if it was a real tooth or a denture...

new address!

Also, here's my new mailing address--
Juli Smith
Apartado Postal 315
Antigua, Guatemala CA

Again, Please do NOT send BOXES (mailer envelopes instead) or anything that is super duper important, because stuff takes its time to get here (2-3 weeks)... but sometimes never makes it :(

PS: There are still 2 YAVs in Xela, so any mail already on its way there will eventually make its way to me through them.

Thanks, friends!

a new home

Well, friends, I've made the move!
I'm now living with a family outside of Antigua in Ciudad Vieja (the 'old city' that used to be the capital of Guatemala way back when). It's a VERY different set-up here; I have way more space to myself and a lot less people living in a very small space and sharing 1 bathroom- it's a big change, but I'm adjusting. My host parents are both in their 60s and make their living by selling snacks and lunches to 2 nearby coffee fincas. They're very chatty, and though they've hosted many foreigners before, they seem genuinely interested in who I am and why I'm here, so it hopefully won't take too long to settle in with their family. Also, a few of their adult-children (a little older than me) live down the same alley as us, so there are always a lot of people and kids around, and yet my room is separate, so I can still have plenty of privacy. I even have windows in this one, so I can know when it's night and day!

I'll officially start work on Monday at Faith in Practice- helping out around the office, warehouse, and guest house until/ between accompanying and translating for groups- which will be starting in the middle of February- Very exciting! Of course, starting a new job is always awkward at the beginning, so I'm trying to pass quickly through that phase to where they know what I can do/ what to do with me.

Otherwise, I'm just re-acclimating myself to Antigua, learning a new bus system, and trying to find my place in my new living environment-- Apparently there's a wedding to go to tomorrow, so I'm sure that will help speed things right along. :)

Hope everyone is doing well, and that all that snow isn't too much of a bother!
bendiciones, juli

Also, here's a cool prayer that I found from Julia Esquivel, a Guatemalan poet...
"You illuminate our darkness and fill our saddness with hope.
Because You are stronger than I, I have let myself be captive, and Your love burns in my heart.
The thirst for Your Truth has made me a pilgrim, from city to city,
Until the day Your Word is fulfilled, and we are reborn in Your image and likeness.
Captivate me, Lord, until the last of my days,
Wring out my heart with Your hands of a wise Indian,
So that I will not forget Your justice,
Nor cease proclaiming the urgent need for humankind to live in harmony."

a time for everything

¨For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven...
A time to weep, and a time to laugh...
A time to keep and a time to cast away.¨
- Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 4, 6

Well friends, the time has come for a change for Juli-- a big one. This Wednesday, I´ll be moving to Antigua, Guatemala --a 3.5ish hour drive from Xela where YAVs Laura and Andrew live, and my director Marcia-- and where we started our Guatemalan journey with language school in September.

This has been a really hard decision for me, as I´ve spent nearly 4 months now in Xela, living with my huge and never-dull host family, working at the elderly lunch program, and searching for another part-time project to do. During these months, I´ve talked to 8 organizations-- none of which seemed like good matches because the positions either weren´t what we thought they´d be, didnt´t fall within YAV regulations, or just plain old didn´t interest me. Seeing so many doors close on me, and the frustrating irony of being bored in one of the poorest countries in the world has been extremely trying for me- but I´ve learned a lot about myself and my true passions, so I can see value in this time.

So, 2 weeks ago, my director Marcia asked if a change to Antigua to job-search there might be better... And after our retreat last weekend, I stayed overnight in Antigua to talk to a few people. Here´s where the story gets happy. Marcia´s neighbor took me to his organization, Faith in Practice- an organization that has teams of doctors come to rural Guatemalan villages to do free medical exams during week-long trips. For those who need surgery, they also have surgical teams come down and have their very own (small) guest house where people can stay, free of charge, pre- and post-op. I´ll be accompanying and translating for this trips probably 1 or 2 weeks per month, and then helping out around the office/guest house for the remainder of the time- helping around the guest house, preparing the medical-supply boxes for the trips, data entry of who/what they saw, etc.

After interviewing with FiP, I felt different; not confused, or discouraged, or defeated, but hopeful- like I really could do that and enjoy it a whole lot. So, after a lot of thoughtful prayer and reflection on my time here in Xela, I -with the help of my YAV team- decided that moving seemed like the best idea for Juli.

On Saturday I told my host family- which was hard, because though they´re not perfect, they´ve been very kind to me and it will be hard to leave them, but they took it well; more surprised than anything else. We´re all sad that our relationship has to end early, but I assured them of several visits over my next 6ish months here, so I´m confident this won´t be the end.

So there you go, world. A time of change. I´m looking forward to what God unfolds for me in this next chapter- and as always, thanks so much for your continued prayers and support, world.

bendiciones, juli
http://www.faithinpractice.org/