Bienvenidos A Guatemala!

I've been in Guatemala for hardly two days, and already the adventures are piling up. I had a rocky landing in what I found out is the worst wind the country has experienced in thirty years--including any hurricanes. Needless to say, I was welcomed to a powerless, waterless home. Really, is there any other way to be welcomed back? Probably not.

I settled in as much I could with the remaining daylight hours (it gets dark by 6 every day, all year), then set off on a simple task: drive my roomate Trisha's car to the gas station, put some air in the tire, then head up the boulevard to the Fry's house. What should have been a fifteen minute ordeal escalated into over an hour and a half of anxious driving. I did not know that the ENTIRE city had lost power, which explained why all but one gas station was closed at 7 pm. The one gas station was seriously overcrowded, so I decided to head to the Fry's and get an air pump from school. As I left the gas station, I missed the turn around and ended up on the upper portion of the road (comprable to an express lane) and had to drive FOREVER before I could turn around. Then, the road split so my return path was not the same as the one I was on. Needless to say, I was without communication, maps, and driving on a semi-flat tire in a completely dark Guatemala City. What a way to start! I kept praying that God would keep air in the tire like he kept oil in the jars, and he did. I eventually made it to my destination with quite a story to tell. Ethan and his girlfriend, Kelly, were actually out searching for me at the time.

The adventures continued on Thursday as our house still didn't have power (meaning no showers yet...gross, I know). E and I picked Trisha up from the airport, we caught up, got some goods for my room (essentials like lamps...I love lamps) and the power came back on in the afternoon.

Last night a group of us night hiked the volcano (again, a night hike in the dark is from about 6-10). My pictures didn't turn out too great, so I'll post some better ones later. Regardless, the intense glow of the lava created a red sky visible from miles away. It was a phenomenal experience.

Now I'm off to school to check out the notes the other teachers left for me and to get some planning done for my first week of school as a REAL, certified teacher :)