Blogs :: firsts in Guatemala
the following blog is a mish-mash of fun, excitement, boredom, but most importantly random events that either deserved their own blog (and got one) or those that did not. some of these stories were written weeks ago and never published, others i will try to make up (and remember) as i go along. the central idea is first evers, either for me, for us, or for them. enjoy...
Thanksgiving
Jason wrote this story, appropriately, since he had more at stake for missing Thanksgiving than I did. I'm not a big "holiday" person, but I have to say this was one of the best I've had. Maybe it was the idea of sharing it with another culture (or 5), or maybe because I never expected to celebrate it abroad, or maybe it was the bottles of rum that flowed afterward. Either way, I stuck to my normal managerial self and "supervised" the cooking taking a break to buy (contribute) my part of the festivities, the wine. As Jason mentioned, it was the schools first ever.
Whiskey and Coffee
My teacher and I were having a conversation the other day. It was a typical one. We say this slang phrase, do you have one like it? I was referring at the time to the idea of doing something, just for the "hell of it". Another popular variation is for "shits and giggles". Sometimes our actions are purely out of curiosity and sometimes out of boredom. Other times we say or do things just to see others reactions. Being my Spanish was only in week one phase, I couldn't seem to get the point across that I put whiskey in my coffee just to tell a story about it later. Although it was typically Jason's signature drink before a Bloody Mary after a long night out on the town during college, I'd actually never had one myself not being a big coffee drinker and all. Apparently, I am the first student and perhaps the last to do so at the school. I'm okay with that. On a side note, how fun is a school that actually has whiskey in the cupboard at 10am in the morning. Especially in a country that doesn't really drink the stuff.
The "Other" School
After studying for weeks together, Matty, Shona, Jason and I were all leaving. David, our young 19-year-old "student" of debauchery wanted one last lesson so we willingly obliged being the good "teachers" we are. The night started with a fun game of football at the concha, followed by a mini-concert by Matty at the escuela. By the time we got downtown it was late, leaving little "official" time for the training session. As we walked back to our hostel, determined to have another beer, we were rejected by the kid who watches the place at night: "I don't want to put up with you tonight." In Xela everything shuts down at 1am, but David and I had passed a bar playing a little music still with the doors slightly cracked open. I knocked, couldn't hurt. It worked. David's eyes lit up as he ran back to tell the boys the good news and I made 4 new friends. In summary, the following classes were held: 1) How to Knock Over Beer Bottles 101 (twice in two minutes by David), 2) How to Sing Bad Karaoke with Guatemaltecas, 3) How to Dance Ungracefully (Matty, dancing by himself, suddenly topples over taking out 3 tables), 4) How to Piss Off Your Wife 400 (Matty crashed our floor forgetting to tell his wife he would not be home until morning). First self-made after party. First karaoke.
Small World Experience
We arrived in Antigua two nights ago. The plan was to leave today, no more time allowed except for going just to say we've gone. Yesterday morning morning we set about town to take the obligatory pictures, visit the market, etc. and found ourselves sitting in the park going what next. The guidebook mentioned a bar with Guinness and we figured "what the hell". Two shots of Jameson later, a girl walks in and sits down next to me. I said "what the hell" are you doing here, after recognizing her a split second later. I'd first met the American named Jocelyn in Merida, Mexico on the street looking for food during a festival. This isn't the first time we've met fellow travelers, but she isn't one of those, instead looking for a new job. Yet here she was, having found employment as a tour guide only two days after meeting us. First small world story, first round of Jameson, but not the whole story, see the last last for the next round or ten of shots...
4 Bottle Night
What more of a explanation does one need? They sell rum by the bottle around here, in the bar, not just the clubs. And it's cheap, $10 for the good stuff, 12 years aged. Sound like a bad night? Try a bad next few days. The first part, no other group of students has finished off 4 in a single night. Go us!
Banditos
Another story that deserved more than a wrap up. My first (and everyone else but our driver's and director's) eyewitness account of two thieves holding up a car with a shotgun and a pistol. I love Guatemala!
Foreign "Club"
They say curiosity killed the cat. Fortunately, they have more than one life, and hopefully, we do too. Call it that or "shits and giggles" again (see Whiskey and Coffee), we were convinced one night after many turned down requests to experience our "first" foreign club. We finally decided to kill the little furball, Jason is allergic anyways. I'll admit, I've never been a fan, and I can't say I am yet. No one ever cares about the details on these types of "adventures" so I'll leave most of them out. Although no dancing was technically paid for, to continue conversations initiated by staff, you are requested to buy drinks as a courtesy (at 3x the normal cost, or $5), and the idea, of course, is to up-sell you. I tried and failed miserably, at talking (I'd only been in class a week). Anthony was better, Jason just didn't talk.
Football Game
Xelaju is the local team and who recently won their way into the semi-finals here in Guatemala. We got a chance to watch a game and enjoyed it thoroughly. Although there were no riots like those we witnessed in London years ago, I do have video that will eventually be posted showing the large amounts of confetti spewed across the field not to mention fireworks set off, mini hot air balloons let fly, and flares lit up. First game of the trip, it was a warm up for the real action that starts in 2010. Join us for your first!
Finlandia
So I can't find my book of sayings by Tom. I have a tape of many, but haven't wanted to go through the excruciating pain of re-listening to them. What am I talking about? Trust me, you don't want to know. I'm not sure even I want to remember. Tom or "Finlandia" as we called him, either suffers from massive head trauma or not seeing the sun for 3 months a year really screws with your mentality. Once I find or listen, Tom might just deserve his own blog...
Cops
Twelve hours, an entire chocolate cake, a Van Gogh painting, and (no Guinness?!) later, I found myself leaving the "after" party at 4am with two local girls, Andrea and Maria, and a dude from an island near Iceland. The idea was to "find" my hostel, but the cops found us first. I hit the Icelander-ish guy next to me saying "don't say anything", but he was already passed out. Maybe it was the fact the girls were cute, maybe it was because they don't really mess with gringos anymore, maybe it was because its Antigua, or maybe they were very nice cops. Maybe we shouldn't have been driving the wrong way down a one way either. They directed the girls where to find my hostel without citation. The directions didn't help, but eventually I realized where we were via landmarks and found my bed. I'm not so sure the hostel worker was happy to answer the door at 5am, but really, this is Antigua, little America Guatemala. And, I actually enjoyed it!
Antigua, drinks, beer, party, Guatemala, Xela
Posted By:
Brendon
12/7/2008