Random Snapshots of My Life at Language School

I’ve been in Antigua, Guatemala for language school for two weeks now and I wanted to take a minute to give you a quick snapshot of my life in list form (because I love lists). 

Things I’m better at: 

1. Getting up in the morning- Sunday I slept in until the late hour of 8:20am, if you know me at all you know that it takes every ounce of willpower I have to get up that early at home. 
2. Eating vegetables- I think that I get served at least half a plate of vegetables every lunch and dinner, I really don’t like vegetables, especially not cooked ones and they’re always cooked, I’m trying really hard to eat them though. 
3. Exercising- two of the other missionaries convinced me to start running with them last week, they both have a goal to run a marathon, needless to say, I cannot keep up but they are really patient and encouraging. Also, Antigua is about 5,000 feet above sea level which is almost as high as Denver. 

Things I miss: 

1. Cooking my own meals- my host mom cooks three meals for me everyday except Sundays when I eat out with the other missionaries.
2. Hot showers- fortunately, we do have a water heater in our shower which usually keeps the water at a temperature ranging from cool to almost comfortably warm. 
3. My friends and family- of course I miss you all but I haven’t been homesick at all and I’ve been blessed with four fellow missionaries to share my joys and challenges with. 

Things I don’t miss: 

1. Doing my laundry- every week we take our laundry to a laundromat where they wash, dry, and fold our clothes for us. We get two pounds for free through the language school, normally I have about eight pounds of laundry for the week (that’s a random fact I never knew before). 
2. Driving to Mass- There are four churches, one of which has a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, within a ten minute walk of my house which is less time than it takes me to drive to church back home. 

My favorite things: 

1. Spanish- I just love hearing people speak Spanish, I wish I was learning it faster though. 
2. Traje Típico- Many of the women here (especially outside of the city) still wear their traditional clothes which are really colorful and pretty. 
3. Fresh tortillas- I get to eat them pretty much every day. 

Next week I’ll try to give you a snapshot of my weekly schedule in Antigua. Please keep me and the other missionaries in your prayers this weekend as we have our New Missionary Retreat with some of the current missionaries from the Finca. 

The Journey Begins

It’s hard to believe that it’s finally here!!! After weeks of excitement, running around like crazy trying to get everything done, tons of goodbyes, and many questions about what in the world I have gotten myself into, I have arrived in Guatemala. It’s hard to believe that one year ago today (well now that I'm posting this yesterday), the Feast of the Assumption, I was in Spain and excited for the start of World Youth Day, which was where I decided that I wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country to do mission work. This same day many years ago St. Francis Xavier, the other patron of missionaries arrived in Japan, the same day that many years before he had departed from Portugal for India.

Today I arrived in Guatemala for six weeks of language school on my way to Honduras where I will spend the next two and a half years!!! Being far away from home hasn’t hit me yet. For one, I am still in the same time zone (until the US changes times, then I’ll be on central time). Secondly, I have been to Central America before and much of the things I have encountered in Guatemala so far are familiar to me- the language, the smells, the sounds, the rain, the cold (or at most lukewarm) showers, etc. Finally, I already had four new friends, the other missionaries going to the Finca (Farm of the Child) with me, waiting for my arrival. It's great to finally be here!!! Side-note: I sent out my first e-mail update today, if you want e-mail updates from me and are not getting them please e-mail me. 

Saints Therese of Lisieux and Francis Xavier, patron Saints of missionaries, pray for us!