Imagine my dismay when our "road to Monterrico" ended at this mangrove swamp. I refused to drive my beautiful car onto this...ahem...ferry and forced my sister to instead. I figured - how mad would Jeff get if SHE drove it into the swamp compared to if I did! 

Dead Bodies

What is it about Jeff, dead bodies and Guatemala? He's seen more dead bodies here than he's ever seen in his life! Well...two...but he'd never seen any before!

The week that we moved here, one of the Wackenhut guards was shot outside of APHIS just before Jeff walked by. He says it doesn't count because "he wasn't dead yet" - but he was practically dead so I'm counting it.

Then yesterday on our drive back from Panajachel we came upon a village where it seemed everyone and their 20 cousins were standing around the street. As we got closer we saw one cop. What I couldn't see, but apparently was all too vivid to Jeff as it was inches from his side of the car, was that there was a dead body in the road with lots of blood.

We've only been here 5 months so I wonder what the next 18 have in store for us!

Wish You Were Here With Us! 

This picture isn't turning out so well...but you can see the general shape of the lake. Top center is Panajachel, where we'll be staying. We will be facing all of the volcanos. Straight across the lake is the town of Santiago where we will be taking a boat ride to. 

If you look to the left of Guatemala City, you will see a lake by the town of Solola. That is our destination today - Lage de Atitlan. www.atitlan.com 

Hey...where'd everybody go?!?!??

After eighteen years, Jeff and I are alone in this house for 2 weeks. It feels so weird!

Some of you know that Carl and Shelby have headed to the States for 2 weeks of R&R - Shelby to Maryland and Carl to Ohio. And now that Ryan has his own apartment and life in Maryland, that leaves us all alone!

I thought I'd be miserable, but I'm actually kind of enjoying the simplicity of only 2 people. We're packing to go to Panajachel today and it's pretty easy when you only have the needs and wishes of 2 to consider.

The weather right now in Guatemala is just perfect. It's a little chilly in the morning and at night, but the days are so clear and the light and the mountains/volcanos is just lovely.

I'm registering for my classes for next semester and it wasn't nearly as fun as I thought! I had had plans to take all kinds of interesting things, but as I looked over my official eval sheet and tried to find stuff I needed and that was available was not as easy as it sounds! Some of the classes I can't take until I talk to a registrar because since I was last in school classes have been named and renamed and reshuffled and I have some objections to two things that they say I need that I know that I have but everything's so different now that I may end up having to take them again. Credit wise it will be fine, no duplication, but class-wise I would much rather take a creative writing course than another math course!!

Did you all know that this college stuff is expensive? $221 per semester hour - so $1236 per semester...about. PLUS about $100 or more per class for books. No wonder my poor dad was so upset that I walked away from a free college education to get married!!

Well - gotta go finish packing, make my bed, do my dishes, put away my clean laundry, pack up the dogs, and give myself a pre-vacation manicure!

I hope that everyone has a very happy new year and does something fun or meaningful New Year's Eve. After we get back I'll post pictures of our tree (the best ever for us) and Sophie's unbelievably gorgeous groom-job!

Tired of Being Sick!

We (Jeff and I) are tired of being sick. As I look back over the last few months, it's a constant state of being sick or just recovering from being sick.

Poor Jeff hasn't even had the luxury of breaks - he's been sick since mid-November straight with a sinus infection from hell.

But, as we talk to more and more people, it seems that being sick your first year here is a rite of passage, so we'll just have to tough it out and make it through!

Unfortunately for us...as soon as we are feeling better it might be time to move on to our next post (and next batch of bacteria).

My next post is going to be CHEERFUL! I promise!

It's 2 a.m. and I feel like s*%t!

What does one do at 2 a.m. when one feels like shit?

Shelby had strep throat last week and ever since Friday I've been fighting something - not strep throat because it doesn't really hurt in my throat that bad - but some kind of nasty, cold or flu related thing.

So I thought I'd check my email - just in case anyone else was up and had written me - and I was rewarded with one from my sister (who I will get to see after a whole year in about 10 days in sunny, southern california - which, by the way, is not as much of a draw now that I live in sunny guatemala).

Anyway - I hate being up now because I have to get up at 6 am with the kids. AND I guess I'm going to have to call in sick to my volunteer-gig at safe passage and I hate doing that.

Aren't you glad you read this cheery missive?

How did I make it to 38 without knowing these things?!?

So many times I am reminded of the limits of my intellectual capacity. I seem to do really dumb, basic things!

Case in Point:

Last night I got out the 'foot bubble bath' in order to give my kids a treat, a home-made pedicure in the comfort of their own home. Thinking I was being very clever, I added a healthy dollop of my new shower gel that smells like chocolate. Bubbles, and more bubbles, and more bubbles - a seemingly endless supply of bubbles! So many bubbles have not been seen since Ryan used dishwashing liquid in the dishwasher!! The kids laughed as I filled bucket after bucket with non-deflating bubbles! At least they enjoyed their pedicures!

Fire in the Kitchen:

So Jeff's out of town which means that I am again attempting to cook. I decided on fried chicken and everything was going well until I had a bit of a burner fire. The fire wasn't huge or unmanageable, but the more FLOUR I added to it, the more it seemed to enjoy itself. I called Carl for help (yes, he's only 14, but somehow smarter than I am), and he came to my rescue with a box of baking powder which put out the fire right away. I knew it was something powdery - just couldn't remember what!

An Addition to our Family!

We are proud to announce an addition to our family!

We have adopted the most beautiful little dog - her name is Maya. She is probably a cross between a chihuahua and a Yorkshire Terrier - she has kind of long grey/black hair and the most beautiful face. She's about a year and half old and we adopted her from A.M.A. - a rescue society here in Guatemala that rescues dogs from the street.

She weighs about 10 pounds, although she hardly looks it. She makes Sophie look like a GIANT next to her. And Sophie's only 15 pounds.

She is officially Carl's dog and he is already taking great care of her and she's already had a bath! Carl had a very hard time choosing his dog as there were so many wonderful dogs at the A.M.A. office!

I'm having trouble with the "Hello" program to add photos today, so if you'd like to see a picture, go to http://photos.yahoo.com/elesalabanz

Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here!

As of Tuesday, 19 October, our move is finally complete. What started officially around June 10th, but in reality more like January, was finally completed with the arrival of our dog, our Sophie. Our Bichon Frise, despite her renowned appetite for what's NOT in her bowl, brings lots of joy to our lives, makes us laugh, and is just great company for all of us. EVEN JEFF, likes her, and has given up trying to hide it.

This seems like the perfect place to say a huge THANK YOU to my sister-in-law, Mary Wasson, and the rest of the Wasson-pack. They took Sophie into their home last July 5th, while I was also staying in Ohio for a few weeks. After our annual beach vacation, they went back home to retrieve Sophie from Melissa's house (ANOTHER THANK YOU) and got ready to watch the weather reports, looking for a break below 85 degrees so they could ship her to Guatemala as live cargo. When the weather did break, we weren't in our house. The next time the weather broke, they were told there was an embargo on live cargo. Mary called repeatedly, and was always told that there was an embargo on live cargo, and sometimes on all cargo, at Delta, with promises of "call back on this day, it's going to be lifted by then." That never happened.

When we were losing patience, I called American Airlines and was assured that I could ship her with them. After getting the health certificate and fed-exing it to the state veterinarian for certification, which starts the clock ticking for 10 days, American told Mary that they actually don't ship live cargo out of Cincinnati and that I was misinformed. Grrrrr....

Do we go back into wait mode? Buy a bargain ticket for a date a few weeks ahead and just redo the health certificate? And who's going to explain this to Shelby who I had assured back in August (it will only be a week or so!) ? So...I called Delta and didn't even ask the price of a ticket for the next day ($1400+ !!!!!) and just decided to label it a moving expense and not think about how many dogs I could have bought for that $1400! These are times it's good to be a isFj - the F makes you do things that are totally illogical but that just get things resolved (there's my J-ness kicking in).

We are all thrilled to have her here and we took her for her first sightseeing trip to Lago de Atitlan and the town of Panajachel where Jeff insists we way overpaid (notice a theme here) for a private boat tour for an hour out on the lake. It was so beautiful and so relaxing - nice to have this 12 seater boat all to ourselves - even a seat for Sophie!

Aldous Huxley (author of Brave New World) wrote that Lake Atitlan is the most beautiful lake in the world. I don't know if that's true, but it certainly COULD be true. It's really breathtaking and has kind of an otherworldly quality to it as there is a lot of mist and clouds often cover the three volcanos that border the lake.

Sophie's finally here and already out on Lake Atitlan! 

Beauty is in the Eye of the Possessor

I have a lot of beautiful things. I mention this because I've been thinking a lot lately about the need to possess that which we find beautiful. Over the last 20 years or so, I've collected many things from all over the world. When it was time to move yet again, I really tried to be ruthless as I went through my belongings, yet still we managed to ship 12,000 pounds of household goods.

As I've been unpacking this week, each box is like a mini-Christmas. I love unwrapping each item, challenging myself to recognize something through the paper before I see it with my eyes. But as I find a new home for each piece of crystal or painting or print or photograph or pottery, it occurs to me how little I actually use. I have 4 curio cabinets now that are available for display purposes, plus a cabinet where I can store things until it is their turn. Each vase or bowl or decanter or glass is special to me - I can usually tell you where I found it or who gave it to me or what trip we were on and with whom. But I never use these things and so, as pretty as they are, and as much sentimental value as they have, I do have to wonder what their ultimate purpose is. (Now, my friend D will never understand this post because she is one of the few people who I know that truly does use all of her beautiful things - even wine and crackers at her home is served beautifully.)

But back to my original thought. Over the years I have "just had to have" so many things and I wonder what it is about me (and I'm not alone) that doesn't allow me to just enjoy the beauty of something and move on.

I used to have severe car envy - I would see someone drive by in a beautiful Mercedes and actively covet - but I solved that by realizing that that person had to look at my big red minivan while I actually got to enjoy their beautiful car because I wasn't sitting inside of it. I fell in love with the new Toyota Matrix, the car we ultimately bought. Just something about their lines appealed to me. One day, after I had had it for about a month, another Matrix drove by and I remember looking at it thinking "oh, that's a nice looking car, I would like to have that" before I realized "oh yeah, I'm sitting in one right now."

I have beautiful jewelry - much of which sits in the box because once I possessed it, I often forgot all about it.

The only things that are beautiful that I don't ache to have as my own are things that so obviously impossible - Big Sur, the Grand Canyon, the beautiful water of the Gulf of Mexico.

So - this is my new resolve - to start appreciating the beautiful things that I see without buying them - without needing to take them home with me. And...to start using the things that I already have. (Jeff - if you're reading - I don't want to hear this echoed back at me next time I come home with a shopping bag!)

I realize that as I read back over this that I have failed to communicate what I was intending - but as you are such a forgiving audience I trust that you will understand anyway!

Blogging is like Scrapbooking

Blogging is like Scrapbooking because the farther you get behind, the harder it is to know where to start. My friend Dianne once told me, with regard to scrapbooking, just start with where you are right now. So I think I will just give you an idea of where we are right now and let another day worry about bringing you up-to-date!

Today I face, purely estimating, about 45 more boxes to unpack. We received our household goods on Friday and later today I will post a picture of what it looked like before we began unpacking at all! We're at the point now where we have found a significant portion of what we need so that lessens the motivation to keep going. But I'm determined to have every box emptied and the house pretty much like we want it by the time our friends come down to visit and bring home their son - which could be any day now!

On top of merely unpacking, poor Jeff has an even longer and more challenging list:

• get the wireless router working so we're not all four huddled around one little desk using the internet WITHOUT losing the capabilities of our IP phone. (This IP phone is a marvel - we have a Cincinnati phone number so our family can call us for free and we can call anywhere in the U.S. for $20/month - and for anyone else calling us it's just a normal long distance call as if to Cincinnati. Amazing.)
• Figure out why the satellite is only working in our bedroom and climb on the roof in order to follow the wiring and if necessary run new wires to the "TV" room we've chosen - for some reason Jeff doesn't want our bedroom to be our TV room as well. Once that's done he needs to re-wire the TV/tuner/DVD player/VCR and set up the surround sound stuff.
• Get my piano put back together - the pedals are off and need to be rebolted on so I can play something other than ragtime.
• Get the pump set up to reinflate Carl's SelectComfort air bed. He's currently sleeping in our guest room.
• Hang anything involving a screw/drill because I don't know how to use the drill and/or to use these special ones made for concrete.
• Put together our hammock stand that we bought and never opened - with a minimum of cussing. Jeff hates anything that says "some assembly required" with a passion that often turns verbal. We also need to figure out how to wash our hammock which is filthy from being outside year-round and was packed out that way - what were we thinking?
• Seems like there's something else - but I just can't think what. He already got our waterbed put together yesterday which was pure heaven - we haven't slept on it in SIX months and last night we both layed down and just went AHHHHHHH for quite a while. We've mostly been sleeping on double beds here and there - in and out of hotels - so our king size bed was WONDERFUL.

So now that I've written it will be easier to come back and write more. I know there are a million things floating around my head, fighting to come out, but maybe it would be better if they just stay put!!

Adios and Buenas Dias!

HodgePodge

This posting will just be a hodgepodge of what's going on. I'm sitting in an internet cafe on 1a Avenida at the corner of 12 Calle in Zona 14 - about 6 blocks from the embassy. It's still going to be like 3 weeks before we get internet at home so I will have to content myself with occasionally getting to an internet cafe to get my fix. Jeff dropped me off (using a borrowed vehicle) at church this morning where I attended a bible study and now I'm on foot.

So we're living in our house now and every day it feels more like home. Not through any accumulation of belongings, but purely through familiarization. It really is a lovely house and has a wonderful view of the 2 volcanos. The other night Pacaya Volcano was actually glowing at the top. Jeff has ordered binoculars and an adapter that he intends to install on top of his tripod in order to better view the volcanos! All the doors are different sizes in this house. They are all old church doors set into wood frames to accommodate the doorways. The frames can be removed when your furniture is brought in and out. Shelby's bedroom door is TINY. Really. I'm beginning to get used to the elaborate locking & unlocking that accompanies any ingress or egress into our home. 4 keys to let the kids out to the bus each morning and welcome them home in the afternoon! Yesterday I decided to let Carl come in by the garage and opened the garage door and accidentally bumped the closer when he was standing right under it - at least we know he can jump if necessity calls!

I still haven't talked with Sue Wolpert, which has me very disappointed. She lost her position at the hospital the week we arrived and is very depressed. Very. I hope that she is able to see some hope for the future for herself and for her work here in Guatemala. Roberto, on the other hand, I have talked to numerous times. He came for dinner one night with a borrowed car from his grandfather. Carl challenged him to chess and found that Roberto is VERY good at chess - the first time, when he won, Carl insisted that he had "trick-mated" him. Never heard of that myself! He also played a couple of games with Jeff and Jeff really enjoyed meeting him. Afterwards he invited the kids to go to the mall with him - I was very nervous due to my frequent exposure to horror stories - but Roberto assured me that he knows Guatemala very well and would be appropriately careful. They had a good time. Roberto, as I may have mentioned, is experiencing a recurrence of his cancer ' it is in his kidneys, back and testicles apparently. He is meeting with his doctors today to determine the treatment plan. He says that the chemotherapy makes his muscles ache and makes him very tired. He's such a great kid, though. I mentioned that Carl is interested in getting a beagle puppy and Roberto got right on it and found a lady who has puppies for sale, etc. I don't know if Carl will get one right away, but Roberto will be invaluable as a guide and translator once he is ready.

Nancho, the man who helps us around the house, is wonderful. He works so very, very hard for only like 15 dollars a day. He arrives at 7 am and leaves at 3pm on mondays and thursdays. During that time not only is he working but he answers all my halting questions in English. He is about 60 years old and his wife is deceased and he has 8 kids ' 4 boys and 4 girls. He takes care of all the frequent visitors to our front door who are selling something or wanting to come in or whatever the case may be.

I have attended the Union Church here in Guatemala one time last Sunday. Today I went to their morning ladies' bible study where they are beginning a study of Hebrews. I think I will like the study and the women all seem very nice although I must admit that I longed to be back in Dianne's living room in my rocking chair. I wonder who is sitting in it now...Will?!?!?!?

Yesterday I had my first case of what Jeff has nicknamed "Mayan Malady." He asked a co-worker what it's called in Guatemala - you have Delhi Belly in India, Montezuma's Revenge in Mexico - she apparently looked at him blankly and said "here we just call it 'the shits.'" Whatever - they're no fun. At one point yesterday I told Carl where my will was, just in case!

So - that's all for now - hard to concentrate with so many people around me and the internet cafe is open to the street so I have the noise of the passersby and cars as well. I'm going to go hit TGI Friday's which I see across the street for lunch. I wonder how you say potato skins in Spanish, or if they even have them! I must confess that I have not had a bad meal since we got here. The food is delicious, particularly the steak!

Adios!

Moving on...

Today we are leaving the Clarion with its close proximity to the embassy, restaurants, mall, in room internet service, etc. etc. and moving into our new home. I think I will really love living in this new home, but the first few weeks will be tough - no internet, no car. My two passions - surfing and driving!

I had intended to blog about the evening last night at the embassy - but for now you will have to content yourself with reading jeff's blog about it.

Adios and Hasta Luego (sp? ;-) )

where you can find me... 

White Gloves & Party Manners

When I was a little girl, one of my most cherished gifts was a small book for girls on the subject of manners. It was titled White Gloves & Party Manners. I loved reading through it and envisioning myself in each situation (in case I ever needed to curtsy and address the Ambassador of Portugal, I was going to be ready).

As an adult, protocol and formal events make me very nervous - so many hidden pitfalls, and don't even mention what to wear! Much easier to avoid anything that smacks of formality than to try to navigate those murky waters.

Now here we are in Guatemala, and while I expect that our involvement in such things will be minimal, this very first week we're faced with two such "unknown" events.

The first I braved today. Invited to a "luncheon" I tried to make the best of what my suitcase had to offer - dressing it up considerably with various pieces of jewelry (including a beautiful dragonfly pin from Cindy Smith which garnered compliments - again!). This luncheon was to be held at the home of the USAID Director, hosted by his wife. I had no idea what to expect or who to expect. Poor Jeff - the entire way there I bitched and moaned and told him how much he owes me, etc. etc. etc. The home was huge and incredibly gorgeous - with 4 or 5 Guatemalan National Policemen guarding it. I got out of the car and just took a deep breath and managed to make eye contact, introduce myself, etc. etc. As far as I know, no faux paus were committed. Who can tell. Of course everyone is introduced by who their husband is - don't even get me started there. But I guess that's my new life and my new identity.

The lunch itself was served very formally with servants, etc. I paid very close attention to everything that was done at the table and by the hostess in case HORRORS I were ever to be called on to host such a thing. I don't think that will happen so I can breathe easy there, but I observed nonetheless.

I must admit that everyone, from the Ambassador's wife on down (oh no - I did say down didn't I - I've already placed myself and everyone else into the "hierarchy" of wives. Ick.) was very nice and easy to talk to and I ended up....wait for it...having a good time.

Tomorrow night we're invited to an evening of orchestral music hosted by the Ambassador and his wife - Jeff will be wearing a suit and tie! - hmm....not sure enough jewelry in the world can dress up what I've got in MY suitcase. Wish me luck!

Roberto

I am so sad over Roberto right now. Roberto is a cancer patient. Sue Wolpert had worked with him here in Guatemala and he had been sent up to NIH for cancer treatment. He had his treatment over a year ago and has returned a couple of times for follow up. He is 18 years old. We had the honor of meeting him and spending time with him - Ryan took him to six flags once and Carl and I took him out to dinner (with Beth) to Baja Fresh another time.

He has been planning on working for us as a tutor/companion for Carl & Shelby as his schedule permits and we have been excited on both ends as we really enjoy his company and he seems so excited to show us his country.

I received news over the weekend that he is currently at NIH and his cancer has returned - it is now in his kidneys and in his back. He is very scared and I am scared for him. Tara Coates has been talking with him and trying to organize some help. At 18 he is too old to stay in the quarters provided on the grounds of NIH. If you feel that you could provide some assistance - I don't know what exactly Roberto needs - you would not be sorry. Roberto speaks good English and is just a wonderful kid. Tara's email is tcoates@baltimoresun.com

Attitude or Altitude?

I've been in Guatemala now for 5 nights and finally am I ready to sit down and bring you all up to speed. Attitude or Altitude? Well...at 5000 feet I have been feeling very, very tired and rather sluggish and my head has felt very foggy. I kind of knew to expect a reaction to the change in altitude, but still felt that there was something wrong with me - letdown? new people overload?

Yesterday - after my SECOND nap - I woke up feeling rather back to normal. (is that good or bad?)

I will attempt a recap below - I'll try to keep the editorial comment to a minimum :-) :

Our flights to Guatemala were uneventful and we were greeted upon our arrival by some folks from Jeff's new office and some "expediters." Expediters are a wonderful thing - they met our plane and gathered our luggage and whisked us out a side door to a waiting van (avoiding the crush of people at customs). Very nice. We went straight to our hotel and we have 2 connecting suites on the 16th floor with INCREDIBLE views of the city and the volcanos. Jeff and I have spent a lot of time just standing at these wonderful windows.

Friday was spent at the kids' new school all day - they had their interviews and Spanish testing in the morning (uh...Beginner!) and because we had to be back at 1pm for the new parent orientation, we just stayed all day. The kids played basketball in the gym and we had lunch in the cafeteria. During the orientation they were able to be shown all around by an older student and I think they felt fairly comfortable with the school by the time we left. Unfortunately, they were not able to start school until Tuesday (today) and not on Monday - but that should work out okay, anyway.

Friday evening we were invited to a family's house for dinner and met 3 or 4 other families. I wish I had kept a small pad of paper to write names down - that would have been smart!

Saturday morning our social sponsor took us to Price Smart and we got our membership. If you had just been dropped inside there you would think you were at Sam's Club in Laurel - including the mandatory trampoline high up on the wall :-)

In the afternoon we were taken to see our house - it is really lovely. It's not as big as I thought it would be - but part of that could be because it's on so many levels - I don't even know how many - you go up & down and up & down all over the place. The yard is very small but it has a beautiful view of the volcanos. The house has all kinds of cool touches - the doors alone are very interesting. For a couple of the bedrooms there is a door within the door - like a big wood frame set into the doorframe with a very small, skinny door set into that. You could hurt yourself in the middle of the night! I think we will be moving in on Thursday. It will be nice to start to set up our home after so many nights without a home! You can see pictures of the house at www.labanz.com . After the house, we went with another family to the mall - ate lunch at the foodcourt, and then the kids were invited to their home to play for the rest of the day.

Sunday, Carl was invited to go paintballing all morning and really enjoyed that. In the afternoon we were invited to an ice cream social at the home of our social sponsor. There were, again, a lot of people and the kids certainly had many people to meet.

Yesterday? I slept and slept and slept. Sooooo tired. But, as I said earlier, I woke up feeling wonderful.

So far - we've met lots of people, all of whom are very nice. I haven't been able to speak or meet with Sue Wolpert yet, and I'm really looking forward to that.

I'm working hard on my espanol already - so I'll let you know how that goes! At least I can say "Donde esta el bano?" - that's important!!