Bucket List: Climb a Volcano... Check

So it wasn't really on my bucket list, but this past Sunday my teammates and I did in fact hike up an active volcano (Volcano Pacaya). If I stop to really think about that it is really pretty amazing and frankly a little terrifying since in reality it could have erupted again at any moment. The entire scene reminded me of the scene in the movie “The Lion King” where Simba is in the elephant graveyard with the hyenas hauntingly singing “be prepared”. That said it was also highly unlikely since we've been told that since the last eruption (about 5 years ago) the lava has all dried up and stopped flowing.

It took us about 2 hours with a guide to reach the “top”. No one is allowed (as far as I understand) to actually go to the very top/the crater because (or so my teacher says) some guy fell into the crater a while back. I'll be posting pictures and hopefully a couple short videos soon. The pictures don't quite do it justice though. The morning we were at the top there were a lot of clouds (some of it was steam too) so it was not possible to even see the summit. The lava field is really interesting. It's basically a wasteland of black lava rocks or various sizes from a fine sand up to massive boulders however, there is a lot of random green growth too because the soil is incredibly nutrient rich. At the top our guide gave us marshmallows to roast in a vent where steam was coming out. There was also this small vent that we could stand in and it felt like a sauna.

Right now I am sitting in one of the many cafes/ice cream shops near the central park. I have just noticed they can make a “chocolate mint frost” drink. It may be the closest thing to a “mint condition cooler” from Caribou Coffee I can find. I think this will definitely be one of my new places to study.

Speaking of studying I finally have “a lot” of homework. The first week my teacher never gave me any. Last week I learned the word for homework so I could finally ask for things to be assigned but most the time she would just tell me to study. While most people would be glad to not have homework I feel like it at least gives me some direction with studying. So now this week she has actually assigned me 4 worksheets. It's encouraging since my teammates (who all speak much better Spanish than I) have all been getting homework. I feel like maybe I now at the point where I've learned enough that she feels I'm capable of doing homework.

This morning for the 2^nd half of class my teacher, Laura, Laura's teacher and I all hiked up to this area called Cerro del la Cruz. It's basically an open park area on one of the small nearby mountains (more like a large hill). It over looks Antigua and directly faces Volcano Agua with 2 other volcanoes to the right.

All this week my teammates and I are volunteering as translators at a clinic. I don't go until Friday and I really don't know that I'll be of much assistance. Kiddissa is volunteering there Monday-Friday, Kevin is assisting Mon, Tuesday and Thursday. Laura is there for Monday and with me and Kiddissa on Friday. It should be very beneficial for Laura who is a nurse practitioner and will be our nurse at La Finca. I expect that I'll be simply pointing many various body parts and then pointing to words in my dictionary. It should be a good experience though and hopefully there are no emergencies.

Our team of 5 becomes complete this week as well. Emily arrives Wednesday from Colorado. She waited a couple weeks since she speaks more Spanish. I'm excited to meet her and complete our little family.

That's all for now :)

Make today your best one yet!
~ Katherine

Wrap up of the 1st week

It's now the start of our second week at language school and although my Spanish skills are still extremely minimal I think I may be on par with or close to that of a 2 year old. It's not much, but in just four days of classes (6 hours a day) I can tell I've come a long way. If I'm really focused in a one on one conversation I can at least get the jist of a situation. It really helps having my teammates to study with. Even though their Spanish skills are far beyond me it is still helpful for me to quiz them and vice versa on certain things like vocab and verbs/tenses.

Inside our school.

These are the tables each student sits at with their teacher for one on one lessons.

Here's an entertaining story to show just how poor my spanish is. So I was sitting down to dinner with my host mother and the other student who lives here. I said "Ooo pollo" a.k.a chicken. Next I meant to say in Spanish "me gusta" a.k.a "I like". Instead I said "mucho gusto". For those who know Spanish I'm sure you are laughing. For those who don't the jist is that I said "Ooo chicken nice to meet you". The others got a kick out of it.

Beyond school... we (Kidissa, Kevin, Laura and I) took a much needed weekend trip to the beach in Monte Rico. Antigua (where we are going to school) is sort of in the south central part of Guatemala but still two and a half hours from the beach. My housemate (Stephanie) mentioned that she and two of her friends were headed to the beach so we too looked into it and took a shuttle provided by the school. The hotel we stayed at (El Delfin a.k.a The Dolphin) was more like a hostel so it was super cheap only like 9 dollars person. What it lacked in comfort (the bed was literally cement with a hard thin mattress) it made up for in the view, the people and the food.

Monte Rico is very much a tourist trap so we ran into a number of other Americans, Canadians/French, Germans and others. Over the years and places I've traveled I've definitely learned that we live in a small world and Monte Rico was no exception. There were two other gals at our hotel who are from Minnesota. One is a teacher in Minneapolis the other is from Sherburne (near Fairmont). To make it an even smaller world story... it turned out the massage therapist at the hotel (Martin) who is Guatemalan also lived in Sherburne for several years with his uncle during grade school.

On the shuttle to the hotel we met two other Americans (Dan and Theresa) that are med students. They are taking a year off before residency and will be working in El Salvador for 5 months. Laura who will be our nurse at the Finca (a.k.a. The Farm) is hoping to go visit them at some point and I too would like to go with. However, since they are only there for 5 months I have a feeling we won't have any time off before they finish.

So as I was saying the hotel had the most amazing view, people and food. It is right on the black sand (extremely hot on your feet) beach of the pacific. At first you think you are looking west but it is actually south. I realized this as the sun set to our right somewhat along the shore and did not set straight ahead on the horizon. It was really beautiful! I'll hopefully have posted pictures by the time you read this. Not only was the sunset beautiful but the sun was quite strong. Mom... no worries, Laura made sure we were all well taken care of as far as wearing sunscreen ; )

Even stronger than the sun though were the waves. I've been to both sides of the Atlantic before and the Pacific in San Francisco and never have I dealt with such strong waves. Swimming in the water is basically impossible and just stupid unless you are a local and a very strong swimmer who understands the ocean's temperament. You pretty much can only stand on the beach and when the waves come ashore is when you get soaked. If you're not careful though and bracing yourself it can easily sweep you out. The lifeguards were constantly reminding everyone not to go in very far. At one point the hotel's dog (Luna) went after a frisbee and couldn't doggy paddle back fast enough so one of the lifeguards had to rescue her.

Kevin, Laura, Dan, Theresa and I went running on the beach with one of the lifeguards and some of the local kids Saturday evening. Theresa and I quickly remembered how much we hate running. It worked out though because someone had to keep an eye on the local boys since they wanted to chase after every crab they saw no matter how close to the water it got and the waves would have easily taken the kids under.

Saturday night we went with a guide in search of sea turtles coming ashore. We never did find any despite walking for what felt like 5 kilometers. Walking that far (after running earlier) on sand is an incredible workout, but we all felt like we were going to die. On our way back to keep our minds off how far away the hotel was we sang Disney and Broadway songs. Strange yes, but fun and I think our guide got quite the kick out of it.

The next morning (after just 3 or 4 hours sleep) we got up at 4:30 to catch a boat tour on a local river/lake to see some of the many birds and other wildlife in the area. Unfortunately my camera battery died just as we got to the boats. We got back to the hotel after a couple hours just in time for breakfast.

That brings me to the awesome food! Basically every meal comes with frijoles (black refried beans) which are delicious. I brought myself to order shrimp tacos (for dinner Saturday) which were actually pretty good. A couple of the other gals ordered fish.... it was definitely fresh too. It was still intact, head tail and all. I'm not a fan of seafood particularly if it still looks like it should be alive. However, I did try it and it was the least fishy tasting fish I've ever had. I didn't necessarily like it, but it wasn't the typical icky fish taste.

After a breakfast of eggs and beans it was time for a massage on the beach. I hadn't planned to spend my own money on something extraneous like that but after walking for hours on the beach and sleeping on a cement bed I couldn't pass it up. Plus, I figure it's unlikely that I'll ever have a second chance for an hour massage on the beach for only $20.

The rest of the day was spent resting and studying Spanish with my teammates before catching our van back to the school.

Sunday night we made it back just after 6:30 and still had to find a Mass to go to. We knew there were a number of evening Masses but hadn't really planned ahead. Thankfully Kevin's Spanish skills are good enough that he was able to ask for directions and we got to a Mass in the middle of the homily. Having missed the readings we went over them back at my place after dinner.

Every afternoon the school offers a different activity. Since Laura and I take an additional 2 hours of language classes we don't always get to do the extra activities. Wednesday's activity is hiking up a nearby volcano! No worries... it's no longer active. We decided that we couldn't miss out on that so our teachers are coming with. There are 3 or 4 volcanoes that we can see from Antigua. They just look like small tree covered mountains. The one we are hiking is Volcano Picaya and it sounds like it's a smaller one that will take 2 hours up and 2 hours back down. I just hope it doesn't rain since it does almost every afternoon/night this time of year.

Monday night Laura, Kevin and I went to our first salsa & meringue lesson offered for free with the school. I took a cardio salsa class in college which helped a little bit. The class was pretty basic though so we all kept up okay.

I will hopefully get pictures uploaded in the coming days.

Make today your best day!

~ Katherine

Day 1: Arrival

We all arrived safe and sound. I have met one of my teammates, Kiddissa. We were both picked up at the airport by a rep from the school. We're told that Laura and Kevin arrived earlier and were picked up. I think we all meet at La Union (the language school) just before 8 tomorrow morning. Laura and I are both doing 6 hours of class a day. The others are doing 4 and our final teammate Emily will come down in 2 weeks since she already speaks Spanish.

I'm currently sitting in my room at my host mother's house. I am quickly realizing just how far of a language gap I will have to try to bridge. My house mother (Delia) is very sweet though and seems eager to help me learn. I am able to pick up on a few key words and phrases, but I think more of the problem is me trying to speak back.

If I understood her correctly there are two other gals staying here. I have yet to meet them, but hopefully at dinner. Which I'm not sure when that will be, but the dinning room is right outside my bedroom so I should hear. Although I'm tired enough that I may just sleep through.

The home is small but beautiful. Everything is stone, tile or stucco due to the humid climate. The weather is actually quite comfy right now. All the rooms are off of a small open courtyard which allows for good air circulation. The question though is how good the air is. I think it's likely much better here in Antigua, but the pollution in Guatemala City would make anyone sick.

So far I've explained in very poor Spanish that I have an older and younger sibling and their ages. Whether I properly explained that my siblings are an older sister and younger brother is another question. I believe I explained how old my parents are. I think I failed to tell her any names. I also mentioned that I previously studied German for multiple years. Maybe this will help give her some perspective as to where I'm coming from. I think more than once I've switched into speaking German already... this could be an on going theme.

Delia like a majority of Guatemalans is Catholic. I gather this from the many icons and wall hangings she has. I think one of the churches may be right out our front door, but again this was a bit of a language barrier. She seems eager to know more about The Farm and the work we will be doing as missionaries. I just wish I could find the words. I'll get there! Un poco y poco :)

The Journey Begins!

Bags are packed and it's past midnight which means it is now officially the first day of this new venture. I have to be up in 2 hours... if I sleep at all. My flight leaves Minneapolis for Miami at 6:25 a.m. from Miami I head straight to Guatemala City where I am supposed to get in at 1:10 p.m. At which point if all goes according to plan I will hopefully see someone with a sign from La Union language school or perhaps I'll just spot my two other teammates. We should stick out pretty easily afterall. Then it will be on to meeting our host families and jumping in head first. So hopefully in the next day or so I will be able to update everyone and get some of the first pictures uploaded. Keep us all in your prayers!

One week to go!

It really still doesn't seem like one week from today I'll be landing in Guatemala, meeting most of my teammates and host family for language school.

My bags are packed... although they will probably get unpacked and repacked once I actually look at the packing list. I'm sure there's plenty of items in my suitcase that won't be needed and knowing myself I'll probably forget a few things.

Maybe it is because I still have 2 more days at work but I haven't had much time to dwell on leaving. I'm not really good at goodbyes. Is anyone though? Really, the word goodbye is an oxymoron within itself.

It is neither good or bad that I haven't had time to dwell on leaving. It's just simply the way it is. I haven't given much thought to what I will actually miss or maybe the things I won't miss so much. So here it goes:

The ease of traveling from point A to point B without much thought. It will take (I assume) much more planning for even a short trip into town.

I will miss not worrying about personal security. I have relatively few qualms about ever being out at night despite some of the crazy things I've heard over the police scanner in this town. It's just a guess, but I think the nightly police round up of random farm animals from farms around Austin will not exactly register on the list of security issues in Honduras. On the other hand it will probably be replaced with the daily check of shoes and clothing for random creatures.

I may just miss commiserating with my co-workers. No one quite understands the "joys" of working crazy hours for great pay downwind from Hormel like they do. I will take with me all that they've taught me and all the moments we've shared.

In a strange way I will miss television, but specifically news. I say strange because it has been my bread and butter for 6 years now especially in the last 2 years. It'll be a bit like detox... I can only assume. I am eager to escape from the noise of it all and find out what really matters in this world.

It may go without saying, but I'll say it anyway. I'll miss my family and friends. Perhaps even more than I'll miss peanut butter and ranch ;).

Although I may be many hundreds of miles away from all of you I have every confidence that this journey is exactly what God needs for me to do. It's not a need for myself and not even exactly just for the children I'll be serving, but I feel that my journey is just one piece in a huge salvation story being written for all of us.

Now that I've strayed from my original train of thought... where was I... things I'll miss. Well, it's a bit hard to say because in all honesty even the things I will miss I am in someways eager to see change. I am most eager to meet my fellow missionaries who I have no doubt will be some of my dearest friends to the point of becoming family. Although I don't know what is in store, I can imagine it will be much harder to leave Honduras than it will be to leave here.

So for now keep us all in your prayers as we enter into this exciting journey!

Make today your best one yet!

Katherine

2 weeks until take off!!

I know it's cliche, but time isn't just ticking it's soaring. I've spent the last few weeks saying goodbyes to so many wonderful people. Shedding a few tears in the process, but mainly just living in the moment knowing that I will see you all again before too long. While life can be stressful at times with trying to sort all the details, mainly every day brings with it another blessing. I really love to see how excited people get when they find out about what I'll be doing. I just wish I had more answers.

I have definitely learned or been reminded of a couple things this week. First is that I am not in control of things. It's all in God's hands and I'm just along for the ride. That doesn't mean I'm any good at letting go of the reigns... I am still by nature a planner. Secondly, prayers are not answered on my time and that's okay. Nor are prayers answered in the way we always want. After all, how many of us really know what we want. Actually, I'll take that a step further and say prayers aren't even necessarily answered with what *we think we need*. I'd say God answers our prayers with what what he needs. That may sound selfish, but if we truly understand that Christ knows what's best for us then what he needs is for us to follow his will for us. Afterall he wants us to spend the rest of our lives with him in heaven, but he needs us to want that too. That sounds a bit too philosophical even for me though so I guess I'll leave with that.

Keep us all in your prayers in these final two weeks before departing for language school!

Make today your best day,

Katherine Cross

Freedom to be....

Today is the 4th of July and that of course means we as Americans are all taking time (or should be) to stop and appreciate our freedoms and those who have given their lives to protect those freedoms along with those who continue to serve our nation. That said I don't know that I yet fully appreciate or understand what it means to be free. When you are born into privilege and freedom like we have here I really question whether we can fully grasp what it means to be free unless we experience first hand the oppression of no freedoms.

I know some of you will read this and say we are already losing our freedoms in America. While I wouldn't necessarily disagree I think we can all aggree we are very blessed to live where we do. I think about the fact that this year is an election year and a big one at that. Just the fact that we have the right to vote and make our voices heard is beyond what much of the world can claim. Even though I will be living abroad during the elections our government (at least in Minnesota) makes it pretty easy to still cast my vote.

Beyond freedom though is hope. The handful of people I've already met from Honduras all seem to agree that hope is the one thing that is non-existant in their home country. While we as missionaries may not be able to provide many of the freedoms we enjoy here in America I am confident we can and will provide hope.

All in all I am thankful for all those on all levels working to daily defend our God given freedoms. I am thankful that I have the freedom to leave America for the next 29 months and serve those in need of a little hope.