Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

I have soooooooo much to catch you all up on. I'm in Mexico. Merida to be exact, and you pronounce it Med-dee-da. But first, I got to close off Antigua for you.

• The turns on the chicken buses feel like you're riding a roller coaster
• Met a guy from La Crosse, Wisconsin that was running on of the chicken buses 
• The twin mountains look like the letter M
• I wore the same sweater everyday because it was all I had to be conservative for work
• The kids at the daycare had a talent show it was the cutest
• Giovanna (2 years old) would say the name of an animal when shown a stuffed animal so when we showed a duck, she said "pato" and with cow, "vaca" but when shown a dog, she starts to bark instead 
• I can bargain or barter really good at the artisan market, I got a pair of shorts, keychain, and dolls for nine American dollars
• Hung out with some teachers at the coffee plantation tour
• Zip lined and learned about the coffee process at Yalu Coffee Farm (could have rode horses but I chose not to)
• Instead of saying cheese for the camera, you say "whiskey!"
• Antigua was beautiful, not too big and not too small with the traditional culture alive
• You'll see women in the traditional clothing and threads carrying a basket on their head and a baby on their back
• Recent activity at the volcano we just hiked (Pacaya)
• Had sweet bread
• They have apple soda I guess and I'll be buying Valentina hot sauce for now on

The day we were suppose to leave Antigua, we didn't...well, I didn't. Our airport closed down because it rained so hard that the runway was flooded and broke. Michaela got in the air once they fixed it and stayed over night in Miami. I met this wonderful person who is American and moved to Guatemala a few years ago to be with her husband. They are missionaries and they let me stay with them because they have several beds available. We both thought that instead of catching one of our flights to Mexico City and spending the night in airport was a bad idea so we asked for our flights to be the next day. Oh yeah, she was heading to Merida as well. It was perfect. She told me about some stuff though that terrified me and thankfully I am alive. The chicken buses that Michaela and I were riding everyday are tinned by the cartel and they do extortion. It happens daily, where they would raid a bus and rob everyone. And the driver usually gets shot. Also, a bus recently was going too fast on the curves and tipped, killing over 80 people so they were picking up bodies on the road. And the reason that the majority of the cars are tinted is because the cartel will go up to cars and demand money but if you have a tinted window you are less likely to be robbed because the cartel won't be able to see what's in your car (weapons). Up north, they decaputate people, strip them and hang the bodies on the bridges just so people are aware the cartel are in power. I'm so happy that I'm leaving early, that I canceled my trips to Oaxaca and Mexico City. Oaxaca just had shootings and riots because the teachers were on strike or something about the education system. Someone in the news referred to the soldiers coming in by saying it was like being in Iraq. Now I am completely not regretting spending more money for a flight back home. Anyway, Merdia is safe. Really safe. And it's more modernised. Apparently the cartel's families live here so they don't want to cause any problems where their loved ones live. But I walk alone and machismo culture is barely a thing here. 

I met another girl at the airport (Katla) with the same flights and I went out with her on Wednesday for ladies night. The Jose Cuervo isn't like the American version, it's called traditional. Real good. I tried a margarita, a shot of traditional, Modelo, and Corona (not all in one night though). I went out last night (Friday) with the people at the volunteer house. I was actually very social with these people and made a bunch of friends. I am going to list things but I probably forgot a bunch of stuff so I'll make a reminder for the next post. 

• Karla told me that tacos can hold any meat here, like pig's feet or ears and etc. 
• The driver that picked me up at the airport played Drake, he was an architect and told me about the Mayan stuff he finds before he builds and told me that if people take any of it, they will get haunted by the ancient Mayans and apparently, there are little bush people that are Mayans that'll haunt you too
• Oxxo store
• Showers here (or at least in this house) doesn't have motors so it's like a lottery system of who gets warm water
• I found my Hawaiian flower here, the one that I got a tattoo of with my grandma
• Tried Pan de Queso (cheese bread) it's a ball of bread with cheese inside 
• If I come here again I want to see Izumal ruins and the place with the hundreds of flamingos and the caves and yellow city
• A girl from England (Birmigham) brought Cadbury spread and she's my favourite person ever because she let me use it on my morning toast every day
• A girl adopted a dog and brought it home with her to Michigan
• We got free tacos at a club last night (Friday)
• It's 7 pesos to go into centro (city Center) and every one hundred pesos is equally to $5.50, it's hella cheap down here. 
• Bats fly in and out of our volunteer house during the evening
• There are little yellow geckos everywhere in this house. I freaked out the night I got here and one was running up and down the wall but now I'm like whatever (I touched one the other day)
• The orphanage I went to volunteer at this week was ages 4-14 I think. I heard about their stories and it's so sad. Like the moms and grandmothers beat this one girl, a mom was a prostitute and had sex in front of her daughter, one mom just dropped off four of her sons one day because she didn't want them, a girl took a bottle of pills because her mom did, etc. 
• On Friday, I went to the animal shelter where two of my roommates go to volunteer so I can help out with the animals and giving them baths
• I was literally going to adopt a cat here but I did the math the next day and it was going to be well over 300$
• I bought two shirts and a pair of jean shorts because they have a huge nice mall for us down the street and my clothes are really smelly
• Finished "Me Before You" and "Before I Go To Sleep", now reading "After You" (the second book of "Me Before You"
• There are like 20 girls in this volunteer house and we have a pool, it gets super hot here
• It's rain season but only for like 15 minutes every other day
• Went to Progresso beach on Wednesday with three girls and a dude 
• There are Australians and a British guy and a girl from Columbia
• Madison and I were swimming in the ocean and felt something kept touching us so we swam so days out of the ocean while laughing and freaking out 
• Played never have I ever with everyone late one night and it got pretty raunchy as always
• The bar/club I went to with Karla on Wednesday is called Shotimilco
• There are so many old bugs (cars) here 
• Opened up a coconut here
• Went to three cenotes on Thursday, cenotes are sinkholes filled with water and they are pretty much underground rivers. We swam in one of them and the water so clear and deep. It was definitely the clearest and purest water I have ever seen and been in. We literally climbed in a hole and swam in it. It was so beautiful. 
• The trip to the cenotes was horrible because once we got there, we had to take horses to the cenotes with these handmade nights to sit on. So these starved (ribs showing) and weak horses, exhausted from standing by a tree tied up tight and short had to pull over 800 pounds and they were treated poorly. I literally balled my eyes out. I couldn't look. I've never been that upset about animal rights before 
• I bought dog treats for all the strays here, so if you ever come down to Latin America...seriously carry dog treats in your pocket or back pack because you'll be paying it forward and feeding these skinny dogs. The thing that gets me the most is that they don't have names and people down here treat them like how Americans would treat a rodent, shooting them away and throwing stuff, killing them. 
• Went to the Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins of pyramids today, it was cool but so damn hot. Tons of iguanas every where. Jaguars are a thing for Mayans so the souvenir sellers had toys that could make a jaguar noise and it was really annoying. 
• I already leave in two days (Monday afternoon). I did consider extending my trip but I don't have the money to. 

Maria and I had a very eventful night on Saturday. Met two guys we went out with and when they picked us up we ended up racing to a house because their friend's dad was having a heart attack. The guys had to go there to bribe or pay or something to the cops because they were going to take the dad to jail after the hospital because he was drinking and in the car when it happened. After, partied at Malo Vida. Then driving back the cops pulled us over and had Gerado blow air by the cop's nose and he let us go. Gerado was our DD and did not drink but it was still scary because the only reason he pulled us over is because Gerado has a nice car and the police are so corrupted that they will pull people over and demand money or put them in jail for no reason. I'm guessing the cop didn't rob him because there were three of us with him and two us being American girls. 

Antigua, Guatemala

Well I'm in Guatemala now, Antigua to be exact. Here's the ending to San Jose..

• Everyday we saw a creepy black grandpa dog walking by every time we came home 
• It gets super dark right away, like 6pm
• It's winter for them 
• We call our host mom, mama tikka
• Saw playa hermosa, where billabong does contests and stuff
• Never saw the moon because of the clouds
• Every night at some point, all the dogs in the neighbourhood bark
• Met someone at a tour that is from Boston without an accent.. He said his parents took a class to not have the accent while raising him (we call him mad Matt because he did not want to be at that tour)
• There's tolls here
• Stores: AM PM and Mas o Menos
• Went out Friday night and got back at 3am and had to wake up at 5am
• Friday night we saw two Maximo Nivel staff with their shirts on at the bar grinding on women and then we joined them 
• Went to Manuel Antonio on Saturday all day for the rainforest and beach
• I spotted a sloth and we saw monkeys and heard howler monkeys, and crocodiles 
• Monkeys on the beach steal food and belongings if you don't watch out, they're sneaky
• I swam in the Pacific Ocean, and deep too. I love the ocean!!

So now, since Sunday, we have been in Guatemala. Sunday was hell. Michaela and I were so grumpy we didn't talk to each other for the 6 hour layover in Mexico City. Flight was at 5am-ish and then didn't get to our casa (house) until 7pm-ish. The house is set up like a dorm. It's like a hostel for the volunteers. Very safe and nice. Money, Q's, are cheap here. I payed for a week full of snacks and extra for 50Q which is only like 7$. Micheala and I got in the daycare. 8am to noon. It is perfect. I'm in the room full of babies, so I'm pretty much in heaven. Today was our first day and I already got attached to them. Giovanna, Monono, July (Julie), Linsee, Bryan, Isa, and Valentina. So there is a talent show on Thursday and each of the three rooms (divided by age) get to do two activities. Today our babies were trying on Minnie Mouse outfits and now I get to have one made for me so I can be in the show! This daycare is better than the orphanage because the teachers actually like us and the kids are well behaved. Guatemala is just over all better. It's not a city and its close nit, cheap, daycare is perfect, etc. The only tho fb missing is Flor, our mamma tikka.

Other things:

• I almost passed out, fainted the other day from lack of food 
• Fireworks constantly go off here for any kind of celebration
• Women are dressed in traditional clothing and carrying baskets on their heads, with perfect balance
• Mexico City airport is apparently the largest airport in Latin America but it's hella small
• Starbucks here have churro flavoured fraps 
• We went to Iximche Ruins today which was super lame, I was expecting something like Pompeii but our driver stopped on the highway at a stand to have maiz con limon y sal (grilled corn with lime and salt) and atole (a hot corn drink) and it was super good
• Tomorrow after work we go to a coffee plantation to grind our own coffee, ride horses, go berry picking, and zip line. 
• Thursday we hike a volcano and roast marshmallows on top (4 hour hike)
• 34 volcanoes here
• One volcano is active and rumbles (can feel it) when it erupts, you can see lava at night if it's clear enough and today I saw smoke coming out of it
• Peanuts galore here, I like the limon y sal (lime and salt)
• There's an artisan local market we plan on exploring on Friday and Saturday 
• We are hiking before breakfast on Friday to this cross over looking Antigua
• We take chicken buses to and from work, more like a crowded party bus because it has 6 people seated across and people standing in the middle which the aisle is less than a foot wide. And music is playing, people coming in and out from the front and back. Also, it's painted and decorated really fun. 
• Tuc Tucs are little baby cabs or taxis 
• I finished my book, Me Before You so I'm excited to go see it when I come back

So I have sad news. I have been thinking about it a lot and I decided to come home early. On the 27th when my week volunteering in Merida Mexico is done. I lost my debit card so when I travel by myself in Oaxaca and Mexico City, I'll only have what's on me. So if I got robbed, I'm stranded. Also I would prefer to go with a friend or two for pictures and safety. Me and Michaela get enough cat calls and unwanted attention enough a s it is her in Guatemala. The Machismo culture is scary. Apparently a girl here in Antigua got grabbed and kissed by a random man. So I'm just going to trust my gut feeling and go home, I'll come back because I was looking forward to the artsy village of Oaxaca and Frida Kahlo's house in Mexico City.

One Week In

So I haven't posted in the last few days and I'm not going to even try to remember every thing in order but i will try to tell you the highlights. The orphanage had gotten so much better. They opened up to us a lot more, they just needed lots of love and attention. Today was our last day and I finally got to hold little baby Santiago (4 months old). They all love us now. It's so sad that we have to leave and never see them again. I got attached. Oops. Today Kimberly was doing my hair. And we all took pictures in a group to keep and not post for security reasons. I opened snapchat up and had them play with the filters and they were enjoying that a little too much ahhahah.

We zip lined today. I was absolutely terrified and excited. We did 13 lines and two of them were completely vertical. The view was gorgeous and it didn't rain at all and clouds were not ruining anything. We had perfect timing because when we got finished, it started to get cloudy. But we went with two guys, about our age so it was a lot of fun. They were very helpful and fun to hang out with. One of the stands was really scary, we were standing on a fence, like a metal diamond fence where you can look down and it was kinda flimsy in areas.

I went out with four girls two nights ago I think. Tuesday. It was crazy. Lots of dancing. Machismo culture clearly there. Guys standing there staring at us dancing, very obvious and they did not care. It was very uncomfortable. I've never felt so unsafe. I definitely had to push them off but overall I had fun and I got my tequila.

Mas information:

• Dirt bikes instead of mopeds here
• Flor's food is amazing as always
• Everything is gated, stores and houses completely locked with gates
• Uber is illegal here but they do it anyway
• I realised foreign grocery stores are my favourite places to explore
• The nine grandchildren put on a fashion show for us at the house, super cute
• I've never seen so many ways to cook a banana
• Andrea and Kaersti are our roommates 
• I'm getting even more terrified about Mexico City in July, the machismo culture. And me being alone and American. I'm absolutely terrified. 

Orphanage Day One

We slept and read and watched Miss Congeniality with breakfast somewhere in between. From 7am to 1pm just because we can. Our orientation wasn't until 2:30pm. Breakfast was mango and an omelette with coffee and orange juice. Yesterday (because I didn't blog) was papaya and French toast.  The papaya was not that very good, I guess that was my first time trying it straight from the fruit rather than blended up in a smoothie. Dinner last night was tons of veggies, salad, banana (cooked another unusual way), with cas juice. Tonight's was pasta! Creamy cheese sauce with vegetables inside. Salad and pineapple juice. Btw, she makes all her juice from scratch besides breakfast's orange juice. Anyway, enough to about comida (food).

The orphanage. Wow. It was three hours of torture. I love kids, absolutely love them but these 8 niños (children) were something else. We arrived and played with playdoh for half the time which was good until the very end when this girl almost kicked me because I said no to her. I said no because she was being violent. Communication was great. But when we all sat down for their television time, they went loco (crazy). They are so mean, pyshically violent, and took advantage of us. They must be used to having Americans come in to help because they knew we couldn't speak much and when I tried to lay my foot down, they would just laugh and keep doing it. They were so naughty. The three house moms were no where to be found the entire time. One girl slapped Michaela. Name calling was definitely present. I was so fed up of trying to be authoritive. Now we have four more dias (days) of this. Ages are 5 and under. There is a baby and I wanted to hold him so badly. I kept walking to his crib where he was completely content the entire three hours without attention. His laugh was the cutest. I plan on asking to hold him at some point this week. Ohhhhhh and, we had two others at the orientation for the first half of our time there and I was with one of them at some point during play time and he was telling me the two of the kids made the motion of slicing their necks at him. And they give death glares.

Michaela and I booked a trip on Thursday at noon. 13 zip lines. I'm so excited for the adrenaline rush and the view but I'm scared as hell too. Oh, I lost my debit card. I checked my bags at least five times and it's definitely gone. No idea. And that was my only means of money. Thank God for Venmo (a money transferring app). I transferred money to Michaela's card so I can use it too.

Mas (more) information:

• There are no bus stop signs. There are spots where people get on and off but no signs of where the buses actually stop. 
• Flor cooks with no oven. Only stove. 
• We watched Latino Family Feud  
• I tried adding photos on these blog posts but it's not working on my phone, lo siento (sorry).
• Tomorrow magaritas after volunteering, Wednesday free cooking class after, Thursday is zip lining after, Friday we are going out for an Imperial at a bar called Chicago Pub, Saturday is the trip to the rainforest and beach, then Sunday we are on our way to Guatemala! 

900 Dogs and 2 Cockroaches

Today's breakfast was mango, a banana, and buttered bread with orange juice and tea. We had to communicate without Andrea (Spanish/English) to Flor and we did pretty damn good. This app we have been using has been helping us a lot and our conversation was really good. Talked about travel and the transit and stores. Our Spanish is really developing now. At 7:45 our driver showed up to drive us an hour in a mountain to go to territorio de zaguates which means "Land of the strays". It's a like a huge humane society, where all the dogs without homes go to. Over 900 apparently. We only seen maybe 300 while we hiked with them. They apparently help them to the best they can but it was still very sad to see because a lot of them were so sick and rashes or diseases, some didn't have legs, I saw one without an eye. Rib cages galore and bones sticking right out. It was really really sad to witness. I wanted to adopt one so bad, there was a kinda fat and short girl that was just the biggest sweetheart and we loved each other equally. I was really debating in my head on how to take her back home with me. But I finally decided not to. At the end of the two hour hike, we saw the shelters they provide and the puppies. Michaela and I got to hold a little blue eyed baby, just a little bigger than my fist. Leaving we smelt like dogs, it was gross. I had to shower asap.

Link about "Land of the Strays": http://www.someecards.com/cute/animals/stray-dog-costa-rica/

This morning Michaela woke up to a cockroach on her door and I had to explain the situation of us both freaking out to Flor about it. She laughed at us and took a mop to get it. I didn't see the dead bug in her hand when she walked away so later when we got back from the hike, I heard rustling in the grocery bag of garbage hanging on the doorknob of my door. I flashed my light on it and out crawled a cockroach. I about started crying. I yelled to Michaela to open my door so I could run out and tell Flor but she wasn't here so I cried. It crawled out to the other side of the door and I closed it with myself inside the room and it outside. I threw a blanket under the door and prayed there wasn't anymore. I was brave enough to take a nap. It sucks because I sleep on the top bunk and I'm just a few feet from the ceiling with holes in it so bugs could crawl out at any time and I'd be the first to know.

Dinner was just us and Flor again. The other girls are off doing tours and we are broke. Tried flan and it was so disgusting. I couldn't handle the texture. Dinner was salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrots with sauce), potatoes cooked with seasoning or something, banana that was grey or brown (cooked weird but tasted great), and a fried juevo (egg) because I couldn't have pollo (chicken). And the usual Costa Rican arroz (rice).

Mas information:

• Flor likes whiskey and beer

Chupamos en Espanol

So we woke up. Desayuno was great. Pineapple and tea and two pankcakes. Flora is perfect. A very sweet grandmother. We got to sleep in today because of everyone's plans were able to do so. Breakfast was at 8 instead of 6. After we got ready, Andrea (one of the girls) took us into town via public bus. She showed us the stops and the price and how to get back. After we got into town, michaela and I went to the program's place to figure out our plans until we leave. Tomorrow we are going to this dog thing in the mountains. It's filled with over 900 stray dogs. We are going to collapse or cry because we love dogs so much. We also got a trip planned for satruday, going to parque nacional Manuel Antonio. The rainforest is filled with monkeys and the beach is beautiful. I'm looking forward to that. We went to the out door market. It's like a bunch of stores open to the street, like a farmers market and European city center mixed. I got a blanket for myself. The picture below. My one souvenir and then some gifts for others. We plan on going back on Sunday. Orientation is at 2:30 on Monday so we get to sleep in again.

Things I've been wanting to tell you:

• I thought I was in Italy for a moment and said ciao to one of the grandkids instead of adios and now the kids say ciao to me or in front of me Hahahha
• Trying to talk to people takes both Michaela and I and we still cannot communicate properly 
• I tried a pastry called cacho I think and it was like an Italian bombalone 
• Michaela fed pigeons, it was so scary. Way too many. 
• Rain is super loud in this house and walls are super thin. There are a million people in their family
• Tap water is fine here.
• They drive with the bus door open
• We are in the Machismo culture, where all men are perverts basically. Google it.
  
• Graffiti is actually very beautiful in certain spots
• Conservative clothing is very important here. No shoulders or knees to be shown at work, in city center it's about the same. 
• I have high school musical stuck in my head, specifically "Bop to the Top" since the day we left Milwaukee 
• Flora (host grandmother) blends fruit for a juice every cena (dinner). Yesterday was guava or coconut and tonight's was cusa or cuza, a very sour fruit that looks like a lime.
• Chupamos en espanol. 
• They sell Cadbury here, not much but still
• In the artisan store (tourist souvenirs galore), the sellers pretty much attack you to get you into their little area of merchandise
• It's actually really expensive here, you have to bargain 
• I'm slowly starting to remember more Spanish. I took 4 years of it but that was 5 years ago. So I'm doing things online to refresh my memory and use it outside on the street. 

I had a little conversation with a little nina (girl). She was the cutest thing. I was braiding my hair in the room with the door open and I thought I heard someone so I looked behind and she was standing in the doorway watching me. I said hola and asked how she was doing. She said bien (good) and she said like she got excited that I could speak Spanish. I asked what her name was and I told her mine. I said mucho gusto (nice to meet you) and she ran off. Cutest little girl, had to have been like 5 or 6.

I looked up the fruit that we had for juice tonight. It's Cas:
"This small, green fruit (Psidium friedrichsthalianum) is known as Costa Rican guava or sour guava. A staple on Costa Rican tables, ripe cas is almost exclusively used for drinks, since its tart flavor, like a mix between lemon juice and white grapefruit, is usually too strong to eat plain."

9 Hours in San Jose

Flight was a total of 6 hours. We are exhausted. We had orientation as soon as we arrived and had to take a Spanish test. Turns out we suck at Spanish. Really bad. I last practiced in early high school. I can pick up some words and I can communicate with words rather than sentences but overall, it's going to be super difficult. Our driver and host family do not speak any English. I did get across that I am a vegetarian very well. The grandmother is crazy amazing. There a are three other American girls in this families home as well so we got a background about the program and the host family. The grandmother apparently gets paid $10 for each person which is really low. And she does so much, dinner was amazing and apparently breakfast is to die for. Dinner tonight was soooooo good, I have no idea what it was but it was damn good.

Money here is weird. For one American dollar is 531 colons. So if something costed 8,000 colons...we are really paying 16$. Because you multiply it by 2 and remove three zeros off the end. The shower is complicated apparently but I just took one and it was fine. There is a motor to heat up the water and the lower the water pressure, the more warm it is. And you cannot flush your toilet paper, or else. Then Michaela and I got split, I'm with two girls and she's with one (the one that knows both Spanish and English). I'm on top of a bunk bed. I sprayed myself with bug spray so I won't get bit. Breakfast is at 7am but the girls say it's actually more like 6am.

Our schedule is 9am to noon and we will work in an orphanage. We plan on going to a mountain that has a dog park. The park is filled with dogs. Hundreds. We'll go on Saturday because they are only open at 9am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday's. It's more like a humane society, just filled with stray dogs. Next Saturday we are thinking to pay for a trip to either the rainforest or an island or the volcano. The one that is most active. The taxi driver told us that ash is occasionally in the air because it erupts often.

Also the host family is large. Nine grandchildren and a dog with the grandma and grandpa. They seem super nice. I wish I knew more Spanish. Michaela and I don't plan on taking the classes because they cost money but we are just going to study phrases and words and try to catch on. Overall San Jose seems sketchy but has a character to it. I don't know but I feel a little uncomfortable but if we figure out the bus system and how to order a taxi, and where the home is exactly compared to city center and the program's place then I think I'll feel a whole lot better. Guatemala is apparently more developed so that'll be good. Mexico's volunteer house is where I'll stay, I guess it's not through the IVHQ program like Costa Rica and Guatemala. I get a bunk bed with everyone else and a kitchen and a pool. Looking at the calendar makes me home sick already though. I don't know but the experience is what matters. I'm going to bed. I'll update you when I can.

Also mountains are gorgeous because of the clouds. So many clouds. It's rain season. Seems like from what I hear, it's always rain season. It's going to storm everyday. The girls say there is sun in the morning for a little bit.