Surprise

Well, it has been a long weekend seeing as I went out to Huehuetenango to visit some of my other volunteer friends. Although I spent 3 hours on a bus to get out there it was worth it. The story of how this visit came about is pretty cute if I do say so myself. Early this week my friend Javi called me and suggested I come up to visit his department (Huehuetenango) to visit with him and other friends including one of my closest friends Kristin. The surprise to this visit is that we didn't tell Kristin I was coming. Her birthday is in May and we both have been going through some separation anxiety. I mean you get pretty close with your training town and the fact that mine is spread all over Guate (we are all in different departments) is really hard sometimes. Claire, Kristin, Brent, and I were really lucky to form some real friendships... We even bought matching bracelets. That's true love. Anyway, Operation Surprise Kristin began Friday when I left my site after doing some miscellaneous work in the morning and I began my 3 hour journey to Javi and Megan's site. I was excited about going on my trip for a number of reasons but one of my main goals was to actually travel somewhere in Guatemala by myself. Considering what has happened in the past few weeks and the fact that I sometimes feel vulnerable and scared I was really excited to tackle the mission of managing some camionetas alone (well I had the advice of my surprise planners). I successfully got the buses I needed to get me to the right place and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I even made some nice friends on the bus who advised me the best spots to get off and how much I should pay for my trip. I really regained some confidence and hope that this little adventure will help me to feel more comfortable. Anywho, after reuniting with Javi and Megan we went into Huehuetenango to wait for Kristin and her partner Damian to arrive. The irony of this situation is that everyone knew I was coming except Kristin. There was a fear that Damian might ruin the surprise by accident, which would have been a bummer. There was also the fact that Thursday Kristin was having second thoughts on coming into town on Friday. I had to convince her without giving away the surprise. It was really hard.

We awaited our guests in the Taco Mansion, which despite it's name is really delicious and obviously cheap. I was properly disguised (sunglasses and sweatshirt with hood) while Javi guarded the door so we would be ready for their arrival. When the moment of truth came I hid behind a corner while Javi greeted our guest and dropped something along the lines of "Hey Kristin. How's it going? I just wanted to tell you I got you an early birthday present. It just came in today." Kristin was thinking he ordered her tacos already so she was really shocked when I jumped out from the corner and yelled "Surprise!" It was such a great moment. It was so good to see her and to see the look of complete surprise on her face. There may have been a few tears; definitely some laughs and then some delicious tacos. The rest of Friday was spent passing the time and catching up. It is amazing how much you miss people and how great it is to see them and hear even the most minuscule details of their lives.

Saturday we went into Huehue again for a day at the local swimming pools with other volunteers. While walking to catch our bus, we ran into Claire. So 3/4 of our training town were reunited and it felt so good. We really were heart broken that Brent wasn't there but he was in spirit. The day was spent relaxing, chatting, and just enjoying the company of people that you may not have realized how much you care about and rely on. Saturday night we went out dancing for a little bit only to wake up this morning realizing that it was already time to say goodbye. I really enjoyed seeing some of my friends that I hadn't seen in a WHOLE MONTH!

It was nice to return home to my bed(which has the reverse of a valley... the middle of my bed is a hump that I have to sleep directly on top of otherwise it pushes me off -Besides the point but an interesting visual-). I was happy to return home and see my host family; which I should probably backtrack about. Thursday night the three of us had a very sweet conversation. They told me that they already consider me like a daughter and they are here to help me with anything. They said you have your family at home and your friends here but we are here to take care of you anytime you need it. We already accept you as part of the family and we want you to be happy. I really cannot describe in words how cute and sweet they are.

So all and all it was a wonderful weekend. I got to see good friends, talk with my family, even fit in a few skype dates with the home-front. I'm ready for another week who knows what it will include. Lots of love.