by Keli Shipley
Intern at Porch de Salomon, Guatemala
"We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as
we speak." -Epictetus
Coming to Guatemala (a spanish speaking country) has really reminded me
that I have not taken Spanish since I was a junior in high school. Being
about four years ago, it would be an understatement to say that my
Spanish is rusty. Regarding the quote listed above, I realized how
important it is to focus on precisely what I intend to say. There are so
many more words in Spanish than there are in English. In English, we
use one word to mean many things. In Spanish, there are many more words
for each of the meanings (if that makes sense). While I may know a fair
amount of vocabulary, I am still not very good at forming sentences. The
great part is that the people of Pana are so understanding and help
with my Spanish rather than take advantage of my lack thereof knowledge.
Also, there are many visitors in Pana who do not know Spanish very
well, so it is comforting knowing that I am not alone in my quest to
improve my Spanish.
Today, my Spanish was put to the test when I was required to take a
"took-took" from the Monroe's house to the Porch. I needed to transport
everything that I brought with me to the porch and then move into "La
Primavera" which is the hotel I will be staying in for the next couple
of months. First of all, my communication with the driver of the took
took was poor, to say the least. He ended up taking me down the wrong
street and they only way I knew to direct him to the correct place was
saying that it was next to the "Pollo Campero" which recently opened in
Pana. As mentioned before, Pollo Campero is the fried chicken fast food
restaurant in Guatemala. Luckily, I eventually made it to the Porch.
At the Porch, there were some new faces. Lindsey, another intern who
goes to school in Wyoming, was there. Lloyd thought it would be
beneficial for us to meet and exchange numbers and we both joked that we
will be "best friends" automatically. It's nice having other volunteers
in the area that are around my age and speak English. While it's good
to practice my Spanish, it is relieving knowing that I can actually
speak one language and people can understand the first time haha. There
was also a woman named Christine. She has lived in Pana off and on for a
few years now and was very interesting to meet. And, as I may have
mentioned before, Estrella was there (the translator and massage
therapist). Estrella has a very "bubbly" personality and tells very
interesting stories, whether it be about her son or about the people she
gives massages to. Anyways, all of us, along with Melanie, enjoyed
lunch together which ended up lasting a couple of hours.
Then came the true task of the day:
moving into La Primavera. I
crossed the street from the porch to the hotel and spoke with the clerk.
We arranged an agreement to pay weekly (which will end up being under
$100 for the entire week). I somehow communicated that I was a volunteer
for porchdesalomon and needed a room for two months (luckily, Melanie
had spoken with the owner in advance). Everyone was very friendly and I
moved into my one bedroom/ one bathroom suite of sorts. It's just what I
needed, with an outlet that allows for 3-prongs (quick side note: I was
worried that I needed to find a converter or break off the grounding
prong on my laptop charger, so this was a big relief to both me and my
parents), and a window seat that looks out into the main street of Pana.
It's very clean and comfortable and was no problem moving in all of my
stuff today. While at La Primavera, I also met a local who was meeting
the owners of the hotel for lunch. He and I attempted speaking both
Spanish and English to one another and joked about how little each of us
knew about each other's languages. It's always comforting meeting the
locals and knowing that some of them struggle with English just as much
as I struggle with Spanish.
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| bedroom with
window seat |
 |
| beautiful
ceilings |
 |
| bathroom |
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| view from my
window |
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| before |
Side scary story: When I first got to my room, there was a lovely
little spider which greeted me in my sink. Yes, I have worked at or
attended summer camps all my life and yes, i am still terrified of
spiders. I figured I had three options: 1) leave it be and risk it
showing up in the shower with me 2) try to grab it with tissue and kill
it but risking it escaping and 3) turning on the sink and having it wash
down the drain. I chose option 4) throw my chaco at it in the sink.
After I threw my chaco, the spider quickly curled up. I then tried to
wash it down the drain, but forgot to open the drain. It then came back
to life and began to walk on water. I proceeded to scream and then run
out (away from the spider that was no bigger than my thumb...) and then
threw my shoe at it again. Yes, I knew I was being irrational, but that
didn't stop me from throwing my sandal into the sink haha. That was
easily the most terrified I have been since I've been in Guatemala and
seeing that it was due to a small, harmless spider, I'll take it haha.
Side
happy story: communication is easy down here & I was able
to Skype my parents, harper, and KJ... yes, there is high speed internet
down here.
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| after |
Tonight, Kristen and Joe (some other missionaries in Pana) invited me
over for dinner. Lena (one of the other interns who is staying with
Kristen & Joe) and Betty (a nurse) were there as well and it ended
up being a great dinner since there was great food and great
conversation along with it. We talked about all sorts of things from
travelling the country, what led us to Guatemala, and about the "chicken
subculture" and so on. Hours of conversation about all sorts of things.
I found myself talking a lot more than I have been just because it was
so comforting to speak in English. Tomorrow will be my first experience
in going to the other villages and working with some of the indigenous
people, which I am really looking forward to. Time to start waking up
early and being productive.
