Aren’t these adorable?!? I have to thank my wonderful friend/awesome wedding coordinator, Andi, for putting these together. She’s simply amazing. And so are the things she creates. Planning this wedding without her would leave this Bride-to-be utterly lost…
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Eduardo and I have set our wedding date as December 17, 2011. Only 55 short days from now. I’ve committed to doing/making most things myself and spending the least amount of money possible on the wedding due to the fact that simply getting Eduardo here and kepping him here will end up costing us upwards [...]
Enter: Super-busy Wedding Planning Mode. In the mean-time, here’s our wedding website: http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MagenGunter&EduardoIbate Be Back Soon
The last two weeks have been a whirl-wind of news for Eduardo and I. Good News. Here’s a run-down: September 7: Received an email from USCIS saying that our I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiance, has been APPROVED! Hard copy was mailed on the 2nd. (We were approved only 100 days after receiving our NOA1. That’s [...]
After a few layers of Krylon’s Blue Ocean Breeze spray paint and two rolls of brown ribbon (with wire) from Wal-mart, meet my new, revamped lamp! I LOVE it and it looks wonderful in my bedroom! I Love DIY Projects
“It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the [...]
I think it’s safe to say that all the plans I had made for my life, up until now, are forever changed. I like to make plans. That’s who I am. They make me feel better. They help me give my life predictability in a chaotic, unpredictable world. Roughly, this is how I had planned [...]
Today, I want to tell you how I came to know my sweet amiga, Lourdes. Lourdes is the cleaning lady where I work. She looks hispanic and any doubts about that are confirmed when she opens her mouth and speaks in her heavily accented English. When I started this job, I wanted so bad to [...]
2 Things I’ve Learned Since Being Back: #1: Long distance relationships are terribly hard. And, for me, it’s mostly because I hate seeing Eduardo hurt and knowing that I can’t be there just to hug him and tell him it will all be ok. I can tell him that from 1,500 miles away but I [...]
So I’ve been back in the states almost 2 months now. And life is definitely different… but I am glad to be back. And even though I still think about Guatemala everyday and still talk with my students, I am now even more sure that I made the right decision to come back. Luckily, I [...]
Hm… there are just no words to describe how much I am going to miss this man. Eduardo took me fishing this morning at the lake. It was so much fun. And the perfect way to start our last day together. There was so much going on at the lake but we were able to [...]
Well, the chisme seems to be out. After 1 year in Guatemala, I have decided to call Peace Corps ‘Mission Almost Accomplished.’ If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know that I have been sick more times than I can count since I got here. At home, I have [...]
So I finally moved into my new place. It’s not much, but it’s home for now. Here are some pics! A little unpacking left to do… Front Door and sink. My bed. That could also function as a life-saving device in case of flood. In front of my bed. Charlie hiding while looking at the [...]
The Greek word “apnea” literally means “without breath.” “Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain — and the rest of the body — may not get [...]
Current Frustration: Meetings at the Peace Corps office. They went on and on during training about the importance of staying in site as to make sure we have enough time to get all of our work done. But right now I feel like Peace Corps is getting in the way of me doing my job [...]
Just a little story for you today. Yesterday, my site-mate, Carolyn, and my novio, Eduardo, went to to Panajachel for lunch. Afterward, Carolyn and I decided to get ice-cream and walk down Santander (the street that leads to the lake). I’ve been wanting to buy a notebook cover (made of the traditional fabric that the [...]
I did an activity a few weeks ago with Primero Basico (7th grade) kids for a self-esteem charla. I told them to write ten sentences starting with the word “Soy…” (I am…) and finish it with 10 positive things about themselves. And just for fun, I’ll share my own list with you: 1. I am [...]
It’s a rainy, very cold, Sunday night here in Sololá and I’m sitting in my nice, warm bed watching the Oscars. I even made popcorn for the occasion. Too bad Charlie won’t keep his furry little nose out of my bowl! To be honest, I haven’t seen but maybe 2 of the movies nominated for [...]
Well, here it is, 2:31am in Guatemala and I am still awake. Well, I went to bed around 9:30 but was abrubtly awakened by a text at 11:47pm and I haven’t been able to go back to sleep. I tried listening to the ipod, boring myself on Facebook, catching up on blogs… and nothing is working. [...]
So today was a little better. I was supposed to teach an English class today but that didn’t happen. I went to the office and knocked on the door and tried to call the director to get the mentors number, but to no avail. So I came back home… and made cookies. I didn’t have [...]
Sometimes, you just get tired of being the Happy Volunteer focused on integrating into the community and you just hate absolutely everything about the foreign country you find yourself in. Today was that day for me. I just needed a day to be mad at Guatemala for failing in so many ways and to be [...]
Life has been crazy lately. Last week was my first real week of work for the New Year and it was work. I visited my schools (well, 2 of them) and made plans which I am beginning to carry out this week! (One of my schools is proving difficult to get nailed down to some [...]
So, the cold still hasn’t gone away and I’m off to the Capital to see the Pulmonologist tomorrow. Oh happy day. Another trip to the Capital to see Another Doctor. But hopefully this time we can figure out this dreadful cough! And the blood-pressure thing is better. The monitor that I had to wear last [...]
Hello All! I hope you are having a great Wednesday! It is quite a beautiful day here in Sololá… I wish I could catch the Sunshine in a jar and share it with all of you! Anyway, I have a little time this afternoon so I thought I would share a little update… Saturday, Sergio [...]
So this has been my last week of vacation before I head back to work. Hopefully next week I will be able to sit down with my directors and the teachers I will be working with and make some clear plans at least for the first few Charlas. I’m really excited about getting back and [...]
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow. Crunchy numbers A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 9,300 times in 2010. That’s about 22 full 747s. In [...]
Quiero creer que voy a mirar este nuevo año como si fuese la primera vez que desfilan 365 días ante mis ojos. Que veré a las personas que me rodean con sorpresa y asombro, alegre por descubrir que están a mi lado compartiendo una cosa llamada amor, una cosa de la que se hable mucho [...]
Si prestaste oídos a tu corazón antes de ponerte en movimiento, escogiste sin duda el buen camino. Es en el trabajo con entusiasmo donde están la puerta al paraíso, el amor que transforma, la elección que nos lleve hasta Dios. Existe un momento para entender las cosas: cuando intentamos cambiarlas. No siempre lo conseguimos, pero [...]
So last weekend, my site-mate, Sergio, and I went to the beach in a place called Livingston to celebrate his birthday. It took 12 hours of traveling to get there but we finally made it and we had a blast. Livingston is like a different world compared to the Guatemala I have come to known [...]
So, you may or may not have known that I am currently home in the US visiting family. I’ve been home a little over a week and have enjoyed every minute of it… of being Normal again! The week before I came home, we had Reconnect – a meeting where we all get back together [...]
So Monday my site-mate, Leah, and I went to Sumpango for the Annual Kite Festival. Of course this was my first time and I was blown away… Obviously, it was a lot of fun. And really not too much more going on here. Schools are out for the year and I’m trying to [...]
So my first experience in a Guatemalan Hospital, here’s what happened… Last Saturday, I went with my site-mate Sergio to a birthday party in the middle of nowhere Guatemala where I got to see a chicken cut up right in front of me while watching TV (not terribly relevant to the hospital story, but worth [...]
‘The true servants of the Most Merciful are those who behave gently and with humility on earth, and whenever the foolish quarrel with them, they reply with [words of] peace.’ al-Furqan 25: 63 “Do not let your hatred of a people incite you to aggression.” Al-Ma’idah 5:2 I meant to publish this on September 11th [...]
So, just a few things from this week. First, this week started out really bad. I won’t go into details but Tuesday consisted of me laying in bed all day telling my mom I just wanted to come home. She, being the wonderful mom she is, told me that I could of course I could [...]
So things in Guatemala have been ho-hum lately. Kelsey, another PCV came in to visit me this weekend and we had a great time. These are some of the pictures I stole from her. We spent Friday morning in the market in my Site, which is huge on Fridays and she found some cool beads [...]
So, it was bound to happen right? 8 weeks after arriving in site, I meet a boy. Now, I’ve met many boys since arriving in site, but none that I would label boyfriend material. I was getting pretty accustomed to saying that “Un hombre bueno es difícil de encontrar aquí…” (a good guy is hard [...]
On Saturday, the President of Guatemala, Alvaro Colom, declared a State of Emergency for this little country. If you don’t know what’s been going on, the next few articles will help you out. I am very thankful that I have not been really affected by the rains and mudslides but many have not been as fortunate. It [...]
So the last few weeks have been busy and boring all at the same time. The last two weeks, I have two different spanish teachers in from Peace Corps (the first week 1 teacher, and the next week another teacher). I’ve had to get up at 8am each morning to meet her in the park [...]
So, what have I been doing lately? Well, last Tuesday and Wednesday, I went to my largest school. Tuesday, when I got to the school, I couldn’t find any of my teachers. So I waited around in the hallway for a bit until the nice cleaning lady told me that they were all in the [...]
My First Birthday here in Guatemala was a lot of fun. I have to admit, I didn’t have high hopes but it really ended up being a great day. My mom called me bright and early yesterday morning and sang me happy birthday. Loved it. Later, I had to go to one of my schools. [...]
I spent yesterday at my smallest school in a little Aldea about 20 minutes outside my town. I headed towards the pick-up stop to this Aldea around 12:15. When I got there, there was a pick-up getting ready to leave but it was ridiculously full to the point jovenes were standing on the bumper and [...]
My second day at my Biggest School was just as interesting as the first. So I showed up around 10 this morning since I found out yesterday that’s when classes are supposed to start. I walked in the front door to the offices and ran into the lady I was talking with yesterday who told [...]
So, my judgment yesterday about the EFA being the school that seems least receptive to my work… yeah, that was completely wrong. So much for snap judgments! I woke up bright and early at 6:15 this morning. I got to the park around 7:45 to catch a taxi to the school. I got there about [...]
Because I know there’s nothing you want to know more that what I do everyday, here is what my Monday looked like. I woke up at 7:30 this morning. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because I go to bed ridiculously early, maybe not. I went to the Dispensa a little later, mostly to get my [...]
So, it’s a ridiculously gorgeous day here in My Site. Sun shining, birds singing, and the volcanos looking as majestic as ever. My plan for today (since I’ve done nothing the past two days) was to go to my smallest school and do my second day of observations. However, I’m not feeling so well. I’ve [...]
So I spent my first day observing at the Basico today. I decided I would get more out of staying with one class the whole day so I could observe if there were any differences in the students behavior with the different teachers. I actually worked out well because after I had been there for [...]
So today was a good day. If I’m being honest, these last few days in site have been a little bumpy for me. My first night here was Saturday. My counterpart met me and brought me to my house, but then she left… and I was alone. I had my first “I-don’t-know-if-I-can-do-this” thoughts. That night [...]
Finally got moved into my new house. I got here yesterday but had to walk to my new house in the rain so I was soaked when I finally got here and just took the afternoon/night to rest. This morning I woke up bright and early and went to the Dispensa (grocery-store type thing…) and [...]
So I got back from my site visit yesterday. I really think I am going to like My Site. It looks a lot different than I had originally imaged, it’s a lot bigger then I thought it was going to be. My CTA is awesome though. She does talk a lot though so that makes [...]
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