Traveling is not easy

The Nasman family likes to say that travel "is only glamorous in retrospect." The past 8 days have been anything but glamorous. I suffered through a bad cold, long uncomfortable bus rides, and in general, just plain bad luck.

My bus breaks down in the mountains between Guatemala City and Xela

Being sick is never fun but it is truly tough when traveling alone. I just didn't have the energy you need to enjoy the fun parts and the challenging parts of experiencing a new country.

I believe that good luck played a large part in my first 6 months in Central America. I got off the plane in June with only a vague plan and yet somehow found a terrific language school in Guatemala and an amazing community in Honduras with OYE and my job at Best American School. So perhaps karma is now evening things out a bit.

I lost a $100 bill somewhere on my first day in San Salvador. I wasted hours trying to navigate the convoluted bus system of the city, being sent to one place then another by my out-of-date guidebook and well-meaning people on the street. On Sunday, I planned on going to the beach. But with the El Salvador national elections being held that day, no buses were in service to the coast, a fact I discovered after searching all over town for the correct bus terminal. I then got on a bus whose driver promised to stop close to my hotel but continued to the furthest reaches of the city until I realized I should probably just get off and figure out where I was.

Leaving El Salvador for Guatemala, my bad luck continued. At the border stop, a money changer jipped me for about $20. Then my express bus to Quetzaltenango broke down in the mountains. After waiting half an hour, my fellow passengers and I flagged down a passing bus and I spent the rest of the journey reliving my chicken bus days (three to a seat in a decommissioned school bus)

I admit the past week put some doubts in my abilities as a backpacker. (I thought I was good at this!!) But you learn to take it in stride and remember that at least in retrospect, this will all seem glamorous.

3 hours, 1.5 liters of water, and 10 tortillas after we started, some friends and I scaled the tallest volcano in Quetzaltenango, Santa Maria. The peak is about 2 miles above sea level so we were all struggling to catch our breath and had to make several rest stops along the way. From the top we had amazing views of Xela, surrounding towns and mountains plus we watched as a live volcano nearbye erupted. Well worth the sore legs the next day.

My Guatefamilia

While I may have left behind my family in California (hi mom!) I was lucky enough to meet an amazing Guatefamilia here in Quetzaltenango. As part of my Spanish studies, I am living with a Guatemalan host family: Elyda, 30, Luis, 29 and their two kids, Ale, 10, and Luis, (above) 5.

In many ways, they are similar to a typical American family: Luisito loves to play soccer and videogames, Ale watches Disney channel religiously, while Ely and Luis give homework help, cook delicious meals and send the kids off to bed.

However with current economic conditions in Guatemala, my family, like others here, still struggles to pay the bills. The $40 per week that I pay for food and lodging is the main source of income. Luis, though very qualified, has trouble finding consistant work, while Ely stays home to care for the kids, cook, and take care of the house.

My Guatefamilia is well-off compared to others. They have a nice TV, stereo, computer, and a three story house (I share the top story with two other language students). But despite the nice things at home, my family can´t afford to go out to eat, see a movie, or take weekend trips.

At first, with my rusty Spanish, I felt like an outsider but now after two weeks I´m more like the American cousin. Ale and I watch ¨Patito Feo¨ together (on Disney Latino channel) and Luis, Luisito, me, and a group of neighborhood kids play fùtobol in the street every weekend. I still have a bit of trouble decifering Luisito´s spanish but otherwise I am right in the middle of the daily dinner table conversations.

Hasta luego!