Fireworks in Antigua

July 25th is an important holiday in Antigua, as it is the feast day for Antigua's patron saint. I don't know anything about this saint or what it means but they do have a weekend long celebration with parades, bands and outdoor concerts. All of these were quite pleasant, but what I found most exciting were the fireworks.

Not surprisingly, safety standards here are different than they are in the States. The rockets were shot from a spot no more than twenty feet from the crowd and often rained multicolored sparks on the folks below. I myself got bonked on the head by the cardboard remnants of one rocket (or perhaps someone threw a rock at me – not sure). In addition to skyrockets, there is a fellow who runs around on the ground with fireworks shooting out of a contraction on his back. Basically, it looks he's humping around a burning doghouse. Lights flare out in all directions as he runs around. Sometimes he zig zags through the crowd forcing people to scatter. I asked a local about this, who acknowledged that such a practice was dangerous but that you simply had to get out of the way. She did offer that small children might be ill equipped to dodge stray rockets.

Antigua

Folks say that Antigua is a very European looking city and Agnes and I would have to agree. The central part of the city lays out in a grid and all the streets are cobblestone. There are also a bunch of old municipal and church buildings dating back to colonial times. The Central Park in the middle of the city was once the focal point of social, religious and municipal activity in the city. The park is flanked on three sides by large colonial buildings, a cathedral, city hall, and the former residence of some Spanish captain or something. Restaurants and bars catering to tourists face the Park on the remaining side. The orientation of the buildings reminds me somewhat of civic center in San Francisco, where City Hall, the Federal Building, the Bill Graham, and Asian Art Museum surround the central plaza. However, several features conspire to make Antigua's Central Park more inviting than it's SF counterpart. In a nutshell, this area has been designed to invite people to stroll and linger. The buildings are shorter, which helps, but the design of the park, with it's generous tree canopies, benches and fountains draw folks inward and invite them to linger. What I've never understood about San Francisco is why the branches of the olive trees are trimmed in the Plaza (The ones by City Hall are trimmed so that the building's gold leaf show through). One thing you can say about San Francisco's civic center is that people (when they're present) almost look out of place, whereas Antigua's central Park would seem odd without them.

Antigua is a very quaint, walkable city. While the sidewalks are very narrow, forcing groups to stroll single file down the street, the auto traffic moves slowly enough so that you never feel like someone's going to crash into you. All the streets are cobblestone and it seems like the rocks have been deliberately cobbled together in a fashion to make vehicular traffic bumpy and uncomfortable. In addition, the streets are very narrow, sometimes no more than around 13 or 14 feet in width. As a result, everyone drives very slowly. Traffic control consists of stop signs plastered to building walls and these large cement structures that jut out of the street. If you're driving fast at night on one of Antugua's darkened streets, you may well wrap yourself around one of these things if you're not careful.

Our Shower

I do not know about hot water delivery systems generally in Guatemala, but in our house, there is no water heater. Instead, the shower has been rigged with an electric device that warms the water almost instantaneously when you turn on the faucet. A water heater is not needed, and I imagine that saves quite a bit of energy. But the device used in our house requires an electrical line directly into the device, which is attached to the shower head. Three naked wires dangle from the heater and worm their way into the wall. I've always been taught that water and electricity don't mix, but I suppose this is what you do if you don't have a gas water heater. I don't know if many people electrocute themselves when showering with these devices, but our housemate Ryan, indicates that he has been shocked when turning off the water after showering. Though it appears to be a problem when he's taken a long shower and water has accumulated up to his ankles. Perhaps the shock is a reminder that we should keep our baths short.

Dogs in Antigua

Our host family has two small dogs no larger than our cat Marbles. And another place I visited also has some small dogs. But many people have much larger dogs. And unlike in San Francisco, where people leash their pets and collect their poop, these dogs run around the city free and unfettered sans owner. While it may not seem that strange, it is in fact an oddly unnerving experience to encounter some of these dogs. And since I don't often meet dogs without their owners, I don't spend much time reading their minds or even thinking about what they may be thinking. Most pets I see running around in the SF appear happy with the opportunity to play and relieve themselves outside. They are idle pets of leisure.

The street walking dogs of Antugua have purpose. I have yet to discern that purpose, but most of them look like they're on their way to work: tails low, sunken eyes staring straight ahead (though they seem to navigate auto traffic well with a quick glance) and proceeding to a known destination with a modest gait. They're scruffy; some show battle scars and many are missing fur (and need a bath). They don't stop to be pet and pay people little attention other than to walk around them. What makes these dogs seem sometimes dangerous is that many of them travel in small packs of three or four, and appear willing and able to defend their territory. The other day, Agnes and I were walking down a street a block away from our current home, when barking erupted between two canine packs. Nothing came of it, but can give you the weebie jeebies to be walking down a narrow street alone except for eight to ten dogs who are announcing their intention to engage in battle (The street on which this occurred is called the “spooky street” by other students in our house, not because of the dog gangs but because someone else got mugged the night before we came).

There appear to be at least three groups of dogs roaming the streets: wild street dogs that have been abandoned, dogs with loving owners who don't feed them, and regular pets who are free to roam until they are hungry and return home for dinner. I'm told that most pets don't associate with the street dogs. When all is said and done, I'm sure the dog situation is fine here. The roving dog packs don't seem to bother the locals, so I'll reserve judgment until I can learn more about them.

As a side note, I read that a while back, grassroots reform organizations in the 60's and 70's pasted slogans on stray dogs to broadcast their message (previously, they would spray paint the hides of cows but unsympathetic landowners would then slaughter the painted cows.)

HOME IN ANTIGUA

Travel can be rewarding in so many ways. Experiences foreign and unavailable present themselves on a daily basis. Some of them are educational and rewarding, seeds that flourish into new ways of seeing the world and living within it. For the curious mind, being somewhere new is like visiting Disneyland, albeit less predictable. But while serious people may come away from their experiences away from home changed, whether it be from meeting new people, being physically or spiritually challenged, or by viewing their own culture and existence through a foreign prism, it's the little things that make being away so amusing. So while you may come back different in some nebulous, deep seated way, it's the daily oddities you encounter when you leave town that make travel so amusing, at least for me. So while it's possible, Agnes and I will wax philosophical in future Blog entries (or not), this seems a forum better suited to deliver snippets about the little shit that you might find amusing (like the whole Travolta/Holland/mayo/french fry thing).

Agnes and I are staying in a house in the northwest corner of Antigua. Like most structures in Antigua, it's a U-shaped house, whose front facade sits directly on the sidewalk without any setbacks. The center of the house is a patio that doubles as a parking spot. Our lodging is spartan but comfortable. We're still in a sort of break in period as it relates to the bathrooms. These are across the patio/driveway from our room. The food is good. All manner of rice, beans and vegetables. Every once in a while, we get a piece of meat. Such a description doesn't do justice to the cook's skills, as all our meals have been quite tasty. But I am afraid that we'll get sick of it at some point. Sometimes, we get something prepared that looks like meat but it will actually be a fried banana or a bunch of veggies mashed together.

Hola Guatamala

Click the following link to view our photos (still trying to figure out how to embed it)
http://picasaweb.google.es/agnestoan/Antigua

(I have updated this entry with some of the different foods and drinks we have tried)

In Wilson´s upcoming blog entry, he will detail how we´ve settled into our new home in Antigua, Guatamala, with our new family and more on our experiences. In short, we´ve enjoyed our first five or so days in Antigua and are getting acquainted with the "lay of the land" and soaking in the culture and experience.

I wanted to share some quick observations, differences I (Agnes) have experienced in the last five days. But first, I wanted to detail some of the different foods / drinks we've tried:

* A ball of tamarind wrapped w sugar. VERY sweet and definitely too sweet to finish. Even one of the locals, my instructor, was unable to finish one.

* Corn flakes. Well I couldn't eat it since I can't drink milk but Wilson had it. Box looks exactly the same as the US, and from what I understand, tastes exactly the same.

* Pan (bread). Guatamala has a great variety of breads to choose from. Most of them are a bit sweet and they come in all shapes and sizes (for the kid in you).

* Gallo - a local beer in Antigua similar to Budweiser in the States. Dorado is the other one. But ironically, one of the brazilan beers was cheaper than the two local beers. Beer can cost from $1.50 to $2 something. The tourist places and ones with more atmosphere definitely charge more.

* Cubre de Libre – this is always the cheapest drink on the menu. It is a local rum and (flat) coke with a lime. You can buy one for about a dollar.

* A typical Guatamalan tamale. The maiz (corn) was definitely softer than the typical maiz in the states. It was soaked with cheese, sauce and two pieces of chicken.

* Tortilla with queso (cheese) and pineapple, topped with a tangy cabbage. Delicious.

* Coffee. I understand Guatamala is known for its coffee and now I know why. Just a little gives a mouthful of flavor. The flavor is strong and bold and just yummy. Not sure how else to describe it.

* Frijoles (beans). We've tried every variation of black beans from refried (it literally looked like a nice brownie; I was a bit disappointed when I found it it wasn't) to whole beans to pinto beans. Great for the digestion!

* Cookie. I had this yellow cookie with jelly in the middle. Although I thought I was trying a typical Guatamalan cookie, it was exactly the same as an almond cookie with jelly, rather than an almond, in the center. At least it tasted familiar.

* Fresh pineapple and orange juice. These juices are totally fresh and then blended just for a smoothie-like texture. It was by-far one of the best fruit juices we've ever had.

Now onto the observations:

* I´m sure many of you have seen this but one of the things we´ve noticed almost immediately is the sense of balance many of the women have in this city. What I mean is that you´ll see many Guatamalan woman with this special talent to balance large baskets of goods on their head (see photo). Wilson wants to learn before we leave. It´ll be interesting to how he does.

* Women work very hard (all day) with household chores especially when it comes to cooking and cleaning: http://www.ifad.org/gender/learning/project/part/gt_5_2.htm. Our house mom, Hilda, cooks all three meals for the nine students in the house, including her extended family, and also helps her workers clean. She is always doing something around the house when I see her.

* The air here is extremely polluted. When a ´chicken´ bus goes by you can see the black cloud of smoke it leaves behind (yuck). I take for granted the good air quality we have in the US. I can safely assume there are no strict regulations for air quality control. And with a lingering cough that I have not quite gotten rid of, I can´t seem to shake off the cough.

* Parents raise their kids much different here than in the US (at least from recent observations). Several days back, we were in a restaurant where a 9-year old was waiting on our large table. In addition to taking our order, she was taking care of her 3-year old sister. She will, obviously, have no problem finding a job when she gets older with her early waiting experience. Parents are also less concerned (or paranoid) with the safety of their kids. Kids can run around and play in front of a restaurant or house during the day and at night. And just yesterday (Monday), I noticed two girls, no older than 8 and 11, running a little store that sold Guatamalan goods. Amazing.

* There are a number of dogs roaming the streets (typically in 2 or 3s) looking for food. According to our house mom, many owners have dogs but since they are too poor to buy food for the perros (dogs), they let the dogs run around on the street to fend for themselves (see photo of scraggly dog; could not get photo of its partner)

* I am having a heck of a time with these espanol keyboards. Many of the symbols are located in different areas of the keyboard. As a make-shift, I am copying various symbols from MSFT and pasting it in.

* Last but not least, and maybe less related to the differences and observations, I´ve realized my spanish is AWFUL. I use to tell people who asked if I spoke spanish that I speak ¨un poco,¨ which means a little. But I´ve noticed since my arrival, I speak nada (none). I have memorized certain phrases and words but when it comes to forming grammatically correct sentences, I can´t do it. Oh well. That´s why we are taking four hours of spanish a day.

That is it for today.

Hasta pronto!

Travel Tips

Before embarking upon our trip and blogging about our future (mis)adventures, we thought it would be helpful to list some of the useful nuggets we've acquired in preparation for our time away. While some of these may seem rather pedestrian, they may prove far more helpful to the general traveller than say, descriptions of sea iguanas or missives about Guatemalan cuisine.

While I (Wilson) have been known to offer copious amounts of unsolicited advice, much of it going unheeded, I really think some of this is really quite helpful and I wish I'd been aware of it on previous trips abroad.

Firstly, I'd always assumed those pesky foreign transaction costs charged by banks and credit cards for international use were unavoidable nuisances. I now know this is not so. The usual credit cards I use from Citibank and BofA charge a 3% foreign transaction fee for purchases abroad, while my usual ATM card charges $5.00 plus 1% for use of ATMs outside the US. Even AMEX charges 1% for foreign purchases. While this doesn't sound like much, it can add up over time. I now know that Capital One credit cards do not charge any foreign transaction fee (Discover Card doesn't either - but who accepts Discover?). While I've always enjoyed Capital One commercials (I'm a big fan of college mascots and rampaging Goths), I can't believe they don't market this feature. Also, Etrade Bank allows use of foreign ATMs without any service charges (other than those imposed by the foreign bank). I imagine many banks without extensive ATM networks may have similar programs.

Another happy discovery was something called a Hash Pass. Agnes and I will have to manage many of our accounts and payments remotely by using public internet cafes and the like. So obviously security is a big concern since any one of these could be using a host of key loggers or screenshot loggers to nab our passwords. Hash Pass is a program that generates a password based off a series of keystrokes and moused in code typed into the program. You then paste the resulting code (which are blacked out) into the appropriate location before logging on. The resulting password can be up to 128 characters long. You need to change all your passwords to match the one created by the program, hopefully from home. You can then transfer the program onto a USB key and use it to log onto your sensitive sites. Since your actual password is never typed in and never shows up on the computer, there is no way for key loggers or screenshot loggers to snatch your passwords. Hash Pass can be found here:

http://www.sharewareconnection.com/hashpass.htm

I believe it is a $10 program.

I originally thought that I might be able to manage our accounts on an iphone, thinking erroneously that the Global Data plan offered by AT&T would suffice. However, this plan is designed primarily for use in Europe. And the plan is not valid in most Latin American countries so downloading web pages could be incredibly expensive. For instance, at the $.02/kb rate, my one week's worth of browsing in Germany would have cost $900 in Central America (equal to one month's worth of Spanish tutoring, including room and board).

In prepping for the trip, we have also discovered two helpful airline websites, kayak.com and vayama.com. I imagine a lot of folks have heard of kayak. It's one of those sites that fetches airline ticket prices from a bunch of other sources (orbitz, expedia, priceline, etc.). Vayama, which can also can be included in the kayak search, is a site devoted to international travel only. It offers cheaper fares I suspect by buying buckets of discounted tickets from the airlines in advance. I don't know if it will always provide the best fares, but I do know that our initial flight to Guatemala on United was $420 on Vayama, and close to $600 on orbitz and on the United website. It's worth checking out next time you need a ticket out of the US.

Last but not least, I have to offer something unrelated to travel: if you've never had chicken pox, get vaccinated. Getting chicken pox as an adult was one of the most miserable (avoidable) experiences of my life.

I hope the above is useful.

Spanglish

After my last lesson is espanol today, I realized I am NOT a master in languages. I grew up speaking Chinglish (chinese and english) and noticed today in my last spanish lesson that I, too, was speaking a hybrid language, Spanglish. My tutor kept telling me to please speak to him in Spanish...I'm sure I'll adapt after next week, when no one around me other than my husband speaks to me in English.

I'm sad about our cat also. We will leave her for six months to our friend eDubbs. eDubbs will be a great 'mother' to her but I'll miss her. Marbles is like a kid to us, although in cat age she's about 50 years old or so (7 years times 7 years in cat years).

Wilson and I tried a new restaurant tonight, Pesce. Good, fairly expensive seafood. We originally wanted to go to Nick's Crispy Tacos in Russian Hill but unfortunately it was $2 Tuesday tacos so the line to the taco stand was 20 + people. We'd have much rather paid more money for the tacos than to have stood in such a huge line. But since the restaurant is attached to Rouge, a lounge that was also having Happy Hour ($2 beers, martinis, margaritas), it's a great combo for the young-at-heart-happy-hour-San-Franciscans: cheap alcohol and cheap tacos.

Anyway, as I mentioned in my last blog, my first day of unemployment (today) has been excellent. Can't wait to experience my next 180 plus days of unemployment. I guess it's not too hard to get use to. I'm finally getting giddy about leaving the country. I've been in 'ah' about doing this 6-month journey since Wilson and I have talked about it for nearly 2 years now and I can't believe it's finally happening.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates. Oh! And I bought a book on Columbia today and a book on Spanish Verbs. 20 percent off as a Borders member! So you guessed it...our $20 book is going to inspire us to visit Columbia!

Buenas Noches Amigos!

8 days and counting...

8 more days until we are on a plane to Antigua, Guatemala.

My last day at work was yesterday. It was a sad day since I knew I'd miss all my friends and co-workers I was use to seeing 8+ hours a day. And then there's today...it wasn't as bad as I thought. It's interesting how there really is a life outside of work. I saw my friend and former co-worker Karen. She's doing good and looks extremely relaxed. I also saw my optometrist one last time before leaving. She is monitoring my 'dry eyes' from my (not so) recent LASIK surgery in May.

Today was also my first day without a cell phone. Not sure how we use to do it just 10 years ago. I am using a paper planner (don't laugh, please) and am absolutely disconnected from mobile email and SMS. I think my fingers are twitching from no SMS'ing or "Blackberrying." It's really weird. I'll have to get use it. I hope my "GO" phone comes today (although it's 2 p.m. now and I still have not received it).

I will take my last Espanol class today from Adan. He's a good instructor for conversation. I'll need to start memorizing my verb conjugations also. I think that'll be the toughest part of learning the language.

We'll also need to start packing. We need to fit 6-months of our lives into one rolly-backpack. Wish us luck!

That's it for my first day out of work. Hasta!