Aside from work, there is a lot of other stuff going on.
Mig and I continue to work on our Spanish and we’ve started private salsa lessons too! It’s so cheap here – we pay less than $6/hour for private salsa and $3/hour for private Spanish. Can you believe that?
We signed up on the CouchSurfers website which links people who need places to stay with people who have places to stay! This week, a French couple have been staying with us. They are riding their bikes from Alaska to Argentina (over the course of 20 months) and are researching microfinance organizations on the way. We had a great time hearing all their stories this week! Here is their website (in French, English, and Spanish!) http://www.pladusol.org if you want to learn more about the trip!
Sara and Sebastian leaving our place. They will be riding through Gautemala for the next 4 days before they hit El Salvador!
This is as close as we'll get to biking the Americas!
Also, I have also applied to grad schools for non-profit administration programs and am impatiently awaiting the responses! I applied to UPenn, UMiami, John Carroll (Cleveland). I should have my answers back by the first week of April and then we’re going to make a decision. However, we’re looking at flying home mid-April no matter what to get ready for the wedding and so that I can work work work to save for school!
The economy in Guatemala is HORRIBLE right now as well as the rest of the world. You always hear about other countries being “tied” to the US economy, but seeing it is a different story. The biggest source of income for this country is money sent back from documented or undocumented immigrants in the states – so that has been cut tremendously. Tourism is another source of income, but many Americans aren’t traveling right now, so hotels, restaurants and tour agencies are struggling and shutting down. Basics, like corn and beans (which, for some families, are the only things they eat every day) are really expensive and many families simply can’t afford to eat anymore. Of course the economy is in the news, but there is a general sense of apathy about it here. There isn’t a whole lot the average person can do — except wait for what happens in the US….it’s unbelievable.
In the midst of all of this, we feel like we have so much to be thankful for: a good family, being born in a country with lots of opportunities (and good roads!), always having enough to eat, and being able to go on this incredible journey for the past year. It’s times like these that really put life into perspective. We are truly blessed!
