It was the best of days...

What are the significance of bad days, if not to improve on them.



Since Sunday felt like the worst day...ever, things could only get better. Monday I flew into Guatemala City and met up with Sasha. I was so happy to see her! Traveling alone had been so much fun, but I was excited to have a good friend with me. That night we took an 8 hour bus ride to Flores, Guatemala. We arrived at 5:30 in the morning. Dazed and exhausted from the night bus ride, we sat for breakfast and watched the sunrise. It was beautiful. Flores is on a lake, and at that hour the world felt still. At 6:30 we walked towards the dock, where we were suppose to meet ¨Cush,¨ who would take us to San Andres. As we approached the dock, a man in his mid-sixties walked towards us. He was wearing cut off jean shorts, that were too big for him, had on a dirty tshirt, and was not wearing shoes. He smiled a toothless grin and looked at Sasha and I expectantly. It took me a moment to realize, that this was Cush. The director of the school was with Cush but stood a little closer to the dock, and I didn¨t see him immediately. After we
introduced ourselves, we climbed onto a small boat and road across the glassy lake, while the sun rose behind us. During the trip I couldn¨t help but look back and Cush, and wonder a little about his life. I assumed that he was probably destitude and perhaps a little crazy. On the way, the director asked Sasha and I all sorts of questions, including if we were religous, to which Sasha and I responded yes, we were Mormon. The director informed us that Cush¨s wife was also Mormon, and then proceeded to ask Cush if Sasha and I could stay with him, because we had planned a home stay. He graciously said yes, and smiled at us. Needless to say, I was a little
nervous.

Once we arranged everything at the school, Cush, Sasha and I walked down towards Cush¨s house. Upon arriving we met his beautiful 14 year old daughter and we shown his home. He proudly showed Sasha and I photos of his family and then took us to our room. Both of us were anxious to sleep, because we slept so poorly on the bus. No sooner had we layed down, Dalia,
Cush¨s wife got home and was interested in talking to Sasha and me. We stumbled through introductions and questions in Spanish. I was surpirsed how much both of us could communicate. We sat and looked at photos, and listened to stories of other students that had stayed with Cush and Dalia. They have hosted students for the last 13 years. Dalia and Cush were excited to show us photos of all their children. Dalia and Cush are so wonderful and gracious. It is interesting to see how assumptions change.

With little energy left, Sasha and I went to our room to try to sleep. We were out in a matter of minutes. At 1 we awoke for the most fantastic lunch and headed to school for an evening of studying. Again, I was surprised at how much I could communicate with my teacher, Helga.

In the evening we walked to Cush and Dalia¨s casita, an outdoor kitchen right on the lake. The air was cooling off, and the night was absolutely beautiful. I am so glad to be here!