Guatemala_Volleyball

We (meaning Hannah, the volley ball team at C.A.G. and I) had our first volleyball game  this morning. Actually we had our first two. And guess what, we won both. And by win I mean the other team beat themselves. We had a few good kills and some good serves but all in all, it was a first game style of play. I'm glad we were still able to win, but need to work getting some better kills. The team has talent, they just need to learn to settle down for the first part of the game. We played best of three sets and both games our second set were so much better then the first. I honestly don't remember the score to the first game, but the second was 25-20 (set one) and 25-5 or 6 (set two). So if we can work on playing like we do later in the game we should have a pretty good record. 


It was something of a mini tournament, we received trophies in all, but only a couple schools were represented. It was hosted by the Swiss American School in San Cristobal, so just up the street a little. They had ceremony representing something like that of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic. A member of the school was waiting as we arrived to lead us into the main court area where a lot of the activity was taking place. The people were clapping and welcoming, however, I think it was mainly for the Swiss American teams that were before and after us. Nevertheless, was still fun to walk in having people clapping, even if it was for some one else. 


After the Guatemala National Anthem and Swiss American school fight song, three different cheerleading squads took the floor. It should be noted that these squads were made up of young girls, like 7-10 I would say. The first young group of girls took the floor and Gwen Stefanin's Hollaback Girl comes on. And this is not the version you would hear on American radio stations. The whole C.A.G. team started cracking up. I think because most of them have some type of American culture, so seeing little kids cheering to lines like "my shit," all the while only singing that part of the song is comical. Perhaps it is all do the fact that C.A.G. is a christian school and curing is seen as characteristic christians do not do. But to those cheering and their parents, they either didn't know what they were saying or just did not bother them at all. The second and third songs produced pretty much the same results with different squads. An F bomb here some inappropriate verses there. I mean, I sure it's nothing they have not heard before, and the context for them is different, but for 7 to 10 year olds seems out of place. And were I would not allow it to be used if I were running the school, it was still funny.  

Guatemala_Fútbol

So I really wish I could play more soccer then I have here. I have by no means played a small amount, just wish I was playing more. Ever since joining a league in Oakhurst I have enjoyed more and more playing soccer. I really don't know what it is about the game that I'm drawn to, but I just feel really good when I'm playing (even when I do make bad pass, miss hit the ball or allow a goal, which is more often then not). Since being her I have been playing in three main place.

1. El Camino (The church I attend)

I have started helping out on Wed. and Friday afternoons tutoring some students from across the street. They are kids that need a little extra attention to grasp concepts and finish their homework. I work with Sam's cousin, Carlos, and his aunt Sarah. We have 2 to 6 kids each day and I use my limited knowledge of spanish to try and teach geometric shapes and the what infant and finite articles are. However after the tutoring session we usually have a little time to kick the ball around for 10 to 15 minuets (some time more if the wind closes the locked door with your keys in side). But this is a fun little field/court to play on. But it really does not play to my strength, which is speed, you can only go so far before hitting a wall. 

 

2. C.A.G. (Christian Academy of Guatemala)

Sam's brother, Alex, is the coach and athletic director at the school. So, up until the past week we have played pretty much every afternoon with the high school team. Their field is almost full size, I have come to find out, their are not a whole lot of regulation sized soccer fields. But this one is pretty close and most of it is in good condition. Right know is the dry season, so the ground is really hard. And when I say we play with the team, Sam helps Alex to coach and I try to learn as much as I can.  

3. I wish I new the name of this place (there is a large Gatorade sign painted on the entrance, so let's just call it that)
Every Sunday, Sam, Alex, and myself will head to the city to play under the lights. We play 8 vs. 8 on a shorted field. Take a normal field and instead of playing long ways, play the short way, that's the size. The field is turf, but it's not the soft stuff like at Granite Hills High School. The goals are smaller and the pace a little quicker. We play with some people from another church in Guatemala. They have been super supportive of me playing and I have not once felt like I was inferior due to lack of ball skills (well skills in general, there are lacking more then most). In fact it has been a very, very positive experience and something I look forward too every week. They (the other player I play with) started off by calling me Crouch. Peter Crouch is a talk, lanky, white striker for Tottenham. Thus, I was referred to as Crouch for the first month of play. Although recently they have been been just calling me Troy. But I scored a goal tonight. However, I did make a defensive mistake that allowed on in as well. So I guess it evens out. I really like coming to this place. We play for about one hour or an hour and a half depending on if their is a team after us. It's the best when we can play extra time because another team doesn't show. The place has a little food stand and nice places to watch the games.   

   

Guatemala_Even More Random Stuff.

We were having breakfast at a family friends house and the sister of our host arrived in this SWEET Land Rover. If I had to cruse the Jungle this is what I would do it in. And it's Diesel. 

Most all the homes here have what they call a "pila". The maids mainly use them. But they function as everything from a dish washer to a laundry machine. 

 The front gate of our neighborhood. It looks pleasant, but the speed bumps are killer. 

 Characterchers of President Obama are used to symbolize things that are American.

 Samuel Reyes reporting live.

 This was a little cavern in the volcano. As you can see, it gets hot enough to start things on fire. So don't fall in.

Guatemala_Some More Random Stuff

Saturday night we had Sam's cousin and his wife over for dinner. Pizza was the dinner of choice. While I was working at Emerald Cove Camp, every Friday night when the students were off campus the crew would congregate in the kitchen to make the most delicious pizzas. And  where this time I did not have the selection of ingredients or massive amounts of space to prepare such a meal, nor could the oven fit more then one pizza at a time. This Saturday night still reminded me of those fridays back at ECC. 

We had a great time making the whole meal, and it came out really well. Carlos and Sarah were a blast to have over.  

This is a guayaba. It's almost like a mini pear with a different taste but with the same texture as a pear. It's pretty small and does not provide a whole lot of eatable area to eat. Furthermore, it has a bunch of tiny seeds in the middle that I usually ended up bitting into. It doesn't taste bad, but probably wouldn't go out of my way to get one. 

Here in Guatemala you make do with what you have, and when all you have is your arms, you use them. I'm sure the table was very warmly welcomed at its intended destination. It as was also good that todays wind was minimal. 

Next to the taco stand where we enjoy to eat lunch is a shoe store. Deportes 2000. This place sells shoes like Patricks, Ocean Pacific and L.A. Gear. Shoes that have been labeled as fakes or impostors. But as we walk by this place often, a couple pairs caught my eye. And yesterday Sam's brother, Alex, and I purchased a fine pair of matching L.A. Gears.  If you remember L.A. gear, they were famous for having the heal light up when you walk. Sadly these do not, but they are a pair of L.A Gears, and in my book are still pretty sweet. They are also a brand I have not owned since elementary school some time, so I feel like I'm walking through the halls of Eastview to my 4th grade class, making circuits with batteries and light bulbs, and listening to Steve Cook read Crossing The Tracks. And for $23.30 I figured even if they only last me past the summer, it was worth the investment. 

Guatemala_Happenings

So a couple things took place today I would like to highlight. I had been in contact with Sam's cousin who works at the church we attend, Carlos. We have been talking about a couple opportunities he has going at the church. In my phone, I have two number for Carlos, or I thought they both were for Carlos. It turns out one of them belongs to one of our guards at the condominium we live in. When I first meet him, I did not understand his name, then he said, "Like Abraham Lincoln." After that I was good. So I called Abraham thinking it was Carlos. After the normal greetings in spanish I soon realized this was not Carlos, Abraham can speak some english, but no where near the amount that Carlos can. So in a little bit of a panic, I looked Hannah who was with me at the time, gave a grin, say sorry wrong number in english, then proceeded to hang up the phone. I found the right number for Carlos, gave him a call, and upon hanging up after leaving a message, the phone rang. Thinking it was Carlos calling on another line, like the churches, I answered to the voice of Abraham. I had a short dialogue with him, explaining how I thought his number was a friend of mine. I then received a text from him that read, "This is my cellphone. I want to learn more english. You teach me? I teach you spanish. Do you want?"Upon discussing the situation with Hannah I responded in spanish. Now, I'm not much of a texter, so the 11 other texts I received through out the day from him were a little unexpected. I would like to share a couple others that I found entertaining. After responding to him saying I though it was a good idea to help each other learn one another's language, I received this text, "Great! When, you can? Do you believe in Jesus Christ." How great is that. One thing about the guatemalans I have meet that do not know about my history of being here (Meaning I'm not with Sam, his family, and/or his friends have no information about why or what I'm here for) is they unashamedly ask if you attend church, what denomination you are, and if you believe in Jesus Christ. Perhaps a characteristic we as American can adapt a little. Maybe it's not done with such force and straight forwardness, then again maybe it would be good for awhile. But I definitely feel, or I have in the past and still do at times, a sense of anxiety about asking what someone believes about God, if they would like to join me for church, if they want grab a meal with the hopes that I could share a little of the joy I have with them. So, I feel we, myself included (maybe more myself then anyone) can benefit for a little more courage and action when it comes to sharing with others what we believe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about meeting someone for the first time then asking them about their thoughts on subsututionary atonement, Calvinism or Arminianism are. I talking about those friends of ours who we consider good friends, maybe even friends we have known for a really long time that we have never really had a deep conversation about Christ with. On that note, the next message I received was this, "He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord, "he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." He sent me a bible verse. I chuckled a little. Why I thought it was funny I really don't know. But I looked at Hannah and explained what he a written. Her response was different then mine. It was, "oh, that's sweet." And not the "oh that cool" type of sweet, or the "oh that cute, something a husband does for his wife" type either. I was a "oh that's respectful, that's really admirable that his first response to me telling him I believed in Christ, was for him to send me a statement of his own faith so to speak. Weather that is what he was doing when he sent it, I don't know. Probably not. But I kind of took it as such. "Oh you believe in Christ, and seek follow him," in pictured him saying to himself in spanish, "me to, I trust in the most high God." All that to say my depravity runs deeper then Hannah's. Continuing on, I asked him what days he worked at the gate so Hannah and I could meet up with him and talk. I got this back, "I'm work to day. To morrow no work. The day after to morrow no work. What day you can talking with me? I felt like most native spanish speakers must feel when I try to communicate in Spanish. Respect for trying, knowing you will fail, and it's rather entertaining. My spanish is not good, my grammar is worse, and my speaking down right in need of an overhaul. Yet all those I speak are willing to help with a correction here and there, and are very respectful. Nevertheless, somethings are just funny. Like me asking the taco guys for tacos with abogado (a Lawyer) instead of adobado (a specific way to season meat). I mean it's just funny. So when tomorrow is spelt to morrow, it brightens my day a little with a laugh. Upon telling him we would meet him at the gate in 30 min. I got this text, "I have a hymnal bilingual of songs of praise and worship." Abraham plays the guitar and likes to sings. He showed me the book when we arrived to chat, it's actually a pretty cool book. Hannah and I spent a whole hour standing in the sun talking in english and spanish about everything from, our families, the languages, to where we grew up, etc. Half of Hannah's face got baked while the other was shaded from the sun. So, one side of here face is a little more tan the the other right now. But it did not feel like an hour, is went by really fast. I received some other various texts though out the day, another verse, some corrections on the texts I wrote in spanish, and a "Hey Friend, How was your day? All ok?" I's nice to have another person to talk to and practice our spanish, but would prefer to cut down on the texts. 


I did get to meet up with Carlos at the church and talk about helping to tutor at a school, which will be a topic for another discussion. But after my meeting with Carlos at the church, Ludin picked me up, we ran some errands in the city then proceeded home. On the way home, traffic was bad, as is normal for the city. We were moving maybe a foot per min. when we heard a siren. From our left was pulling in front of us was a black and yellow Toyota police truck with lights flashing.  It was followed by two SUV's who we very adamant about staying behind the police truck. The middle car had very dark tinted windows, pretty much black, and the trail SUV had tinted windows as well, but not as dark. The trail SUV also had it's passenger window down exposing a rather large gun. It was not pointed anywhere, rather just resting in the passengers hand to let everyone know they were not kidding around. Ludin turned to me and said, "I let them in because they have big guns," in a joking tone, implying that in any other situation he would have other wise charged forward in the little Samari we were driving. He also told me that Politicians car windows and sewer pipes are pretty much the same thing. You can't see what's inside but you can bet that it's dirty. I got a good chuckle out of that. I then realized the police truck was leading this small caravan, of what was most likely some politician, thought the busy and stopped streets of Guatemala city. From what I gain, political figures and their families seem to be in the most danger her.


Also on the ride home I saw a Ford F-350 with a Galpin San Fernando Valley license plate holder. Seeing a Large truck is not very common here in Guatemala, much less on that has a license plate holder from the states.  Made me feel like I was back on the side streets of Azusa. For those of you who don't know So. California well, Galpin Ford is a large dealership in the area.  I would see license plate holder for them all the time in Southern Californian. And License plate holders aren't really the kind of thing you send to another country, much less a dealers license plate holder. Maybe your alma mater, or a sports team you like. But a generic dealers holder? So I assume the truck was driven from California to Guatemala. 


Oh and finally. Also on the way home I saw this girl carrying an REI bag. Not like a paper ones, but one of those canvas ones. Really not sure where this is going, just made me think of the mountains. The only picture I have for today is of my hammock and soccer stuff. I play more soccer here then I do back home in the states, that I will miss when it's time to leave. I Finally found a spot that does not require some type of drilling thought cinder block walls. It's not the best but it works.