As I gaze out through the wooden cafe doors onto the sun-kissed, cobblestone street of Antigua, Guatemala, the lively rush of both tourists and natives alike hushes to the slurping sound of the final drops of my deliciously refreshing moccachino coffee drink(the giant tower of whip cream had, of course, vanished long before the slurping had even begun). And just like any good slurp-er, my thumb and pointer finger oh-so-precisely guide my straw around every single inch of the bottom rim of my 16-oz plastic cup...not a single caffeine-drenched drop can afford to go to waste...it truly is amazing to the very last drop (if you happen to know anything about coffee:). And I'm relishing each and every one of them...
And so it is as I relish each and every one of the final moments that remain of my nearly 5-year pendulum-like journey in Latin America. My prayer each day is that my great God would guide my feeble steps to the richness that remains in each of my final 80-something days of this sweet, sweet place that captured my heart, my soul, my life so many years ago. And as I pray, each sip towards the end of the journey gets better and better. As the cup of experience dwindles to emptiness, the joy in my soul fills with a new admiration of what's slipping between my finger tips.
I truly love Honduras and Central America for so many reasons, and every day I am remembering to give thanks for the commonplace experiences that will soon become cherished memories. The word "antigua" means "old" or "having long held a place," and soon this life I've come to know and love will be archived into a past of life-transforming tastes of heaven. So for now, as I take it all in and feel the nostalgia rising up like steamed milk, an urgency to re-record a list of my favorite things fills my thoughts. So I'll spill them all out here, for your reading enjoyment [hopefully. *fingers crossed*].
If I were to bottle up all of the best of C.A., wrap it up like a treasure box of gems, and seal it with a kiss for the beloved generations to follow me, I'd make sure to include:
The smell of the air...so unique from anywhere else I've ever been...one sniff of it, and my mind goes reeling with C.A. memories.
All of the amazing foods and drink I tried and just kept devouring after my first year here...plantains of all shapes and kinds, tamarind straight from the tree (what I wouldn't give to climb one of those again!), cocobaleadas, horchata, dirt cheap open-air markets of fruit and veggies, mangoes, pupusas, refried beans in a bag, fresh FRESH flour tortillas, tres leches, Espresso Americano, chilenas, licuados, water from a bag, heck, anything from a bag, sipping sodas in a bottle with a straw, fresh lemongrass tea, fresh-squeezed tropical fruit juices of all kinds, ceviche, street food (especially the meat...and the smell of it grilling, too!), and I'm sure more...as you can tell, I love FOOD.:)
The incredible hospitality that Hondurans provide to any and everyone whom enters their homes. "Take off your shoes (or not, actually), stay a while, and let us serve you all of the best food we possibly can....and make sure to come back...a lot.":)
Hitchhiking....shhhhh....it's really not as dangerous as they say, I promise! "You need a ride? Sure, hop into the back of my truck....with the 20 other people already back there!" Seriously, this has been my biggest Honduras hobby...no joke! I'd do my 7-hr hitchhiking trip from the coast to the capital with my best friend Dorie all over again!
Hiking/running/exploring in the majestic mountains here...Minnesota is a little sparse with those! Everyday and on every run I am thankful to be able to enjoy the beauty we've been graced with here.
Traveling through three countries at a time in all of one week! And experiencing nearly all of Central America so cheaply! We are always blown away by how God provides places to stay along the way!
The national and rainforests here, incredible waterfalls, volcanoes, surfing beaches, remote islands, cliff jumping, strictly uphill running races, the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans...SO MUCH natural beauty...un-be-liev-able!!! Our Creator...He's good.
THE most beautiful children in the WORLD. Wow. Seriously. If I could snatch one of them up and take him or her back home on the plane with me, I would...and I just may. Included on this list would be my godson and little Gaby, whom I worked with my first year here.
The incredible sense of community and family here. Trust me, I am dreading the return to a more individualistic culture back home. Anyone want to live in community, pretty please?
Public transportation...though I have a love/hate relationship with it.:) But you can't help but giggle at overflowing rapiditos and chicken buses, especially as you try to stay standing in one as it maneuvers mountain curves! But hey, the sense of community is great there, too. "You need help with your grocery bags? I'll hold them for you!" We're all one big, happy family.:)
Regular encounters with familiar faces from years past as people return to visit...my favorite was a reunion on a Guatemalan street corner this past week! What? Yep. These people actually sort of understand this crazy life that I live.
Translating...a feat I never thought I could accomplish but now am blessed to use to serve co-workers and friends that visit...SO FUN! Especially when I get the languages mixed up and speak to people in the wrong one.:)
The beautiful colors here...so many blooming flowers and fruit stands of every color around every corner!
Ok, if you got to the end of this list, I commend you...I may just keep extending it as the days go on. But for now, I'm going to keep on slurping up all the details!
As I gaze out through the wooden cafe doors onto the sun-kissed, cobblestone street of Antigua, Guatemala, the lively rush of both tourists and natives alike hushes to the slurping sound of the final drops of my deliciously refreshing moccachino coffee drink(the giant tower of whip cream had, of course, vanished long before the slurping had even begun). And just like any good slurp-er, my thumb and pointer finger oh-so-precisely guide my straw around every single inch of the bottom rim of my 16-oz plastic cup...not a single caffeine-drenched drop can afford to go to waste...it truly is amazing to the very last drop (if you happen to know anything about coffee:). And I'm relishing each and every one of them...
And so it is as I relish each and every one of the final moments that remain of my nearly 5-year pendulum-like journey in Latin America. My prayer each day is that my great God would guide my feeble steps to the richness that remains in each of my final 80-something days of this sweet, sweet place that captured my heart, my soul, my life so many years ago. And as I pray, each sip towards the end of the journey gets better and better. As the cup of experience dwindles to emptiness, the joy in my soul fills with a new admiration of what's slipping between my finger tips. 
I truly love Honduras and Central America for so many reasons, and every day I am remembering to give thanks for the commonplace experiences that will soon become cherished memories. The word "antigua" means "old" or "having long held a place," and soon this life I've come to know and love will be archived into a past of life-transforming tastes of heaven. So for now, as I take it all in and feel the nostalgia rising up like steamed milk, an urgency to re-record a list of my favorite things fills my thoughts. So I'll spill them all out here, for your reading enjoyment [hopefully. *fingers crossed*].
If I were to bottle up all of the best of C.A., wrap it up like a treasure box of gems, and seal it with a kiss for the beloved generations to follow me, I'd make sure to include:
The smell of the air...so unique from anywhere else I've ever been...one sniff of it, and my mind goes reeling with C.A. memories.
All of the amazing foods and drink I tried and just kept devouring after my first year here...plantains of all shapes and kinds, tamarind straight from the tree (what I wouldn't give to climb one of those again!), cocobaleadas, horchata, dirt cheap open-air markets of fruit and veggies, mangoes, pupusas, refried beans in a bag, fresh FRESH flour tortillas, tres leches, Espresso Americano, chilenas, licuados, water from a bag, heck, anything from a bag, sipping sodas in a bottle with a straw, fresh lemongrass tea, fresh-squeezed tropical fruit juices of all kinds, ceviche, street food (especially the meat...and the smell of it grilling, too!), and I'm sure more...as you can tell, I love FOOD.:)
The incredible hospitality that Hondurans provide to any and everyone whom enters their homes. "Take off your shoes (or not, actually), stay a while, and let us serve you all of the best food we possibly can....and make sure to come back...a lot.":)
Hitchhiking....shhhhh....it's really not as dangerous as they say, I promise! "You need a ride? Sure, hop into the back of my truck....with the 20 other people already back there!" Seriously, this has been my biggest Honduras hobby...no joke! I'd do my 7-hr hitchhiking trip from the coast to the capital with my best friend Dorie all over again!
Hiking/running/exploring in the majestic mountains here...Minnesota is a little sparse with those! Everyday and on every run I am thankful to be able to enjoy the beauty we've been graced with here.
Traveling through three countries at a time in all of one week! And experiencing nearly all of Central America so cheaply! We are always blown away by how God provides places to stay along the way!
The national and rainforests here, incredible waterfalls, volcanoes, surfing beaches, remote islands, cliff jumping, strictly uphill running races, the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans...SO MUCH natural beauty...un-be-liev-able!!! Our Creator...He's good.
THE most beautiful children in the WORLD. Wow. Seriously. If I could snatch one of them up and take him or her back home on the plane with me, I would...and I just may. Included on this list would be my godson and little Gaby, whom I worked with my first year here.
The incredible sense of community and family here. Trust me, I am dreading the return to a more individualistic culture back home. Anyone want to live in community, pretty please?
Public transportation...though I have a love/hate relationship with it.:) But you can't help but giggle at overflowing rapiditos and chicken buses, especially as you try to stay standing in one as it maneuvers mountain curves! But hey, the sense of community is great there, too. "You need help with your grocery bags? I'll hold them for you!" We're all one big, happy family.:)
Regular encounters with familiar faces from years past as people return to visit...my favorite was a reunion on a Guatemalan street corner this past week! What? Yep. These people actually sort of understand this crazy life that I live.
Translating...a feat I never thought I could accomplish but now am blessed to use to serve co-workers and friends that visit...SO FUN! Especially when I get the languages mixed up and speak to people in the wrong one.:)
The beautiful colors here...so many blooming flowers and fruit stands of every color around every corner!
Ok, if you got to the end of this list, I commend you...I may just keep extending it as the days go on. But for now, I'm going to keep on slurping up all the details!
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