Cuando en Guatemala...

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY: probar (pro-BAHR): to try

Buenas noches, hermanos! (Greeting from anyone who takes the stage in the Guatemalan churches.) These past few days, I've gotten to delve deeper into the Guatemalan culture. We've learned most of the traditional phrases... Dios le bendiga=God bless you; for greetings and farewells. Gloria sea a Dios=Glory be to God; said after every song service/special music. Buen provecho=Bon appetit; said after each person gets up from the table after a meal. I've gotten a taste of the traditional dress... The lady who always picks us up, Ericka, had a traditional Guatemalan outfit, and she let me borrow the whole kit and caboodle: skirt, blouse, shawl, sandals. I wore it to preach one night. Sweated like pig, but it was worth it for the experience. And I've sampled a whole ton of food, sometimes with my eyes closed and nose plugged... From tamales (delicious!!) to nance (small fruit that is 60% seed, 40% yuck) to homemade platanos fritos (AMAZING!!!) to a small, strange green "fruit" that tastes like sour cardboard (found in bunches in trees; I forced a grin when they picked me a whole branch). I even drank hot chocolate. Only because of a miracle. I didn't want to refuse it, so I prayed really really hard to God that it wouldn't taste bad. Took one sip...and it actually tasted good! Watered down chocolate! Mmm! Gloria sea a Dios!

Also, I'm finding more time to hang out with church members during the week. On Sunday my adopted family took me on a "aventura secreta" (secret adventure). They said we were going underground. I thought they were joking. We always joke around. They weren't. We visited a nice park, and there it was! The gaping hole into the earth. We spent the next hour and a half exploring mind-numbing, jaw-dropping caves that ranged from cathedral-sized to half-an-Asian-sized. I didn't have enough Spanish adjectives in my vocabulary to describe the awe I felt, so I probably said "Que lindo!" at least 50 times. Then we had a picnic in the park and played futbol (our team won 10-5 and I scored five goals..I think they let me). On Wednesday I'm going to the "beach" with another family. Looking forward to developing more relationships.

As expected, there've been lots of tics here and there that I've had to get used to, but I just keep telling myself, "C'mon, Intercultural Comm major, suck it up!" And even when it's uncomfortable, I love it. There's nothing quite so beautiful as getting to know another culture. Well, I'm exhausted and I have the hiccups. Gotta go. Good night! Dios le bendiga!