Hungarian, Japanese, Guatemala

I’ve been doing a terrible job at writing in my diary since I’ve been at my site, which I’m starting to regret, but I will definitely set aside a couple days during my break from work to try to account for all the interesting things that have happened since the beginning of November.

Thanksgiving weekend was a blast. About two-thirds of our training group met up at Lake Atitlan and stayed at a great hostel, complete with a Thanksgiving feast, a gorgeous view and a great atmosphere. It was the perfect opportunity to catch up with the volunteers in our training group with whom we hadn’t had the chance to talk to since swearing in. We took advantage of the cheap kayaking and went out to the middle of the lake where we all dipped in for a swim- a bit chilly, but absolutely worth it.

Just to clear up things- when I wrote about fleas in my previous entry, I did not mean that I will put up with them! It was just a joke, the more the merrier… fleas and mosquitoes seem to love my blood, but rest assured, the feeling is not mutual! Hanging my clothes and sheets out in the sun have seemed to do the trick for the time being, so unless the problem persists, I will stick to the tried-and-true method.

As an end of the year treat, everyone from our office will be taking a road trip. Because people don’t really travel here out of pleasure, this is a real extravagance for coworkers. When everyone in the office was trying to decide on where to go, everyone wanted to go everywhere… and that’s pretty much how it will be! We will only be staying overnight, but will be visiting four cities in western Guatemalan, Xela, Panajachel (both of which I have already been to) and then Chichicastenango and Quiche. A bit too much for barely two days if you ask me, but then again, why the hell not? It should prove to be an interesting and friendship-forming time, so I’m sure it will be well worth it.

Since being in Guatemala for four months, I have searched far and wide for Hungarians, I have come up with nothing. Even having my training site close to one of the most popular tourist destinations, Antigua, nada.

So, what do you do? First, go to one of the most remote sites in Guatemala, then you find me. All right. Second, put a Japanese volunteer in one month after you put me in. Doesn’t sound good? What if this Japanese volunteer happened to major in Hungarian linguistics? Sound too farfetched? Well, then I don’t know what to tell you. The guy speaks pretty well, I’ve gotta give him that much. After my counterpart, Isa, asked me what, not where, is Hungary when I first met her, this has given me more hope that she (along with my other co-workers) will understand more about me and know that “my” language is something other foreigners actually learn (oddly enough).


One of the most exciting things I have done since I’ve been here I accomplished this past weekend. Though I hadn’t planned it, another PCV in the next town over mentioned a few weeks ago that he and some other PCVs were planning to climb Tajumulco Volcano, the highest volcanic point in the Western Hemisphere, measuring at 4220 metres, or 13,845 feet in height. Not what you would call a walk in the park (although it technically is a park… har har).

Luckily for me, it is only about a 2 hour trip from my town, which is really quite short considering the roads to get to my side of the country. We arrived at the foot of the volcano around noon and didn’t get to our camp site until 4ish. Let me tell you, I will work out for at least a month before I climb that again! Justin and Laura were kind enough to lend me some fleece pants and wool socks, which were a great deal of help in keeping me warm up at that altitude. We made a campfire, which kept us warm for a few hours until we went to bed.

In order to catch the sunrise, we all woke up at 4am and continued the climb to Tajumulco for another good hour until we reached the summit. If my site isn’t cold enough in the mornings and evenings, this was the icing on the cake- my WORD was it COLD! I don’t think I’ve ever been as cold in my entire life, but leave it to Guatemala to make it that place! Some other PCVs, along with me, suffered some altitude sickness, but we all managed to get up to the top and wow- I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as beautiful before. The view was stunning. On one side of the volcano you could see Mexico, and the shadow of Tajumulco once the sun rose, and the other side about eight other volcanoes in Guatemala, as if lined up right next to each other, were visible as the sun rose behind them.

Whenever anyone comes to visit me and is up for this expedition, I am more than game to do it again! It was definitely the most difficult climb I’ve done as of yet, and even have the benefits of the aches and pains in my legs and knees to remind me of my accomplishment. 