Cremas vs. Rojos

Two Saturdays ago (the night after my first class) Esa took the girls and I to the Mateo Flores stadium to see the two soccer teams from Guatemala City play against each other. Esa is a die-hard Rojos fan, while Jacob and their dad root for the Cremas (I have yet to determine the difference, but for obvious reasons, I cheer for the Rojos). The Cremas had the home field advantage, and ended up winning 1-0. I really enjoyed the first half of the game, but then my attention started to wander. We girls were pretty glad to get out of there by the time it got over!

The Cremas' mascot. Esa is still put out that I didn't take any pictures of his team.

The whole crew

And the highlight of the game! Heidi's choco-banano dipped in nuts.

First Day of Work

After day one at the academy (when the little boy fell asleep), Esa and I went to a taco place to get some supper and "celebrate." If you can tell by the pictures, I wasn't too impressed with how the day had gone and didn't feel too much like celebrating! Just as an aside, the boy was on medication that apparently makes him tired. So it wasn't all me, although I probably could have picked things up a bit!

A rather forced smile... on a rather haggard face.

*After day one I told Esa, "the only good thing about this experience is that it can't get any worse." And it has gotten better every day! I haven't had any more young kids, but my adult classes are going really well, and I usually leave class feeling better that I did when I went in which says good things about my job!

Laura & Co.

I had the privilege of getting to know some of Laura's friends from Laramie, Wyoming. They all go to university there and decided to join Laura in Guatemala for their spring break! It was so nice for me to spend time with a group of professing girls. That doesn't even happen very often when I'm in the States. In the picture below we are having a girl's supper out at the San Martin bakery. Lots of good pastas and sandwiches! We are, from left to right, Mera (Laura's sister), Courtney, Me, Laura, Roxie, and Heidi.

The Visa Process

We finally purchased the PIN you need to call the U.S. Embassy and make a Visa appointment. Esa called and scheduled, and the date they gave him happened to be April 27th, my birthday! I could potentially get a really, really good birthday gift. I imagine I will be able to read the answer on his face the moment he walks out the embassy door. I hope he's smiling...

Academia Europea

The job search has ended! A friend of Esa's (Marina from the "Marina's Birthday" post) recommended I apply at Academia Europea, a language academy where English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Mandarin are taught. I will obviously be teaching Mandarin.


It's a beautiful school with a nice atmosphere. After training for 2 weeks, I have finally started getting some classes. There have been some real highs and lows. Examples: Low- when the only student I had in my Saturday class (a 10 year old boy) fell asleep. High- when the lady in my private class the next Saturday told me the time flew by and she learned a lot!

The banners of the different languages... Esa and I have already planned that after he learns English, we would both like to learn a third language together, so maybe this is where we will do it.

*Enjoy the pictures because due to privacy reasons I was reprimanded for taking them, and there won't be any more. :)

Esa and Jacob's Birthday

February 28th marked Esa and Jacob's 22nd birthday. We celebrated with family, lasagna (made by me), and cake. They're too old for presents. :)

Dad, workers Francis and Noemi, Aunt Chita, and Aunt Toni



Alex and Grandma Pola

Esa and Jonathan- the very talkative son of the woman that works for the Escobars making clothes. Most Saturdays either him or his sister tags along.

Sister worker Noemi

Serving the cake... I don't think words can quite express how good it was, but I'll try. Layered, coffee, chilled sweet cream, vanilla, delicious, delightful, delectable.

Esa thought so too.

On Saturday night Esa and I made plans to go out for supper together. My dear Grandma Becky had sent Esa birthday money with this in mind, and since eating out is one of our favorite things to splurge on, we gladly obliged! On somewhat of a whim we ended up at Nais Aquarium... a restaurant we had been wanting to try but hadn't planned on visiting that evening!

It was a good choice. Hence the name, the restaurant is centered around a gigantic aquarium. We were some of the lucky ones that got "front row" seats.

A sting ray zooms by.

As well as a few little fishies. Take note of the "Claro" advertising in the back... That's my phone company!

The jellyfish captivate me.

The sharks are a star attraction.

Feeding time...

If you're willing to crawl a couple of feet, you can wiggle your way into this tube in the middle of the aquarium. I think it's a pretty cool idea, and it's especially a hit with the kids.

When we got home that night, I gave Esa his birthday gift.

"Razones por amarte" or "reasons I love you." I started the list a couple of weeks before his birthday, and this is what it evolved into! As well as being a good gift idea, it was also nice for me to remember all the reasons I do love him.

A String of Birthdays

We celebrated 5 family birthdays in the month of February! Two of them were Esa and Jacob, so that was kind of a package deal. :)

Ashley was the first birthday, February 15th I believe. She turned 8. I had brought her and Moises a couple of gifts in my suitcase which I saved for the birthday. They were ever so grateful! Ashley didn't want to take the Barbie out of the box right away; she just sat and held it and looked at it for a few minutes. When the time came, it was opened ever so carefully and played with ever so delicately. Before she went home she put it back in the box (even twisty-tied it I think) so it would be like new again!

Next came Rocio's birthday. She's also Esau's cousin, and she turned 20... just a bit older than me!


Ashley hugging her "papa." Ashley and Moises's dad has been in the U.S. working for a long time and rarely sees them, so Uncle Jose has a very special place in their hearts.

Felicidades Rocio!

Esa's dad and Grandma Pola

Jerson is the gruff, silent type around adults, but when he's with kids he really comes to life!

Even though it was Rocio's birthday (and cake), Ashley got to have a little bit of left-over glory because she hadn't had a cake at her birthday.

Rocio

Candle lighting

We got two rounds of "Happy Birthday" out of this cake... Round 1 was Ashley,

And round 2 Rocio.

Ah, the dreaded cake face smash. Luckily it didn't go further than the tip of the nose and chin.

Dad Jose, Rocio, Mom Blanca (Esa's dad's sister)

Jerson- initiator, participant, and victim of a very controlled frosting fight.

Neftali harassing the parrot.

"Lola" la lorra

Playing internet Pacman.

The last birthday to be covered in "A String of Birthdays" is Neftali. He had already had a cookout, but that was just the preliminaries. He also invited everyone over to his house for caldo de mariscos (seafood soup). It has every type of seafood you can imagen: fish, ocotpus, crab, shrimp, and various shells with slimy things inside. I probably make it sound unappetizing, but if you're a seafood lover (I am) it's wonderful.

Here's Neftali with his son Steven and wife Chita (Esa's dad's sister). He also has a daughter, Jasmine, who never appeared for the picture.

The cake deserves some attention as well, because it was scrumptious... Layers of wafers with a caramel-like substance in between, topped with frosting and almonds, and drizzled with chocolate. (All of my favorite sweet substances rolled into one masterpiece!)