Nick Lachey and My Friends in Antigua

Stepping out of the airport in Guatemala City is unlike anything I've experienced before. It's how I imagine Nick Lachey must have felt in Newlyweds that one time he went home to Cincinnati and had to deal with all the paparazzi when he was just trying to go to lunch with his family. Except in my case there were no camera flashes, and no one yelling for Nick Lachey to look at them. So I guess it's really not that much the same.

From inside the sliding automatic doors in the airport, I could see hundreds of people standing behind metal barricades, waiting for passengers to exit. Some of them I assume were there to welcome home their loved ones, some stood with hand-written signs with travelers' names, and the others just waited for me to step outside that barricade so they could kidnap me. No, not really.

As I came out, the security guard asked me, in Spanish, which I had been preparing for on the short walk from baggage claim, where I was going and how I wanted to get there. Shuttle was my response because I knew it to be the cheaper option. He said a taxi is the best way because he knew it would be more expensive. I insisted on shuttle, so he fed me to the shuttle wolves. The moment I crossed the barrier, there were 8 men in my space convincing me the theirs was the best shuttle. Holy overwhelming. The only reason I chose the one I did was because he was like Superman and swooped me out from the middle of the bidders and led me to his van. Sold.

I met an Aussie who has been traveling for almost a year on the ride to Antigua. I don't know that he realized how lucky he was to meet my acquaintance in the moment. But he sure did appreciate me later when I literally ran into him, flailing his arms, running down some random street (Phoebe style from Friends). I smiled in recognition, and was quite pleased when he said he had been looking for me. Apparently, he was so absent-minded, that he left his pack in the shuttle, and remembered that the driver had given me his card. So he was racing around Antigua looking for that phone number, and by dumb luck ran into me. How do you leave your only bag, your whole big bag with everything in it in the car? Who am I to judge? Travel lessons 1 & 2: don't leave your bag in the shuttle, and always, always take the driver's card in case you do.

I have an affinity for making friends with the locals. Every time I have sat down in a public space to journal or take it all in, I have found myself with company. Yesterday it was Federico, a man of about 50, who stopped me on the street and asked if I had a moment to chat. I agreed to with a quick scan of my surroundings. His friends thought it was funny to drive by repeatedly and congratulate him on his young gringo girlfriend. Later in the afternoon Delfina and her 9-year-old daughter Sylvia sat down next to me after I politely refused the bracelets they were selling. Sylvia spoke rapidly in Spanish, and I spoke slowly, feeling like a child myself with no words. 40 minutes later, she tired of my broken skills and started in with the bracelets again. I bid them adieu. My third and probably best friend is Francisco, 62, who sat with me this morning in the park. He inquired about my life, my travel plans, my boyfriend, and told me all about what I understood to be his freelance real estate business. (it would be interesting to have an interpreter on hand, Francisco probably builds pools for a living and I just am that clueless.) He then offered to show me all the sights in town assuring me of his status as an honest Catholic man and genuine friend. I thanked him as he gave me his phone number in case I need anything. With a kiss on the cheek I was off. Later this afternoon I figured out that to be alone I have to sit in some place random where people just look at me questionably.

Antigua is beautiful, everything I imagined it to be. I am enjoying a lot of walking around and taking it all in, while convincing myself I do not need all of the hand-woven sweaters and blankets. I want to buy everything. It's all so vibrant and colorful.

I cannot wait to start classes next week and really be able to work on my Spanish. I am getting by pretty well, and think that with every random interaction I am learning something new. The great thing about Guatemalans is that they have been patient with me, and correct me if I say something wrong.

I had a moment yesterday when I actually said to myself in my head, "man, it feels like I'm in another country". 

the view from my secluded corner hangout

Iglesia de San Francisco where a mentally handicapped man tried to get me to help him break open a gate

Parque Union where I met Sylvia and Delfina