Turtle release

The Whale and the Wave

Today I am telling you about 2 different things:  1) a whale; and 2) a deadly wave.  I will tell you about the whale first. One day in 2009, a dead whale washed up on the beach in Mexico. A lady named Lauren, who leaved nearby asked if she could have it.  It was a very very awkward question.  The whale stunk so bad it made people sick.  After 6 weeks, they moved it five miles to a wildlife reserve.  After 6 years of making missing bones, and taking out oil, and painting it with a type of cement, they had put it back together as a great whale skeleton.  I saw the skeleton today, it was awesome.  I will show you pictures about the other animals there too.

Now I will tell you about the wave.  My mom, me and my brother were in the ocean jumping waves.  Suddenly I heard my mom saying "whoa... whoa... WHOA!!!"  Next thing I know, I'm under water!  I can't breathe, I feel a hard death-grip on my arm, I don't know what's happening.  I'm thinking "is this a dream, what's happening, whoa... look at that fish... that was a small one... I wonder what it will be like when I get home... am I dead?"  It's black, I'm being thrown around in a great big wave.  I curl into a ball and close my eyes.  Then, I'm out of the water just like that.  I'm coughing, sneezing, covered in sand, mouth tasting like salt, and looking like a monster.  I was happy but terrified, sad, scared, wondering, thinking, and spitting the ocean from mouth.  My mom was the one holding my arm and my brother dove through the wave before it had even crashed!! NO FAIR!!!!!!

Dead Things Yesterday

Outside our house, Barre de Potosi

I saw 16 dead things yesterday! 


I saw:  3 toads, 2 birds, 2 snakes, 1 bat, 1 turtle,  6 coconuts, and a banana! I didn't know that was possible!

I left Guatemala and came to Mexico 3 days ago.  There was a huge temperature change.  In Guatemala, my mom had to carry an umbrella out every afternoon, I just ran off, I didn't need the umbrella.  But here in Mexico, I'm sweating every five minutes.  We have very nice neighbors and an awesome pool.  Our neighbors have 3 dogs, but I don't have to worry about rabies now.  The house is literally outdoors, and we can hear the waves crashing every time they crash, which is about every 3 seconds.  Listen to that, I can still hear them now!  I'm still speaking Spanish and I'm getting to know it a bit too much, because I speak it to my family every once in a while. 

Look at my brother's new hairdo

View from our house

Can you guess what this is?

Hiking and Xela Aid

Santa Cruz

Smoothie place

Who's that?!!!

Our hotel

Big smelly chair - my favorite

view

The kids

The preschoolers

Weaving

Hardest hoola hoops in the world

The kindergarteners

About Today

Today I think I met Cujo. My mom and I went on a walk. On our walk,we went to another hotel, I got a smoothie and my mom got a Mochaccino. We also went kayaking! It was very rocky so we headed back. Each time a boat came by there were huge waves! I will tell you about Cujo. I was walking down a path when I heard growling. Suddenly a dog came hurdling towards me! It snapped at me then lunged strait at me!! I could hear it growling as it ran off. I was still shaking 5 minutes later!

Pictures

La Casa del Mundo, our hotel

Lake Atitlan, view from our room

Parade in Panajachel

Dock at our hotel, Lake Atitlan

View from our hotel

Calm boat ride

Santa Catarina

Our last day in Antigua we visited a wheelchair center. I got to ride in a basketball wheelchair for people who play basketball. It was strange but fun. Then we drove for 4 hours and I got car sick. We went into a boat that was terrifyingly rocky in a downpour, then walked up a million stairs to get to the hotel.  I felt like we had taken a shower.
The next day we took a boat back into town and it was fast and easy, and I only grabbed my life jacket on the way back. We met a girl named Milsa, in high school, and we went to her house and made tortillas for lunch. On the way back, I had to put on a life jacket because the engine on the boat kept on stopping and the waves were really big.
My mom's computer broke so we may not be able to post pictures but I will try.

Pictures Antigua and Vuelta Grande

Girls in High School in Antigua

All the kids play soccer in school

My kitty friend

Erica and her family in Vuelta Grande

The boys

My dog friend

Same dog friend

Same dog friend

First grade kids age 7-9

The fifth graders

Playing soccer with the boys

trying to catch pigeons

The hotel pet

 Trying to herd more pigeons in the central plaza in Antigua.

WE ARRIVED!

We got in to Antigua, Guatemala at 11:30 pm last night.  The hotel is awesome and creepy at the same time.  We got lost this morning after eating breakfast trying to find our room and then we thought we heard a cannon fire.  We walked through a dark hallway and it looked like a dungeon, but in a good way.  My mom says it's probably an old monastery, and there are strange statues of weird looking people everywhere.  We are leaving right now to visit an all girls high school.  Talk with you later.
p.s. you won't believe the pool!  I'll post a couple pictures later.

Going to Guatemala

             I have never been to Guatemala so it will be extra fun, I can't wait! I wonder what it will be like?! I hope there aren't any hurricanes coming! We have six soccer balls to give away. Guatemala is going to be awesome. We will go to lots of Mayan sites. I wonder what Lake Atitlan will look like?

Lake Atitlan

Guatemala



Before I left, I decided to learn more about Guatemala.  Here are some facts:

• Guatemala means "Land of Trees."
• Guatemala is home to the volcanoes, rainforests, and Mayan sites.
• Lake Atitlan, formed in a massive volcanic crater, is surrounded by coffee fields and villages (we will be there!)
• Guatemala is the most populous in Central America
• The capital is Guatemala City
• There are 17,005,497 people in Guatemala (there are 585,000 people in Wyoming)