Sunday, April 23, 2006
My, it has been two months since my last Journal entry?
The thumbnail sketch, since then:
January was a month of hard work in the house, but February gave us time to enjoy Philadelphia, and visit Shari and her family in Alexandria. Myrna and I were married in Philadelphia on March 12, and then arrived here in Guatemala on March 16. Myrna’s son was married on schedule on April 8, and both the bride and her relatives from the USA have come and gone. Fernando is still here, hoping that his visa will be approved very soon so he can join her in the USA. There is a buyer for the house in Philadelphia, although the closing is not scheduled until the end of May. The shipping container with our furniture and the pickup truck we bought to carry it all is due to arrive next week. Buying the pickup was a big, unnecessary, expensive mistake but so it goes.
My two-week intensive Spanish course at the end of March at Casa Xelajú helped, I guess, but I am still very frustrated by my language skills. Or, lack of. I can speak OK, and read and even write intelligibly. But the hearing and understanding is still beyond my grasp. I guess there is progress, but it is painfully slow.
With language skills in mind, I am looking at teaching positions at one or another of the international schools here in Guatemala, where the classes are bilingual. After Africa, I think that teaching at a progressive private school with actual educational resources could be an enjoyable experience. The two years there with training courtesy of the Peace Corps seems to carry a good bit of weight, and it opens doors. Now for the next step...
Googling to find a liberal religious group here in Guatemala led us to a group of Quakers who meet every other Sunday. So we joined them for their “unprogrammed” service this morning. It consisted of four expat American women and a Guatemalan man who didn’t stay long, and us. One of the women read a brief article to focus our thoughts on a feminist view of God, then there was 90 minutes of absolute silence and inactivity for contemplation and meditation. After that we went to the kitchen for an excellent lunch and conversation. The conversation was not about a feminist God. Despite the good food, this experience didn’t really do much for either Myrna or me. I have to admit that it was nice to converse in English though.
The thumbnail sketch, since then:
January was a month of hard work in the house, but February gave us time to enjoy Philadelphia, and visit Shari and her family in Alexandria. Myrna and I were married in Philadelphia on March 12, and then arrived here in Guatemala on March 16. Myrna’s son was married on schedule on April 8, and both the bride and her relatives from the USA have come and gone. Fernando is still here, hoping that his visa will be approved very soon so he can join her in the USA. There is a buyer for the house in Philadelphia, although the closing is not scheduled until the end of May. The shipping container with our furniture and the pickup truck we bought to carry it all is due to arrive next week. Buying the pickup was a big, unnecessary, expensive mistake but so it goes.
My two-week intensive Spanish course at the end of March at Casa Xelajú helped, I guess, but I am still very frustrated by my language skills. Or, lack of. I can speak OK, and read and even write intelligibly. But the hearing and understanding is still beyond my grasp. I guess there is progress, but it is painfully slow.
With language skills in mind, I am looking at teaching positions at one or another of the international schools here in Guatemala, where the classes are bilingual. After Africa, I think that teaching at a progressive private school with actual educational resources could be an enjoyable experience. The two years there with training courtesy of the Peace Corps seems to carry a good bit of weight, and it opens doors. Now for the next step...
Googling to find a liberal religious group here in Guatemala led us to a group of Quakers who meet every other Sunday. So we joined them for their “unprogrammed” service this morning. It consisted of four expat American women and a Guatemalan man who didn’t stay long, and us. One of the women read a brief article to focus our thoughts on a feminist view of God, then there was 90 minutes of absolute silence and inactivity for contemplation and meditation. After that we went to the kitchen for an excellent lunch and conversation. The conversation was not about a feminist God. Despite the good food, this experience didn’t really do much for either Myrna or me. I have to admit that it was nice to converse in English though.
