Antigua (& Kate)

Overlooking Antigua from Cerro de la Cruz.  Kate, my
"host sister" and I ran up "el cerro" one morning --
if the incline doesn't tire you out, the altitude will.

(from Jan 25)   If my week in San Antonio satiated my desire for a window into Guatemala as it is, my first night in Antigua is feeding my fantasy that the developing world actually lives like we do, simply with more rustic charm:  imagine spending your life at the cabin.  Sure, you can’t flush your toilet paper, but the mugs in the kitchen still match.  (They’re not cheap ugly plastic either, but clay from the earth--completing the rustic simplicity aesthetic.)  As if that weren’t enough, I’ve landed in a host family of foodies -- or, at least veggies.  We spent dinner discussing different types of vegetables and herbs.  It was a verdura nerdfest. To bridge the language gap,  my host mother pulled out samples of her stash of freshly dried bay leaves, tarragon and parsley.   She apparently leads organic farming workshops.  For heaven’s sake, they served fresh lemongrass tea for dinner. 

Famous "el arco" in reflection, with Volcan Agua behind

The biggest news is that Kate Venable arrived today.  Kate and I became friends not four months ago, but I quickly began spending time with her more consistently than anyone else.  Why’d we move so fast?  One, she’s fabulous.  Two:  running.  I’d never had a consistent running partner...till Kate.  It’s a gift in Minnesota autumn when the temperature falls from a sweet 50 degrees to 6 degrees in a few short weeks.  (Trust me, rising at 6am to throw running shoes on should not be attempted solo -- it’s imperative to know that if you stay under covers, someone a 1/2 mile away will quite literally die waiting for you in single digit weather.)  The day after Kate and I were introduced, we hit the trails together (I tested her quality day 1 by forcing her to climb a small brambly cliff to get off the train tracks...she passed).   On one of these runs I offhandedly threw out that we ought to go to language school in Guatemala in January.  I wasn’t serious.  But I soon realized the wisdom of this offhanded suggestion, as did she -- and the planning began.  

Dining out with Kate in Antigua

I am blessed to know this woman.  Kate is smart, compassionate, real.  She invited me into her home the week before I departed MN and kindly let me run around like that headless chicken trying to gather my guts and my shit before leaving for the foreseeable future.  She didn’t judge me (oh, what a gift!).  She even laughed when I tried to burn down her house and called her mid-date:   “How do I turn off the painful fire alarms!?!?”   She’s beautiful, a doctor (an occupation I appreciated when things turned sour with my bowels week 2 in Guatemala...).  Katie initially delayed medical school to focus on creative and ministry endeavors (she's a fabulous musician & worship leader), and somehow we both have brothers who got married in Colorado and now live in Kansas City.  I love knowing her--you would too.  (Drop me an email if you want her number.  And you do.)

El Merced church--down the block from our Language School

I’m deeply excited to get to know Colonial Antigua and soak up its activity, but it’s impossible not to miss the mountainside fincas of San Antonio and Santa Catarina.   I will be pampered here in Antigua and no doubt my digestion will be overjoyed with my foodie hosts, but my heart will be eager to hop a camioneta to the next valley over where the plastic bowls don’t match and most of the floors are concrete or dirt, but the mountains and the people smile at a very steep grade.