July 25, 2011

Herm'aan B'aq!

Ma Saa L'aa Cho'ol!
First, Jared!
Hey Jared! I miss wrestling with you!!
Thats so exciting that you got a tag just like mine!, I will try to see if I can get an extra tag to send you! We have ice cream here, but they're all made out of wierd fruits that i dont know the names of. Theres lots of animals here too! we saw a crocodile the other day, and a few monkeys too.
Love, Andres!

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The weather here is hot, and humid.
I practically live in a sauna.
My shirts are soaked in sweat at the end of the day.
The showers are with cold water only, since we have no heater anyway.
The area is HUGE, and all mountain.
My area is the most rural it can absolutely be in Guatemala.
Its also regarded by 99% of missionaries to be THE best in the entire mission.
My english and spanish skills are worth nothing here.
From the capital, the trip here is 14 hours long by bus, and took us 2 days.
My companion and I are in charge of 5 wards, ALL KEKCHI Speaking.
My english and Spanish skills are worth jack squat here.
In accordance with missionary tradition here, growing a beard is mandatory, as well as wearing the ugliest and shortest ties we can.
Boots are obligatory. (By the way, the boots i bought about a month ago are now totally ruined. They were not worthy of this terrain.)
Machetes, however, are optional, but recommended.
My area is above the cloud layer here in guatemala, above 6000 feet.
My companion is Elder C. , from Totonicapan, Guatemala.
Our mission home is still under construction, so we've been spending the nights in Teleman.
The mission home is going to be super fancy, with Solar Panels, tile throughout, and even air conditioning.
Hitch-hiking is done on a daily basis.
From one side of my area to the other, is a 9 hour hike.

I still have not laid eyes on my area. Wednesday night i spent in Coban, and thereafter in Teleman. My name is Laj B'aq, and I write to you from Ch'ulak, el Polochik.
I am now a Polochik Elder, with utmost pride in my area. I will arrive home 20 months from now with a 3rd language in my verbal arsenal.

Chulak, in itself, is a cold area, since its in the mountains and all.

Well , now that thats out of the way, i will update you on other details.
I was hit by a motorcyle last week, while still in the capital. The handlebars hit me in the arm, which HURT. My arm was swollen until saturday, and still hurts now, but nonetheless feels much better.

Saturday found my zone leader and I walking home at night, when a torrent of rain totally hit us like a wall. Sadly, my camera is ruined. I was going to trade it for a pig and a couple of chickens, so that I can later take them to slaughter and cook them. The pig and the chickens were only babies though, so the owner declined the offer. My new boots also fell apart. The Polochik has rejected them. As is custom with every missionary that arrives here, the Polochik puts everyone through an initiation. In my case, It was nonstop fun and vomit for 2 days. I didnt even go to church yesterday. I literally drank ONLY water for 36 hours, and my body still rejected it. Im feeling much better now, only fatigued, and really dizzy.

Anyway, im almost out of time, vos.
Take care y mucho love!
Laj B'aq