Update on Hannah

We are always asked "how is Hannah doing"? 

So....I thought I would put a few comments from BOTH

Hannah and her travelling friend, Audrey.

They are still in Guatemala ~ doing language school,

living with host families and seeing sights.....

and doing lots of pondering.

Enjoy ~

Thoughts from Hannah off her blog:  Mine and Audrey's favorite phrase to say is...'just sayin.' For some reason on this trip it's ended up making it's way into most of what we say, therefore once we really got into Spanish classes we concluded we probably needed to have a sufficient Spanish translation for it:) We think 'solo diciendo' will do.

So, the first couple of weeks really were just go, go, go.  THEN- we started going on long bus rides in our traveling around to different towns. When you're in a minibus for 6-10 hours and the social norm is to be silent and you've exhausted reading your fun/leisurely book, studying Spanish, listening to your iPod (if it felt safe enough), journaling if possible, and reading the lonely planet guide to Central America, all you have left is to sit quietly, look out the window, and think. For hours.

First of all, I miss people. And life. And normalcy now. (!!!!) bah.  Some days have actually been painful! It's all a mental thing I'm convinced, but I'm pretty sure I have actually experienced physical pain (if possible) from missing people. Yea, especially that one guy out fighting off bears and snakes hiking the appalachian trail.  So, I miss people- family, friends, John. Not the end of the world. It was a known going into this that would be the case:) AND, through that I just keep coming back to the fact that I am unbelievable blessed in my life and so thankful to have family, and friends, and John TO miss so much. That's amazing. And after 6 months of amazing experiences and craziness...I have a lot to look forward to going back to! I'm thankful.

All of THAT to say, even if we haven't yet found a really great organization who has started some incredible sustainable clinic project somewhere where we can do medical volunteer work...we can be helping people and impacting people in really small ways just in the daily interactions we have. So we're focusing on that for now:)

 

Thoughts from Audrey from her blog:  Seriously, at times Hannah and I feel that not only is our Spanish plateauing but our English is getting worse as well. Today, for instance, I forgot the word for "lobster" when I saw one. It usually takes the two of us to think through something to get it...so when we return, please be patient, as we will not be able to speak Spanish or English. But darn if we won't be AMAZING at charades!

Saturday brought the most exciting outing of the week...a hike up and around Volcan Santa Maria to get an amazingly clear view of the very active Volcan Santiaguito!  We took in the beautiful scenery for about 30 minutes before heading back. About 100 meters into the walk back, we heard and extremely loud boom and turned to see a massive eruption and cloud formation that shot straight up into the air, looking very similar ton the famous atomic bomb photograph.  Rolando told us smaller eruptions produce gaseous clouds that extend laterally, almost like a skirt being laid on the sides of the volcano; larger ones shoot straight into the sky, much like the one we RAN back to see. Ps, running is difficult anyways, but at 2700 meters, I really kinda suck at it. I felt like a wooly mammoth...moving with the same speed and "grace." It was pretty remarkable watching something that is so beautiful and destructive.

Apparently, some farmer created a faster way to plant trees that involves making "seed balls" consisting of seeds, dirt, and clay, giving them time to harden, throwing them into the forest, and allowing natural rainfall to break them open and let them set into the ground. How fantastic is that?? You throw trees into the forest - whhaaaaaaa?

We thought about buying dessert-type foods from a vendor but then decided against it when we saw her killing bees INTO the caramelized candies! No gracias!

Hoping that everyone at home is doing well. You are missed very much and thought of frequently, that is for sure!

Dorian's comment:  Isn't it fun and interesting to hear how things are going there in Central America?!!!!!  What adventures and life lessons they are learning....daily.  If you'd like to follow Hannah's blog more regularly, check it out here. 

Keep praying for the girls (they AND us appreciate it!) as they travel .......and learn......and have fun! 

Dreams do come true!  :)