caminando...

As the metal gate swings shut behind me, I step onto the sidewalk entering a different world, leaving the peace and quiet of my house behind me. It is 6:40 a.m. What is the first image to be stamped upon my memory each day? It is always different. Sometimes it is a rumbling bus flying down the road, black smoke billowing behind it. Other times it is a few uniformed school children waiting for the school bus. As of late, it has been a police officer or an armed guard holding some kind of a long barreled gun (a rifle, maybe?) There are officers of some sort guarding each bus stop in an effort to help prevent some of the crime in the city. On average about four bus drivers get shot in the city each day. This last week has been particularly violent.

As I continue my walk to school I pass neon uniformed traffic guards, attempting to quicken the flow of traffic. I pass truckfulls of people on their way to work. Vendors are setting up their stalls on the street. I see the same man setting up his pots of boiling water to sell his hot dogs. I see the same old women always dressed in flowing traditional skirt, nanny to a rich young boy, waiting on the corner with him until the bus comes. I pass the same young girl, cleaning the streets wearing her neon green vest with eyelids painted to match, lazily sweeping a wrapper or two with her orange broom. I also see the same older man with a round belly, wearing the same huge straw cowboy hat, scurrying down the street. The one other consistentcy of my morning walk are all the armed guards. Each business or place of residence will usually have an armed guard at the gate or entrance of the building. You would most likely be surprised to see that most of these guards are about 19 and are smaller than you! There are guards of all ages and sizes, but most are young. Every morning as I walk by, I get the same hisses and cat calls from the guards. Apparently it is common to be hissed at as you walk by, it is considered a compliment to your appearance. However, it gets annoying and a bit awkward. At first, I would smile and say hello each morning thinking, "I better say good morning to the guys with the guns..." Then, as I realized this only encouraged more noisemaking, I quit. What do you say when a guy with a gun asks you out on a date? =o) That hasn't happened to me yet (as far as my spanish skills can tell), but I have been wondering what the appropriate response should be.

Combine all these consistancies with a ton of traffic, people waiting for the bus, lots of horns honking, dirt, dust, and a cool morning chill in the air and you have my daily morning walk to school.

It is hard to believe that I am teaching classes at 7 a.m. It hasn't seemed like a chore to be getting up so early and I quite enjoy my mornings. Come to think of it, I actually enjoy my afternoons and evenings as well. After my morning classes at school I head to the gym, then head home for a nice lunch and a swing in the hammock. I head back to school for another class or two and then head home once again, usually after a stop at the vegetable market, and cook dinner with my friends. I have to say I really have been enjoying myself here.

On Sunday I hung out with a Guatemalan friend that I had made. We were riding on his moto and we passed a sign that said, "Which is better, your dreams or your reality?" As a joke he asked me which one I thought was better. I said both, because I am making my dreams a reality. I was thinking about that today, while having a lovely swing in the hammock. It is refreshing and empowering all at once when you realize you are making your dreams a reality. It makes you feel alive.

So, for anyone reading this who is thinking about making a big change in life...just go for it!!! You won't regret it.