First Day (Travel Day)

The day started in the late morning at the KCI airport. It was great finally meeting up with the entire group to travel. We had met at meetings but we were never all together, so it definitely made the feeling a whole lot more real once we were all together. The flight from Kansas City to Dallas was quick and pretty painless. We had a short layover in Dallas, but the whole group ate at TGIFridays. We considered it our last authentic American meal, so we scarfed down the food and took full advantage of our ‘last meal.’ Once we finished eating lunch we scrambled around the airport getting last minute items before we left.
Our group all anxiously awaited at the airport knowing that our adventure was fast approaching. At the gate, the attendant spoke in both Spanish and English. Knowing little Spanish I was a little worried on how I would be able to survive two weeks with people talking as fast as the women was. I tried to pick out a word or two, but I just could not do it. After a few minutes of anxiously waiting outside the gate, we finally boarded for our Guatemalan adventure. Again the flight was easy, but obviously considering we were going to a Spanish speaking country the flight attendant gave directions in Spanish and English. Again, I tried to pick out words that I could understand to no avail. After these two instances with people speaking Spanish and not even leaving US soil, I figured I should pull out my trusty Spanish book to review some vocabulary. I can’t say that I was nervous about not knowing Spanish, I just didn’t know what new world would lie ahead.
Right as we got off the plane, we were given another document to fill out. Having already filled out two customs documents we all were a little confused on what this new paper was about. I took the paper and really didn’t pay much attention to it. I was so excited to finally be in Guatemala, I was jumping around and all gitty. The mood quickly changed when I saw officials dressed with masks and gloves. I took a closer look at the document that I was given and I quickly realized that this had to do with the swine flu. I had not traveled since the swine flu outbreak and I had heard some of the precautions that had been taken; however this was the first time that I had experienced the swine flu outbreak.
Once we gave the attendants our papers we were allowed to pass. We got our bags and then had to get our passports stamped. I was nervous to talk to the passport person just because I did not know much Spanish. I skittishly approached the man and smiled. He promptly asked “Coma estas?” I was so excited! A phrase I knew! I quickly responded “Muy bien gracias.” He then asked if I spoke Spanish and understood him, but I was a little caught off guard by a new question and I shook my head and said “No.” I had practiced speaking “un poco” but I was just nervous and didn’t respond how I wanted to. I can see how this could relate to ESL students knowing some of the language but just getting nervous and not responding how they intended.
I was somewhat proud of my first encounter speaking Spanish and I was ready for more. We left the airport and got into a van from the hotel. I was in awe just taking in the scenery from the city. I was trying to figure out how the roads worked, but it seemed like people just went when they wanted. I did not notice any stop lights, but there were “ALTO” signs all over. As we were driving to the hotel, we noticed a bus packed full of people. There was absolutely no room to move, but this wasn’t the first bus that looked like this. All the red buses in the city were packed full of people. There wasn’t anything that really caught me off guard besides the normal city activity. There were some people begging, people trying to sell their gifts, and people just walking the streets. One thing I did notice that I normally don’t see in a big city were guards with large guns. We took a pit stop at the Weston hotel and at the entrance there was a guard holding a very large gun. Many of the people we were traveling with were nervous about that sight, but I figured they wouldn’t bother us if we didn’t bother them.
After our short ride to the hotel we checked into our rooms. We got settled into our rooms and headed down to the hotel restaurant. The waiters were so friendly. Many of the people in our group spoke English to the waiter and he was so sweet and did his best to try and understand and accommodate us. I really want to learn the language so I attempted to order a ‘healthy’ salad and apple pie a la mode. Again, the waiter was so sweet and helped me order and supported me in my attempts. The food was great, but definitely different. I was so grateful for his help throughout the entire evening. It was definitely an exciting evening and I look forward to explore the city in the daylight!

Hasta leugo