Guatemala - Part Three

Some of the fun things we did while we were in Guatemala included visiting Lago Atitlán in Panajachel. We read in our travel books that it's the closest place to heaven. How do you not visit a place after reading that? Well, we actually contemplated going to Tikal which supposedly have the BEST Mayan ruins but that meant we got up at 3am to catch a shuttle to Guatemala City where we would take a tiny, probably mechanically deficient, plane to Tikal where we would hike in horrendous weather to the ruins then turn around and fly home the next day for around $400 per person. Let's review the options:
(1) almost heaven
(2) almost hell

Off to Panajachel we would go where we chose to upgrade our hotel room to one with a pool and a relatively luxurious room. Everything is relative in Guatemala. The standards there are just not the same as in the US. I actually ended up liking our hotel. You could hear anything our neighbors did but I brought ear plugs - I remembered my last trip to Central America. We were to have a TV with cable, a beautiful pool, a comfy bed, a warm and non-hazardous shower. It was going to be heaven before even getting to the water.

Did you know that in order to get to heaven you have to go through hell? Well, you have just been enlightened. I don't know about Lindsay, but I prayed almost the entire drive to Panajachel. The driver we had was completely insane. No exaggeration necessary. He fell asleep while sitting for less than a minute in traffic in Antigua (yes, in hind sight we should have gotten out right then, walked to the travel agent and demanded another driver). He then passed drivers in on-coming traffic around blind corner. He created his own lanes when the traffic didn't suit him. He drove perpendicularly in between 2 semis and popped out onto a freeway and somehow we didn't die.

That's not the end of it. There were mudslides (derrumbes) all over the closer we got to Panajachel since the rainy season was particularly bad and we would often have to move into the on-coming traffic's lanes in order to continue up the mountain. They don't use a lot of orange cones in Guatemala (or any) so there would be a sign saying that there was 2 way traffic (doble via) on the freeway where it would normally be one way. The driver thought he was an invincible king and would be trying to pass people going up hill with on-coming traffic heading our way. It's just not right when the people driving the correct direction in their own lane have to get out of the way of our driver. He also takes care of his breaks really well, because he constantly uses them since he drove amazingly close to other cars. I think he may have driven so crazy just so he would stay awake. I'm not positive, though. He also almost killed pedestrians left and right. I was so nauseated.

He had his own horn language as well. Here it is for you:
Beeeeeeeep = get out of the way or I will kill you
BpBp = you're a pretty lady
Beep = hi, other conductor
Beeeep Beeeep Beeep = this is my road so move it
Beep Beep = I'm passing you so don't think about getting over
Beeeeeeeeeeeep = I'm angry and I want you to know it

We miraculously made it there alive. Unfortunately, Panajachel is a really dirty little town. The Guatemalan's call it "Gringotenango" which is loosely translated to "White people town." I guess there are a lot of expatriates that have settled there. Unfortunately, they didn't bring their American ways of "reduce, reuse, recycle" - or at least "use a trash can." It's really beautiful so it's sad to see stray dogs humping in the street and litter on the ground.

We walked around for awhile up and down the main street. There were a lot of shops selling the usually Guatemalan fare: textiles, ceramics, clay creations, wood carvings, etc. However, Panajachel was a little different in that there were more options for hair accessories and, for pot lovers, lots and lots of pipes. They cater to their typical clientele. Also, there was an abundance of little food stands that looked insanely unsanitary. We refused to eat at them, but then Lindsay and I chose a little restaurant because they had sandwiches and I was just dying for a decent sandwich (which I don't even normally eat often). We shouldn't have eaten at this cute little restaurant because as we were waiting for our food, I watched cats walking all around the kitchen. They weren't on the counters, but there were a LOT of cats walking around. At one point I also saw the person who made our food drop some meat on the floor (yes, the same floor the cats have been prancing around on) and then pick the meat up and put it back on the counter!!!!! We had already finished eating by then. Amazingly, our food did not come back up. Either we were acclimating to Guatemalan life or we were so hungry that just wasn't an option.

On a brighter note, our travel agent was wonderful. We were provided a guide on a boat to 3 cities around the lake. In the morning, which was stunningly beautiful, we were met at our hotel by the guide who walked us down to the waterfront where we gathered with others to go on a boat ride across the lake. Here are some photos!

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We also visited Volcan Pacaya. This was a tough decision for us because this volcano was one of the reasons we almost didn't go to Guatemala. It had just erupted ferociously at the end of May, which is when we were deciding where to go. Shortly after that, a giant sinkhole developed somewhere in Guatemala City. We never got to see the sinkhole, but the cab driver was telling us all about it. We feared that since these 2 natural, destructive occurrences happened in a close time that they were related and may lead to more natural destruction. Remember, we were going to stay "nestled among 3 volcanoes" as the guidebooks put it. Three volcanoes that are active and could blow at any moment. In fact, right before we got there, there had been a spray of ashes that rained down on Antigua and the girl that lived in the house before us helped to sweep the ashes away.

This was towards the end of our trip where nothing bad had happened so far, so why not climb a still hot and active volcano just to see the lava? So we did. When we were driving up the hills were green and lush. The further we drove, the land became brown and barren. This is where we would park our car and walk the rest of the way to near the peak of the volcano. We were provided with walking sticks and a team of horses followed us in case some one needed a ride the rest of the way up. Hmm...I think that means it was going to be steep. It was. We also had "tourist police" following us up, driving ahead, driving back to us, and repeating this process the entire way. This was for the safety of visitors since, once again, it is dangerous to travel alone in Guatemala due to desperate people robbing, raping and killing innocent people. Lindsay and I were very safe and stayed with our guide (I wish the rest of our group would do the same but they were ignorant and almost ran ahead).

As we climbed the vegetation disappeared even more. There were deep ruts where the water had formed it's own path during downpours. It became difficult to walk in some places because the ground was not very solid. By the time we got to the top, it was all black with lava. You could see the smoke from the still smoldering rocks rising from the ground. We were already hot and sweaty but then we had to take a deep descent down loose lava rock to the volcano itself. Once we were on the volcano the rocks felt hot. I kept checking my shoes because I thought they were melting. There were small shafts were you could still see the lava burning below the surface. When you put a stick inside it would light on fire.

Our guide described the day that it exploded. The fear the people had as they ran for cover. Some lived in houses made of various vegetation and they burned to the ground. Other structures were made of solid concrete and big gaping holes were left where giant rocks landed when they were flung from the volcano. Sadly, he also described the aftermath. People died more from not having clean food and water than when the volcano erupted. People, like his son, were injured from falling rock. There was minimal help that came to them because the few funds that made it to Guatemala were seized by the government and did not trickle down to the people. The American Red Cross was able to provide some people with clothing but that was pretty much where the help ended. The people of Guatemala rarely have insurance, so they are left to rebuild their homes themselves.



Let's end on a high note. The final activity that we did before leaving for the states was visiting the Finca Filadelfia coffee plantation where we did the zip line!!! I did this before in Costa Rica and still think it's soo fun. It was Lindsay's first time so we had to do it before we go to have the added danger of the fact that the standards are not the same as they are in the states and we needed to live life on the edge in every way :)

It was actually totally safe with lots of extra safety features. Not only were the lines long, they were also high. Some rides were more extreme than others. Only once did I think "What am I doing up here?" That's pretty good. They start you off easy so you can decide if you want to do the more challenging and scary lines. I knew I was up for it from the start. In Costa Rica I started off a cliff and went down and the lines steadily got shorter and lower to the ground. This, obviously, was the opposite. The only downside, no one told us we would have to hike all the way back up to our truck to be driven back to the main area of the Coffee Plantation. Ugh, in all that gear, it was a miserable hike upwards.

I'm sure there were many pieces of Guatemala I have missed in sharing my experiences. I hope that one time I can print the photos and put a book together so I share the experiences with others beside me. I loved it and was so blessed to have the opportunity to go. The only question now is.....Where next and when???

Two Weeks Left!

Yay! This weekend Stephanie and Brittany came over and helped me do so much stuff for the wedding that I didn't even realize I needed help with. Britt stamped favor boxes, we tied ribbons around bubbles, we bought candy for the candy bar but the most time consuming was glittering of the pumpkins. We went to the pumpkin patch and picked out a variety of cute little pumpkins and then spent an hour or so glittering them. It was kind of fun but the bigger pumpkins got a little tiring. The centerpieces turned out to be AMAZING. I'm really excited about how pretty they are, though they don't photograph well with my camera. Love them. Here is us getting dirty (and sparkly):
Britt with the finished product. The product: The boxes for the candy bar:
Stephanie carefully taping table numbers:
The centerpieces:




Me with all my pumpkin babies:



My messy wedding space:





We have also had a lot of people asking about the food for the food for the wedding. Bruce and I decided on brunch. Breakfast is the yummiest food ever so we will be in love with the food. Here's the menu:

Breakfast Casserole: eggs, ham & cheese
Ham
Bacon
Cinnamon French Toast
Home Style Country Potatoes
Breakfast Blintzes: filled with ricotta & topped with triple berry sauce
Fresh sliced seasonal fruit
Basket of Gourmet Breads, pastries, croissants, biscuits & scones
Cranberry, orange and apple juice
Mimosas
Champagne
Sparkling Cider

We'll also have a Candy Bar and snacky-poos on the table. Lots to eat.

I get to try on my dress one more time before I get married. I can't believe it's only 14 days away. Tick Tock Tick Tock. I can't wait to be married. As much as I want to be married, I really want this to be over with. It's really time consuming and I want to get back into a routine - after a relaxing honeymoon of course. I dream about Aruba. I try to make Bruce dream about it too by talking about it right before I go to bed. Ahhhh, Aruba. I hope we have the easiest travel and best weather. After all this work it's all I can think about.

Stop the rambling ......here.

Sleep "Disorder," not "Difference?"

I've had "funny" sleep for as long as I can remember. My parents have lots of stories about it, too. My mom always said that I would just put myself to bed when I was ready. I used to get up in the middle of the night and watch TV until the colored bars came on, then go back to bed. There are lots of stories of me sleep walking - which usually involves me "chewing-out" my parents or something. I would nap and argue with my mom and Desiree that it was actually the next day even though it was dark outside. My mom even told me how creeped out she was when I sat up in bed and watched her in my room while I was still sleeping. Thanks, mama.

When I got older I continued to sleep walk. I was embarrassed when people would randomly talk about how creepy sleep walkers were but didn't tell them that I was one. In high school I actually starting researching it during my library time - this was pre-internet. I actually pulled out cards, looked for the appropriate call number, and physically retrieved books and articles. Crazy to believe how this just doesn't happen anymore. I read that 1% or less of adults are sleep walkers and that the mass majority of sleepwalking stops around the age of 12. Up to 40% of kids may have sleep walking episodes (so why did my peers think it was so creepy? Didn't any of them sleep walk?!).

By the time I was an adult, I was ok with my sleep walking. People still thought it was creepy, but then I was letting them know that I was a sleep walker and I look completly normal so maybe they can find out more about it rather than be creeped out by it. This seemed to work until my favorite roommate, Rachel, watched a TLC or Discovery show about sleep walkers that described the really rare cases of people who have killed others in their sleep. She said she was going to lock her room from then on. I assured her that I would never kill her (and the program even emphasized how rare this was), but I don't know if she felt secure or not after that. She had caught me once or twice sleep walking but I quickly come out of it - confused, but more coherent - so I could let her know I was fine and she should just go back to bed like I was going to. When I was seriously dating Bruce he was eager to see an episode. Silly guy. Once they started he was getting really upset. I was interfering with his sleep. Now it wasn't cool or funny...it was just annoying and disruptive.

Around the time I started Post-bacc/Grad school, I noticed that I was getting tired more often and all throughout the day. Unlike the majority of my college peers, I was going to bed and waking up at decent hours (in bed by 10pm awake between 5 and 6am). Why was I tired? I made a lot of excuses for it (1) I was bored by studying or being in classes (2) I was studying a lot and sleep was an avoidance technique (3) I was pushing myself too hard (4) I was lazy that day... any excuse I could think of for why I wanted to sleep off and on all day.

It progressively got worse, but then again, so did my load of work. There's another excuse. I also was a Teaching Assistant, which would cut into my nap time. I was still going to bed at a decent hour every night, though. I ate right, I exercised, I had healthy sleep habits but it gradually worsened.

When I graduated and this continued I thought it was the stress of looking for a house. Then we got the house I thought it was the stress of my job, maybe I was getting a cold, maybe it was finanacial stress. It continued to worsen but I didn't really discuss the issues I had been having.

The issues in one summary were:
(1) hallucinations - originally it was spiders. A big one. When I started working it was children. Bruce always joked that we couldn't have kids because I always lost them. We thought this was a dream I woke from, even though I felt fully awake when I saw them.
(2) sleep atacks - it's really annoying to be doing something and then, like hitting a wall, I have an incredible urge to sleep. In the winter I thought it was my body telling me I was getting sick. In the summer I thought it was from running around too much. In the car it was just down right scary and dangerous.
(3) constant waking - within the last 2 years I wasn't sleeping straight through the night. I was waking for no reason between 3 and 15 times a night.
(4) excessive daytime sleepiness: I would feel fine for hours then feel a huge dip in energy and ability to stay awake. I had no energy or drive. I pushed through, though. Sometimes it would take minutes, sometimes an hour. It was rough, but I didn't want to be a whiner.
(5) dream recall during naps - did you know you shouldn't be able to fall asleep at lightning speed, dream, and then recall it in full detail during a 20 minute nap? Neither did I. Apparently, this shows your brain is not functioning properly. It is possible to have isolated incidents, but not to have this be an ongoing issue.
(6) sleep paralysis: although rarely occuring in comparison, it was disconcerting nonetheless. Only once did someone else witness it. Bruce told me to get up and go to bed when I fell asleep on the couch but I couldn't move. I heard a thud and realized it was my leg that had fallen off the couch. He carried me to bed. After some time I was able to get up out of bed. He told me how strange it was to see me. It was like I wanted to get up but couldn't. That's exactly what happened.

I didn't really know how to label these until I read an article on Yahoo in the Spring. I laughed because I had a majority of the sleep disorders that were on the list. I never really even thought about having a sleep 'disorder' - I thought of it more as a sleep 'difference.' Around the same time I noticed that co-workers were starting to comment that I was always dragging. Bruce was complaining about my excessive sleepiness and my lack of drive to do anything but sleep. I still didn't appear to be sleeping an abnormal amount - napping only on the weekends unless it was a real bad day, going to bed and waking up at decent times - but I wanted to sleep all the time. It was starting to affect my job performance. I don't know if the families realized it, but I did and it was embarassing.

I finally decided to pursue this with a doctor. I did it more because I was thinking of future children. If there was a way to help me feel more awake and 'normal' I should take care of it before I have kids, right. When I described my symptoms to the doctor, she told me not to think of myself as a 'freak' (I never did until she said that, thank you very much) but that my issues were far from normal. I went to the sleep doctor who, based on my answers to a series of tests and a case history, suspected I was developing narcolepsy. There was a small possibility it was sleep apnea, but he spent a good deal of time discussing narcolepsy and it's treatment.

"Narcolepsy" was hard to hear. I had heard it from the doctor and seen it on sleep websites, but having a specialist tell me that was a strong possibility was paralyzing. I didn't want that. For days I quietly obsessed over it. I told some others because I thought that if I told people it would lessen the blow when I heard the definitive news. After a few days I actually wanted to have a diagnosis of narcolepsy. That would mean a definitive plan of action. There wouldn't be additional tests and trials. I would simply feel better.

The sleep study was a nightmare. I was wired and felt like a robot through the overnight study. I was like Medusa with the number of wires coming off my head and face (under my eyes, at my jaw, above my eye brow, all over my head in my hair). I was wired literaly down my legs and stomach. I was thouroughly exhausted at that point, too and I broke down crying because I knew they weren't going to find anything. I felt like I didn't sleep the whole night. The lights came on around 6 in the morning and they unhooked most of the wires. I still had many hours to go, though. For the rest of the day I was trying to entertain myself and not fall asleep because they had scheduled sleep intervals. I fell asleep for each nap. I thought that I wouldn't be able to sleep that night because of all the sleeping I had done - wrong. I had no trouble going right to sleep that night.

The unfortunate part of telling people about my difficulties is that they wanted to know the outcomes. Not good, I thought. I didn't sleep and they won't find anything. When I got the report it said at the bottom "sleep disorder." There it was. It was finally in writing, no going back. I had a "disorder." Sure, they didn't see the real 'freaky' stuff that I do, but they did determine that I fall asleep too fast, too often and too easily. I am a wonderful sleeper, in fact. I have REM sleep but it didn't occur that quickly. However, it also said "cannot rule out narcolepsy." Ack! All that work and I may still have it but the tests just didn't reflect it?!

When I returned to the sleep specialist to discuss the results, he told me that I am strange. He is almost positive that I will be diagnosed with narcolepsy within 5-10 years. I have all the symptoms in my case history and the beginning symptoms on the sleep test (falling asleep too fast, too often, too easily). At this time he is diagnosing me with "idiopathic hypersomina" - a fancy term for unexplained excessive sleepiness.

Other news, I have a "diametrically opposed" diagnosis of "parasomnias" as well. A fancy word for my sleep walking and talking. Typically these two things don't co-exist. He thinks I'm a puzzle, basically.

Now, that being the news, even sadder news was to come. Because of the two diagnoses, there are 2 completely different methods of treatment. Which one to do? Make me sleep more deeply, thereby making me feel more awake during the day OR make me feel more alert during the day and continue to sleep the same way I do now at night. Sorry but neither seemed like a great option.

Then even more sad news, when I plan on getting pregnant all the way through breast feeding, I cannot be on any medications prescribed. I cried. I was going to be given sleep/restfulness and then have it taken away. I am so exhausted, this just isn't what I want to hear. I need rest, though, so that may mean putting off having kids. I really want kids, but I need to be healthy. I may eat right, exercise and have all the healthy habits you're supposed to, but I don't feel like my body is a healthy environment for a child at this time.

So what happens now? Well, I'm trying the sleeping more deeply route. I will have a check up in 2 weeks to see if it helped. If not, then I'm trying the more alerting route. If that doesn't help, I don't know what we'll do.

If one wonders why I would be diagnosed years from now, but not now, that's because (as explained by the sleep specialist) narcolepsy takes years to fully develop. It's hard to know that I have something happening inside me that I have no control over. Something that is going to gradually affect my life more and more. Symptoms can only be elevated and controlled, but not cured. I like to have control. This will be hard.

So for now I will just keep trying to feel 'normal' and maybe even feel awake most days. It's all I want right now.

The Real Countdown Begins

Ack! The wedding is getting closer and closer and closer every day! Now that we're under 30 days, there are a lot of little things to get done. The fun things.

My lovely friend, Jen, let me borrow her Cricut paper cutter and I made table numbers and the "Candy Bar" sign.

My other lovely friend, Stephanie, and my baby sister helped me practice glittering pumpkins. It was fun, productive, and really pretty :) We were covered in glitter - powder glitter - that got EVERYWHERE. Loved it! Know we just have to get the right ratio of glitters and some spray adhesive and some real pumpkins and the fall-themed center pieces will be good to go.

I will be getting my dress ironed and bustled on Friday and I can't wait to put my dress on again. I would be wearing it right now if I could get it on by myself. As it stands, I just walk around in my shoes while Bruce isn't around. Sometimes when he is around, but in secret.

Bruce and I wrote our vows together and that was really emotional for both of us. I don't know how I'm supposed to say my vows. I think I will cry way too much. Ugh, I can't even think about it.

Most invitations have been sent out - there are some stragglers for various reasons. I can't wait to celebrate with family and friends. So fun :)

I took Shannin and Allison flower girl dress shopping. Allison is sooo cute and all the brides-to-be loved her. She didn't mind twirling and showing off in front of all the mirrors. Poor thing cried out loud when she had to get back into her "street clothes." she wanted to wear her dress so badly right away. I had to take it away. She got over it easily, though. She's going to look like such a princess. I can't wait.

We practiced a little with my hair and make-up. Make-up scares me. A lot. I think it looks weird on me so that may be a problem. I will be going back October 1st to Shannin's new place of business to practice a little more (and a trim, of course). Love it.

I have a wedding shower from work this weekend and I'm really excited to see Sarah this weekend and celebrate with co-workers. I then get to go to Seattle on Sunday and visit with my Rachel and maybe Kristin, too!

Busy, busy, busy. Lots of plans all over the place. I can't wait until 10-10-10!

Guatemala - Part Two

Antigua was all about the studying. We started school on a Monday morning. I think our professors were a little weirded out by our request - we wanted to learn and practice terminology related to speech/language pathology. They were good and acted like they knew what they were going to do with us but they were just acting while they formulated a plan. The days following the first would be infinitely better than I had hoped. The pictures are of our indoor/outdoor classroom and some studying time.


We spent 4 hours in class Monday through Friday. We came home for lunch just about every day and took a siesta (oh, how I miss the siestas) and then we were free for the afternoon. The catch was that the mornings usually were the best parts of the day. Some afternoons were wonderful and warm and sunny - others were torrential downpours for one hour to endless hours. We had plenty of time to visit all there is to see in Antigua despite the rain.

Ruins are EVERYWHERE. You can't get away from them there are so many. They appear to have been in the process of restoring a lot of buildings but some more 'ruin-y' ruins have become beautiful gardens. My favorite picture of a ruin, however, is when we went inside McDonalds which was very very nice. There was a patio garden outside and then Ronald McDonald just relaxing on a park bench in front of a fountain. Behind him are some ruins and one of the volcanoes that surrounds Antigua. I like to think it represents the juxtaposition of old and new in Antigua.
The ruins are of a variety of buildings or converted buildings. Many are churches. Some look like churches but they actually house hospitals or government office-type buildings. The whole town is very colonial since it used to be the colonial capital of Guatemala. Due to the threats from the volcanoes that surround it, the capital was eventually moved to Guatemala City where everything and everyone would be much safer. I should note that the volcanoes don't erupt often but, apparently, when they do, death and destruction abounds. The more original capital was Ciudad Vieja (that depressing little city from Guatemala Part One) which had been destroyed when a volcano erupted and everyone fled to Antigua. Antigua, it seems has been slowly rebuilding after some hearty quakes in the 1970's. Slow going but the succession of quakes at that time really left it's mark on many of the buildings. Some buildings were beyond repair so they were turned into beautiful gardens or left in the background throughout the city.

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Here's one of my absolute favorite photos:

Remember: Juxtaposition: two objects that oppose one another; two random objects moving in parallel. This is the shocking thing about Antigua that, even though I read some about it, still struck me every day. There was the constant presence of old and new. The buildings were one thing but the people were a shocking other.

Many people dressed in modern clothing but there was still a large amount of people (women mostly) who dressed in "traditional" clothing. It was very colorful, modest, and distinctive. There were horse drawn carriages that went alongside the brand new looking cars (Mazdas, Jeeps, Volkswagens, Toyotas, etc.) - not the european mini cars that I remember from Costa Rica. And remember, the chicken buses may be old, but some of them are very fancy. I don't have a picture of the depressing looking ones :(

One rainy afternoon Lindsay and I hiked to Cerro la Cruz - a viewpoint that overlooked the city. We had to go in a group because of the danger to lone tourists that ramble up the hill to look at the city. It was pretty amazing. I bet it would have been more amazing on a dry, sunny day, but we still enjoyed the hike up the hill.

The funniest thing about walking to school every morning was that we had to pass through the Parque Central. We were scheduled to start school at 8am and I was always shocked that there were people already up and ready for there day but they were sitting on park benches making out and cuddling. They weren't just kids in uniforms before school, these were actually adults dressed and ready to go to work. I think it's because the families typically continue to stay in the same house until they marry. Antigua is a relatively expensive city to live in so if you want to cuddle your honey, you get out of bed early and cuddle in the park. (Everyone gets up early thanks to the church bells that ring throughout the town promptly at 6am). Here are some pictures of the park:




No blog about Antigua would be complete without pictures of the shopping experience. This is all I have to say about the mercado: Sensory Overload. I don't know how people shop there. It is so disorganized and all over the place. The building looked like it was added on to randomly with sub-par construction. I was pleased to see Bruce's favorite energy drink was available, though:





Finally, I'll add random pictures we took when walking around town. Some days are beautiful and sunny, some days started out that way but then we had to wait under cover as the torrential rains would run through.

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