Weekend Recap: Gipsy Kings cover band, Moving!, New Church

Friday, Aug. 31Friday night Beth and I and a group of another six went to a trendy and fun section of Guatemala City called Cuatro Grados Norte. It's basically a 4-block loop full of bars and restaurants. Lots of people were out, with reggaetón thumping out of every bar ("so hot right now"), and we all felt very safe walking around and exploring. We ate at an American-themed restaurant called "Friend's," which we found funny since it implies the possession of only one friend, thus losing the feeling of comradery they were probably going for. The food was decent, but the location was good as it was directly across the street from the music venue, El Bode, that we were going to afterwards.

The art teacher at school used to sing with this Gipsy Kings (and other Latin musicians) cover band called Unicornio (Spanish for "unicorn") and she invited us all out to see them. Being fans of the Gipsy Kings, we were immediately down and excited for the show. We got there early, right after dinner, with about an hour to kill before the show began (which is when we explored Cuatro Grados Norte). The stage was neat--multi-tiered and high up, so you could really see everyone performing. And this was a big band, with 8 or 9 members playing guitars, drums, bongos, keyboard, etc. And the best part was that they sounded great! They were all really talented and had the crowd going--lots of people sang and clapped along, and a group of a dozen or more crowded the front to dance. We headed home around midnight as we had to be up early to move in to our new place.

Saturday, Sept. 1
We were up early to prepare for the movers who were coming from the school to help us move in to our new apartment. Being on Guatemalan time, they of course didn't show up right when we expected them, but that's OK as we had more time to sit around and chat with Randy and Iniyal (who were also waiting for movers (theirs showed up two+ hours late!)). They came in a full sized yellow school bus, which was not what we were expecting, but it turned out great as we filled it up with the boxes of stuff we purchased from the librarian who didn't return this school year. We couldn't get our couch though as it was being held in another staff member's apartment, and the guards at her complex wouldn't allow the school bus to go through (we are supposed to get it today, though).

Once we had everything, we headed over to our new place and, with the help of our friendly doorman, Joel, unloaded it all in the parking garage next to the elevator. From there, we got everything up to our fifth floor place in six or seven elevator trips. The apartment is really nice and we're both so excited to live here. The owner of the place just moved to London to study for a year (which likely means we'll have to move out next summer when he returns), and he was nice enough to leave us his two couches, two end tables, coffee table, entertainment center, and microwave (in addition to the other major appliances). So that helped us be immediately set up and save some money!

*Soon we will post a video tour of our place!*

That afternoon we cabbed it over to Price Smart, which is basically a Guatemalan Sam's Club (and probably owned by Wal-Mart). We purchased our one-year membership and went to shopping so we could get all the needed food and household items. After nearly an hour of combing through the big aisles and weaving in and out of all the people, we finally got in line to buy everything. Once we were all rang up, I handed him my VISA to pay for it all and the card was promptly rejected. The cashier tried it another couples times and then my other credit card. Still no luck. Now we were feeling the dozens of eyes on our backs all wondering why these gringos were holding up the line. Thankfully, a friendly manager took us aside to assist and the others behind us could carry on. The manager called the credit card company and, in our limited understanding of what he was explaining, the amount charged was denied. Defeated and embarrassed, we picked up the essentials we could afford with the cash on hand (one of the essentials being a pound bag of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips...mmmm!). We found our already-waiting cab (who had been running the meter while were sorting out the credit card mess), and took an expensive ride home. Needless to say, we were bummed and feeling irritable when we got home. We had planned to go to a couple's place that evening for "Quizamajig," a trivia game event they host every six weeks or so, but were not in the mood for socializing. Instead, we made dinner with what we could, settled in, and watched Batman Begins.

(I got the credit card problem resolved yesterday, by the way. They thought it was fraudulent, being a charge out of the U.S. (even though just a week prior I spoke to someone about our situation and to set up our PIN...oh well)).

Sunday, Sept. 2
Sunday morning...I think we just lazed around. We had planned to go to school at 2 to play Ultimate Frisbee, but the rains came in and dashed away our plans. That evening we did go to the Union Church (the only English-speaking, Christian church service we know of) and really, really enjoyed it. I wasn't in the mood to go with the rain making me feel lethargic, but I was so glad we went. It was an informal service, with groups of four to five sitting at tables, in an expansive room just off the sanctuary. There was a fire going in a large, stone fireplace, and each table had a candle burning at it; it was a nice ambiance. The pastor was very likable, and we met some friendly, talkative locals. We sang just two or three songs from our seats (old songs I hadn't sung or heard since my days in Monett, which I really enjoyed), and then jumped in to the service. The pastor was speaking on the subject of skepticism and would pause every so often with questions for each table to discuss. It was a nice way to interact with our table members. Unfortunately, we had asked our cabbie to come back at 7:15 to pick us up, so we had to duck out a little early as the service wasn't over yet. We were disappointed to leave early as we were fully enjoying it. Beth and I are really excited to have found a church so soon that seems to be a great fit for us, and we are looking forward to going back Sunday!

Other Happenings
We're currently on the hunt for a good used car. We had our hopes up for a Subaru Forrester we were looking at, but a mechanic looked it over yesterday and discouraged me from buying it due to the high level of rust throughout the car. The search continues...

This afternoon we're heading over to sign up at a gym somewhat nearby (40-minute walk away). Being the exercise-lovers that we are, Beth and I are eager to get back into our daily work out routines.

The U.S. Open is underway, and Beth and I enjoyed watching the exciting conclusion to the Haas/Blake match and see Federer steamroll his opponent after losing the first set. I think Hennin plays Serena today, which always makes for a great match. And hopefully Nadal plays, too, as he's our favorite.

This Sunday is the presidential elections of Guatemala. We don't know much about the candidates, but it's exciting to be here for this big occasion.

Hurricane Felix is supposed to hit Guatemala tomorrow, and the city is expected to receive a lot of rain. I don't believe we're in any danger, but please be praying for our safety nonetheless, and of course for all those who have already and will be affected by it.

Check our Flickr account as I'm uploading pictures of our recent trip to Panajachel (which Beth is still planning to write about... : )