Top 6 Misses, Top 6 Joys

February 7 marked our 6-month anniversary of living in Guatemala. That, coupled with our realization that there was a sad shortage of blog postings in February, led us to create a Top 6 List of what we miss from the States, and a Top 6 List of where we find joy in Guatemala.

Top 6 Misses
in no particular order

1. Food & Beverage

Our closest friends and family know that we love feasting on our favorite foods and washing them down with a decent draft. Great food can certainly be found in Guatemala, especially fresh avocados, champurradas (cookies to eat w/coffee...like biscotti), handmade tortillas, and ceviche salad (shrimp, salsa, lime juice, avocado, cilantro). However, we have given up on finding (or affording) some comforts of home we knew going into Guate we would have to give up, like healthy cereal, delectable dark chocolate, tasty Free State beer, and eating out at some of our favorite restaurants!

2. Safety

To be clear, we live in the safest part of the city and we have never had our safety directly threatened. But hey, this is Guatemala where 98% of murders go unsolved. Not a place to take chances when it comes to "exploring the city" or trying to find a new place at night. It is sad that in a country that has the most perfect weather in the world, we cannot leave our apartment to go on an after-dinner walk! At best, driving can be described as chaotic. At all times, the road has on it: drivers on zippy mopeds that do not follow traffic rules, cars broken down in a lane (no shoulders), chicken buses careening around like death traps, streets (and highways for that matter) lacking actual painted lines, and passing is always an option regardless of American standards (such as curves, going uphill, or going uphill on a curve).

3. Friends and Family

While we have a great group of friends from school and our Bible Study here, it is hard to miss out on events going on at home in our other friends' lives or our familes' lives. For example, close friends are moving to Washington D.C. and California; our friends' son, Dorian, is growing up at an astonishingly adorable rate; Beth's sister Robin is getting married (the future Mrs. Tad Sutton); Beth's family pet passed away; Beth's parents are building a new house; some of James' relatives have or have had serious health problems; and James' cousin is getting married. This is in addition to the fun activities our friends are doing that we are missing, like going to K.U. games, attending our beloved Bible Study Splinter Cell, throwing school events with Beth's job, Christmas and birthday parties, etc. It is hard to hear about it without being a part of it, too! We miss everyone so much, and it is definitely the hardest part of living abroad. Of course, it goes without saying that we dearly miss our pet cat, Mia!

4. Jobs

We are incredibly lucky. We both have jobs in Lawrence that we love, love, LOVE! While it is refreshing for a change of pace and scenery here in Guatemala, Beth was passionate about her work at Oak Hill in Blue Valley, and every day of work was a blessing. James worked for Pennington and Co., an irreplaceable job and company. We both found our jobs to be a fulfilling part of our lives. While Beth's current position often challenges her and James' position as a graphic designer is a new creative outlet that he can do from home, both of us find ourselves missing our jobs in one aspect or another.

5. Convenience

Living in a foreign country and visiting it are two completely different things. When you visit a foreign country, you get to hit the highlights and may find some experiences quaint and novel. Well, for certain inconveniences, eventually the novelty wears off. It seems there are chronically inefficient systems (water purification, traffic, banking, government in general, etc.) that take away from the joys the country has to offer. Nothing is terribly inconvenient, it is just that we are so used to their efficiency in the U.S. we never had to think about it before!

6. Last but not Least: Lawrence

Man, do we miss our home! Although Beth will always have a special place in her heart for her hometown, Neosho, MO, we built our relationship and our life in Lawrence, KS. We hate to brag, but it really is a cool town! We miss the myriad of local restaurants and coffee shops, Free State Monday specials, Great Harvest bread, La Prima Tuesday 2-for-1, Liberty Hall's Wed. night dollar draws during movies, the summer sidewalk sale, Pizza Shuttle, 8th Street Tap Room late night dancing, local bands, and KU college culture.

As they say, one of the best cures for criticism is gratitude, which we have an incredible reserve of in Guatemala! We know that living here is one of the more unique things we'll do in life, so we want to give those favorite experiences a shout-out, too!

Top 6 Joys

1. Weather

If you ask yourself, "Is it possible to live somewhere that it always feels neither hot nor cold, where there is always a comfortable breeze, humidity is nonexistent, and bugs are a distant afterthought?" We have the answer. And we live there. Guatemala City! We never, EVER take the weather for granted. It is truly comfortable day and night. Sure, there is a rainy season, but it usually only rains during the afternoon, which you can plan for. The other 8 months of the year are soaked in sun and soft in the shade. As for those of you who would miss Old Man Winter, we bid him adieu with a hearty wave. We don't miss scraping ice from our windshield, forgoing outside strolls due to cold, longer commutes, fighting the urge to stay in bed when it's too cold out, and the inevitable depression of dark days. Reversely, we do not miss the humid, sweltering days of summer very much. We don't miss sweating through our clothes at art walks or shrinking away from eating dinner outside due to the heat. Although seasons have their fleeting moments of beauty and magic, there are far more perfect days that possess the same power where we currently live.

2. Travel opportunities

A common question in our household is, "Where do you want to go this weekend? The lake? The beach? Hiking? Antigua? Diving?" These are our favorite places in Guatemala because each of them offers such a diverse range of activities that are all within reasonable traveling distance for the weekend. We have been able to go to new places that have opened our hearts, eyes, and minds. This is clearly a topic that we could gush about at length, and it's no wonder that we find so much joy in these new experiences, which was a main reason for moving here in the first place!

3. Flexibility

We will be the first to admit that our life is simpler, easier here. Neither of us is in school (for once), so our time outside of Beth's job is more flexible than it ever has been. Not only that, but Beth does not have a commute to lengthen her days, so Free Time each day starts earlier...around 3:00! She also does not have too many school-related requirements outside of the regular school day, and each month has nestled in it somewhere the gem of a 3-day weekend. Our life is also simpler. Since we cannot find clothing that is tall enough for us, we don't need to go shopping. The school handles paying for our apartment. We have plenty of time to spend it as we please, which is refreshing! We are trying to find a way to volunteer through our church on a regular basis since we do seem to have more time.

4. Active Opportunities

We should mention that we tried to be active in the States. Beth taught aerobics at a local gym and we both loved to run outdoors and go on walks downtown or on KU campus. However, weather only permitted this to be a fun activity for a finite number of months a year. Now that we live here, there are so many opportunities to stay active, we cannot possibly do them all! James plays on a futeca (soccer on a smaller field) team and does Ultimate Frisbee twice a week, and Beth incorporates yoga and daily walks at school; we both still manage to hit the gym regularly and try to play tennis as often as possible. Not only that, but each place we travel to involves some degree of hiking, walking, or swimming. It is impossible to stay indoors or lead a sedentary lifestyle here! Also, other teachers are obviously a part of these activities as well, so we are never alone. This is a community of young, active, single and/or childless (it doesn't hurt), teachers who all have as much free time as we do, which makes it easy to get involved.

5. Learning Spanish

This one is obvious! We have only fallen more in love with the Spanish language since we've arrived, and we have to say, our use of Spanish is good and goal of becoming bilingual is still on the radar. It's fun for both of us to hear each other talking in a foreign language! We also have an amazing tutor, Patricia (from Spain) who motivates us to do more. Que bien!

6. Personal growth

It may sound cheesy, but we know that living outside of our comfort zone is a major growing experience--as individuals and within our marriage. Individually, we each have time to explore some of our own passions and develop new ones. We each have learned things about ourselves that we didn't know before....for example, we both want adventure, but we've found that too much (unsafe) adventure isn't fun for us. As a couple, we have both become more reliant on each other as companions, navigators, protectors, sounding boards, translators, and friends. Although the teachers here are part of our support system, when it comes down to it, living abroad with someone you love is the best way to go!