TIKAL

WOW, it was so cool! There is so much to tell about Tikal. Well first i had to wake up at at 3:15 in the morning and be ready for my bus pick up at 4 am. i know early!!! So i was picked up and brought into Guatemala city. I really hate Guatemala city, even the nice part of town is dirty, lots of homless and it just has a SIN CITY feel to it. Got the airport and go on what was then smallest plane i had ever been on it, seated about 30 ppl. It was a really fast flight, it was like just as soon as the seat belt light came off it was on again because we were decending. We got to flores which is about an hour away from tikal, our guide was already there to start weaving the story about these encredible mayans.
Tikal was around for about 1000 yrs, and then died off in 850 AD. They died off because of a huge drought and then war started after that, once the people realized that the kings,queens preists and doctors were not doing much to help them, they killed them all off. When the killed them, they killed off all of the people that were smart, to sum it up.
Some major things about these ppl are ONE : they played a game that was really really hard that was almost a cross between basketball and soccor. What would happen is the winner would be known as almost a god. I specimen of man that was powerfull and supierior. In the begining the winner would then be sacfificed to the gods, and usually they would have to do it them selves. The mayans thought that the gods would be happiest with a still beating heart if possible. I know isnt that crazy!!! So after this big game the winner would stand on this rounded stone that had beautiful carving on it and well kill himself. This was an honor, usually they would be then baried with the kings and such.
The ppl we brilliant, they set up this almost pyramid, and by watching the sky 24 hours a day for who knows how long they came up with a 365 day calender, the also new when all of the eclips and season changes would be. They had to because here the soil only gose down about 6 inches so in order to have enough from the crops they had to plant more then just 1 time a year.
they figured out ways to watch to planets which is a huge mystery still bacause they dont know exsactly how they did it, they think it was kinda like the egyptions.
All around tikal the are mathmatical formations in the buildings, every thing thatwas built was built where it was for a reason. Almost all the buildinds except one were built east to west. Its to hard to explain on here so if anyone would like more info you will have to look it up but it is simply amazing how smart they were.
All the buildings in tikal are made from lime stone, which is really soft, moss has no problem growing on it so then you have trees and bushes all growing on there buildings. The researchers think that that was how it was back then because the mayans thought to try and be one with the earth, you dont hurt trees because trees are apart of you. So in 1848 when a couple of explorers were walking by they did not seeing buildings, it was only when the looked up at what is know as temple 1 they saw a cave. This was the door at the top into the building, only when the went inside did the realize that there was carvings, gold, jade and here was how tikal was founded again 100 yrs after everyone was gone from it. Think about it though, if they had not seen the door or if the door was to covered by plants, we would have never ever even found out about tikal, amazing!

i had a really good time only to be wisked back to the hotel to have lunch then on the road back home.
So i got to the airport and i was lead to the smallest plan i have been on to this dat it seated 17 ppl and well i almost had a panick attack. I didnt and got home safe but what a jouney.

I have had ths really weird cough latley that i am kinda beging to worry about because some one said it sounds like broncitise and i have officaly lost my voice. I hope it comes back soon
I have another weekend and a bit here and well i know irt will go by fast, i really just want to be done my classes, like today how can i speak? oh well i will deal with it when it comes. Not doing much this week, but this weekend i will be climbing the mighty poikia volcano, whioch is saposed to be amazing.
Lots of pictures as always.
Anyways i geuss that is it for now
love you all
Karalynn

ok
so you have no idea how much white bread ppl eat here, almost every meal there is white bread. Also the amount of salt that my house mom cooks with is almost unbeilevable. I think that if she dosent cut down she is going to die in the next 5 yrs. Plus the fact that she has been sick for the last 2 weeks and not getting better. I am not trying to sound harsh , it is just fact. There is a pretty bad flu going on here though, and i dont know if ppl get shots or not. I wonder
Here everyone has shinny shoes! i know it sounds funny but it is true. Therefore there are shoe shinners every where, and if you want your shoes shinned you find one sit down and they do it right then and there. It cost 2Q which is about 25 cents. Now they range from 5 yrs old to 50 yrs old. i know it is sad but if they cant afoord to got o school they have to work. I think it is also paassed down, so if your dad was a shoe shinner so are you.
It has been really quite cold here for the last three days, not as cold as home(i am not complaining) but because it is so humid it is bone chilling. But it is funny, cuz i still think it is quite warm so i am wearing a skirt and a tank top and every local is wearing jeans a sweater and a jacket, it is like they are freeziung. so they look at me like i am crazy
I am al alone here now. All my friends have left so i am not realloy talking to alot of people and spemnding alot of time alone. That is ok, it is good for ppl like me to learn to be alone. I was also thinking that even if i could talk spanish fluently i dont think i would be talking very much, i just dont have alot to say. But i may be wrong.
This sun my teacher is throwing here parents a big b-day party i think they rae both turning 65. Anyways so i am expecting not very mainy ppl cuz well i know that their poor. so i asked how many and she said 70 ppl. Their house isnt even big enough for 20 so they will end up on the street, isnt that crazy!!!! i am going to try to go but i dont think that i get back from tikal until later, but who knows.
So
jen i hope school is going well, i am glad that you get to get out of the city!! how is you know who!!!!
sheila glad to hear you havent sold the house, how is everything eles?
matty mi amor!
Well that is it for now,
Talk to you all soon
Karalynn

Did i mention that i live on the same street as probley the most famous church in antigua. It is beautiful but there a couple of things that are really wierd. First well the bells ofcourse go off many times a day but that is usual isnt it. On sat and sun the have explosions like every hour and some times it is like 10-15 in a row. What i mean by explosions is mabey it is like shot guns being fired, but no matter almost every time i jump.It is really strange to being awaken by what sounds like a bomb being dropped outside your door. This is all sat and sun. Yeserday was this famous monks birthday. He is known for healing becasue when he was alive he took care of thousands of sick people, manily children. So at the church and all around town there were feistas. Lots of explosions and lots of fireworks. Unfotunatley i was a home sleeping, or trying to. I was not feeling very well yesterday due to the going away feista the night before.
Now on sundays right outside one of the churches door there is a m,an that sells goats. I have not figured it out yet but i think that they are for offering. That is so sad, then again he could just be selling them, it is not like these people to buy such an expensive animal that could provide alot for them just to killl them for god. But i dont know.

Christmas has started here, you can see trees dicerated and right now there is the christmas song in spanish playing in the back ground, it is famous we listen to it at home but i forget the name. I was talking to my teacher about our cultures around christmas time. Yiou only buy one gift for one person in the family if you can. But it unlike christmas at home it really is not about presents here. Only the rich people can get a turkey because they are really really expensive.
But in talking about christams and my familys tradtions i relized how many we really have. I think evenb for north american families we have an unusal amount of tradtions that just our family dose. That is pretty cool

So i only have 2 and a half more weeks here. All studying, Thats it. well no that is not true i will be going away on the up coming weekends.

I am going to go eat, then go home a study.
Love you all
Karalynn

hello
First off dad Matts arrival date is Dec 11/06 @ 5.20 am flight number 2111. Mine is Arrive @ 8.05pm on Dec 10/06 flight number taca ta 0035. Mom , matt wants you to call him so pls do.
So I know i have said that i am getting into a normal routine but how is that possible when this morning i was working out looking at a volcano. There is nothing normal about that! i just need to realixe how lucky i am.

so tonight there is a huge fiesta for all the people that i met whiel i have been here. it is sad but it will be a good party.
Anyways i will write on sun to tell you how my weekend went.
Karalynn

Sorry that i havent writen but when i feel like nothing is going on i have nothing to write!
But i geuss there is lots going on.
Spanish is spanish studying very hard, everyday. I have alot of spanish in my brain but i have not really started to use it in speaking, hopefully before the week ends it will be better.
Almost all of the students that i have met whiel i have been here are all leaving this weekend. So that means i will have to talk alot more and my life will get even more boring yah!!!!!!!!
I woke up early to do a pilates class this mrning, it was so hard. It is only a 45 min class and i am used to 1 hour so i thought it would be easy. Nopr not so much i was sweating up a storm in like 10 mins. It is a good thing i have done lots of pilates because like everything eles it is in spanish. So what i have noticed is that yes alot of ppl here work oput but unlike home there are not alot of jucie monkeys. I think i have seen one.

here in guatemala the water is clean, but every single person weather your a gringo or not drinks botteled water becasue as i found out the water is clean but there is a huge calcuim deposit in the water, i didnt know that. So you can see it in the shower and such. I still have not had a hot or even warm shower since i got here. I think the girl from montreal stopped showing like a week ago.

Have any of you heard of buenas vista social club? i might have mentioned them, i think i did. How there were this cuben group formed after world war 2. Anyways the members are like 70 yrs old and still jamming. The play in the club every wednesday night for free which is unuasl seeing is how they are world famous. I would suggest everyone to cheak it out(katie) You will seriously just love how you body just starts to move to the music. I think that is whjat we are all doing this weekend.

I cant wait to go to tikcl next weekend, finally see a little more of guetmala. For anyone who dosent know tikal is i think one of the biggest ruiens in the world. It is in gutemala but kinda close to belize.

Anyways i should go, im still sweaty from the class
Talk to yopu all soon
Love you,
Karalynn

hola
Ok so I started my spanish lessons yesterday and they are going well so far. I think i forgot how hard learning spanish really was. My teacher besides teaching me spanish also tells me alot about guaemala. There is 3 active volcanos here and the most popular is called pikia. My teachers firts husband was killed by this volcano when it erupted when he was doing a tour. She has 8 kinds and she is only 30 yrs old! She was also teeling me how abortions are illegal here but at the same time your no saposed to use condoms or the pill. Her youngest daughter who is not married is 2 months pregnet and not married! to bad there wasent some condoms for her! I am studying 4 hours a day 7 days a week, i know it is alot.
Halloween here is a really big deal, so 2 nights ago there was the last fetival and it was a big parade. There was a huge stage that was about 30 feet by 10 made of wood and on the top there was a casket which had a fake body of christ. It took 90 ppl to carry this thing and not only that but it started at 3 and ended at 11.30. So they walked it around the entir ciyt. Everyone was out for it even the kids. It was crazy!
There are lots of women and kids that still dress in the traditional guatemalan cloths but you have to be a true indiginous person to do so. It is really cool to see them carry big things on there head around the city. Most of them are the ones selling stuff on the street.
Anyways thats all for now
Talk to you soon
K

I think i am really going to like it here. There are lots of really cool buildings and i dont know if i mentioned it already but it is a city but seriously not bigger then threehills but it is not crowded or dirty or anything. The food has been really good so far and it is all cooked for me! it is usually a pasta and either veggies and meat or just veggies. I think i might turn veggie whiel i am here. It is kinda weird though cuz you have to be home a 1 pm and 7 pm for lunch and dinner, and when was the last time i had to be home for dinner regularly? not even that but just saying you have a home in another country is strange! but i really like the fact that i am going to be here for awhiel. i met a bunch of ppl and went out last night and that was well i would say that when you can buy a 40 pounder at a bar for 4 dollars it gets very interesting! but alot of them are here for awhiel to so we get the chance to really get to know eachother.
I am going to try and start school on mon so i am looking forward to that.
This morning looking forward to a nice hot shower in which i was promised i found out there was none! It is warm here but not that warm!
On my last trip i had really crazy dreams like every night and i think it is starting again because i have had some messed up dreams whiel i have been here(dont know why i am writting that)
anyways i should go do something right!!!!
Karalynn
ps C.C.T the last couple of words that we spoke on the phone the other day really ment the world to me!

I got to antigua at about 9 am and after a nap i met the home stay ppl. Everyone in the house speaks really good spanish and your not saposed to talk english, ya right. my spanish is not that good. I will start lessons on mon or mabey tommorow. I have just spent the last 30 mins trying to by skype minutes but for some reason it is not working. i dont know what i am going to do.
It is warm here but it dose rain through out the day. Everything is very green and nice cobble stone streets. I will be taking some pics!! And hopefully i can figure out how to get skype working!
K