workin woman
still in xela xela xela, but not because the buses arent running. i think they started back up again yesterday, but im here because i found a job. im working in the hotel warehouse ive been living in. it only pays 5 qs an hour, which is about 50 cents, but its only 4 hours and covers my room, so i cant complain, and also gives me something to do. its the best job ive ever had (and we all know ive been through a bunch) all i do is read and check my email and occasionally check people in and show them their rooms. it also feels nice to feel settled for a bit, save a little money, and hang out with the people that own the hotel. xela i think is my favorite city ive been to. not my favorite place, but favorite city. its really cool, full of crazy markets, pretty parks, good places to eat and cheap artsy cinemas. and you can see the highest mountain in CA from the balcony where i stay. oh so wonderful. also, the people ive met here have been the best, and i was surprised how sad i was last night to walk back into the warehouse and see almost all empty beds. aside from the girls i met in la primavera, the people ive met in xela have just been all around wonderful and really seemed like people i would want to befriend if i were at home, too, moreso than other peeps ive met along the way. my only friends left are denise, whom i went to the hot springs with, and this really nice korean girl who cooked the whole dorm dinner the other night. hell yeah community dinners. it kinda made me miss hampshire and the burritos in the rcc.
anyway, the job isnt as fun when i dont know any of the new people in the hotel, but the job isnt permanent. my boss just lets people work for a bit and then finds someone knew when they leave. it keeps costs down i think. so i think ill stick around here just a wee bit longer and then head on to tikal and then belize.
i went to chichicastenango yesterday as a day trip before i had to go back to xela and work. it took three hours on bus each way, and we almost got into an accident about 5 times. everyday the papers here have a picture of a bus rolling down a revine and so everytime i get on a bus in guatemala, im a little scared, especially when there isnt even a seat for me, and i have to sit in the aisle. anyway, chichi was overwhelming, and made me kind of upset. i mean, it was fun and i bought lots of pretty mayan embroidered thingys but it just made me a little depressed. these women would see me and grab my arm and pull me into their tent and say things like, what do you want. you want a skirt dont you. whats a good price for you...i made this with my hands, etc. i didnt think i wanted a skirt but ended up buying two. this happened all day. id never really encountered anything like that in my travels, but people would ask me where i was from and when i said the states, theyd respond with, oh then you have lots of money, here, buy this blanket. and im like, no, im poor, really. ive been eating nothing but banana sandwiches for the past few days, and they dont believe me. im such a bad bargainer here, too. chichi has one of the most famous markets in the country, because its so big, and so there were lots of tourists there, and you see all these americans in their tommy hilfiger button downed shirts arguing with these little old ladies over two quetzals. raahhh.
sorry for the tangent. i have to go rescue my clothes from the line because its starting to rain. whats with this weather? where is the sunny south?
anyway, the job isnt as fun when i dont know any of the new people in the hotel, but the job isnt permanent. my boss just lets people work for a bit and then finds someone knew when they leave. it keeps costs down i think. so i think ill stick around here just a wee bit longer and then head on to tikal and then belize.
i went to chichicastenango yesterday as a day trip before i had to go back to xela and work. it took three hours on bus each way, and we almost got into an accident about 5 times. everyday the papers here have a picture of a bus rolling down a revine and so everytime i get on a bus in guatemala, im a little scared, especially when there isnt even a seat for me, and i have to sit in the aisle. anyway, chichi was overwhelming, and made me kind of upset. i mean, it was fun and i bought lots of pretty mayan embroidered thingys but it just made me a little depressed. these women would see me and grab my arm and pull me into their tent and say things like, what do you want. you want a skirt dont you. whats a good price for you...i made this with my hands, etc. i didnt think i wanted a skirt but ended up buying two. this happened all day. id never really encountered anything like that in my travels, but people would ask me where i was from and when i said the states, theyd respond with, oh then you have lots of money, here, buy this blanket. and im like, no, im poor, really. ive been eating nothing but banana sandwiches for the past few days, and they dont believe me. im such a bad bargainer here, too. chichi has one of the most famous markets in the country, because its so big, and so there were lots of tourists there, and you see all these americans in their tommy hilfiger button downed shirts arguing with these little old ladies over two quetzals. raahhh.
sorry for the tangent. i have to go rescue my clothes from the line because its starting to rain. whats with this weather? where is the sunny south?