Sometimes the First Step is the Hardest

For those of you who didn't know, I am now in Guatemala for 4 weeks of language school.  Speaking Spanish fluently has been a dream of mine for awhile now, and even more so since moving to Dallas and seeing all of the opportunities to use those linguistic skills.  So here's to hoping that this endeavor will move me in that direction and I'll be able to use this time as preparation for things to come.

Antigua (the town I'm staying in) would most dynamically be translated as: Paradise.  The weather is in the 70s during the day, cooling off to the 60s at night.  Mountains and volcanoes surround the city, adding to the already gorgeous views of tropical flora.  And there aren't even mosquitoes :)  The city itself is an impressive blend of colonial ruins, restored buildings, ancient cathedrals, and more contemporary architecture.

While I presently find myself in this utopia, the getting here was not so easy.  The trip began with Dallas being hit by 13 tornadoes and torrential downpours.  My roommates and I closely watched the weather report, waiting for our opportunity to brave the drive to DFW and back.  The airport cancelled about 80% of its flights, but fortunately, after 3 hours of delays and a gate change, I was able to board my flight.  Once on the plane, we waited another hour for maintenance to come and check one of our engines (since they were backed up inspecting over 100 planes for hail damage).  Every time the pilot came on the loudspeakers, I couldn't help but just laugh.  Fortunately, everyone on the plane was in good spirits, thanks to it being over half empty (I had several rows to myself, which I became increasingly grateful for as the hours dragged on), and the flight attendants giving us free granola bars, water, and earphones.

In the process of inputting the mechanical data, they managed to erase all of the cargo data, a problem that could only be solved by unloading and reloading all of the bags.  Finally we began backing up and the plane erupted in applause.  We then sat on the tarmac for an additional 15 minutes or so, waiting for the baggage information to actually get on the plane's computer.

The flight was a little extra long due to flying around several storms, but on the upside, we got to see lightening from above the cloud line, which is one of the cooler things I've seen in my lifetime.  After finally landing 4 hours behind schedule and spending another hour getting through customs, I wondered if my ride would still be waiting for me or not.  I was planning out how to best stay in the airport and wait until the next day when they'd have to come pick up my friends.  Fortunately, my ride had persevered and he was able to deliver me to my host family at a little after 12:30am.

An adventure, for sure, but worth every moment of it, as I tucked myself in to bed the first night thinking, "Welcome to Paradise."