Gypsy Queen: No match...Lo siento

Today was muy interesante to say the least! I had class as usual, went back to my home-stay to eat lunch (which wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing and my host mom insisted that I FINISH my plate…I almost barfed! She says that I am too skinny and that my parents will be very upset with her if I go back to the states weighing less than when I arrive.) and then walked around town for a bit. While I was walking I overheard a guy telling some people that he was from the states. So, being the nosey, lonely person that I am I quickly jumped into their conversation!

Turns out he is originally from Ohio (a buckeye…GO BUCKEYES!) and he moved to Alaska to work as a kayak instructor during the tourist season. He (Brian) and his friend got into Guatemala the same time that we arrived and they are kinda doing the same thing that Alex and I are attempting to do. They aren’t going as far as us, but they are doing the one-way ticket dealy-o.

Hung out with him for a few hours. He pretty much has met every person in San Pedro; which was cool because he introduced me to some nice people around town and showed me a cool bar that is closer to my home-stay than the rest of the bars that I know of. He also introduced me to the owner, Nick, who is from Scotland (I think?!?!) and I got to sit with him and talk a little about San Pedro and diving in Honduras (he has wifi in his bar which is AWESOME…which makes him worth knowing!).

So after we were done talking, they went swimming and I decided to be responsible and go back to school to check my emails, do some homework and pay for my classes this week.

Here’s where my day took a bit of a turn L I paid the girl, Lucy, at the front counter for my first week of class and home-stay with travelers checks. Lucy’s English is not very good and my espanol es no bueno either. Apparently she was asking me if I got the checks okayed with the director and I was saying that my checks were ok. There was a bit of confusions and to make A LONG STORY short, my school doesn’t accept traveler’s checks. UGH. I found this out AFTER I had written them to the school and Lucy gave me my receipt.

So, because they wouldn’t take the checks, one of the directors had to walk with me (up an ENORMOUS hill) to the bank to see if they would cash the checks that I had already filled out to the school. When we asked the bank manager if this was ok, he said (en espanol) “ah, yes it would be no problem except these checks are fraudulent! The signatures no match!”

Apparently the gap between my first and last name on the first line of my travelers checks was bigger than the gap between my first and last name on the second line and therefore he couldn’t cash the checks for me. They looked too fraudulent because of a FREAKING centimeter gap?!?!? The signatures themselves look the same, but because the gap was bigger he said they were fraud…WHAT? Only in Guatemala…

It took everything inside of me not to bitch slap the crap out of the bank manager! If I hadn’t had $300 more in traveler’s checks that I needed him to cash, then I probably would have exploded!

So, in the end, I am going to spend tomorrow getting my travelers checks replaced/canceled so that I can pay for the rest of school…if they are lucky enough to keep me here. If it wasn’t for my awesome teacher, I think that I would have left by now!

The adventure NEVER ends with me. I think that the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is what I am having to learn in San Pedro. I am going to be a really tough broad by the time I get back to the states (I thought I already was, but I guess I was wrong).

At the end of the day I did get some checks cashed. I still haven’t done my tarea (homework) and my family is calling me for another meal fulllllll of tortillas!

Here’s an idea of what else is up…

Bug Bites on my body: 13

Tortillas eaten: 33 (I think 35 is my limit for the week)

Pounds lost: I am thinking about 4 or 5. I have gone down a belt loop…almost 2…

Brahvas Drunk: 7 (these are the small bottles—not the litros—I haven’t quite picked up a drinking problem yet…but I have been pretty bored, so who knows!)

Spanish words spoken: about 10,000 (200 of which have been correcto)

Money spent: 545.87Q (total in Guatemala)

1745.87Q (including my first week of class and homestay)

$218.23 (Quetzels converted to US dollars—total spent)

Rolls of toilet paper I’ve gone through: about 6 (not sure if I just use a lot, if I blow my nose a lot or if I have just had my limit of black beans!?!)

My new mission: find the best mustaches in Central and South America and document them for a flipbook. I think that it will keep me entertained and should be a good read for others! I just have to learn how to say, “You have a nice mustache. Can I take a photo of it?” without sounding like una chica loca! Let me know if this flipbook already exists, or is already in the works J oh, and I need to make some good friends—that aren’t complete weirdoes!

Also, here are also some more pictures per the request of my father!