Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala

Sunday, February 9, 2014

A Rooster Welcomes Me to Guatemala

Yesterday Bruce and I arrived in Guatemala, currently in Panajachel, staying at the hotel Casa Colonial. It's not yet open to guests, but family members can use certain rooms until achieving permanent lodgings.

My husband is sitting out on the balcony (pictured on my blog header) reading. We are happy to be here but disappointed in our supposedly International phone service with Verizon. In other words, no service. Which bothers Bruce because the phone is how he does his major work with WiDo. And bothers me because I want to text my kids and say "We are here!"

But I have my laptop, the Internet, paper and pens. And there's a Mormon church down the street we plan to attend this morning. Although the services will of course be in Spanish, we'll feel right at home.

We woke up at dawn to a rooster crowing, followed by the symphony of many birds soon after--different bird sounds than what I'm used to in North America. I look forward to learning what they are.

The rooster's welcome call (exactly how it felt to me) I recognized with no trouble at all. It is the familiar signal, at least to this Nebraska farm girl's daughter, of home and family and land and productivity. Hearing it made me think, I'm home.

33 comments:

  1. So awesome. Glad you made it safe! The hotel looks beautiful and what a lovely way to wake up. So looking forward to reading about your adventures.

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  2. Glad you are there safe! Hope you get the phone situation resolved.

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  3. That's a good way to wake up, a rooster crowing. I am so happy for you and hope all the snags will soon be worked out.

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  4. How exciting for you. I'm not sure I'd enjoy being woken up at the crack of dawn but I sure would love knowing what those other birds are!

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  5. What a wonderful way to begin - with a rooster. I hope you still love it when it's woken you every morning for weeks (though you probably won't notice it by then!). It's interesting you have the internet but no phones - it seems that the development of third world technologies can be utterly random (or maybe I'm over-influenced by my recent trip to Cuba!)

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  6. I bet that rooster was a welcome sound! Now I know - you have arrived.

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  7. A Rooster welcoming your dawn - that is just Good Luck - what my Mom used to say. Aah, the internet thing will work out eventually - not quite like the big city, but it will work out - then you will all be busy working - don't forget to have a little fun before you are all up and running. Enjoy, take photos - n RELAX while you can.

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    1. Saucy, It felt very much like good luck to me! Glad to know there's an expression to back that up.

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  8. What a beautiful place to be. It is so sunny and I am sure warm. Lucky Lady!

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  9. Oh KarenG. How utterly gorgeous and fabulous!! You are totally THERE!! Oh wow!! So so so happy and excited for you and hubby and family!! Hope the phone line gets restored asap but in the meantime - you get to listen to Guatemala! Yay! Take care
    x

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  10. We hear roosters in the summer when our windows are open. I love the quiet of the country.

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  11. I know all too well how the phones in Central America are. My first morning in Tegucigalpa I woke to literally thousands of roosters crowing. Enjoy your time there!

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  12. Karen, how exciting this current adventure must be! Frustrating of course phone wise, but to have (make, be blessed with, all of the above) this opportunity for new experiences, and challenges must make you feel oh so NEW ! Can't wait to hear about all your future fun.

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  13. We had the same thing in Japan. We couldn't use our phones as phones, although we could use the Internet. Also, we couldn't get money out of ATMs except at airports. And we thought Japan was a modern country. Enjoy your adventure, Karen! ~Miriam

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  14. Enjoy your trip.

    Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

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  15. You have all that is important to you. Most of all you have courage.

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  16. What a "homecoming" experience. :)

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  17. "I'm home" says it all. Home is where your heart beats along with the other hearts around you.

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  18. The Casa Colonial is absolutely beautiful. I could stay on that balcony all day! I had to giggle at the loss of phone service though. That happens to me and I live
    across the Interstate from a cell phone tower. Technology gotta love it! Have a wonderful Thursday.

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  19. I am addicted to House Hunters and I love it when they do the international...it would be so neat to live in another country for a while. I hope you get your phone service soon. I'm like you, I stay pretty calm if I have internet.

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  20. Welcome to your new digs. Think I'll stay in the U.S.A. for a while at least.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog

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  21. First off, congrats for finishing all the really hard and complicated stuff you had to do before you left Utah. I'm glad you made it there and have started a new chapter in your lives. I know very little about that area, but I do that there are a lot of ancient Mayan archaeological sites in the area. Might not be interesting to you, but sure would be to me.

    I hope you have no trouble acclimating and that you enjoy yourselves!

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  22. How wonderful to wake up to that rooster's welcome. I love this pic, the architecture is lovely.
    I hope you've been able to get the phone service problem resolved!

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  23. The picture of the balcony is beautiful. Despite the phone problem, have a wonderful trip!

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  24. Sounds and looks great Karen! A change from Utah I am sure! Yet still feels like home - a lovely paradox.

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  25. That roosters call sounds like a down home welcome! So exciting, this new stage of your life. You'll have teething problems like the phone, but they can be sorted. Hope you enjoyed church in Spanish. Immersion, eh?

    Every good wish for your new life!

    Denise

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  26. Hi Karen .. I sure hope the connectivity aspect has been conquered by now. Wonderful looking place and you'll never need an alarm call for an early rise ... enjoy and what a place to settle into ... cheers Hilary

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  27. Oh, Karen, this sounds sooo wonderful today, Feb. 17th, as I sit in my snow-covered home in New Jersey. I love your photos of summer beauty. Lucky you.

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    1. Victoria, We are definitely enjoying the warm weather here! It was just a bit cool this evening so I wore a sweater in honor of my North American friends lol.

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  28. Wow! How fantastic!!!
    We have friends in Mexico (near Merida) and in Managua, Nicaragua. Now in Guatemala. I can't wait to hear your adventures!
    Abrazos :)

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