My Job Search Adventures

So like most unemployed people, I was excited when I saw a job prospect on Craigslist. I know, I know, Craigslist isn't the best place to search for a job, and don't worry, it's not my only source, but there seems to be some good stuff every now and then.

There are so many emotional ups and downs to being unemployed and looking for a job that I won't even go into detail on that, but I will explain my dilemma: I'm either not experienced enough for some jobs (see old post on that) or I'm over qualified because I graduated law school. SO, I was pretty excited when I found the following post on Craigslist today:

"Attorney Needed (Bilingual)
Looking to hire an attorney who has recently passed the bar . . Applicant must be able to work in a fast paced environment. Must be meticulous in calendaring and MUST work well with deadlines. Experience is not a must. Please email resume as soon as possible. We are looking to hire immediately."

That's it.

A few things that jumped out at me: 1) I'm bilingual, 2) I recently passed the bar, 3) I like the idea that experience is not a must. So I spend some time making a general cover letter that is not overly specific on any area of law (since none was stated) but highlighting my general skills and experiences. I was pretty excited when I checked my voicemail a few hours later and already had a call back requesting that I come in and interview tomorrow. So I call them expecting to leave a voicemail (since it was already past 6:30 p.m.), but I actually had the pleasure of speaking with someone.

They answered their phone in Spanish (so fast, in fact, that I had no idea what the guy said), so I was pretty happy I was not lying about my bilingual skills, and asked (in Spanish) for the lady that had called me. Through my conversation with Lady, we set up a time for me to come in tomorrow to interview, and I request their address so I know where I'm going. Then she inquires "You are bilingual, right?" Well yes, I know my all-American name probably doesn't help, but I have it in bold on my resume, and I applied for the job, and I was able to get her on the phone, right?

Then I ask what area of law they practice. Granted--they didn't mention this in the job post, and they said experience wasn't necessary, but I thought it might be a good idea to do a little research before I go in tomorrow. "Bankruptcy, chapters 7 and 13. Do you have experience with that?" Uh...no. Thoughts going through my head in the split seconds before I have to formulate a response: my resume mentions NOTHING about bankruptcy--it's actually all immigration and public interest law, so there's no mistaken the fact that I have no experience in bankruptcy law and yet they called ME; I can't even pretend to have experience in that area because I really have no clue; and finally: it doesn't matter right? They said experience wasn't necessary. So I'm honest and I tell Lady that no, I don't have experience in bankruptcy.

"Oh...well...that's a problem. We won't need you to come in tomorrow then...I'll check with the attorney and I'll call you if he changes his mind."

Huh. Really? I have a feeling she is going to have many similar calls. If you want experience in something from your applicants, you should state it in the job post, and you should look for it on their RESUME.

We passed the bar!

I'm sure thousands of bar passers for decades now have experienced what I experienced on Friday, November 20th: constant nausea every time I thought about getting my results at 6 p.m.! Thing is, Katie and I had discussed the possibility of having to take the bar again in February, and we had made our peace with the idea. What made me want to throw up every five minutes was having to face my friends and family. Having to take the exam again was second to that. The other issue that was talked about with fellow bar takers was the protocol to inform one another about our results--no one wants to inquire if you don't know you're going to get good news. After much strategery and discussion, we decided to just rely on self-disclosure. The minutes after 6:00 pm were some of the most chaotic I've had lately--phone calls, texts messages, facebook status' were been tossed around left and right.

Needless to say, celebration was in order, and celebrate we did!

I have consistently lacked confidence throughout my academic career, so I owe a HUGE thank you to all the family and friends who have supported me and believed in me throughout the years :)

And Katie: you still owe me a happy dance!

Dinner with the Cheney's!

After continuously hearing from Brooke how her and her sister cook dinner all the time, Jeff and I finally got an invite! Here are some pictures from our night of great food and even greatER company:

I apologize for the weirdness of the picture above...I still had a weird setting on my camera...but these are the amazing ladies that fixed us dinner :)

Homemade hummus!

mmmmMmmm! Everything was delicious, but I think we all got second helpings of the green bean casserole....

And what's dinner without dessert?! -->

Brooke made an AMAZING apple crisp, which she said was pretty simple to make.

In case anyone wants to try to make the apple crisp at home:

Prep time: 30 minutes

Bake: 30 minutes

Oven: 375

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

5 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples

2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter or margarine

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 375. Place fruit in a 2-quart square baking dish. Stir in sugar.

2) For topping, in a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over filling. NOTE: Brooke said she would have doubled the topping recipe because it wasn't enough. Proceed at your own risk!

3) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden. Cool slightly. If desired, serve warm with ice cream.

*Thanks to my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book for this one*

Obsessive Compulsive Reading Disorder

I'm a huge fan of books and reading, something I owe to my mom. Although I've enjoyed books of all types, I'm coming to realize I'm more of a "series" reader. When I was young, I read all the Little House books (which I still have!) and most Anne of Green Gables books. In my older years, I became obsessed with Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and I'll openly admit that I've read the Twilight series multiple times. My latest conquest: Harry Potter.

As much as I love getting into a series, here are my problems:

1) It sucks when it's over. I'm sure most people have experienced that feeling when you finish a book, kind of an emptiness, or longing for it NOT to be over...or maybe it's just me. Either way, this feeling is intensified when you've invested 4, 6, 8 books in the reading. You've spent that much more time getting to know the characters and their dilemmas, and it's that much harder to let them go and face your own reality.

And,

2) I'm obsessive about finishing. This happens to me with any good book, not just a series, but a series makes it that much worse because I'm just rushing and obsessed with moving on to the next book. (Here's my Catch-22: I can't wait to finish, but then I finish and I'm left with problem #1. Ah the inhumanity of it all!) I really just can't be productive with anything else going on in my life until I'm done. Jeff knows what I mean. The poor guy has to deal with a zombie in the car while he drives, while the zombie is off in God knows what fictional universe.

I really wish I could just take my time and enjoy each book, prolonging the unavoidable end. This would also allow me to be semi-productive at carrying on my normal, daily life activities, rather than constantly thinking: "I could be reading my book right now!" But since it's something I've just accepted....any reading suggestions out there?

Going Solo?

Don't freak out, the title has nothing to do with Jeff and I, thankfully he's deciding to stick around :) I went to a workshop today that was put on by my law school, giving advice on how to start your solo practice. I'm thinking this is because their employment statistics are looking pretty horrid and they need those of us who are unemployed to get a "job," stat. Anyhow, aside from having to raise some capital (or put aside my law school loans by deferring them again and opening up some new credit cards), the most difficult thing is-obviously-getting clients.

So my question to all of you, dear readers, is: will you be getting a divorce, have custody issues, seek a fiance visa for someone you met in a foreign country and now wish to marry and bring to the United States, need a visa for someone you are employing from a foreign country, need a will or living trust, in the near future? I'm sure these are all things you can fit into your lives somehow. If so, let me know so I can seriously start considering career options....thank you!

Fall Colors

So the few changing colors around town make me wish I was on the East Coast on one of my competition trips with Katie and David. I loooooove love love fall for all the colors it brings, and it's one of the few things I hold against Southern California.

I guess I'll just have to be happy with the Orange County Fall :)

Thoughts on Honduras, anyone?

Personally, I'm kind of excited that someone had the balls to stand up to a president who started trying to be the next Hugo Chavez. I know the international community is technically opposed to the coup, but I wonder if it's just to save face: they have to be opposed to a coup. A coup isn't the greatest example of a well run democracy, and what democratic nation (or organization) would want to publicly endorse a coup?

Here's my thought: it was a good move. Zelaya was wanting to impose new constitutional reforms to stay in power, probably not unlike those that Chavez has "proposed" and keeps succeeding at. So the government took it upon itself to take action. The military, congress, and supreme court were all in agreement before the coup happened. I'm not saying it was the best course of action, but it was better than no course of action. The international community needs to be less concerned with saving face, and more concerned with preserving the democratic institutions that already exist. I hope the elections coming up at the end of the month will be given full legitimacy by the international community, with our without Zelaya.

Life's Little Big Decisions

I always wanted to be a teacher, and for the first twelve or thirteen years of my life, I never thought I'd end up doing anything else. I used to play the teacher whenever I played with friends, and I even "tutored" my neighbors kids when I was like eight or nine. By tutoring I mean that I always did my homework, and my neighbor's kids didn't, so she payed me to make them do their homework :)

Then I moved to Guatemala, and my big career plans there were to be a secretary. Yeah, for some reason, "secretaria bilingue" sounds like a dream career to Guatemalan girls when they're young. My career expectations shot up again when I came back to school in the United States. I think in junior high I started to get a bit idealistic about wanting to change the world. Most of it had to do with living in Guatemala, and seeing the crime, impunity, corruption, and endless violence that exists. What bothered me (and still does) about Guatemala is that the government does nothing to curb everything that is going on. Most government officers are too busy filling their pockets to try to make any meaningful changes to the way things are done. So my dream was to get an education that would allow me to get involved with international relations, diplomacy, or some other branch where I could yield some significant influence in the right direction. My ideal job would definitely be with an organization like the United Nations, or U.S.A.I.D., or a non-profit involved in human rights or humanitarian law.

Although those aspirations still hold true, there were complications that I never thought about in junior high. I now have my JD, and I guess technically the potential to get those jobs. But I also just got married, and I'm excited and looking forward to starting a family. This makes the whole "international job" a little more difficult to pursue. Growing up I never thought I would end up having conflicting goals and aspirations. It's not a tough choice between career and family: I definitely am more excited about being married to Jeff and looking forward to our future together. But it's difficult to accept that something I always wanted is going to have to take the back burner for a while.

Lately I've been wondering if most people, sooner or later, come to a point in their life where they have to make one of life's little big decisions: sometimes we have idealistic expectations of what we want, but maybe the opportunity isn't there, or the timing isn't right, and we have to accept something more realistic. Either way, life is what you make of it, and life is gonna be great :)

Lemon Bars!

After a disappointing encounter with lemon bars, I decided to follow a friend's true and tried recipe, which she guaranteed was amazing. She wasn't lying. Sooo good, and easy to make.


You can follow the link to Denise's recipe blog---she has a full blog with great cooking recipes!


Link to recipe

Thanks to Brookie for her help, and to Courtney for her moral support :)

True True

Our Wedding Songs

So this is something I had typed up to include in our attendant gifts (which were CD's with all of our favorite songs), but it was too long to really put in with the CD's. Thought I'd still throw it out there.

First day of my life, by Bright Eyes

“First day of my life,” is kind of an obvious one. Jeff and I have been looking forward to this day for about three years, and we’re beyond excited to start our new married life together, and all the happiness and grief that may come with it!

Skinny Love, by Bon Iver

Jeff discovered Bon Iver online, after a live presentation on the Letterman show (I recommend checking out that version on YouTube, the drums sounds verrrry cool!). I think Jeff and I just like the passion with which this song is played and sung.

Old Timers, by Leslie and the Badgers

Jeff and I first discovered Leslie and the Badgers when we were visiting Sabrina in Salt Lake City. We immediately had a crush on Leslie. Lucky for us, they’re from Santa Monica, CA, so we’ve been able to see them live again. We picked this song because we really do want to be “Old Timers” together, sitting on the porch drinking lemonade beer.

Adoro, by Los Panchos

I’ve grown up with Los Panchos, and although I believe I exposed Jeff to it not too long into our relationship, it was at my uncle Franky’s wedding that I translated this song for Jeff and it took on a very personal meaning for us. It’s one of those classic love songs, where you’re everything to each other, and you love every single thing about that person. It didn’t take long for us to decide on this song as our first dance.

The Greatest, by Cat Power

Cat Power just has such an amazing voice, we had to put her on this CD. Sorry Brookie!

American Boy, by Estelle and Kanye West

To spice things up a bit, we threw in “American Boy” which Jeff and I truly enjoy.

Fools, by the Dodos

Jeff is a HUGE Dodo’s fan! So is his brother Mike, I think. It’s great for sunny driving days J

Hoist that Rag, by Tom Waits

Again, another artist that Jeff exposed me to—Tom Waits. I love how different his sound is, there’s something about it that just gets to me-in a good way. I don’t think I would have appreciated this artist before meeting Jeff.

Blood on my Shirt, by Band of Annuals

Band of Annuals is another band that was playing with Leslie and the Badgers in Salt Lake. They’re actually HUGE in Salt Lake—everywhere we went that day, people were spreading the word about The Annuals playing that night. It was great that we were able to partake in this piece of Salt Lake culture. Another girl with amazing vocals (I think).

That's how strong my love is, by Otis Redding

That’s how strong my love is. It’s a classic. And it’s also Jeff’s alarm ring tone—it’s actually a great way to start our day! This was the song we picked to make our reception entrance.

Our Song, by Adam Watts

We actually don’t know the title to this Adam Watt’s song. An old Starbucks co-worker of mine (Mr. Dodd) burned me an amazing CD with a bunch of random songs, and this one was on it. Along came Mr. Jeff, and the song really started making sense to me. It’s funny how meanings of a song can change depending on where you are in your life. This is the song we decided to play as we were walking down the aisle together, as Mr. and Mrs.

Like red on a rose, by Alan Jackson

“Red on a Rose” is another result of Franky and Nicole’s wedding. My family and I instantly fell in love with this song as they danced their first dance as Mr. & Mrs. Hoyos, and I doubt any wedding in my family from now on will be missing this song.

She's Everything, by Brad Paisley

I think I first heard this Brad Paisley song on the radio, and then played it for Jeff. I love how this song reflects loving the good and the bad of someone—you take that person as they are, whether they’re the giver you wish you could be or the stealer of the covers. This is hands down one of our favorite super sappy love songs. Like teary eyed favorites.

Flightless Bird, by Iron and Wine

For Twilight fans, you should recognize this as the song they dance to at the end of the movie. It’s not the reason why it’s in here though—Jeff would never allow that! Jeff and I always talk about how crazy it is that two people who are perfect for each—and yet so different—could actually meet (thanks Abby and Brooke!), so I always think of how I met Jeff when I hear this song: “…and I found you…”

Sabor a Mi, by Los Panchos with Eydie Gorme

Another Los Panchos favorite of ours. Edie Gorme is the female vocalist accompanying Los Panchos on this one. Again, one of those songs that just speaks of true love, and never being able to forget someone who you have shared so much with.

The Trapeze Swinger, by Iron and Wine

A final Iron and Wine song. It took a while for Jeff and I to decide what song we would play when I walked down the aisle. I remember we were on the 5 freeway, heading home from Jeff’s parents house when this song came on. There’s something about the mellowness and bells at the beginning that decided it. I’m not sure that the lyrics are the best for walking down the aisle, but the pace and rhythm were too perfect to pass up!

AMAZING BAND

I must give many, many thanks to German for recommending Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, they're amazing! They have their whole album available on their myspace page.

Lost and Found

When I moved out, either before college or when I left for college, I left a couple storage boxes with my aunt, and it has taken me around 5-7 years to pick those up from her garage. Most of it was junk, a lot of it was Enrique Iglesias paraphernalia--from teddy bears, to books, to my embarrassing scrap book. But there were also some goodies:



Among these: my "yearbook" from Santa Teresita in Guatemala, from 1993, and my tea cup set that I never really played with, but still think it would be cool if I had it around in case I ever have a daughter.

But the biggest find was my first diary. I started it after my 8th birthday, so my handwriting and spelling are terrible. It's actually pretty entertaining to read through it with Jeff--including all my boy crushes, ha. Here's an excerpt so you get an idea about the deep and meaningful things I wrote about:
So in case you can't make out my terrible writing and spelling, this was on Monday, July 1 of 1991. And I write: "Dear diary, yesterday my mom showed me how to drive a reall car. Today I had four little taqios (I'm sure I meant taquitos) in the kids combo. I was suprised (spelled phonetically, I'm sure) I at all that! in 25 more days I will be with my mom. I'm counting the days. The end Alex 9"

I'm still surprised at how much I eat sometimes. At least some things never change.

Shopping for a Good Cause!

So yesterday Concern America was selling stuff at my church, and I thought I'd pass along their link. It's a pretty cool non profit that goes to developing countries, such as Guatemala and El Salvador, and works with the indigenous communities down there. They bring whatever crafts those communities make to the United States, sell them, and send them their money. I was surprised at how interested the residents of Aliso Viejo were in all the goodies.


As you probably know from my previous posts, Jeff and I aren't in the greatest financial situation, but I know most people in Guatemala, etc., are probably worse off than we are. That's why I decided to splurge on my tortilla holder :) IT'S PURPLE!

I'm posting links for two catalogs that Concern America has out right now. I think this is a great way to get some Christmas shopping out of the way. These particular catalogues may not have what you are looking for, but I encourage everyone to get some of their shopping done through non-profits that support some amazing causes. It's a great way to buy gifts that are not only unique, but also help those who are in desperate need.

2008-2009 Catalogue: http://www.concernamerica.org/CraftCatalog08_09.pdf

Fall 2009 Holiday Catalogue:http://www.concernamerica.org/NewCrafts2009.pdf

Feel free to post links to your favorite charity/non-profit that has gift catalogues.

Happy Shopping!

Guatemala Travel Tips

I sent this info to a friend who was traveling to Guatemala. Thought I'd post in case it was useful to anyone out there. Feel free to add your two cents (especially Isabel if you're reading this :) ).

If you're staying in Gautemala City at all, try to find a hostel/hotel in Zona Viva/Zona 15 (same thing). It's a nicer area and close to clubs/restaurants. Its as much of a "party area" as there is in Guatemala (as far as I know).

Do NOT stay in Zona 1--it's the equivalent of staying in downtown LA, dirty and loud and way too much traffic

If you are in the for a day or so, check out the Palacio Nacional, la Catedral (they're both in the same block), and check out the Mercado Central (about a block away from Palacio and Catedral). The mercado is the place to go if you guys need to buy souvenirs, probably the cheapest place to go and haggling is necessary, they overprice their stuff expecting to haggle down to about half probably. If you go here, you have to be careful. There's a lot of people walking around in very close proximity to you, so just keep your eyes on your stuff and don't wear jewelry, etc. Regardless of this, it's worth going if you need to do some serious souvenir shopping. Each floor has certain "products": the bottom floor is all food/restaurants, there's another floor with clay stuff and stuff for weddings/parties/etc. The top floor is where I usually get most of my shopping done.

In Antigua: 1) Visit Hotel Santo Domingo, maybe go there for brunch if you get a chance; 2) visit Iglesia de la Merced; 3) iglesia del Santo Hermano Pedro has some cool shopping and some amazing ruins (there are convents in ruins all over Antigua); 4) to eat: Fonda de la Calle Real is good (next to and across from Pollo Campero); 5) for bars, Reily's is the fun irish pub, across from it there's a club called Kasbah--I went there once and they had dance/trance music, which was boring after the first ten minutes, so ask what kind of music they have before paying to get in.

While you're in Antigua, ask around to see how to get to San Felipe--it's maybe a five minute drive from Anitgua. There is an amazing restaurant called "El Prado", right next to the church. If you are facing the church, El Prado is on the right side of the church. This little town also has some souvenir shopping across from the church.

In Panajachel, Reserva Natural Atitlan is where we did our Canopy Tour; www.atitlanreserva.com or call 011/502/7762-2565

Volcan de Pacaya is the one that I hiked. There is also a volcano in Antigua that tour guides might try to convince you to do, and here's what I've heard from people that have done it: way too long and way too exhausting. It's about a five hour hike I think, so if you want to do it make sure you give yourselves time (leave really early). Volcan de Pacaya is closer to Guatemala city (maybe 45 minutes) and the hike is only about an hour. Take flashlights so you guys can start your hike in the evening, check out the lava at night, and climb down at night. You won't be the only ones there, so it's not bad hiking down in the dark.

For Semuc Champey, make sure you guys have a good car or go with a tour company, the roads get pretty bad and the hills/curves are pretty steep. But this was Jeff's favorite trip, and I think it's def worth it. I'll attach a pic of the view from the lookout. Regardless of how tired you are, do the hike to the top, it is worth the view. Take water shoes to walk in the pools, there are rocks and it's pretty slippery. While you're there, check out the caves in Lanquin. They are amazing and huge bat caves. You don't really need a guide, but it would be cool for them to point out the interesting rock formations. I don't think he'll be there while you're there, but ask for Moises (he's about ten years old, but the cutest and best guide ever). Guides are paid strictly off of tip, so whatever you guys want to give him.

Tipping at restaurants: you don't need to do the 15-20% we do here; we usually left Q20.00 or so if we thought they did really good, and this is A LOT down there. People down there don't usually expect tips, so don't be surprised by slow/crappy service :)

For car rental: make sure one of you will have the balls to drive. It's pretty crazy, no lanes, and people do whatever they want, you have to make sure you have an aggressive driver. If your on the rural roads, people pass cars all the time, so look out for it and be careful when doing it. The company we rented our car from is Tikal Rent a Car, 2332-4721. It's the only place where we haven't gotten ripped off (all the major companies like Hertz, etc., will rip you off, they don't really abide by corporate policy like they do over here...).

For fast food, Pollo Campero is like our McDonald's: it's all over the place. Make sure you guys go there at least once (get the traditional chicken...nothing fancy).

Comida "tipica": Guatemalans eat a lot of beans, rice, tortillas...don't be afraid to get the tipico plates, they're pretty good. We also eat a lot of meat, lomito is probably your best bet. Alot of our traditional dishes are soups, good ones are Pepian and Jocon. They're both BASICALLY chicken soup with different spices, etc., yummy!

Paiz and Hyper Paiz are our big grocery store chains down there (funny enough owned by Wal-Mart). If you don't find a bank, I think they exchange dollars here.

Our national beer is Gallo, so you'll have to drink that at least once :) Brahma/Brahva is the same thing, they just changed the name to sell it down there--it's pretty much the only competitor to Gallo--and I prefer Gallo :) Michelada's are like bloody-beers, and pretty big down there. Try it if you like Bloody Mary's (I personally REALLY like them...and get them with Gallo).

If you need a way to get around in Guatemala City, I have a couple family friends who do taxi work on the side (they are trustworthy, don't worry!). If you want, give me the dates you will be there and I will try to get their phone numbers so you can have them on you while you're down there.

If you go to Peten, stop by Puerto Barrios and Castillo San Felipe

Experience Wanted. No kidding.

I took the CA bar exam at the end of July, 2009. From then to September 12, it was easy to keep busy with wedding planning and my poor excuse of job searches. After the wedding and the honeymoon though, its been tough to come up with good excuses as to why I'm still unemployed. I keep telling myself that its normal and I'm not the only law school graduate that is unemployed right now, even though I've sent out enough resumes and cover letters that should have landed at least a decent interview. For someone who's worked since she was 15, worked her way through college and law school, being unemployed for over 3 months now is really unacceptable.

I'm trying to keep myself busy by volunteering at three different places and working on my wifey cooking skills, but it still makes some days harder than others. Jeff has had to put with all my bad days (love you boo!) in which I seem to be grouchy for absolutely no reason. The only reason I have for my self-labeled "bad days" is that I'm disappointed in myself, even though I try to tell myself time and again that there's only so much that's my fault, and the rest I can blame on the limbo of awaiting bar results and the aftermath of other people's bad decisions that landed us in this crappy economy. Oh and coming across job posting after job posting that require 3-5 years of experience or in not-so-kind words: "recent law graduates need not apply." Thanks for the glimmer of hope. This also brings me to the Catch-22 of jobs that I've never understood: everyone wants someone with experience, but where do those people get their experience from if no one is willing to hire them to give them experience? Huh.

Avoidance Tactics!

We're all guilty of it. Walking through the Spectrum one day, Jeff and I pulled a great one. There was a guy with a clipboard getting signatures for some petition or another. As we got to the point of interaction, where he tries to make eye contact and ask you "Have you heard of...?" Jeff pointed towards Anthropologie saying something like "Didn't you want to check out that shirt..." and he started to walk towards the door (and a foot away from Mr. Clipboard). And no, I didn't want to see any shirt in Anthropologie. Don't get me wrong, I love to browse through there and see all the adorable clothes I can't afford, but I had never mentioned a specific shirt to Jeff that I really wanted to check out. And in one of my finer (and rare) moments, I caught on rather quickly and followed up Jeff's question with a "No, not now." By this point, we had walked past Mr. Clipboard. Avoidance tactic: success!

I recently (ahem, today) worked a demo table at a grocery store, and got to see some of these amazing tactics being used on me. Purposefully avoiding eye contact at any cost when we're the only two people in the entire aisle was my least favorite, especially because I was SUPER NICE, and pretty much wished everyone a good night, whether they said hi to me or not. My favorite was the ladies walking towards me, obviously determined to get somewhere that was past me, but saw the demo table, and me, and SUDDENLY realizing there was something in the aisle right before mine that they desperately needed...people can make some quick and sharp turns with a grocery cart when they are set on avoiding something!

Grandma's House

For those of you who know me, you know I like to frequent my grandma's house whenever I can afford the plane trip to Guatemala City. I never stay anywhere else while I'm in Guatemala, unless we're traveling around the countryside. But ever since I was born, that was my destination for the Summer and miscellaneous vacations.

I'm sure most of you know that Guatemala isn't like the U.S. in many ways: it's not very clean, it's way more dangerous, and people don't move out of their parents house until they're married--which isn't weird over there. It's normal for people to live with their parents, I think mostly because renting is way too expensive and kids just can't afford it. Another thing is that people don't really move around. Ever. You buy one house and you pretty much stay there. And most people are like my grandmother: you moved in when you were a kid, and never moved out. My grandma started living in her house in Guatemala City when she was about 7 (or 10, not sure). She grew up there, and at one point or another, so have her children and her children's children (me!). Point being: my grandma's house has a lot of history to it.

I remember going to spend Summer's with grandma when I was 5, when the back part of the house was only partially built. My sister/cousin Vanessa and I played house through the non-existent windows, along with the roaming chickens and piles of dirt and piedrin. I also remember having the reception for my First Holy Communion in the new garage, at the age of 8. I remember having to shine the tile floors after grandma waxed them. And boy do I remember the Summer of 2000, when I went with my 3 younger cousins in tow--it was the Summer of Brittany Spears videos (the one with the plastic-looking red body outfit...we must have watched it on MTV about 100 times--no exaggeration). And I remember all the hard work my grandmother has put into that house. She's drawn her own plans and built two fully functioning apartments in the back, not to mention the front and back yards which are her pride and joy.

And most recently, I remember my husband's first Christmas in Guatemala, lighting fireworks on the roof amid all the electrical wires. I still don't understand how that doesn't lead to disaster...

It's always nice going to that familiar home, the same halls where I used to push my great-grandmother in her wheelchair, and the same room my uncle Franky, at the ripe age of 15, played his music a little too loud--according to grandma! The thing is, things are getting crazier by the day over there, and grandma's getting older. The family recently started talking about selling the house and permanently moving grandma over here so she's closer to everyone and not constantly traveling back and forth, between her family and her home. I know selling the house makes perfect sense, and entirely rational. But it scares the crap out of me.

I love going to Guate, love spending time there and I'm honestly afraid that selling the house will break our last link to Guate. Sure, I can go and stay in a hotel while I'm visiting, but it's just not gonna be the same. It becomes a leisure trip instead of a trip to grandma's house to visit grandma. I know I'm being selfish about this whole situation, especially because it's even 100 times harder for my grandma to process.

But there really isn't anything else to do. We can't really rent out the house because you can't leave a house alone in Guatemala, for fear that it'll be taken over by gangs or drug lords (seriously), and no one in the family is in a position to take the responsibility to go over there every now and then and check up on the house. I wish I could do it, but as of now, my life isn't as stable as I'd like, and I can't afford the airfare to go out there all the time. I guess I'll just have to hold on to the memories and accept the realities of life. C'est la vie.