So it begins.  We arrived in Guatemala City at 2:00 (we are on Central Time) on Monday.  Luckily customs had no problem with my 40 smuggled peanut butter granola bars.  After about 4 anxious minutes outside the airport, we spotted the man with a sign for us.  Our assistant principal was with him and greeted us with a bag full of information, cash, school ids, and most importantly – a ready-to-go cell phone!  I think they’ve done this before.  They took us to our hotel, which was a pleasant surprise.  It’s the nicest I’ve ever stayed in; Sarah disagrees, but nonetheless, it’s not exactly roughing it.  The rooms are really like apartments.  A basket of fruit and cookies was waiting for us, and shortly after arrival, a smiling man welcomed us with a plate of cheese.  Not bad.

They told us a van from school would pick us up the next morning at 8:00.  They showed up at 9:30.  Welcome to Central America.  The school would prove to be more punctual over the next few days, but I have a feeling it won’t be uncommon for our students to be late.  They took us apartment shopping with 5 other new teachers.  These apartments were even more of a surprise than the hotel!  Sarah found 2 roommates right away, and they decided on a 3 bedroom apartment within walking distance of a supermarket, lots of restaurants, and the deal maker for Sarah – a gym.  Also, the school bus picks up right outside the front door.  It’s about a 15 minute bus ride.  I took another apartment in that same building and found 2 roommates the next day during orientation.  With the 3 girls in one apartment and 3 guys across the hall, they’ve already asked us to star in a new sitcom called “Amigos.”

We just finished our second day of orientation and the school campus is yet another surprise.  It’s more like a college campus.  (actually, a university is connected to the campus).  Words would not do it justice, so you’ll have to wait for the pictures and hopefully a video. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the city is not quite as beautiful as the school.  In fact, Guatemala City has been voted one of the ugliest cities in the world.  However, despite the mass of concrete, traffic (with plenty of exhaust), and houses piled on top of one another, it’s still surprisingly very green.  The greenery reminds us (and I am well aware) of the astonishing beauty that awaits outside the city.  The travels begin on Saturday with a new teacher outing to one of the most unique cities in the world, Antigua.  This is where I spent most of my time when I was here 2 years ago.  But before that, we have a very exciting invite to a party from a group not affiliated with the school – The Notre Dame Alumni Club of Guatemala.  That’s right, I contacted the club president as soon as I could, and they invited us to their send-off party (to send-off the current ND students from the area heading back to the Holy Land).  We decided to ease into the local cuisine, so we’ve had a couple “tipico” Guatemalan meals along with a few Italian and American (Chili’s).  So tonight, I think a little Irish food and beverages will be just what we need for a little taste of home.  After all, kickoff is only 23 days, 1 hour and 45 minutes away!