September 21, 2010
I woke up today feeling refreshed and content. After class, I planned to visit Cerro de la Cruz (basically a ginormous cross in the outskirts of Antigua) with other students from La Union. The teachers were going to guide us to the area near the cross, which is supposed to have the best views of Antigua, but it started raining so the trip was canceled. Apparently, when booking the trip, "somebody" forgot to thoroughly research the weather here and landed herself in the middle of the rainy season. Oh well, I suppose I can't complain much when the ticket was free, right?
Instead, I just hung out in my room until Miranda got home around 6, and we ate dinner together. She talked to me a lot about feeling grounded, being in the moment, feeling the present in my bones. At 6:15 pm on a Tuesday evening, my feet were in Antigua and my head had to match that. I thought a lot about what she said and decided in that moment to embrace the rest of my trip that way. No more missing home and thinking too much about what's going on there. Instead, I will be present. I will be here.
After our conversation, we went to Cafe No Se with Linda. I found this bar to be my favorite place in Antigua so far. It was really quaint, lit nearly only by candles and it was filled with the sound of slow, live music and chuckling patrons. The only problem is that the menus were in English, and nearly everyone in there was an expat. I get enough of the US while I'm there; and I really don't need more while I'm here.
We bought the largest sized Gallos they served, and the conversation quickly turned to awkward hook-ups. We went around the table, exchanged stories, squealed with laughter and competed to see whose story was the best (and by best I mean most horribly awkward and laughable). Because I want to protect the "innocent" on here, I won't reveal the stories, but I will say the winning account involved a very poorly-timed nosebleed.
I was shocked by how quickly the time passed, but the conversation was easy and my head felt a delightful, tingly warmth with every sip. So I happily stayed until 1:00 am. After having some rainy solitude, connecting with people and laughing at all the silliness that comes with having humanity was exactly what I needed.
To view pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.
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