Toto, I don't think we're in Upstate NY anymore

It finally feels like summer here in New York, and that means, hot, sticky days that cause my apartment to turn into a sauna because I refuse to turn on the air conditioning and raise our electricity bill.  (I have enough issues with Con Edison already  as some of you may know.)  So in honor of this, I am suggesting the top ten ways to stay cool this week!  And I mean in both the physical and social senses of the word, cause in New York it’s all about your reputation.

1) Take advantage of the New York Public Library- Free air conditioning and internet access- it’s great living off the generosity of the city!  I spent a lot of time there in the past few weeks, finishing up my final paper for my summer class (it’s done and handed in now- yippee!).  The only downside is…the other patrons also there mooching off the library.  Some of them are amusing, some rude, some baffling,  but 99% of them are completely nuts.  Last time I was there I shamelessly eavesdropped on a conversation between two elderly men discussing the Season Two Desperate Housewives DVD that one of them was about to rent.

2) Check out the new GPT ad rejects:  (Forewarning- this will probably find it’s way onto the top ten on a weekly basis, because I consistently find them hilarious.)  Special shout-out to MB on this one- maybe you’ll reconsider moving to NYC if you could work for GPT alongside of Edward Cullen? http://thegramercypark.blogspot.com/2009/07/tuesday-gpt-ad-reject-3.html

3) Laugh it up with hip young stand up comedians: I caught a free comedy show at the East River ampitheatre last weekend. Some pretty funny jokes, but even funnier was the setting.  It was a huge ampitheatre, with a crowd of about 25 people seated in the last rows as far away as possible from the comedians in order to take advantage of the shade.  I can’t imagine how tough it must have been for the comedians to throw their jokes out there across this huge expanse of empty laughless space.  Also, I watched Demetri Martin’s DVD special (delivered by Netflix), and laughed hysterically through much of it- so check that out.

4) Bake cookies: I know, it seems contradictory, but after you spend a few minutes soaking up the heat radiated from the oven, everywhere else seems so much cooler by comparison. And then you get to eat cookies.  Made a big batch of Fer’s favorite (Peanut Butter cookies) this week.

5) Visit the Asia society on a Friday evening: Wait, scratch that.  This is the opposite of cool in every sense of the word.  I stubbornly dragged myself out in the middle of a downpour last Friday to see an exhibit at this museum uptown, only to get there and find that in the summer it closes early on Fridays.  Amazingly the rain didn’t subdue the heat, so I was overheated and disappointed.  Hm.  At least it was cool on the subway.

6) Take a run through the sprinklers at Stuyvesant Town:  After an intense Navy Seals workout at the apartment complex across the street from our apartment, Fer and I took a run through the sprinklers, and it was just as fun as when I was a kid.  That’s why I didn’t feel bad about pushing 4 pesky toddlers out of my way in order to enjoy the cooling cascade.

7) Go to a film festival: Super cool right?  Not only can you hang out with up-and-coming indie filmmakers and possibly mingle with some famouses, but movie theatres are always sooooo cold.  Way too cold for me actually- I mean really, are they trying to gain extra revenue by doubling as a meat freezer?  Cause I didn’t see any veal cutlets sitting in the seat next to me.  Anyways, we went to see a movie called Crossing with Yader, a friend of Fer’s last week, and it was a lot of fun.  Much more light-hearted than I anticipated and it was interesting to hear the filmmakers speak afterwards.

8  ) Enjoy dinner afresco: Had a great dinner last Tuesday with our good friends Caro and Malvett (who are sadly moving to Spain soon!) at Petite Abeille, a Belgian restaurant right across the street.  I love this place for so many reasons: delicious mussels in white wine, nice waitresses, cute setting with tables on the sidewalk, location! But on Tuesdays it’s especially difficult to resist its siren call- why?  Half price bottles of wine.  A nice glass of white, while enjoying good food outside with friends- the definition of cool.

9)Come hang out with cute kids at Albert Einstein College: This is my intenship site in the Bronx where I’ve spent Monday through Wednesday for the entire summer.  The kids are super cute, and it’s been a great experience.  Bonus: they really crank up the AC, so many times I walk out of there at the end of the day shocked by the wall of heat that confronts me.  Then I’m sad that I’ve had no contact with the outside world for 8 whole hours.  So my friend Brooke and I complain about it all the way back on the hour and a half subway ride and usually feel better about it by the end.

10) Catch a cool breeze on a bike: Quite possibly my favorite thing I’ve done in the past two weeks!  Today my extreme adoration of Governors Island was indulged and Fer and I went to take advantage of Free Bike Fridays!  After a thrilling (and free) ferry ride over to the island, we were granted a whole hour of fantastic (also free!) bike riding fun.  It was a perfect day for it- sunny, but not too hot, with clear blue skies.  I might have to go back next Friday.

Or…went to the chapel I guess would be more accurate.  I know it’s a week late now, but as promised, here is the Wedding Bells special edition to complete last week’s Top Ten.  A long weekend spent with the family in the lovely Fingerlakes provided many delightful experiences…but I’m rather sleepy (at 10:30 on a Friday night?  yes…i am 73 years old) so I’m going to keep these brief (a likely story) and just give you the highlights reel.

1) The Wedding Ceremony: Obviously, this had to top the list.  It was so special to see my cousin Sarah, who I grew up with and was one of my best friends for much of my childhood, up there saying “I Do.”  She looked absolutely beautiful and glowing and happy, and I was so happy for her.  I also had the honor of singing during the ceremony, a song that she chose because it was special for her and her husband, “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds.  I also love this song, and with Mary Beth’s virtuoso piano accompianament, I think the music brought a tear to a few eyes.  Admittedly, there were a few moments when I wasn’t quite sure I was going to get through it myself.  During the rehearsal, I looked over at Sarah to see tears running down her face, and I quickly had to imagine everyone in their underwear to keep from crying.  Oh wait…that’s for stage fright.  I guess I just created that disturbing mental family portrait for nothing then.

2) The Cake: Check Mary Beth’s facebook pictures for documentation of this toothsome masterpiece, but I don’t think the photos can do it justice.  A rich fudgey brownie cake with chocolate fondant- and it was as delicious as it sounds.  However, I must admit that my personal favorite was the carrot cake.  This fabulous confection was completely separate from the official wedding cake, and available only to those VIP wedding guests who had been provided with the insider info.  I of course indulged in this super-excluive dessert and grinned smugly at all those who were unaware of what they were missing.  Ah, the upper crust.

3) Cody’s Dance Debut:  After endless attempts to persuade our darling 9-year-old cousin to come out on the dance floor, he was finally convinced to bust a move when he heard the bass-bumping craziness of his favorite song, “Get Low”.  He took a few spins around the floor with the bride to thunderous applause.  Well, Mary Beth and I were definitely cheering him on.  The whole car ride back I was then priveleged to listen to Cody’ bee-bop rendition of the song that went something like this: “Skibeedop bop bop jeans, shoobie doot fur”.

4) Olsen (Butler) Twins photo shoot:  Mary Beth and I have been alternately trying to convince people we’re twins and break into the modeling business for several years now.  No success yet, but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to carry out high-fashion photo shoots at every opportunity….especially when things have kind of slowed down at a wedding and we’re not sure what else to do.  We spent at least 20 minutes taking pictures of ourselves at the table and laughing hysterically at the results.  I discovered that despite watching many episodes of America’s Next Top  Model, I am incapable of producing a “fierce” face.  In fact, my “fierce”, “sexy” and “sweet” faces are all more or less identical- that alluring expression that somehow conveys: “someone flashed a spotlight in my face and simultaneously punched me in the stomach”.  Why did Mary Beth get all the photogenic genes in the family?

5) Once Again Shoppe Safari!:  While not a part of the official wedding festivities, this was certainly a highlight of the weekend.  Mom and I have become recent afficionados of this wonderfully cluttered and somewhat dilapidated thrift store in Penn Yan.  While in high school, I wouldn’t have stooped to visit this establishment for anything other than funny costume supplies, I now find that with a little bit of rummaging, you can find some real treasure miraculously overlooked by the rest of the Penn Yan populace.  Mom and I have a great time sifting through the racks and inevitably suggesting hilariously heinous outfits for each other.  At the end though we leave with a whole bag of newly-found attire for a mere five bucks.  Of course I come back to New York and tell everyone I got it at some uber-trendy hipster vintage store.  Thanks again Once Again Shoppe!

There’s much more that deserves mention, but really the best thing was just being able to spend time with Mom, Dad, MB and Cody.  It was worth every Go-Greyhound second to be able to see them and hang out in the grand Butler family tradition!

In light of the fact that I in fact will be in Upstate New York this weekend for my cousin Sarah’s wedding (Hurrah!), I am writing a special midweek edition of the Top Ten, which consists solely of my Top Five things from yesterday’s commute.  The mayhem of mass transit always provides plenty of material for entertainment.  I frequently miss a lot of this because I fall asleep after being in any moving vehicle for a period of time longer than 3 minutes.  But yesterday, I was awake for the majority of the trip and so was able to note several things that I enjoyed:

one) A woman wearing the most beautiful African dress- a long, full-sleeved piece made of deep red material with large gold circles covering it.  I see a lot of fashionable, interesting and amusing outfits every day, but something about this particular dress was so special- the richness of the color just drew my eye and I couldn’t look away.

two) A fellow passenger so exhausted by her shopping trip (as she loudly proclaimed upon entering the car with a friend), that she was trying to eat a sandwich but kept falling asleep before she could get it to her mouth.  For about 30 minutes she repeatedly raised the sandwich to take a bite and dozed off too soon, letting her hand drift slowly back down to place the snack in her lap again.  I wondered whether this is what I look like sometimes as I drift off to dreamland on the train?

three) The cutest group of little Korean kids in a tour group.  They pushed en masse into the car, yelling back and forth to make sure everyone was there, and in what seemed like a synchronized movement, very nearly all collapsed to the floor as the train lurched forward.  The little girl in front of me took advantage of the ride to browse through her guidebook which she had marked with little sticky notes, and seemed to be chastising her younger friend for bothering her during this important research.  I wish I had told her to make sure to go to the Natural History Museum- it’s one of the best places in new york in my book.

four) The newest ad for Gramercy Park Tutors posted all over the cars as part of our advertising campaign!  OK, so not yet, but don’t count it out for the future.  In the meantime, check out this week’s Ad Reject http://thegramercypark.blogspot.com/2009/07/tuesday-gpt-ad-reject-2.html

five) On the walk back home I went through one of my favorite places in the neighborhood- Stuyvesant Park!  As I passed the statue of the venerable Peter Stuyvesant himself (wooden leg and all: check him out- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Stuyvesant) I saw an incongruous video camera in the park.  Turns out they were filming an episode of “I Want to Work for Diddy” in the park.  Now I know you all watch that religiously, so make sure to keep an eye out for that episode.

That’s it- and all in one hour and a half trip!  Check back for special Wedding Bells upstate edition of the blog this weekend!

So away we go- thank you to my loyal fan base (all two of you!) for letting me know you’re still out there clamoring for more from the Toto blog.  This one goes out to my Aunt Lori who encouraged me to keep writing while in New York and Fer* who inspired me with his fantastic new blog about his new tutoring company.  My Top Ten will most likely contain frequent reFERences back to his site, but everyone should check it out and follow themselves: www.thegramercypark.blogspot.com.

The best and brightest of New York for the week of 7/11-7/14, according to Jess Butler:

1) Game night in Brooklyn: Our friend Giselle invited a group of power-hungry friends over to play Risk at her place last Saturday.  While many of us were unfamiliar with the game, Fer helpfully explained that the objective is WORLD DOMINATION!  Just in case we forgot, he repeated this dramatically several times throughout the night- I personally found it to be a useful reminder, as sometimes I found myself wishing to strengthen diplomatic relations and organize cultural exchanges.  I tried breaking the little rifles off of some of my soldiers and replacing them with tiny free trade agreements that I drafted, but the other players looked at me rather askance and I realized my mistake.  Also, Giselle made a delicious white sangria for us, which was the perfect drink on a hot summer night.  If you haven’t had it yet this summer- the weekend is here, so what are you waiting for? Here’s a good recipe from RaeRay http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/white-sangria-recipe/index.html

2) Cheap Eats edition of TimeOutNewYork: I love this magazine- Fer teases me about how excited I get when it arrives every Wednesday and this issue was particularly thrilling for me as it highlights the best inexpensive restaurants of New York.  I’m my father’s daughter- love a deal.  I’ll keep you all updated as I explore their recommendations.

3) Sunday at Prospect Park: I went with Fer to his soccer game at this beautiful park in Brooklyn last Sunday on a beautiful summer day.  I ran all the way around the park and then cooled down while listening to a wild jubilant group of percussionists at Drummers Grove (a small clearing where people gather to drum, dance and enjoy each others’ company).  Last summer we lived in this area and I went almost every day to run, walk or just laze around at this park.  I love this place, differently but equally as much as Central Park.  I miss being so close to it.

4) Ad Rejects: Funniest thing I saw all week.  Ads for that creepy movie “Orphan” are all over the city, so I’m always being accosted by that pale demonic face.  I really liked Fer’s take on it.  http://thegramercypark.blogspot.com/2009/07/tuesday-gpt-ad-reject-1.html

5) Conan O’Brien’s 10th Anniversary DVD:  I’m proudly one of the bajillion Netflix fans, who anxiously await that little red envelope in the mailbox and spend hours creating my queue of movies, and discussing my selections with my sister.  There’s something about the movies coming right to your house that I find so indulgent (maybe I just really like getting mail!).  I also really enjoy the Netflix nights when Fer and I just stay at home on the couch and I eat popcorn to my heart’s content (still trying to make up for lost time when it was my most missed food in San Mateo).  But this most recent selection was an especially big hit- Conan O’Brien might be the funniest person…ever.

6) Fresh cherries:  I’ve been passing the fruit stand on 14th street and pining for these cherries for weeks now, and finally bought some yesterday (don’t know what I was waiting for.)  They were worth all the anticipation.  They taste like pure summer.

7) Everyman Espresso: A new coffee shop that Fer found (on 13th b/t 3rd and 4th) – we’ve been there the last two Thursdays to do work, and it was there that the auspicious occasion of my first new blog post took place.  I think I needed the inspiration of their delicious, but insanely strong coffee to kick me into gear.  Seriously strong.  Yesterday after just one cup I couldn’t sit still for over an hour.  I think if I could have somehow harnassed that energy into something other than mindless prattling I could have accomplished something pretty amazing.  Maybe next time I’ll record my caffeine-fueled conversation and transform in into a one-act play.

Brooklyn Chaos game: Watched Fer’s team play a fierce game of soccer at Pier 40 on the Hudson last night.  It’s always fun watching them play and Pier 40 is a really cool field down in lower Manhattan right out on the river.  I like it almost as much as Randall’s Island- but we’ll leave that for another Top Ten.

9) Riverflicks:  More Hudson River action- must be where the fun’s at this summer. This time I was at Pier 56 with my good friend Brooke and her sister Remy.  They invited me to come watch Vicky Cristina Barcelona which was being shown on the big screen.  Unfortunately we were approimately 3 miles away from this screen- so far in fact that we didn’t even realize when the movie had started.  Not to worry, we sat out on the concrete pier and made the best of the warm summer night and enjoyed a bottle of wine, while Remy and I discussed how great the movie is, much to Brooke’s dismay (she hasn’t seen it.)  I think next time I’ll try to get there earlier, or go to one of the kids movies- it would be much easier to push them out of the way and stake my claim to a place in the front.  Gramercy Park Tutors is planning a big event at one of the movie nights, so bring kids if you can! http://thegramercypark.blogspot.com/2009/07/movies-in-park-and-my-friend-twilight.html

10) And for the big finale!  My most exciting event of the week!  I don’t know if it’s even fair to post about this since it hasn’t taken place yet, but I’m really looking forward to it.  Fer and I are going to Central Park this evening to have a picnic with some friends and enjoy the free concert by the NY Philharmonic, with free fireworks after!  Yippeee!!  Stopping by the East Village Cheese Shop first for some picnic provisions.  Who wouldn’t be excited about that?

So, that’s it for this week.  And it only took me an hour to write- brevity doesn’t come naturally to me I guess.  Hope you enjoyed!

Throughout the last week, since the glorious return of my long defunct blog, I’ve put some serious consideration into how to reinvigorate and revamp the site.  While life here in NY certainly holds adventure and new experiences, I kind of felt that I didn’t have the same quantity of interesting/inspiring material as when I was far off in Central America.  Losing that touch of exoticism could really bring about a decline in interest.  My readers were accustomed to hilarious tales of chickens on the bus and thrilling rides in pick-up trucks over treacherous mountain highways!  Would they really return daily to read about my subway schlepping?  So I devised what I feel to be a creative solution to my wish to return to blogging adapted to my current lifestyle.  In imitation of that great New Yorker, David Letterman, I will be publishing a weekly top ten list- the ten funniest, most interesting, touching, delicious, puzzling or just plain weird things I experienced throughout the week.  Stay tuned for the first edition of my top ten tomorrow!  And please provide your comments or concerns about this new direction for the jessbutl blog…….is anybody out there?

And so am I! But if you haven’t heard, I’m not in San Mateo anymore.  I’m not in upstate New York either though.  For the past year, I’ve been living, loving, working, playing, struggling to survive (haha) in the big bad city of New York, NY.  It’s been a wonderful and exciting time of adjustment and change.  In some ways, coming to live in Manhattan has been equally as disorientating and challenging as going to live in a rural Mayan mountain village.  Or maybe it was the transition from that sleepy mountain village to this frenetic urban jungle that intensified the process of acclimation.  But after a year here, I feel great about belonging to this amazing and overwhelming conglomeration of people all jumbled together in this ever-growing metropolis. I still wouldn’t venture to call myself a New Yorker, but I’m proud to say that at this point I can successfully give tourists directions on the subway.

So stay tuned for the continued adventures of a small-town girl in the big city…and other tired cliches.  From the cornfields of Guatemala to the Big Apple- what awaits me next?

No, ANN is not some new central-american terrorist group or terrible free trade agreement- it’s just one of the several political parties participating in the upcoming Guatemalan elections.  Unfortunately, ANN has their central office right across the street from the Foundation.  I say unfortunately because, in order to sway the votes of the electorate, ANN’s main method of persuasion is serenading the neighborhood with marimba music at full-volume from a sub-par speaker.  I’m not sure if this is an effective technique and only us gringos are supremely put out by it, but it doesn’t seem like a good tactic to me.  Imagine if Hillary Clinton’s campaign set up shop next door and played banjo music all the live-long day to win your support.  So over the past few months we have been subjected on a regular basis to what we are convinced is the same marimba songs over and over and over again.  It becomes a bit abrasive when you’re trying to listen to other music, watch a movie, talk to someone else, or just hear yourself think. 

As voting is taking place tomorrow, for the presidential and mayoral elections, all campaigning and propoganda was supposed to end at noon yesterday.  We had been looking forward to this blissful tranquility for weeks.  And yet, what blasphemy greeted our ears late yesterday afternoon??  More marimba music, interspersed with strange seemingly-drunken announcements from Sakal Ixim, the ANN candidate for mayor.  It should also be noted that aforementioned Sakal Ixim is well-known in the pueblo for having stolen a large quantity of money from bank patrons while he worked there.  Perhaps he thinks high-intensity marimba music will blast this memory out of people’s minds.  His reputation as a patron of the arts will far supercede his infamy as a thief.

Taking matters into there own hands, in response to the continuing noise pollution, Chat, Angie and Paul marched down to the cede, where they are registering voters to report this violation.  (I stayed home to continue nursing my infirm lungs.)  A very helpful municipal worker returned to the ANN den to inform Sakal and his henchmen that they MUST stop the music.  In a tipsy and staggering manner, these gentlemen assured everyone that they would indeed shut it off.  Incidentally, liquor sales are supposed to be prohibited throughout all of Guatemala for this entire weekend in order to assure a tranquil state of mind for the voters.

Anyways, a happy conclusion to this sordid tale- the music got shut off yesterday and we were not further plagued by it for the rest of the afternoon.  However, I regret to inform you, that even as I sit here typing this morning, I hear the slightly-muted strains of the all-too-familiar marimba son.  Those wiley scoundrels….they continue to play the music, but have now brought their speaker slightly inside the doorway.  Please, join our cause!  Write to your senator!  Demonstrate in the streets!  Down with ANN!!!!

I really wish that I could bring this news to all of you in typical San Mateo style, preceeded by an introductory 5 minutes of wailing siren and then blared in distorted voice from a megaphone….in Chuj.  But I guess I’ll have to settle for announcing through the blog.  Luckily I have plenty of time for computer activity these days since we found out yesterday that we won’t be having class for the next 3 weeks.  Believe me, we were surprised too.  But with the approach of Feria looming, it has been decided that the school’s top priority should be practicing for the big marching band competition that will be part of the September celebrations.  You may be thinking that this seems to neglect some other critical components of the children’s edcuation.  I would have to agree with you there, but please note that in comparison to some of the other schools in town we have shown enormous restraint in postponing practices for this long.  Truth be told, our band is probably the worst in town, because the other schools have been devoting much of the school day to straight-up band practice for months now.  It may very well be that in the parade on the 18th the Centro band is the one in which a trumpeter trips and knocks over 2 girls playing lira and the bass drums just keep playing exuberantly and marching right on over top of them.  All to the dissonant sounds of confused, arrythmic melodies.  Oh well, as Maria de Jesus said,with great sassiness,  ”They may be first place in the band, but we’ll be first place in our studies.”  That’s my girl!!

So the aforementioned BIG NEWS, which I’m sure most of you have already heard by now, is that I will be returning to San Mateo next year for another go-round with these crazy lovable kids.  I’ve enjoyed being here so much, that even from the beginning I had considered that one year just might not be enough.  Upon leaving home 8 months ago, I never imagined that I would be coming to the end of my time here and planning for another year away.  But I really feel that with the experience and knowledge of the school and the kids that I have now, I could do so much and bring more to the school by returning.  They allowed me to learn and grow here, with all the latitude I needed to make mistakes and figure out my own way.  Now that I have a better understanding of all that, I could really do a bang-up job next year, and it will be great for the school to have some consistency in the staff.  So I talked to our director Beth Neville when she was here in August and she graciously accepted me back.  I finally worked msyelf up to telling Mom and Dad while they were visiting, and of course, they were completely supportive and wonderful.  (Makes you wonder what took me so long to get it out huh?)  And now I’m breaking the news to the world!  Spread the word!

I’ll be returning home to the States for about 2 months on November 12th and am so excited to see family and friends and spend the holidays with all of you.  It’s unfortunate that it will be relatively short time that I’m back, but I hope to be able to see as many of you as I can.  I’ll try to keep the blog up-to-date in these last few months.  (I know what you’re thinking.)  Thanks for sticking with me and continuing to check and read despite months of non-blogitude!

Well, actually, the Butlers have already come and gone. The mid-August visit of los padres Butler was round 2 of the Butler invasion here in San Mateo. The first wave of attack came in May, when little miss Mary Beth arrived in town and mercilessly plundered the hearts of the male population of Yinhatil Nab’en. There is many a young tercero lad still pining away for senorita Meribet and frequently enquiring as to when my sister is going to return.

I believe there was slightly less romance and heartbreak involved in my parents’ stay, but it was a thrilling and beautiful week nonetheless. Wayne and Molly’s Guatemalan adventure began in the lovely colonial town of Antigua, where I met them lounging in the garden courtyard of the luxury digs of Hotel Aurora. (Lounging can here be interpreted as pacing nervously, because my bus was caught in construction all day and I was about 2 hours late in arriving.) After a full day of travelling, my own appearance frankly frightened me as I passed a mirror, but loving parents that they are, they were happy to see me, and forgave my bedraggled presentation and the unreliability of the camionetas.  Following this joyous reunion, we enjoyed a mini-weekend-vacation in Antigua and Lake Atitlan.  Having grown accustomed to Pullman buses and the Governator Hotel as the ultimate in luxury, I could hardly believe the star-quality accomodations and transport that my mom had arranged- I felt like a Guatemalan princess.

Of course, this royal treatment couldn’t last forever, and after feasting and fiestaing our way through Atitlan, we soon found ourselves on the chicken bus on the 5-hour ride from Huehue to the mountains of SMI.  Much to the delight of my mom (at least at first) this was a very tipico camioneta ride- very crowded, very bumpy and there were even live chickens as fellow passengers.  The novelty soon wore off, sadly, but I was so proud of the way Mom and Dad rose to the challenge and accepted it all with an adventurous spirit.  On this particular bus ride, I was lost to all the charm of mass transport, as I was completely abosorbed in the world of Hogwarts through the gift of the final installment of Harry Potter which my dad had kindly brought for me.  I did however emerge from wizard battle long enough to purchase the essential chuchitos in Soloma – no one could resist the siren call of this old woman’s feeble, hoarse voice beckoning you to buy her delicious wares of this quintessential bus food. Chuchitos are like Mexcian corn tamales with chicken filling, but moister because they’re wrapped in huge green leaves rather than corn husks.

Travel-worn and dust-covered, we finally arrived in the grand centro of San Mateo, where I’m sure my parents were awe-struck by the display of several fried chicken stands and hot dog vendors that our central park has to offer.  I dare to conjecture that they were even more starry-eyed when they saw the faaabulous hotel room I had booked for them.  OK, so it was slightly less majestic than the Hotel Aurora (seriously, check out the website for that place!)…..or maybe it was a bare room with nothing more than a bed, a toilet and an odd odor.  But once again, troopers that they are, my parents said it was just what they needed, and settled right in.  I feel so appreciative that in everything that they encountered during the week, from slight food poisoning to gaping stares from townspeople to long Disney medleys sung at dinner at the house, mom and dad greeted everything with flexibility and good nature.

It was a really lovely week.  Mom got to spend a lot of time with the kids, working on some really fun sewing projects she brought with her, and did a wonderful job using her Spanish!  The kids got a kick out of her being there and learning some more English.  They’re still saying “In the bag!” and “Reaalllllyy??!”  Mom and Dad both got to finally experience the manic nature of primero classes.  Sadly, not classroom management at its best, but you have to love the energy these kids have.  We also celebrated Mom’s birthday here, went to Thursday market, took some nice walks and ate some delicious food, both in and out of the Foundation.  Mom’s birthday festivities resulted in the serendipitious creation of a new dessert that I dubbed Chocobanano Custard Crunch a la Mateana.  Someone get me a publisher- I’m dreaming up a cookbook.

The week ended with a fantastic kings of Hooey Hooey tour.  Since we have to go through Huehuetenango every time we travel anywhere, the Foundationers have developed a criterium of essential destinations whenever we stay there.  We have our favorite hotel, The Governator (part of Schwarzaneger’s holdings in Guatemala) where Chat is a preferred client and always gets us a room.  There’s also a fancy schmancy bar and several eateries that we enjoy.  Mom and Dad gamely followed me around as I showed them all of our favorites and we had a wonderful last day together.  The next day we had breakfast at our usual joint and took a taxi to the bus terminal where we tearfully said goodbye.  Beyond the fact that the Huehue terminal is just one of the most depressing places in the world, it was tough to send them off on their bus to Antigua.  (I did pin a note with their destination on their shirts and make sure they had enough lunch money.)  They had come at a perfect time when I really needed a little break and support from my family.  The week before had been a really difficult  one- my grandpa passed away, our friend Fer left to go back to the states and there were a bunch of guests in and out of the Foundation.  Nothing could have been better for me than to see my mom and dad and get to spend nice Butler family time together.  It really helped everything get back into order for me, and since then, things have been a lot better.  I miss Mom and Dad now and all the rest of my family and friends too- it’s been a long time!  Can’t wait to see you all in November!!

P.S. Happy Labor Day!  They celebrate it on a different day here in Guatemala, but coincidentally we didn’t really have to work today either, cause they school is practicing for the band competition in 2 weeks during Feria.  Hooray!

4th of July, San Mateo style

Well, we didn’t rent out the California bus (which is painted like the American flag) and drive around town blaring patriotic music as we had previously planned, but Chat and I did teach the cuarto students to sing This Land is Your Land in honor of our nation’s birthday.  It ended up sounding like a big jarbled stream of Swedish rather than an ode to the beauty of the American terrain, but they had fun anyways.  The cuarto students are super sweet but they have the worst accents I’ve ever heard- it’s like they’re not even hearing what’s coming out of my mouth.
Me: Repeat after me- January, February, March.
Cuarto: Hanooaywoo, Ferereray, Mah.
Me: No, listen- Ja-nu-ary
Cuarto:  Han-woo-woo-wee?
I think my favorite teaching experience with them was when they asked me how to say “fast” and I spent the next ten minutes listening to them say flaaaaast, flahst?……flaaahhhhst.  Oh those kids.

I decked myself out in red, white and blue for segundo english class and gave extra points to kids who were wearing the colors of the flag as well.  As I proudly marched into class with the strains of Sousa flowing through my head, it became disturbingly clear that I am very rapidly turning into a middle-aged middle-school teacher in the body of a 23-year-old girl.  Next thing you know I’ll be wearing sparkly holiday sweaters and knitting matching ones for all my cats to wear.   Anyways…..we had a thrilling 4th of July trivia competition between teams representing England and the Colonies.  In one horrifying moment it seemed that team England might actually be victorious, but to my great relief the Colonies pulled through and triumphed in the end, and everything was as it should be according to history.

We spent independence day evening barbequing chicken and setting off firecrackers.  Oh sweet revenge- take that San Mateans who rouse us from early morning slumber with your jubilant explosions!  Who’s blowing things up now?  We even roasted some marshmallows and made s’mores, much to the delight of Chat, who I think ate approximately 17 of them.

So although, I still have a little catch-up to do from my months of blog-neglect, I thought this more recent update might balance out the ancient news I have doling out.