If Someone Tells You It’s Hot in Guatemala, They’re Lying

Like most people who venture to this part of the world, the other volunteers and I assumed we wouldn’t need many warm clothes this year. I am way south of Florida, and not too far from South America. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be hot here most of the time, right?

WRONG.

It’s freezing here.

Every day between approximately sunset and noon, it is absolutely freezing. (It’s because we’re in the highlands, so it’s the elevation making it so cold at night. Daytime is just fine.) We’re not talking just a little bit chilly either. I mean thick socks, multiple sweatshirts, scarves all the time, and sleeping in winter hats. Today, I even wore dance pants underneath my jeans all day. Not kidding. It is seriously painful to be up moving around at night or in the morning. Brrrrrrr.

To combat this, we have a new trend in our volunteer house: hot water bottles. The 2 volunteers from Austria each brought one with them, and the rest of us have been eyeing them jealously all week. Then today, I had the best surprise EVER! Cheryl, another volunteer, went to Antigua in the afternoon and texted me that she had a present for me. When I came home from my seccione, a hot water bottle was waiting for me on my bed!!!! Its reddish color sort of makes it look like a whoopee cushion, which is hilarious, but I am so so so pumped to sleep tonight with it wrapped up in my covers.

It’s the little things, haha.

The group with our "bolsas de agua caliente"...

...and then I stole everyone else's for myself.