End of Prologue

So, guess who I’ve been sleeping with lately...

Nobody!

That’s right, as of Monday night I’ve been flying solo. I’ve moved into my brand-new (well, whatever) apartment in the Edificio el Centro. I have to admit that the place is growing on me. (Not literally, although the shower floor... no, nevermind.)

Let’s just say that – not unlike many aspects of my new Guatemalan life – it’s going to require a fair amount of scrubbing and polishing.

With each day that passes, work becomes increasingly enjoyable and satisfying as I find my rhythm and hit my stride. My first three hours at the office, 6:30am until 9:30am, are always intense. During that time I have to scour a host of websites (Yahoo, Google, CNN, BBC, AP, Reuters, EFE, Prensa Latina, La Jornada, El Mundo, La Nacíon, El Universal, etc, etc, etc.) for the most important Central American and International news.

The difficult part (ok, besides having to think coherent thoughts at 6:30am without the heavily-caffeinated benefit of an iced americano) is deciding which stories to focus on, finding the most up-to-date / comprehensive / well-written version of that news item, and then editing it down to a mere three or four sentences. (And to think that Mom is the one who used to work for Reader's Digest!)

Which would be difficult enough, if it weren’t also for the fact that the news (which is the plural of “new”, right?) keeps changing! I’m here to tell you: a lot can happen in the world during a three-hour span. (yes, you can quote me on that.)

Until I take over the homepage duties from Javier (when the new site is inaugurated) my post-10am duties are less hectic. I’m currently working on redesigns of the Daily Report and our homepage. (Tasks, I might add, that would be a tad bit simpler if I actually had a CD-ROM drive on my computer with which to install Photoshop, GoLive, and other programs.)

Today marks my two-week anniversary in Guatemala. Fourteen days of settling in and settling down. I’ve worked an obscene amount of hours already, moved into my apartment, and reconnected with a stunning number of people...

And yet.

And yet I feel as if I am just on the cusp of being “truly present” in Guatemala. I know it. I can feel it. I can sense the wave about to break.

Tomorrow is May 1st... known in these parts as “el Primero de Mayo” or Labor Day. I'll be participating in a massive march, complete with banners, placards and shouted slogans (“Un pueblo unido jamás será vencido” is a pretty sure bet.) I’m also likely to see a gazillion (give or take a billion) friendly faces.

It will also be the first time I take the lens cap off my camera since returning to Guatemala.

In other words... I sense that this new story’s prologue is coming to an end, and that Chapter 1 is about to begin!

Posted by elcanche at April 30, 2004 06:36 PM