26 and counting

I'm a little older now, after spending my entire 25th year in another country (well except for brief escapes to Guatemala and the states). Honestly, I was expecting the day to pass much like any other, maybe a plate of rice and beans instead of beans and rice, but not so.

One of the members of the 2007 group of volunteers took it upon herself to
make my birthday into a real event, complete with Strawberry Shortcake party hats, chocolate covered bananas with sprinkles at midnight, and cake for breakfast. I felt pretty special, which is a good thing to feel when you reach the 30 side of your twenties.

Tomorrow, in celebration of Pan-America days I am going with a group of Maya
leaders to Tikal in Guatemala (see cover of August National Geographic for a
picture of Tikal: Below). It should be a great experience as Maya communities from
throughout Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico converge on this major ancient city
to tell their version of the Columbus story. I am excited to be included in
the event and should have some good stories to tell after we cross into
Guatemala on foot, catch a few local buses, sleep over at a high school and
parade into Tikal with thousands of others. It's as close to going native as
I'll probably get.