Greetings from Guatemala

Well I have officially made it to Xela (pronounced shay-lah), Guatemala where I begin my next adventure. Xela-formally called Quetzaltenango which means the "place of the Quetzals"-is situated in the highlands at 8000 feet. Like most places I have been in this country, it is absolutely beautiful. The city of 200,000 is buzzing with energy and celebration. Independence Day festivities started last night and continue through next week. What a way to begin my stay here!

My favorite things about Xela after 18 hours:
-I am about to take an Ashtanga class downstairs
-An hour-long Thai massage is $14
-Friends of Sharena's run up a small mountain every morning (for those of you who know my exercise addiction)
-The locals have been warm and receptive--talking slowly and listening patiently

The title of my blog (Lost in Transition) is a reference to 'lost in translation' which will surely be a theme during my time here. It also refers to the last year of my life which has been a whirlwind. For those of you who couldn't keep up, it went something like this:
-I was going to move to Seattle and ended up in Bakersfield CA for a short time then Portland Oregon
-I thought about moving to Ecuador to live and learn Spanish
-I moved to Denver
-I thought about going to India to study yoga
-I moved back to Fort Collins briefly
-I thought about doing a trek with my cousin Sarah* to the base camp of Everest.
*Sarah may be the only person reading this who thinks this list is totally normal

I was actually going to name my address lostintransition.blogspot.com but the name was already taken. This is comforting(: Honestly though, I don't feel too lost. I feel good, content even.