1/2 Marathon, etc.

The race was awesome! About 6,000 people raced with the Kenyans coming in first and me trailing close behind with a whopping time of 2 hours and 29 minutes. I think that’s pretty good, seeing as how it was my first race ever and I don’t have to run from lions on a regular basis. I placed 2,432 and had a great time just trotting along and listening to my music. A gazillion people came out to watch and the whole time I felt like I was smiling and waving at both people I knew and didn’t know. It helped that my number said Mary and the back of my shirt said Alejandra so people could cheer for me as I was coming and going. The Cobàn Internacional Medio-Maraton is one of the best organized races in Central America and it was so exciting to participate in it. The energy was incredible and I am definitely going to try to make running in half marathons a more regular thing. And that would give me a fabulous excuse to come back to Cobàn next year!

In other news . . . we had another retreat the week before the race at a nature reserve in hopes to see the elusive quetzal bird that is so celebrated in Guatemalan. Unfortunately, we didn’t see one but the scenery was beautiful and it was great, as always, to spend time with the other girls. We talked a lot this time about CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and what we as Christians should do in response to seemingly unjust policies. We also talked about reentering our consumer driven culture after a year of living simply. I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty nervous, it’s going to be culture shock to the max, and Good Will is going to get a huge donation from the Sutton household.

On a similar note, my leaving has become a popular topic of conversation. The other day one of my coworkers asked me if I could leave my eyes as a reminder of me. I don’t like the idea of leaving but it will be here before you know it. We have a retreat in Antigua this weekend, Compassion is taking the older kids on a camping trip the following weekend, Kathryn and Becky come to visit me/Raquel´s 15th birthday bash is the week after that and then vuala its July. I´m planning on spending my last month here completely absorbing all that is Cobàn. August 3rd will be the saddest day of my year as I leave my precious city and head to Antigua to meet up with some more sad YAVs and then August 5th will be a painful mixture of sadness and joy as I leave my Guatemala but arrive back into the presence of the beautiful Americans I have been missing for so long.

So that is what I have been up to/will be up to. I don`t even know if anyone reads this anymore but if you do, and you, by chance, know of some kind soul that wants to give me a job when I get home, please let me know because I have become completely obsessed with planning my life and its driving me crazy. :)