What's in a Name?

Before I came to Guatemala, I liked my last name... Most people I know even call me by it, instead of my first name. It never occurred to me that "Sola" being a Spanish word--even though its an Italian name--would pose any sort of problem. Well... it does down here. Every time someone asks for my name I tell them "Andrea", then they ask for my last name and the problem begins. When I respond "Sola", which for all you non-Spanish speaking people means "alone" or can mean "only", they think I am telling them I go by only Andrea (like Madonna or Cher). Its all very confusing and is only cleared up when I pull out some sort of ID and show them that, in fact, Sola is my last name. To which they ALWAYS respond, "funny name". :)

True Story

So, I decided to go for a run today. My aunt's neighborhood is nice, flat and low traffic... and also apparently dangerous. I get about a third of the way into my run and suddenly I hear barking. Now, this is no surprise since everyone in this neighborhood has a dog, but they are all USUALLY inside the fence. This barking sounds a little louder. I look behind me and there are four huge white dogs chasing me! I freaked out for about 5 seconds and then decide I should probably just relax and walk and maybe they would stop chasing me. Finally, they got bored and left me alone. I quickly decide not to venture down that way again and continued with my run.

A little while later, I'm running along, minding my own business again, and 3 deer pop out of nowhere and literally almost run me over! Seriously, 3 deer and not 5 feet away from me! The fresh air is nice and all down here, but I think I liked it better when all I had to worry about was watching out for the cars.

I think I also now understand why Texans are all apart of the NRA and carry their guns with them at all times.

Mug Shot

Apparently the government is trying to be much more prepared. They've decided to save a little time and energy on mug shots. So what they do is require your passport photo to do double duty. I was strictly informed not to smile, forced to remove my earrings, and asked to tuck my hair behind my ears (because, as I was told, the ears MUST be showing). Now this last part really baffles me. Maybe there is some new highly advanced way to identify someone by their ears? Who knows. But for now, not only do I have a valid passport, I am one step ahead of the game if I decide to turn to a life of crime.