Aprovechar- v. to take advantage of.

This is my new favorite verb. It can be used to sum up a lot of my time here in Central America.

In Xela I took advantage of cheap classes. I took 15 hours of weaving classes for the equivalent of $30, went to two weeks of unlimited aerobics classes with my host mom for $6, and took advantage of free public and relatively cheap private salsa dance classes.

Now I'm just taking advantage of being down here. I have no idea when I will have the opportunity to come back here, if at all, and that is why I am spending some time traveling around Central America. It is also why I was in absolute disbelief when my two original traveling compañeras (who also happen to be two of my roommates from last year and for this coming year) independently decided that they did not want to travel at all, but rather return home right after the semester ended. But either way, I am grateful not to be traveling with two people who would rather be somewhere else. I know it would be good to be home and good to see my family and friends, but I recognize that they will all be the same home, same family and same friends when I see them three weeks later! (No offense, homies).

So I was obviously forced to change plans, something that I am [still slightly bitter about but] also trying to take advantage of. My original plan involved traveling throughout Guatemala on chicken busses; visiting fewer sights but spending more time in each place. The upsides of my first plan: I wouldn’t have had to spend the money to change my flight out, I wouldn’t have had to spend so much money on transport in general, it would have be easier to meet people traveling in a group of three, it would have be way easier to make decisions as a group of three, we would get to practice our Spanish almost the whole time, and I would get to know Guatemala a little better.

But I am beginning to see the upsides of my new plan. Now we are in Honduras on the Bay Island of Utila, a colorful little place where almost everyone gets around by electric scooters, golf carts or bikes, with most of the children preferring a skateboardish contraption with two wheels and a swivel in the middle. There is a lot of diversity among the Hondurans--some are white descendants of the early settlers, some are Black Carib/descendants of the slave trade, some are native to Honduras, and many are ex-pats and diving fanatics from all over the world. Utila has some of the world’s best (and cheapest) Scuba diving, which is what brought my travel group here.

I initially foolishly thought that I would save the $250 and just bum around the town for the week while my friends got certified and did their open water dives, but then I reminded myself of my new friend “aprovechar.”

(My penny-wise mother might not appreciate this next part…)

One of our diving instructors, Oralion, reminded us that money comes and goes. We will most likely have the money in two months, but in two months we will not be here. We will be in the United States, where getting certified is more expensive and diving is not nearly as worthwhile.

Until a couple of days ago, that $250 was money that I did not exactly have access to, due to what I will sum up as “major banking complications.” (But thanks to modern technology, we have got it all figured out, right Mom?)

I traded in my $15/hr job as a day camp counselor with Denver Parks and Rec where I would live rent-free at the ‘rents house for a $10/hour job doing similar work up in Minnesota where I will have to pay rent. My parents seem to be worried that I don't have much money now nor will I make much money in the summer. I told my parents that this is the last summer that I will be able to get away with such "non-adult" behavior. I feel really great about what I'm doing now, and about what I'm doing this summer, though my parents might not. But I am going to go ahead and aprovechar this opportunity as well.