Hola a todos!
We´ve now been in Xela for two weeks...we are definitely settled in and Xela is beginning to feel a little like home. A typical day goes something like this...
6 A.M.- Wake up and shower. It is usually a bit chilly in the morning here...somewhere in the low 50´s which makes it a little difficult to get out of bed some mornings. The shower is usually nice and hot but there are only about 5 streams of water that come out of the showerhead. Still it is much better than many of the lukewarm showers I´ve taken in other places!
7 A.M.- Breakfast. Angela, our host mother, always has something hot and delicious prepared for us. She makes the best banana pancakes I´ve ever had. A typical Guatemalan breakfast might include huevos (eggs,) frijoles (refried black beans,) and a piece of farmer´s cheese served with Guatemalan tortillas, which are much thicker and smaller in circumference than Mexican corn tortillas. The beverage of choice in the morning is Nescafe instant coffee, which is actually pretty decent.
8 A.M.-noon- Clase. Our walk to school takes about 15 minutes and recently we´ve been taking a shortcut which leads up through the city cemetary (pics below.) Class starts at 8 and is usually pretty intense. The classes are one-on-one and entirely in Spanish. Thus far I have learned a lot of basics...verbs, nouns, adverbs, conjugation, pronuncuiation, verb tenses, etc. My listening skills have improved a lot but my speaking ability still needs some work. A couple of times Vinico (maestro) and I have gone on little field trips during class time which is always nice. This part of the day is usually sunny, maybe in the 70´s, lots of big puffy clounds in the sky.
noon-1PM- Daily activity. Everyday there is some sort of cultural activity for students to participate in....we might watch a documentary of some sort, usually focusing on the Guatemalan civil war or its effects on the people...salsa classes....cooking classes.....weaving classes....international comida (students cook a big pot luck lunch...I introduced the Chicago style hotdog last Friday)...guitar playing.
1PM-2PM- Lunch and a little rest.
2Pm-5PM- Volunteering. As I mentioned before, our school, El Nahual, is not simply a Spanish school but more importantly a community outreach center. All students are required to volunteer 2-3 days a week for a couple of hours each day. I have been teaching a 1-on-1 English class to a young man named Enrique. Becca has been teaching an English class to a group of kids at a school called La Cuchia, which is about a 30-minute bike ride from the school. Next week I´ll be working in the community garden and Becca will be at a day care center. Other volunteering options include art classes, guitar lessons, and various other things the school need done. Usually at this point in the day it begins to rain...every day....not too hard, but enough to make everything fairly damp.
5PM-10PM-Evening. Usually we eat dinner at the house, but sometimes we go out. Sabor de la India is probably the best Indian food I´ve ever had. The portions are huge and the entrees cost about $6 (that´s including rice, lentils, naan.) There is also a place called Dos Tejanos, a Texas themed American style restaurant. I ordered the country fried steak, which was spot on. We also watched the EuroCup final here....needless to say, most Guatemalans were cheering for their former colonial masters Spain...however, I stayed true to my German roots and cheered for Alemania, who ended up losing. Street food is also popular here...all hot dog carts have the word chevere written on them, which means "cool." I have no idea why. The bun is about twice as big as a normal hot dog bun and fits two sausages and is topped with mustard, ketchup, mayo, and salsa picante. Needless to say, the Chicago dog is far superior to the Guatemalan dog (or any other hot dog for that matter.) We have also enjoyed ceviche at the market on a few occasions...its delicious and very popular here.
10-11PM-Goodnight. After all of this, we usually have about a half hour to study and do some homework before passing out. Good thing weekends are nice and relaxed!
If any of you want to check out the school, El Nahual, heres the link: http://www.languageselnahual.com/
Also, a map of Xela (we are staying near Parque Calvario and the school is on the far side of the cemetery): http://www.larutamayaonline.com/guatemala/maps/maps/quetzaltenango_map.gif
Hope everyone is doing well...check out some photos below!
Adios,
Dave
Guardiamo...our host family´s dog...the Guatemalan version of Funny Boy.
To the left is the dormant Volcan Santa Maria. To the right is a plume of smoke from the active Santiaguito. It erupts every morning....but don´t worry, the lava flows the other way.
Inside the cemetery.
The tomb of Vanushca...a gypsy who apparently could bring good forture in the love realm. It is typical for young people to write their wishes for love on this tomb.
The power goes out somewhat frequently here. You might be asking "what if I am in the middle of my favorite TV show" or "what if I am in the shower?" What you should be asking is "what if I am in the middle of an ATM transaction?" The answer: wait by the ATM for 4 hours for the power to come back on, then call the number on the screen because the ATM won´t give the card back, then call the bank and deactivate the card, the come back the next morning and wait for two more hours until someone can come and unock the machine and give me my card back. Que mal suerte!
A toro grazing on the side of the road near the school.
