Ok, so it wasn't that bad. Not even close, actually, but I did want to spend as much time with them as I could. In summary, "I would've written. no time. couldn't. sorry" So it goes...
On to actual news...
On Wednesday morning we left for the airport at 1:30... AM!!! Long story short after (some) tears, goodbyes, boredom, flying, boredom, driving, et cetera, I landed in Antigua, Guatemala at 2:45PM local time.
One little story about the airport, though, before I move on... It was about time to board and I was playing with my 5x5 rubik's cube, when I noticed a little girl watching me. I kept on going and when I was done, the girl and her friend enthusiastically clapped for me. I told them to try it, so they did for a little. Later, when I was boarding, I walked past them and the girl waves at me with a big smile and says "adiós!". That was a very fun little memory.
As I stepped out of the airport, I began looking for a sign with my name on it, amid a cacophony of "taxi??", "TAXI??", "Taxi, señor??". The director of the school told me there would be a driver waiting for me, which there was. I hopped in and we were on our way after I exchanged some money and paid a (mandatory) tip to another guy who asked me for one. He was very convincing, and I just wanted to go already!
I didn't have a good picture of the place, but I was told Antigua is a very nice place. Indeed it is! It's a small town with old, painted buildings. Such a beautiful place! And since it's higher up in the mountains, it's cool, and this time of the year there's a very nice breeze almost continually blowing.
I was taken by the driver to my host's place, a small house in a small colony that's called Colonia Manchén. I met my host, his wife Odilia, and two of their three children, Hector and Paty. They're very nice people and excellent hosts. I talked with them for a bit, unpacked, asked for the WiFi password (of course!), and ate supper a bit later, after which I had a good night's rest, interrupted intermittently by some ornery felines outside my window. They must have been having marriage problems...
This morning I ate breakfast and walked to school, as if on a cloud, through the breezy 70 degree morning air, with the sweet chirping of birds singing in my ears. (If you can't tell, I'm poking fun at all you guys in the frigid north. And I'm not sorry, either. :)
I did get a bit lost on the way to school, however, 'cause there's like a million Spanish schools in the area, but no problems. Hector found me and directed me to the right place.
For this week only, my teacher is a lady called Lidia, who is very nice and patient. For school, we basically just talked the whole time. When a word came up I didn't know, she would explain, until our time was up and two of my notebook pages were already full! She asked me questions about where I live, what my favorite foods are, who my family is, where I go to church, etc. I really enjoyed talking to her and look forward to tomorrow. Unfortunately, though, as I said before she is teaching another group after this week, so I will be switching to another teacher starting on Monday.
This afternoon, we went on a bit of a tour to a jade museum, and a chocolate museum, both Guatemalan exports. We got to see how they're made and the Mayan culture behind them.
 |
| A tour guide explains how the Mayans refined jade. |
That's about it for all my escapades so far. I hope you enjoyed this and God bless y'all for supporting me and praying for me!
And as usual, here are some prayer requests:
- Thank God for safety
- Pray that I could take advantage and learn all I can while I'm in Guatemala
- Pray for CICS and also for me as I prepare to teach another year
 |
| Beautiful sunset on the way to Miami. |
 |
| My poor Doritos I prized so highly got smashed in my suitcase. Still good, though! |
 |
| My current room setup. |
 |
| This is at the park where a lot of Spanish students go with their teachers. It's a really nice enclosed area with lots of trees and greenery. |
 |
| Another view of the park. My teacher and I sat at the table in the lower left-hand corner of the picture. |
 |
| One of the streets in Antigua, with a volcano in the background. |
 |
| Landing in Guatemala. As you can see, it's very mountainous. |
 |
| A square in front of the church with volcanos in the background. |
No comments:
Post a Comment