This week....

me in my first house in santa lucia (not the one I'm living in now)
The cemetery in Pastores- so pretty!
Antigua McDonalds- no joke.
The view standing in the doorway of my room now!

Where to start?? Well, tomorrow officially marks two weeks in Guatemala- it feels like about 20 times that, but in a good way. It seems like ages since I was living the life of wireless internet and Cheesecake Factory’s. But, I figure that just means I’m settling into my new reality of camionetas, avocado trees, and the rainy season.

The past week has been filled with mostly Spanish classes- using the term “class” in the loosest sense, as it usually consists of having at length conversations about things like Jack Johnson or macaroni and cheese, or taking field trips into Antigua or Pastores to see the sights.

Saturday we went to the Mercado in Antigua for class, and also went to the parque and the Jade factory. We had our “lesson” in the McDonalds which was legit like a palace- fountains, gardens, free internet, and all. We also went to a little coffee shop our teacher likes that had amazing cookies- it will most definitely be a frequent stop on Antigua trips from now on.

We had our first technical training last week, which was just a lot of information that left me just as clueless about exactly what I’ll be doing with my life for the next two years as I was before- I think. But, I do know that for training we will be working with the Municipality of Pastores with the Municipal Women’s Office and some community women’s groups. We’re also going to get a mentor that is currently serving who will help us with projects and probably be a lot more informative, who we meet tomorrow. Thursday we also take a trip to visit a current volunteer in Tecpan for the day.

Most days after class my group of 4 go for a walk around town (a whopping one dirt street with a church, community center, soccer field…and that’s about it) for a little exercise and for something to do. Yesterday when we walked out of my house (where we have classes) there were three teenagers, one of which replied with a “good afternoon” when we said the usual “buenas tardes” to them. That got us started having a double language lesson- English for them, Spanish for us- that they were completely tickled by. We also started sharing tongue twisters (or trabalenguas) and the Guatemaltecos have some pretty good ones (something about “mirame sin mira, Miryam”…).

Being a part of a big family has been quite the adjustment- there’s always noise, someone leaving, someone coming, something going on. But it’s only in the best way, and Sundays we all have breakfast and lunch together and there’s just a big mosh of conversation and laughing the whole day. (Side note: here, mosh means oatmeal, which I think is a much more appropriate name for the food). I always thought big families were completely overwhelming but the Guatemaltecos make it seem effortless and natural. My Spanish teacher was telling me yesterday about a family he knows that has 25 children! I pointed out to him that the family could play a soccer game just between themselves- with subs to spare. While that’s a bit excessive for my tastes, my 10 person household has so far been much more comforting than I ever would have expected.

Now, it’s back to common session and then the camioneta ride home, which is usually so crowded it’s a great workout just trying to get home. Wish me luck!