One Week in Xela

I have made it through week one in a new country. Things I have learned in Xela:

1. Toilet paper must go in a waste basket
2. Cheap flip flops are slippery on wet cobblestone
3. Pedestrians have the last right-of-way (even bicycles will not stop for you)
4. Bring agua pura with you to brush your teeth
5. Take more pictures
6. Charge your computer before you leave the house
7. Cookies and dessert are taken for granted in the US
8. Cover your mouth when a bus nears (so you do not inhale the black exhaust)
9. Guatemala mothers are incredibly caring and giving
10. Skype dates with friends and family are hard to beat

For the next 6 weeks my schedule is pretty consistent. Wake up at 715am (615 if I run), breakfast, and shower. Spanish class 830am-1230pm with a snack break. Return home for lunch around 1pm. Tuesday afternoons we watch a film or documentary that is relevant to the required articles for the week and we have a group discussion about what we saw and heard. Wednesday afternoons we have a conference with someone from the community about the week’s topic. Thursday evenings we have salsa class. Monday and Friday afternoons are free for now, which usually means I am online and working on applications. Every other weekend we have a planned activity and then a free weekend.

In 7 weeks (end of August), we go to Mexico for an immigration conference and some more Spanish practice. Then a week off during Guatemala’s independence celebration (great time to visit ;). When we return we have one more week of full-time classes and activities like now, one week of full-time classes and part-time volunteer projects, and then several weeks of full-time volunteering.