- Primarily 5hrs of classes + studying/tarea in the afternoons. Dora was my EXCELLENT maestra who kept me on my toes and was very supportive and informative. Wish I could have spent more than a week at Minerva Spanish School, but my one week was lovely and quite helpful!
- An AWESOME homestay with Dona Yoli - certainly one of the most wonderful people I've ever met who kept me well taken care of with delicious food, a comfy bed, hot water, and an excellent taxi driver recommendation
- New friends! My fellow students Mary and Tyler were a blast to spend time with along with a variety of other students/volunteers that we crossed paths with including folks from Houston, Seattle, NYC, Tahoe, and LOTS of Minnesotans/Sconnies.
- A hike up to the little crater lake of Chicabal, the center of the universe for the Mam Mayans in the area. This included a lovely guide, excellent views of the border into Mexico, a nice hike around the lake with many Mayan shrines, and views of the other Volcanoes surrounding Xela
- A visit to and soak in the hot springs at Fuente Georginas - beautiful and relaxing!
- LA COPA MUNDIAL!! We had plenty of fun watching the last 4 matches of the tournament, particularly the final match on Sunday with a thrilling win from Alemania (though the crowd consisting of predominantly Argentinian fans were not quite as happy...). The viewing experience consisted of a packed Pasaje Enriquez
The trip home to Xoy was plenty eventful - there was a protest going on that shut down the highway by downing a series of trees. Waleska and I never encountered the protesters (and we're still not sure who they were and what was upsetting them so), but we had a lovely 2hr hike from the first felled tree into Chichicastenango (renamed "the promised land" over the course of our hike...). Fortunately, I had a few extra pairs of sweat pants, we collectively brought lots of water, and it was a lovely day. We're both a bit sore, but happy campers (or, more accurately, hikers)!
With that, I'm back and ready to settle in! Had a chance to meet with various folks (local engineers, Ministry of Education, and the Muni) between the day of travel and my first morning back, so I'm looking forward to setting up my room and getting to work!
More to come over the next few weeks, but first, some pictures...
Receiving my certificate for completing "basic" Spanish at Minerva - Dora is my teacher on the far right
Hike to Chicabal - the crater lake and the border with Mexico in the background
View of Santa Maria, San Tomás, and Santiaguito (left to right) letting off some steam
The hotsprings Fuentes Georginas
Pasaje Enriquez (after Alemania scored the winning goal!)
The copa viewing group - from left to right, me, Tyler, Steve, Waleska, and Mary (taken on self-timer, thus the mix of unsure/crouching poses...)
Other hikers on the highway to Chichi (aka the promised land of public transportation)
Waleska newly prepared for the hike with a pair of sweatpants
Trees chopped down to block the highway :(
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