First Day of School

Today was my first day of school, which gave me some much needed confidence in my Spanish speaking abilities.  I arrived in Guatemala last Wednesday, and I felt like I needed an entire 2 days of sleep to catch up on what I missed my final days in the States.  I feel so lucky to have spent my final days with some of my best friends.  Thanks to everyone who made time, sent a note, traveled from various places, and simply made me feel so loved.  I appreciated every moment, and it's sad that I had to end that chapter in order to begin the next.

Speaking of the next chapter, my first days in Guatemala were spent resting and getting ready for my new apartment.  Even though it is furnished, there were quite a lot of things I needed to purchase in order to make my stay comfortable for the next 3 months.  I learned about Cemaco, which is kind of like an Ace Hardware store combined with a Target, minus the food and myriad of options of each thing.  It was unbelievable to realize how many various trinkets and gadgets of all sizes and colors we have in the States when those options are no longer available.  However, I found everything I needed, and I'm living very very well.  My first trip to the grocery store was a little overwhelming though.  I'm used to shopping at Trader Joe's and a small produce grocery store in Chicago called Stanley's where you can find organic fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the price compared to regular grocery stores.  I've spent years analyzing which cereal or pasta provides the best nutrition and taste for the price, and it is not made by one of the big brands you might recognize.  I guess I've become quite suspicious of the big brands, and all I have here are those big brands or brands from Mexico or various other places that I don't recognize.  Then when you add on the fact that I normally look for diet-versions of a lot of things, the number of options gets smaller and smaller.  I was super excited to see my favorite Almond Breeze, soy and lactose free "milk" made from almonds.  It un poco mas expensivo (that's not real Spanish, and I know that) here, but at least my milk allergy won't have to be tested.  I am very excited to try lots of new things though.  I have already had some chicos, which are very sweet and sticky.  Gum is made from this fruit, and it definitely makes sense.  I also had my first zapote, which is somewhat related to the chico.  At first taste, I swore I was eating pumpkin that had been sweetened.  Since then I've been on a search for more zapotes and have been thinking of lots of new recipes to try.  When I went to the market by myself while in Antigua, I saw lots of other vegetables and fruits that I don't recognize, and luckily, my teacher is going to take me to the market on Thursday if it isn't raining.  She is excited to show me how to bargain down the price of a pineapple, which only costs about $1 here!

My first day of school was fabulous.  Mi profesora, Mirna, is very sweet, teaches well, and is also very funny.  I attend class from 8:00 until noon, and then again from 1:30 until 4:00.  I hope after 12 weeks of that much one-on-one time with a teacher I will become fluent.  It's amazing how much easier it is to speak and learn a new language when you are totally immersed.  My boyfriend and I speak almost entirely in English, which I hope will change soon.  When I walked back to my apartment for lunch, I bought 3 tortillas still hot from the fire for one quetzal.  Quetzal is the name of the currency here and is also the name of the national bird, which is very beautiful.  I had the pleasure of seeing one last February when I was here last.  The exchange ratio is about 8 quetzales to one dollar, so my 3 tortillas cost about $0.12!  They were so delicious, and went very well with my frijoles negros volteados.

These are pictures of my school.  It is a surprisingly large piece of property filled with some of the most beautiful gardens I've seen.  I really enjoy it, and have made a few friends today too.  Hasta luego mis amigos!