Guatemala: Mi paraiso

Hola, hola!

It has been a pretty interesting two weeks here on the Guatemalan front. We went to the beach last weekend, I climbed a volcano and then this weekend... (drum roll).... my parents will be coming to Xela to visit me! Taking the big plunge across a few big borders. So that is very exciting!

I started classes with another teacher last week, and the curriculum also changed because some students were having problems with the pace of the studies here. Therefore, last Monday, people taking language classes started receiving a great deal more of homework and the pressure and stress definitely added. I am not taking my language classes for college credit anymore because I am taking two classes at the university for credit, but I am still doing some homework for my class because my professor said it was "good participation." Needless to say, I clashed a bit with my professor a bit these few weeks, but I survived and I decided it was more important to be patient with all different types of teachers.

The beach last week was AMAZING! It was perfect after somewhat of a stressful week. A group of 6 of us went down there, got to experience a chicken bus stuffed with people, and had a great time.

On Sunday morning, I woke up nice and early (4:30 am to be exact) to climb a volcano. We stayed there for a few hours to watch eruptions and we got to see some great ones. It was so exciting and beautiful. It was also good bonding time because there were only 3 students, Tania (our director) and 2 guides. So we all had a really good time despite it being cold and early!

This coming Sunday (2 more days!) my parents will be arriving in Xela. We are heading to Mexico for a few days to renew my visa and also will be going to Lake Atitlan so I am very excited to see them! It will be odd not being with the group for almost a week though, as I have not been separated from them for more than a full day, at the most! So we said some almost tearful goodbyes today, and everyone is off!

I know that it is also Spring Break there, so I wish everyone safe travels and happy vacations! And to practice my subjuntive, espero que todo disfruten la pausa de la universidad y que todo vaya bien! (I hope that everyone enjoys the break from the university and that all goes well!)

Abrazos- Sarita