monolinguism is curable

or so i´ve heard.

actually, spanish classes are going quite well. it took me a couple of days, but slowly those years of espanol at SFC are coming back to me (except when i confuse spanish with italian, which happens all to frequently. knowing italian is actually making it more difficult to learn spanish). my maestra is great--we joke all the time and always seem to be laughing. which makes the 4 hours fly by.

view of xela from my school

my homestay family is great as well. the mother, sonia, is incredibly sweet and really patient--she always takes the time to explain the dinner converstation so i just don´t sit there, laughing awkwardly). she is also a great cook, and i can tell she is trying really hard to cater to my veggie-ness. tosadas, enchiladas, frijoles, arroz, queso y tortillas. always mas tortillas. although the kids are probably beginning to resent the lack of meat.

the kids are AnnaRaquel, 17, Roldolfo, 13 and Saul, 9. Saul is pretty shy, but the other two are really fun and animated. yesterday, AnnaRaquel showed me how to make bracelets, and we sat around the dinner table weaving strings of green and blue and talking. unfortunately, i lost it the same day. typical, i know. but how cute is this? when i told Rodolfo that i lost it, he took one off his wrist and gave it to me. awwwww, que rico.

mi familia de xela

oh yes, and three pets--2 dogs (pancho and snoopy) and 1 cat (kitty, as in hello kitty). so it´s a full house, but i like it that way.

i PROMISE photos soon. there is only one computer i can use at the school to upload photos, and i keep forgetting the camera cord. definitely reconsidering my decision to not bring the laptop...

that volcano in the background is santa maria...to be tackled next weekend!

p.s. i've made some amigos! last night i went out with 2 danish guys, a danish girl, a irishman and a german. we ate indian food, then went to a middle eastern-themed bar where we drank guatemalan beer and played american trivia and were beat by a group of hungarians. and that is why i love traveling. the culture clash.