November 5 and 6

Thursday:  Hi Everyone. Day five and I am beginning to feel at home. I know my way around my neighborhood and the school and that's a releif. I found a small cafe on my way to school where I stop and get a cup of delicious Guatemalan coffee and they know me by name. It's nice. By and large, I find the Guatemalan people very friendly and helpful and they are very patient with those of us here trying to learn their language. There are guards with guns outside many busineses, some hotels and every bank. They are very rigid and stern until you say hello and then they return the greeting and have continued to do so every morning. It's best to be congenial, not over the top, but congenial and have them on your side and watching your back if anyone is thinking about any funny business. I haven't had anything happen even bordering on   scary, but I'm sensible and do whatever our teachers advise. Although I wouldn't say I like it, I saw enough of it in Africa and El Salvador that I'm not too bothered the guards.
I studied hard today and I'm pretty tired. They work you hard and take it very seriously, with a strict schedule. Classes start promptly at 8. You study until 11:30, have a half hour break and then study again until 1 p.m. Then, of course you have homework. Between classes, activities planned by the school and homework, I don't really spend too much time with my family. Our activity this afternoon was a cooking lession. We prepared fried plantanes which are very popular here. Muy bueno! Tomorrow our instructors are fixing a dinner for us. On the comical side, yesterday my teacher asked me a question and I answered her by saying "I ate a man." Yep, she got a good laugh out of that one. However, the playing field evened out today when she tried to translate something into English for me and told me she ate a booger when she was trying to say she ate a hamburger. We laugh a lot. Salud! Judy

Friday.  Hi Everyone!  Oh, I'm so glad it's Friday.  I'm looking forward to getting some rest, wandering the city and not studying so hard.  It was a great day at school.  They reward you on Fridays for all your hard work by engaging in more conversation, playing games and reading you a story.  Today my teacher read me the story of Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadelupe.  Then we taked about Mayan culture and Guatemalan culture, in general, and I was amazed at how much I understood.  After classes we all prepared a huge fruit salad and ate lunch together at school.  Next week they will teach us to make tortillas, which are so excellent here.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.   Love,  Judy