¡Bienvenidos a Guatemala!

Greetings from Antigua, Guatemala! Melissa and I made it safely despite some crazy weather in Houston and my flight out of Lubbock being delayed for 3 hours. I played the "international traveler" card, and they agreed that they didn´t want to deal with me being stranded and put me on the earlier flight, which was also 3 hours late. So I ended up getting there right on time.

I also made a new friend on the flights (no surprise...Tobi is always up for a new friend), and the good news is that she is a doctor in Guatemala City. Her name is Eliet, and she works with Kendon Wheeler, the missionary to Guatemala that we worked with the last time I was here. She didn´t speak much English so I got to practice my Spanish much earlier than expected and served as a translator for her in the Houston airport. She also invited Melissa and me to come spend time with her family on Sunday and go to church with them. I´ll keep you posted on our friendship with Eliet.

The layout of the pictures above is killing me, but my technology guys Trey and Scott aren´t here to help so we´ll have to deal with it. The one on the left is Melissa and I at our homestay in Guatemala. We were going to take the picture outside, but it started pouring rain at the moment we decided to take it. (This happens in the afternoon on days that end with y. Let´s just say that I´m glad I brought the raincoat.) The house is nice. It´s more like staying in a hostel than with a family, but it´s working out well for us. We have four roommates from England, one from Iowa, one from Pennsylvania, and one from somewhere else in the states. There is never a dull moment in the house.

Melissa and I both started language school yesterday. We go from 8-12 each morning. It´s been really good...so far mostly a review of the Spanish that I already know, but it´s a welcome review. My teacher Leonardo is very engaging, and there are only four of us in my class. Today he decided that I needed a bit more of a challenge than my classmates so I have to do more homework. I think maybe I´m being punished for all the times that I made my G/T kids do something extra. Anyway, I definitely think that the class is helping, and I look forward to learning more the rest of the week.

And I finally know exactly where I´ll be using all this Spanish. I have been assigned to work at the Camino Seguro project in Guatemala City with teenagers. I will be helping with their homework (assuming I can understand it myself...I´m praying for some math), doing brain teaser type activities, something like recess, and taking them to a computer lab. I will have one set of students in the morning and a different set in the afternoon. There is a Guatemalan teacher and other volunteers who will be working with me, so hopefully I can help them and the students in the next three weeks. I start that on Monday morning. Melissa will also be working in the city so we will travel there together; she´s working with pre-school kids.

I took the other picture on the way to language school this morning. This is a typical street in Guatemala, and in the distance you can see a volcano. There are three volcanoes visible from pretty much anywhere in Antigua. They are a big help with figuring out directions. We walk about 10 blocks in the morning to catch a bus to language school. The buses here are called "Chicken Buses" (I don´t know why, but they do seem like the sort of thing that would transport people and chickens). They are school buses that are painted every color under the sun and generally hold a ridiculous number of people; it´s three to a seat and people standing in the aisles. The Latin American sense of personal space is very different than in the US. Anyway, riding the bus is another daily adventure and is an excellent source for learning about the culture.

Currently I´m sitting in an internet cafe down the street from my house which seems to be very accessible, so hopefully I´ll be able to continue to keep you guys updated. Thanks so much for the prayers and messages and comments. I´m loving being here and love feeling supported by you guys. I pray that you are all well, and hopefully I´ll type at you soon!