Hotel Modelo Quetzaltenango

Things were going well for me in Guatemala. You know, besides the multiple robberies and all that...<br><br>There I was, laboring away happy on the farm, and then one day, I trip off a ledge and fall a mere one foot down to the ground below. Hitting the side of my foot along the way. It hurt...but I kept walking on it because I thought it was just bruised. Came back to Xela for the weekend to do some things and the pain and swelling became worse and worse everyday ...

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... a teenager!<br><br>We went to Spanish school for 5 days. 8 til 12 with a lady called Sheny who just talked and talked and 2 til 4 with Julia, who was lovely...we discussed everything in Spanish, from international politics, the royal family, the hypocrisy of religion and gay rights! It was an invaluable experience and one that we both loved. So now i can speak the basics, but it is difficult as everyone speaks English, whether traveller or local. I really think ...

... myself into anything local besides the salsa verde. I even ate some fries at Micky D's this afternoon because they smelled so good from the sidewalk. At least I am here though and Xela is like nowhere else I have ever seen. And of course Antigua is always awesome. If you end up in Guatemala for whatever reason, pass through Antigua...it's worth it!<br><br>Buying pastries here was a very disappointing experience this ...

... what we find there. The Canadian girl we are living with, worked in a hostel by the lake for a month and said it was a really good way to meet locals - so time depending that would be amaxing!<br><br>Anyway, this has been a muchos largo message, and I will definitely write more often or I have too much to say! I hope everything is whirring along nicely in England and its not starting to get too cold, missing you all, Lots of Love from Xela xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<br>

Since the power went out around 6 pm last night, and we had had an<br>exhausting day, we were in bed by 7:30 and were very ready for our<br>first day of school today! For breakfast, we had porridge mixed with<br>Cocoa Krispies and Corn Faleks (actually amazing - you should try it<br>and say it's an authentic Guatemalan dish), and chatted with Maria. She<br>is wonderful and speaks very slow and clear Spanish. You can tell she's<br>hosted gringos for 11 years ...

... traditional clothes whereas her teacher was left sat alone in the corner in her jeans and t-shirt (obviously not fitting the image she wanted to send home). <br><br>Last week there was a couple with three kids under five. I´m not the most child friendly at the best of times but I definitely didn´t appreciate all the disruption they caused to everyone´s lessons. All very commendable that they were traveling with their kids and learning Spanish but ...

... the man that yells out the door) was younger and he was being border line verbally abusive to people to try and get them in the Micro. "its raining!" "your getting wet, dumb**s" "yeah, stay in the rain, you need a shower!" ect... Anyhow, sitting there watching him, I felt something stir inside me. Something a little like love. Not for him, but for Guatemala. <br><br>Then I realized what the feeling was...I am falling in love ...

... particular hike was the end destination -- the very rim of the crater of an active volcano. This particular volcano is known to errupt every 45-60 minutes, and yet, depending on wind conditions, it is fairly safe to visit the rim of the crater during an eruption. <br><br>So at 6 am we met the guide, reloaded our packs with sleeping bags and food, and met the guide (who would be bringing the tent, stove, etc). Around 7 am we started on our hike, beginning ...

... Geraldo (the dad), Ronnie and Jason (the two sons, I think they´re 19 and 21?) and la abuelita (the grandma). However, also staying at the same house are John and I (duh), two other girls from the language school (students from Austraila) and two guys from Guatemala who, during the week, go to the university in Xela. So, it´s a full house, with any number of people coming and going, and an entertaining mixture of Spanish and English ...