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  Malacatancito, Guatemala
Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Leaving Panajachel for our next destination on a Sunday was one of the best unintentional decisions we made on this trip. The buses were practically empty (meaning only two people to seat the whole way!) and there were no construction delays where we had previously sat for three hours on the highway. Alleya, a best bud from college, was surprised when we showed up so early in her little town, Malacatancito, where she is stationed for another year and a half as a Peace Corp volunteer. We settled in to her cute abode, met her adorable and spunky cat Wix, and the host family that she rents her one room house from. We caught the tag end of a local soccer match as we caught up with each otherīs lives, and got the official tour of town (what little we hadnīt seen while walking to her house from the highway). She cooked us a delcious dinner and we hung out with her new sitemate that evening. The next day, we had a leisurely relaxing morning, then hiked up through a pine forest to one of the schools she facilitates a health program at

01 Alleya at one of her schools

. We took in the beautiful views while we contemplated mysterious aspects of Guatemalan culture and played on the playground. On the way back down, we visited a family Alleya knows, and got a taste of rural life and just how basic it is. Alleya asked if the oldest girl in the family was going to continue with school now that she was approaching 6th grade. The parents responded that while she really wants to, they donīt know if they have the money to pay the costs of a uniform and supplies. Most children do not go to school beyond the 6th grade here in Guatemala. Once back in town, we would walk about ten feet before Alleya would run into someone she knew and we would be introduced and conversation would ensue. An all-important aspect of community in Guatemala is greetings and small talk in passing and is probably the most effective way Alleya can make connections with people. She admitted that the more people she gets to know, the longer it takes her to run errands and get home afterward. We chilled at her house that afternoon, reading and writing in journals, the Alleya prepared a favorite dinner of ours, chicken pesto pasta! We had a great system set up where she cooked and we did dishes. The next morning, we experienced the Ļbucket bathĻ. Alleya heated up a big pot of water on the stove and we scooped and dumped a smaller bowl over our heads in a corner of her bathroom until we felt pretty darn clean. Alleya supplied us with our Halloween costumes, which we packed along with all of our warm clothes, to head up to Todos Santos where festivities in various forms over the next few days were to begin. It was very cool to see Alleya in her element, the full picture of her life down here, and also to get off the tourist track and fully relax for a couple of days.

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02 Playing around

03 Best friends

04 Chillin with Wix at Alleyas house

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