Today is the start of week two with my host family here in Guatemala. Every day we have Spanish class from 8:30 until 12:30, then lunch followed by afternoon activities, which are different every day.
I am relieved to finally be getting into a routine, life seems easier when the events of each day are slightly predictable.
So- where can I start? We flew into Guatemala city last Tuesday and spent the night at CASAS. Wednesday morning was greeted bright and early by the sounds of children screaming, dogs barking, and bus/car horns honking. What a noisy city this is. Wednesday we had a Spanish diagnostic exam followed by classes until lunch. My maestra is a woman, my guess is that she is in her mid 50´s, named Edna. She is small and seemed stern at first, but turns out to be a hilarious, feisty woman. She is always making jokes, and laughing at silly mistakes made in class.
Thursday we continued our spanish classes, and in the afternoon we were pìcked up by host families. Everyone else´s name was called, and they hugged and kissed their family members before leaving Semilla to their new homes. Everyone except for me. As I stood awkwardly to the side of these greetings, I was informed that... no, my family hadn´t forgotten me, they were only running late - which is understandable seeing that my father is a pediatric doctor, and my mom stays at home with their 2 babies, a 20 month old and a 3 month old - both girls.
My mom finally showed up, about an hour late, and I gratefully followed behind her as we went to my new home.
Living with a host family is a valuable experience - though at times I struggle with loneliness. Each day I struggle to think bilingualy - and let me tell you, it is exhausting. By the time I have formulated an answer to the question... the conversation has changed twice... and I no longer have any idea what we are talking about.
I sleep well each night because my brain is so tired of running in circles - so in that way it is a blessing.
Last weekend our group visited the Palacio Nacional, which was built to house the president, but now is only used for official business, a cathedral, and the central market. Seeing the grandeur of the Palacio directly next to the market and beggars made it so obvious to me the economic discrepancies in this country, which we continue to learn about in our history/cultural studies.
Yesterday, then, we visited the public cemetary and the dump. The cemetary is huge, with mosoleums the size of houses, each ornately decorated and left with flowers. There were also stretches of walls, at least 20 feet tall stretching for what seemed like miles. The wall was filled with ¨niches¨, where people could rent a place to keep their relative´s body for up to 14 years. After 14 years, though, they had to move the remains and make space for others.
The dump was, to say the least, a sobering experience. It was massive, we were on a ledge far far above it, and still the smell was putrid. Inside the dump people scrambled, looking through bags for recyclable material, metal, food, anything they could sell or use in their lives. And they have to pay to do so. Here in Guate we don´t flush toilet paper... it all goes into the trash - and these people were PAYING to dig through it, in hopes of finding something of value. The thought is overwhelmingly sad.... but apparently it works out well for them - because so many people were there.
Well... I have hogged the internet for long enough, and afternoon classes are going to start soon.
I would welcome any emails or comments, its always great to hear from home.
-jenn