I am pretty well settled in Antigua now. Classes here are one-on-one, so I spend four hours every morning talking and listening to my teacher. It is a bit different than the small classes I was in before and I'm not sure if I like it. We'll see how fast I improve. I wasn't too impressed with my teacher last week so I got a new one this week. Be careful what you wish for … wishes come true. This one is pushing me. I spend another two or three hours a day studying vocabulary and doing homework.
It turns out it was a little cooler than usual my first week here. It is still sweater weather in the mornings and evenings, but it has been in the upper 70's during the day and the clouds finally went away. My table is in the atrium in school and the sun hits it right after the break, so for the second two hours, I take off my sweater and unzip the bottoms off my pants. I come back to the house for lunch, which I rarely eat (potatoes, vegetables, and fish) and then sit in the courtyard in front of my room for about an hour studying and reading in the sun. When I lose the sun, I go out for a walk for an hour or so, eat something I like, and come back to work or study for an hour before dinner which I don't eat either. Tonight was spaghetti, zucchini soufflé, and frijoles. But I like all the people in the house, so I sit and talk - Spanish only allowed at the table.
Barry from Oklahoma is the only other person in the house who goes to my school, so we walk there together every morning and wait for each other after class to walk home. It's very cute. He has a girlfriend at home (remember we are all about the same age) and one morning he told me a story about her leaving her purse in a restaurant and the next day it got returned to her with everything in it, even the cash. But he said the cash wasn't so important; it would be hard to replace the credit cards and documents, like her license to carry. (It took me a minute to get that, too). We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Or maybe we are.
Last weekend Carol (from Michigan) and I went to the beach resort of Monterrico. I made the reservation online early in the week at a nice hotel, and then went out on Tuesday to get us a van reservation. I had seen schedules that showed a shuttle every morning at 8 and on Fridays at 1. We wanted to go at 1 so we wouldn't have to miss class, but every agency I went to said there wasn't a shuttle at 1, despite the brochure. After my third or fourth agency, I realized that they were all telling me the same thing: there is one shuttle company, and all of the agencies were calling into that company and getting the same answer. But a couple of the agents told me to come back on Thursday because if there was enough demand, they would have a shuttle. So I proceeded to go to every travel agency in Antigua and asked for a shuttle on Friday afternoon so they would think that lots of people wanted to go. Sure enough, when I went back on Wednesday, they said there would be a van. Then on Friday it turned out that it was PACKED. Not an empty seat. I think they all owed me a commission. Meanwhile, on Thursday, I got a long e-mail in Spanish from the manager of the hotel. Turns out that although I requested a reservation Jan 25 to 27 and they had confirmed my reservation, they had written June 25 to 27 on their books. That is not as simple a mistake as it seems. In English Jan and Jun are similar, but in Spanish Enero and Junio - not so much. They had Friday night available for us but not Saturday night. To make up for their mistake, they offered to book us into another hotel on Saturday, transport us to the other hotel, give us the use of their facilities both days, and throw in an "especial" dinner. Not a bad deal. We loved the first hotel. Individual cabins, very secluded, beautiful pool. The second hotel was just okay but it was not so secluded - other hotels and locals around, so people actually went into the ocean there, which we did on Sunday. Beautiful black sand beach, nice waves. It was a great weekend. Two days in the sun reading (in English). My idea of a perfect weekend.
The good news for me is that Guatemala is a DP country. The good news for the stores that I frequent is that their revenues are going way up. There is a little store (tienda) on the corner near my school where I buy a DP every break. By today, after less than two weeks, they were all out. I think I drank all the stock they have carried for the last year. So I walked a block to the Merced Church and bought at the aptly named store across the street, Tienda La Fe. I have great faith that I will find DP and don't have to resort to DC. I don't even go into Tienda La Esperanza. Tonight one of my neighborhood tiendas was all out. I hope Pepsi appreciates what I am doing for them here.
I took pictures of my house and school and will get them on Facebook in the next day or two.
I'm going to Tikal this weekend. The shuttle is picking me up at 4 AM on Saturday, and I signed up for a sunrise walk on Sunday that leaves at 3 AM. Tikal may be spectacular but this won't be my idea of a perfect weekend, at least sleep wise.
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