Halfway There

I am already halfway through my time here: I arrived in Guatemala one month ago, and I leave Panajachel in a month. I thought I would catch you all up on what I have been doing (besides having deep thoughts about tough issues).

I have been attending class 25 hours a week, and it's extremely tiring. There really is no way to explain the difficulty of learning another language, except for the fact that you are always tired (no matter how much sleep you get) and your brain constantly hurts. Although school has been difficult, I have already learned so much. Putting it into practice is the hard part!

Between only yesterday and today, I have had tons of cultural experiences! Yesterday, I attended a high school graduation for one of the sons in my host family. Since the ceremony was in Sololá, I got to take a chicken bus up to the other town. If you are not aware of what a chicken bus is, it is a colorfully-painted school bus, always jam-packed with people. The drivers are known to be drunkards and they definitely drive faster than what most people would like, going around the curves in the mountains. However, the ride was not terrible, and I am glad I can say I did it now. The graduation was very different than an American graduation. Although I really did not understand anything, there were many traditional parts of it that I also did not understand. I was most definitely the only gringo in the room, and that is always an experience!

Afterwards, we got a taxi back to Panajachel, so unfortunately (or fortunately?) I did not get to ride on the chicken bus again. I went with the whole family to a restaurant, which was by far the best food I have had here yet. I loved going along with the family, and becoming a bit more cultured!

Today, I went on a tour around Lake Atitlan. Besides Panajachel, there are eleven other towns around the lake, in which I visited four towns just today. I went to San Marcos, San Juan, San Pedro, and Santiago Atitlan. It was interesting to see the differences between each town, even though they are so close. The water was very choppy, which led to a boat ride that felt more like an amusement park water ride. By the time we arrived in Santiago Atitlan, we were soaked and tired from screaming and laughing. On the small boat, there was people from approximately five countries. It was really fun to go on a crazy boat ride with a whole bunch of strangers from around the world, and reminded me that we all have something in common. Even if it is just finding joy from a crazy boat ride!

The beautiful Volcano San Pedro, from Santiago Atitlan

This weekend has already tired me out (my Fitbit says I walked 10 miles today!), but I am loving this great adventure! Please continue to pray for my health, both physical and mental. I would also appreciate prayers just to continue soaking in everything I am learning, as I am going to need it next summer. I love all the support, and cannot wait to come back home--minus the snow, of course! As my Iowan family and friends are freezing, I will keep getting sunburnt. Thank you for all your prayers and support, please keep it coming!