Mi viaje de la ciudad de Guatemala a Quetzaltenango

I had a great time on Saturday hanging out with my new friends. Guille and I went to a panaderìa to pick up organic bread for his restaurant and met Maria and her German friend Ava for lunch at a Vegetarian Restaurant called El Rey Sol. Maria, Guille, and I continued on to the central market to buy fresh fruit. Yes I get to eat fresh mango and avacados whenever I want to for way cheaper than you. Be jealous.

Later, I needed to pick up some Gallo cervezas from the store and some chocolate ice cream for Gregor because he had swollen tonsils. I went with Ricardo, my new 42 year old Guatemalan friend. He was very friendly and we enjoyed running typical errands together. Later we went to see Recuerdame (Remember Me) in the movie theater. There is no shame in seeing an American movie in a foreign country the 1st day there... stop judging. We returned and had a family dinner with everyone in the house. Mario and Linda, Ava and Fernando, Guille and Maria, Gregor, Ricardo, and myself. After dinner, Ricardo and I stayed up late talking about life and God and he was very sad to see me leave the next morning.

Sunday morning, we had a wonderful breakfast together. New friends Pedro and Brex, 2 DJs from Xela, were in town and stayed at the house that night. We were all sharing delicious breakfast together when Pedro, Gregor, and I began talking about medication, healthcare, belief systems, metaphysics, and free will. It was pretty heavy conversation for desayuno but great none the less. After breakfast, I said my goodbyes. Most sad to see Gregor go... Pedro, Brex, and I crammed in their little Fiat for the 4 hour drive to Xela.

The drive to Xela was long and windy in the mountains. Effects of La Tormenta Agatha were ridiculous. I saw a basketball court with 6 feet of dirt on it by the side of the road. There were still some slide remnants in oncoming lanes so we would be driving in the dark, with fog, with oncoming traffic weaving in and out of our lanes. Pedro and Brex weren't concerned because, apparently it's normal. I would have been more frightened but let's be honest, my driving makes me fit right in here in the developing world... Pedro and Brex have great taste in music by the way. I can't wait to catch a show sometime while I'm here.

I arrived in Xela late at night at El Infinito, the original Veggie Lounge restaurant in Xela that inspired Guille & Fernando's place. They set me up with their neighbor Couchsurfer friend Jimmy. He's an awesome mestizo man that runs a culture center where there was a reggae concert just the other week. The culture center is a hostel as well. Jimmy is also awesome because he owns a farm outside of the town where he breeds horses and dogs. I hope I can ride some horses later this month...

This morning, I awoke and walked to my school to meet my teacher, Jacquie, for the first time. It was certainly overwhelming only speaking Spanish all morning, but I'll have to get used to it I suppose. In the afternoon, I met my familia. Mama Cony, Papa Carlos, and their two daughters Cecilia (14) and Dulce (16). They complimented my Spanish and said they normally get people who are much worse at Spanish. haha.

This afternoon, I hiked montaña el Baul with friends from the school, Daniel from Australia, Ivan from Austria, and a teacher at the school named Heber. We had some great talks in our terrible Spanish. We proceeded to climb a giant Mayan tomb while police drove by... on the other side. We also played on some concrete slides. I love how dangerous but acceptable most things are in Guatemala. Now I am in an internet cafe in Xela with Heber.

Now to find my way home... I hate being so bad with directions.