i've tried to make it a habit of mine to greet almost everybody i pass on the street, in spanish. almost everyone returns my salutations with a grin and a response. i figure, if i'm going to look like an oafish gringo tourist, i might as well look like a friendly, oafish, gringo tourist.
today we went to the school corinne will be working at... the kids were awesome. full of energy and mischief. helped us paint some kiíche words on a wall.
i had a fried plaintain, stuffed with chocolate, and covered in sugar and cream. it was amazing.
hiking a volcano
setting out with 8 people loaded into a tiny, covered bed truck:
this is how far we hiked. no joke. to the top of that peak and back... well, i only made it the first two vertical kilometers... to the smaller peak...
this was the fog we encountered at the beginning of the hike:
this is what it looked like as we emerged:
relaxing!! at the halfway point:
(mi amigo nuevo scott):
el calle de la escuela (the school of the street: cori's future work place):
jose and anderson. jose is the one who wants to take a picture. he told me he was 13.
jose y yo (jose is the cool looking one):
various locations around quetzeltanango (xela) and guatemala city:
from the hostel we stayed at the first night:
from the room i slept in in guatemala city:
en route from guatemala city:
from the streets of xela:
the cafe where we watched a documentary on the buena vista social club:
the first delicious guatemala tostada:
finally, this is where i have class every morning:
love,
ben
