So its been a while since I´ve been on. I don´t like taking the time to write on the weekends!
Friday was the last day before several people left so we went out to la taqueria and I had really good quesadillas! So much better than in the states!
Saturday was fun because I met up with Heather who is a friend of mine. We met in the morning at Paque Central for breakfast... although it turned into more of a Brunch. It was awesome! We split an order of chocolate pancakes... I mean chocolate pancakes, not chololate chip! and a really good omlete and then I have discovered that they also have like the best Frappacinos ever! So we hung around there and then we walked around town exploring the shops and going to some fair trade shops and looking at hotels for when she comes back next later this week. So it was nice to have time to finally explore Xela! I´m starting to get a hang of the Parque Central area!
Saturday night we went with Julio (who owns our school) and part of his family and a few students to the Super Chivos (from Xela) futbol game. So apparently fireworks during all parts of the game are appropriate! There was one going off right infront of us! There was also a section that sang for the enter 90 mintues! I also got to know another girl who is half way through her study here who is also going to Mexico this next year... same place as Juan... with the ELCA YAGM program so that was cool to meet her. Now that there other students have left there are only 3 of us studying in the afternood so we need to get to know each other!
Sunday was a our fun adventure away from Xela. Heather and I met Lesbia at the school. And then she took us on a chicken bus to her families house near Momostenango. There her dad showed us how he makes the wool blankets and we were actually able to spin a little of the thread ourselves. That was very exciting to see all the different processes.
It was also very intersting to see a more rural house. There is def. a difference but I really enjoyed seeing it. The kitchen was very traditional and I think my teacher told me its called a Pollo... not really sure. But its like stone table and then the fire is there and everything. She made the tortillas right infront of us and we ate tortillas queso y salsa and te. It was really good!
Then we ventured on a minibus to Momos. It was interesting to find a hotel. But in the process of finding one we I think we kind of pissed of one of the ladies because she thought we hadn´t taken her hotel at first because it wasn´t clean. Which wasn´t it, we were trying to look for a certain hotel that Heather had in her travel book. Well after 3 hotels one very expensive, one that we were able to break into our own door we returned to the lady that was upset with us and took a room there. Because I speak better spanish I took over and talked with the lady and we are now on good terms! So for $4 we stayed in Momos!
We went to the Market and walked around. It was much different than Xela. We never saw any other tourists that day which is much different than Xela because people don´t even really blink an eye when they see us because they know there are several of us around studying spanish. We also walked up and found los Riscos... which are these random sandstone formations on the outskirts. It was very interesting because in a note my sister had sent me for that day she had reminded me of our trip to the bandlands this summer and about how they just appeared out of nowhere and were completely surrounded by green grass. She told me to find an adventure like that right under my feet... and Los Riscos are like the mini version of the Bandlands!
Then Monday we got up and say the parade that was happening that day. Several high school bands were coming there town. This week was also the fair for them. This is their big week out of the year. Then we waited for the chicken bus to arrive... they are supposed to come every half hour or so... well 45 mintues later and it still hadn´t come! We knew they were supposed to be on the street because we had seen them there earlier and had actually heard them arriving in the morning as early as 3:30AM! But they weren´t to be found! So I finally asked in the store and after about asking 3 people along our route we found the buses on the other end of town!... not sure why they moved location half way through the day! So we got on right away and headed out for Xela!
The chicken buses are interesting. You hop on and people get on and off and various points throughout your trip. You tend to sit three to a seat. There is a driver and then a guy who hangs out the door or on the back and gets people on and then during the route collects money. Some chicken buses are said to be old US school buses that have been handed down... but the Momos Xela buses are not! They are def. souped up buses that aren´t old school buses! But they are always really colorful! There are times when driving in the hills you wonder if you should be scared for you life and then you just decide it isn´t worth it!
So Heather got of half way back to Xela and continued her journey to HueHue. I stayed on till Xela and was really proud of myself for being able to orient my way through the crazy market that stands between the bus station and the main road. Then I caught a minibus... which is an experience in itself, back to my house. Well it turns out I would have been better off walking but anyway... I got on this crambed minibus... people cant even sit most of the time and it went to I have no idea where in the city. For about 5 mintues I thought I was just going to have to take it back to the bus terminal... but I finally talked with a lady who told me that it doesn´t really go where I want but in does circle back around close.
So she helped me talk with the guy and boy (yea like 12 year old boy hanging out the bus yelling the destination of the bus!) hanging out the door who collect money and help people get in and out and I was dropped off pretty much right were I needed to be! The guy took my bag dropped in the street, helped me out and off they went! I got home at 130... in time to eat and head right off to class!
Then at night we had a fun time sitting at the table with the family. Patricia, Luis and I played Loteria with Julito... which is a bingo type game but great for practicing our spanish words because its all with pictures and stuff. Felipe our host dad also continued to harrass Luis when he got back from hanging out with his Guatemala girl friend... its two words... not girlfriend!
Now I am sitting in the internet cafe after going to the Mennonite Bakery with Patricia this morning. We also dropped off my laundry and I made a copy of my pictures at the photo place.... I´m worried that something will happen and I will lose all my pictures... not so worried about the camera but about the pictures and memories!
Then we studied at El cuartito which is that place with the great frappicinos!
Alright that is my news for now! Sorry it was really long! Off to pick up my laundry, eat and go to class! Hasta Luego!
Then we ventured on a minibus to Momos. It was interesting to find a hotel. But in the process of finding one we I think we kind of pissed of one of the ladies because she thought we hadn´t taken her hotel at first because it wasn´t clean. Which wasn´t it, we were trying to look for a certain hotel that Heather had in her travel book. Well after 3 hotels one very expensive, one that we were able to break into our own door we returned to the lady that was upset with us and took a room there. Because I speak better spanish I took over and talked with the lady and we are now on good terms! So for $4 we stayed in Momos!
We went to the Market and walked around. It was much different than Xela. We never saw any other tourists that day which is much different than Xela because people don´t even really blink an eye when they see us because they know there are several of us around studying spanish. We also walked up and found los Riscos... which are these random sandstone formations on the outskirts. It was very interesting because in a note my sister had sent me for that day she had reminded me of our trip to the bandlands this summer and about how they just appeared out of nowhere and were completely surrounded by green grass. She told me to find an adventure like that right under my feet... and Los Riscos are like the mini version of the Bandlands!
Then Monday we got up and say the parade that was happening that day. Several high school bands were coming there town. This week was also the fair for them. This is their big week out of the year. Then we waited for the chicken bus to arrive... they are supposed to come every half hour or so... well 45 mintues later and it still hadn´t come! We knew they were supposed to be on the street because we had seen them there earlier and had actually heard them arriving in the morning as early as 3:30AM! But they weren´t to be found! So I finally asked in the store and after about asking 3 people along our route we found the buses on the other end of town!... not sure why they moved location half way through the day! So we got on right away and headed out for Xela!
The chicken buses are interesting. You hop on and people get on and off and various points throughout your trip. You tend to sit three to a seat. There is a driver and then a guy who hangs out the door or on the back and gets people on and then during the route collects money. Some chicken buses are said to be old US school buses that have been handed down... but the Momos Xela buses are not! They are def. souped up buses that aren´t old school buses! But they are always really colorful! There are times when driving in the hills you wonder if you should be scared for you life and then you just decide it isn´t worth it!
So Heather got of half way back to Xela and continued her journey to HueHue. I stayed on till Xela and was really proud of myself for being able to orient my way through the crazy market that stands between the bus station and the main road. Then I caught a minibus... which is an experience in itself, back to my house. Well it turns out I would have been better off walking but anyway... I got on this crambed minibus... people cant even sit most of the time and it went to I have no idea where in the city. For about 5 mintues I thought I was just going to have to take it back to the bus terminal... but I finally talked with a lady who told me that it doesn´t really go where I want but in does circle back around close.
So she helped me talk with the guy and boy (yea like 12 year old boy hanging out the bus yelling the destination of the bus!) hanging out the door who collect money and help people get in and out and I was dropped off pretty much right were I needed to be! The guy took my bag dropped in the street, helped me out and off they went! I got home at 130... in time to eat and head right off to class!
Then at night we had a fun time sitting at the table with the family. Patricia, Luis and I played Loteria with Julito... which is a bingo type game but great for practicing our spanish words because its all with pictures and stuff. Felipe our host dad also continued to harrass Luis when he got back from hanging out with his Guatemala girl friend... its two words... not girlfriend!
Now I am sitting in the internet cafe after going to the Mennonite Bakery with Patricia this morning. We also dropped off my laundry and I made a copy of my pictures at the photo place.... I´m worried that something will happen and I will lose all my pictures... not so worried about the camera but about the pictures and memories!
Then we studied at El cuartito which is that place with the great frappicinos!
Alright that is my news for now! Sorry it was really long! Off to pick up my laundry, eat and go to class! Hasta Luego!
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