Some random observations...

Here are a few random comments and observations from this first week in Xela:

- The Guatemalans we've stayed with have been very trusting of us. For example, the first night at the bed and breakfast, Gilda left her purse sitting out all night - even when she left the house for a few minutes. Also, the Muñoz family leaves us alone in their house sometimes. (Like right now!) If we had people that we didn't know well staying at our home, it would take us awhile before we would trust them the way we have already been trusted.

- The more I learn and use Spanish, the worse my spelling gets in English!

- I've dreamt in Spanish three times now! The dreams weren't solely in Spanish, but there was sufficient Spanish in them for me to count them. :)

- There are several streets that we cross every day and we honestly risk our lives whenever we cross them. The cars do not stop or slow down for people.

- It's been kind of fun and kind of annoying to have to translate everything for Dave. It's been good practice for me, but it has also made me realize how often I understand something, but not thoroughly enough to translate it.

- The role of women in Guatemala is much more traditional than what I am used to in the U.S. Mayra, our GuateMomma, obviously finds self-worth in caring for her home and selflessly serving the needs of her family. I'm not used to that in my life in U.S. and I certainly don't find self-worth in keeping a spotless home and cooking three meals a day for my family! It's been interesting for me to observe her. I don't mean to make any judgments; there are simply more traditional gender roles here.

- Similarly, you should have seen the faces of the women when Dave told them (through my translating) that during the school year he does most of the cooking and cleaning because I am studying. They were shocked! They said that men in Guatemala don't do anything around the house.

- Guatemala is definitely a high-context communication culture, which means that they don't always say what they mean. You have to interpret the context of the conversation (tone of voice, body language, etc.) to know what they really mean. For example, Pedro helped us get cell phones last week, but he was often vague with details. He would say something appeared to be definite, but his tone of voice wouldn't sound sure. I learned to ask questions to clarify what he was saying. Another example: yesterday Pedro was hanging out with Dave and I, and his Mom asked him to do something. He said, "Momentito" to us, which meant he would return quickly. He didn't ever come back. I wasn't completely surprised by this because I could tell by his body language that he was about done talking with us in the first place. :)

- ICA has a wide range of nationalities present at the school again this year. We met students from the U.S., France, the Netherlands, and Australia!

- One observation Dave has made is the need to be patient here. Things don't go according to schedule like we are used to in the U.S. You need to be patient and take your time, except when crossing the street!

I posted three times today, so don't miss the posts below. Also, be sure to check back tomorrow afternoon for our post and photos from Lake Atitlan this past Saturday. It was amazing!

P.S. Mona - yes, the cake here is similar to the cake we eat in the U.S. They have different flavors, though, like pineapple and cinnamon. And San Simón was a real person at one time, but is now just the statue in his memory.