Holas!

I have arrived safely and happily in Guatemala.

Yesterday was the busiest and longest day in my life. I left LAX at 1am and my day didn´t stop until 11pm last night. My first fellow Central American traveller sat next to me on the plane. Since September 2006, Mark left Ireland and has been travelling around the world. He stops for work occasionally, but spends most of his extra time finding the next cheapest flight to the next location. In the last week he had been to Australia, Tahiti, LA, and now Guatemala City.

I arrived and departed Guatemala City at 8am. I´ve settled into Antigua for the next 2 weeks. I have a wonderful host family and even my own room. It´s a very modest house (tiny by a US standards, luxurious for Guatemala). I had my first language class con mi maestra Milly. Tomorrow we go on a field trip! Spanish is improving even milestones each day.

Last night I met up with my mom´s friends and Guatemalan friends (4 sisters who are weavers and their one adopted daughter and husband) for the evening. The sisters and daughter sell and make beautiful weaves, what you might typically imagine from Guatemala. Very generous people. As I was told, an inch of their specialty weaving takes a day. In one instance, I was looking at gifts that easily too one year for them to make!

Big surprises - the number of cars in the streets (much more than even 5 years), how safe it is, my ability to eat most food (no carne, of course), and the number of tourists (makes it very easy to find a friend to travel with!)

Thanks to all who have sent emails, hellos, and well wishes. I wish I had time for a more artsy-farsty update, but my host mom has lunch waiting for me at home!