crazy week!

wow, so much to learn! and the days keep flying by, even though we finish our daily classes at 1pm.

every day there is some sort of activity to participate in, if i so choose. it seems like a wonderful opportunity to turn down … any cultural experiences, that if pursued on my own and without translation, would seem impossible, at this stage. for example, yesterday a small group went to a village 30 minutes from Xela to visit a chapel that honours a Mayan God / Folk Saint (Rey Pascuel), in the form of a 1 foot “Skeleton” draped in royal-cloth and laden jewels. and today, at the school, we had a guest speak come in and hold a seminar on medicinal plants. it was really quite informative and rather interesting, especially having someone direct translating from Spanish to English! I discovered today that Guatemala is in 3rd standing as a bio-diverse country, with Australia being first, and Cuba 2nd.

(bi·o·di·ver·si·ty n.
The number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.
The variability among living organisms on the earth, including the variability within and between species and within and between ecosystems.

i’m overwhelmed, completely and utterly, by the amount of memorization that i must complete each day if i’m to give the Spanish language a proper go. yesterday i discovered that you could buy blank flash cards!! and oh, what an incredible difference that makes. i’m ecstatically happy about that!

don’t have much time to spare and update my journal each day as i hoped. am hoping to spend this Sunday writing and keeping you informed. just wanted to drop by quickly and tell you that i am feeling fine and doing fairly well! a bit tired and homesick for my dear ones, but otherwise greeting each day anew with a breath of yoga and a new attempt at growing and learning.

Peace and love ….