A Day in Antigua

We spent the day today in Antigua touring different places and visiting the market there.  To be honest, it was all a bit overwhelming; I was just starting to get used to Magdalena.  However, I'm excited to move there.  It's beautiful!

The view from the school in El Gorrion.

We took the public bus to Antigua, and when we got there we toured an old convent.  The architecture was pretty amazing and very interesting.  After that we toured a coffee plantation which was also interesting.  At the end we sampled the coffee.  I tried it black first.  Gross.  Then I added tons of cream and sugar.  Better, but still not great.  Both of the tours were in English, so I felt very much like the tourists we are.  After the second tour, we ate at Pollo Campero, a fast food chain here.  It was very American, and I really liked the food.  Then we went to the SI office in Antigua and then to the market.  I was pretty much overwhelmed at the market and was really glad we were with Becky.  (Becky is the Bethel staff that stays with us here, and she's awesome!)  However, I'm excited to be able to go back and buy some things.

It was a really fun day, and I was glad that I was able to experience Antigua before moving there tomorrow.  It's a beautiful town with a lot of tourists.  Right now, all the streets look the same, and I was really overwhelmed.  I'm hoping it won't take me long to feel more comfortable there.

I can't believe that it's been a week since I've come here!  In a way the first week went fast, but it also seemed to go on forever.  Here are a few highlights from the week:

1.  The hike to the ecological park.   Although it was a challenge, it was well  worth it.

Me with some kids at the school in El Gorrion.

2.  My host family here.  We ate dinner with them on Thursday night, and we all ended up laughing uncontrolably for a good 10 minutes!  My stomach hurt so bad, and I can't remember the last time I've laughed that hard.

3.  Working at the school in El Gorrion, and getting to play with the kids.  The kids had SO much energy all the time, and it was so fun to love on them for a week.

Tomorrow we are moving to Antigua, and we start language school on Monday.  I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back to school full time, but I guess I don't really have much of a choice!