More Random Events and Thoughts

-It’s much more fun playing the license plate game here:   1. You can find license plates from countries other than Canada.  2. Even finding license plates from the States is exciting.   Yesterday Leah and I were walking, and all of a sudden I go, “We have to cross the street, now!”  I quickly cross the street, and Leah follows a little bit after me with a strange expression on her face, and I told her, “I really only wanted to see that license plate on that truck.  I hadn’t seen it before, and I couldn’t tell where it was from.” 

-There are foods here that I like that I don’t like in the states:  guacamole, cantaloupe, and watermelon.  Even eggs are growing on me.  Yesterday I had an egg and cheese omelet and watermelon for breakfast and actually kind of liked it.  That would have NEVER happened a few weeks ago.

-There are foods that I miss from the states:  hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, real homemade jelly, cold milk, and good cheese (Colby jack, marble jack, and shredded cheese).

-Houses like the ones here in Guatemala with parts without roofs on them that lead outside are awesome…until your neighbor gets a puppy and it cries ALL night long!

-This week we saw all the students of a local school parade through the town.  They all had their little uniforms on and had pom-poms and there were drums and each class had their own chant.  It was SO cute!  

-There is definitely not a “no PDA” rule here.  People, mainly high schoolers and couples around my age, will eat each other’s faces anywhere, anytime.  You would think that couples would try to find a quieter, more secluded place to make out, but no.  Every time Leah and I walk past central park there will be a couple (the only people hanging out on the entire street) just standing next to the building not caring who walks by.  You would think they would be afraid their parents will walk by, evidently not.

-People here have to find their own blood donors before they can have a surgery.  My language teacher needs to have surgery on her feet, but she doesn’t have the donors now so she can’t have the surgery now.  She will go back to the doctor at the end of April, and if she has the donors she will be able to have the surgery.  Otherwise, she’ll have to keep waiting.  Leah was talking with her language teacher about this and sometimes people have to wait in the hospital for up to six months to have an operation because they can’t find blood donors.

One of the paintings we saw in Colmalapa.

-Field trips here are structured very different than in the US.  The 6 students that are taking the same class as me and all our teachers went to Colmalapas, the city where a specific type of Mayan art we have been studying was founded.  We left without knowing what we were going to do once we got there or anyone, including the driver of our van, knowing how to get there.  We stopped three times on the way to ask people what road to take to get there.  –We eventually made it there, and after looking for a while, we did find a small museum and house of a famous artist and talked with his daughter-in-law for a while.  We also saw some absolutely beautiful paintings.  I have never seen more colorful paintings! 

-I was very pleased that I found the largest spider I have ever seen in the bathroom last night, and not in my bed!  After going to get Leah to share my wonderful find, I killed it with my shoe and continued getting ready for bed.