Sunday is the day for half marathons run on cobble stoned streets in the shadow of Antigua's volcanoes. Lucky for me that I happened to leave a little early to find my pick up point as I had to literally cross the finish line to get to my street pickup. Lots of runners warming up and the sponsors booths lined up around the Park Central, reminded me of our Chicago races--but I don't think it would be so fun to run on cobblestones. Met a nice guy strolling around snapping pictures while I sat on my pack waiting for the shuttle. He was the 4th missions group in Guatemala I've met (2 on the plane, 1 on pacaya) seems like all the Americans here are on some sort of missions trip. The shuttle did eventually show up, then we drove around Antigua picking up other passengers for an hour before finally leaving for Guatemala city. We changed to a large Pullman bus for the next 4 hours to Quetenzelanago (other wise known as Xela--pronounced Shay-la). Met a couple of other travelers to language school in Xela, a Canadian couple (Raquel and Barnes) and Johann, a first year med student from Denmark, who I initially thought was their son. We were all headed to different language schools but in the general area so when the bus dropped us off in the middle of this crazy bus terminal/street market we all shared a cab into the city center.
Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala, after the capital Guatemala City. It has a completely different feel than Antigua. The roads are still a mix of cobblestones and pavement with a lot more traffic. The buildings are larger and there is more industry and commerce. At the Park Central Americana, I said goodbye to my fellow travelers wondering if I would ever run into them again. My school was only 3 blocks from the center and fortunately the office was still open. Even better, my host family was just steps outside the front door. I really amblessed in this aspect. My host mom Claudia and her adult daughter Maria Fernanda, share a rather spacious (for Guatemala) 3 bedroom 1 bath condo. My room is very comfortable with 2 beds and only one student this week. The bathroom has a shower and hot water, once you light the pilot light. This will be my home for the next week. They also have a chihuahua named Bon Bon, definitely not as pretty as Weibel. Thankfully, he stays hidden from me most of the time.
It was raining in the evening when I ventured out to see the city and find a resturant for dinner. I ended up having dinner with this interesting Cali girl who over the course of dinner conversation mentioned she had developed scabbies from the apartment she was renting. I told her she should really see someone about that or go to the pharmacy. We had an interesting conversation, to say the least. Then I wandered around the city by myself catching a fireworks display--it was a Saint's day celebration--not sure which one. But I did see the parade into the cathedral. Sought shelter from the rain and had a great cappucino in Cafe Antigua before heading back to my host family. So quiet on the streets after 8pm. Just like Antigua everyone seems to be at home by 8pm and then to bed very early. Start language school tomorrow am excited about meeting my teacher and fellow classmates!
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