It has been a few weeks since my last entry (and I am receiving fewer and fewer e-mails), so I decided today is the day to catch up on blogging. The most exciting thing that I´m doing these days is taking salsa lessons. I´ve been taking them three times a week for a few weeks now, and I´m beginning to notice that I no longer dance like a robot. I think the classes are working!! I´m in a beginner class with a few other volunteers and some Peruvians. The classes are entirely in Spanish as the teacher doesn´t speak any English, so I´m learning lots of prepositions and the names of the dance steps in Spanish. Other than that, I don´t understand anything. I´m noticing that I can only do one thing at a time--Spanish or ... read more

Hello everyone! Yes, it is another update--ALREADY! I know, pretty amazing. Unfortunately I haven't taken a single picture yet, so you'll have to imagine that part. Poco a poco (little by little). Volunteering at the orphanage is amazing. I am usually with the babies under 6 months, but also occasionally work with the older babies who are between a year and a year and a half, or do housework like laundry, cleaning, and ironing. There are also about 10 or 15 kids who are 2 to 12 years old, but the foreign volunteers don't work with them. They are very cute because they are trained to greet all of the "tias" and "tios" with a kiss on the cheek. All of the foreign volunteers are called aunt and uncle. All except for me are from England, ... read more

A friend e-mailed to let me know that she wasn't automatically receiving my blog updates and would have to start checking manually. Nancy, I don't know if that was a subtle hint, but suffice it to say there wasn't a technical problem... Antigua Antigua is a beautiful and historical city in Guatemala. The streets are cobbled and the sidewalks run along the walls of the homes and businesses. It is amazing to see what lies beyond the walls in the city. Historically, a house would have been an entire square block, but these have since been divided into numerous homes and businesses. There is a central park in Antigua which is always busy, particularly on Sundays when all of the families are out. Many businesses and restaurants are near the square, although you can find a ... read more

I'm in Costa Rica I made it to Costa Rica! I'm at a hostel now and will fly out tomorrow for Guatemala. My trip so far has been really good, despite some pre-trip jitters on my way out of Calgary. :$ Thank you Dad for running to fetch water for me and calming me down. I flew to Toronto and got to spend two days with my Aunty Marg and Uncle Alex. They were kind enough to let me leave some things behind when I realized how HEAVY my bag was! They also planned a dinner and invited two of my dad's brothers and their wives. It was awesome to see everyone and to look for similarities between my dad and his siblings. I flew out of Toronto early this morning and arrived in Costa Rica ... read more