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Published: January 9th 2011
View from my bedroom window
If only the damn trees didn't block the volcano!!I have now been in Antigua for one week! I'm staying with a local family and having Spanish lessons for 12 weeks. The family are friendly but I can't really speak with them much yet as my Spanish is not good enough for conversations! They have a big house with a courtyard in the middle, and room for other students as well. I have my own room and own bathroom.
The city is really beautiful (check out the pictures), with cobbled streets and surrounded by three volcanoes. To the south of the city is the Volcán de Agua or "Volcano of Water". To the west of the city are a pair of peaks, Acatenango, last erupted in 1972, and the Volcán de Fuego or "Volcano of Fire". Fuego is almost constantly active at a low level - smoke issues from its top daily. Guatemala doesn't have four seasons but only two, a dry season and a rainy season. As it is currently the dry season it is sunny every day, though cool at night. I'm very glad to have escaped the British January!
My school is just round the corner from my house, and you have lessons with your
own teacher in booths around a courtyard. My teacher is called Jenri and he's pretty cool. The school also organises activities like salsa lessons and tours of the city which is good. My lessons start at 8.00 and finish at 12.00, but I plan to do volunteering in the afternoon. I have already been to the hospital twice with my housemate Daniela (from Italy) to see the women and children. They all have mental and/or physical disabilities. It is very sad at first as the children are left in their big cots which are essentially cages in the afternoon - volunteers are needed to take a few out and interact with them. They do come out all morning but the hospital doesn't have proper nappies, and the children don't even get a whole bottle of milk in the afternoon, they mix it with flour. A lot of them were abandoned by their parents, it's very sad. I think I will volunteer there or in another hospital my teacher is going to take me to see.
Other students in my house are Helga from Norway who isn't around a lot as she has family here, and Julian from the US
who is very nice, he is only 18 though and wants to go out every night and doesn't seem to get tired...I have been out on 3 out of 4 of the last few nights and am exhausted today! Usually there are 3 meals a day provided in the house but there are no meals on Sunday so I will be eating out later. Am trying to take every opportunity to speak some (bad) Spanish, so hopefully by next week I will be a bit better! Hasta luego!
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Hi Em, Great idea to start a blog. It's alot easier to se what you're up to than hounding for emails! You really are fortunate to have escaped the British January to somewhere considerably more beautiful. I hope that the Spanish is coming along and that you have a great experience. See you in 12 weeks.