Last week in Xela

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Well this is our last day in Xela. Tomorrow we leave for what is called The Plunge. We are divided into grous of four and each group is assigned a different city to go to and has to find some information about that place. Once we have gotten everything we need, we will meet in Antigua on Monday. We will be on our own and responsible for finding all our own transportation and places to stay and eat during these couple days. This past week has been pretty busy but it has been fun. Last Saturday we hiked up to a small lake in the crater of a volcano that is supposedly a sacred place for the Mayas. That night we got to go to a soccer game of the local team against a team from the capital. The local team won 3-0 and it was a very fun experience. Everyone there was dancing, singing, and lighting off fireworks the whole time. One afternoon we went out to a hot springs pool where the water is heated by a volcano. Another afternoon we saw the whole process that goes into making yarn, dying the colors, and the weaving of it into blankets and other stuff. Something else most of us have done at some point with our teachers is to go to the cemetery. It is very different that the kind you would see in the US as all the graves are above ground. Many families have ¨mausuleos¨in which the whole family can be buried. These take all kinds of different shapes and sizes, some of which are very elaborate and are nearly the size of a small house. Another afternoon we got to see some type of typical Mayan ceremony. It wasn´t in the traditional setting and everything but was mostly just a presentation of all the ingredients and symbolism that goes into one of their ceremonies. A few nights ago we went to a soccer field and played against some kids from a local mission here that tries to keep kids off the streets and away from drugs. They were all very good and we were never able to beat them. We have been eating very well here both at home and at all sorts of restaurants and cafes. Our favorite place is a bakery called the Bake Shop which is owned and run by the Mennonites here. This will probably be my last blog for a few weeks since next week we will be in Honduras where we will be seperated into individual homestays in very rural areas where we will have no access to phones or internet for four weeks. This is usually the most difficult part of the trip for most people but also the part that is most memorable and impactful. I will look forward to updating this again after that.

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