A Day in the Life
So sorry for the delay in posting. Time flies when you´re stumbling through Spanish phrases at the rate of a small turtle, or, I should say, a tortuga pequeña. Here´s a run-down of the day-to-day here in Xela:
1. Wake up when Irma, our host mother knocks on our door at 6:30 am.
2. Debate whether or not to take a shower.
3. When taking a shower, try to find the perfect balance of water pressure and heat (if you want water pressure, you don´t get heat and vice versa).
4. Try not to get electrocuted by the black box that controls the hot water and the exposed wires that connect it to the shower head.
5. Eat good breakfast food with Irma while she tells us that ¨we will learn more Spanish today¨ and that ¨our heads are very big.¨
6. Walk out the door of our house to a magnificent view of Xela. Notice that it´s quite cold.
7. Arrive at school and drink coffee with sugar, but no milk.
8. Sit for five hours with our respective Spanish teachers and speak in unbelievably broken and actually quite good Spanish (respectively).
9. If you´re Sarah, say things like ¨I live with my brothers when I am 11, 12, 13, and 40,¨ when intending to say ¨I lived with step-brothers when I was 11 to 14 years old.¨
10. If you´re Megan, say things like ¨We need to fight with the tomatoes,¨ when intending to say ¨We need to peel the tomatoes.¨
11. Walk back home to Irma´s and eat good lunch food while Irma tells us that ¨we learned more Spanish today,¨ and that ¨our heads are very big.¨ Again.
12. Walk back to school for some kind of afternoon activity (dance classes, movies, trips to pueblos, hikes, etc…)
OR
Go to one of several FABULOUS cafes in Xela that sell ridiculously good hot chocolate. Drink said hot chocolate. Make flashcards. Knock over the chair when trying to get up. Laugh like it´s funny while everybody looks at you.
13. Walk home and eat dinner with Irma while she tells us that ¨we learned more Spanish today¨ and ¨our heads are very big.¨ Still.
14. Read and fall asleep happy, exhausted, and earlier than we have since we were nine years old.
15. Repeat.
-Sarah (with help from Megan)
Tags: Central America, Guatemala, Language School, Quetzaltenango, Spanish School, Travel, Xela
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#5 is a lie! Megan’s head is real small! I dont know about yours Sarah, I haven’t gotten a good look.
SO good to hear from you!!! Please do not electrocute yourselves. There are other ways to reduce head size, if that is really a concern. Also, if one is peeling a tomato isn’t one fighting with the tomoto? I mean, what tomato willingly gives up its skin? And isn’t peeling a tomato a struggle? Even, maybe, a fight? And who knows, sarah, maybe you will live with step brothers again when you are 40. It may take me that long to find another working relationship… of should I simply say “relationship” and skip the “working” part? This last question may be related to the peeling tomato/fighting a tomato question, though I’m not sure how. Maybe learning spanish would help. Or… maybe a good night’s sleep? One is about as likely as another at this point…
love you two bananas,
becca
Sarah’s head is quite big. But she pulls it off, the lovely creature that she is. I’m freaked out right now, actually, because there’s some movie coming out called The Nativity, and the posters show the Virgin Mary looking up at heaven all submissively, and the weird thing is, she looks JUT LIKE SARAH KAVANAGH. And much as I love Sarah Kavanagh, somehow the role of Mary, Mother of God just doesn’t strike me as quite right. Maybe I’m wrong. It must have taken endurance and good humor to ride all the way from Egypt to Bethlehem on a donkey. But still. I’m thinking more a starring role as Judith or even Ruth. Or maybe the Woman at the Well. I once played Joseph in the church Nativity Play. Says a lot, doesn’t it. Well . . . ramblings aside, it sounds like you guys are having lots of fun and good eats.
I can’t help but wonder what a day in the life of will look like on Thanksgiving for you. As I review my recipes and freshen up my pilgrim dress, I wonder what Irma will cook. If she’ll cook something special just for you because it’s your holiday. Or if anything she cooks is special enough. Maybe we should have margaritas here, in your honor. My daughter Sarah has already suggested tequila shots “out back” but that was just to get through the big family gathering. As always, good to hear from you and glad things are going so smashingly. Love you.
It is true. My head is quite big. It is also true that Megan’s head is quite small. This is one of the reasons we work well together.
As for Thanksgiving, I think we’re planning on making a feast with out friends at Zil’s house (she’s not living with a host family anymore and has her own kitchen)… We’ll have a few tequila shots “out back” for you.
We will also be sure to making something involving peeled tomatos and experiment with humane ways of peeling (or fighting with) them.
-Sarah