Move-in Day Tomorrow!

On Facebook I've seen many of my friends with the status "Moving In!" or "Move-in Day!" Well, I'm not in a traditional university, but I guess you could call tomorrow my move-in day. Tomorrow we move in with our host families. I'll only be with a family until my Spanish study is done (the third week of September or so), but I'm very excited to stay with them! I have no idea what my family will be like. Tomorrow morning we will go to the language school and our families will come pick us up. I'm hoping my family is willing to answer my questions and help me improve my Spanish! I also hope they talk slowly. :)

Yesterday we visited the language school where we will be studying this month. It's a really sweet place. The building has a library, courtyard area, small kitchen, internet cafe, and many other table spaces. Each day we will spend about 4 and a half hours one-on-one with a professor. I'm taking a Latin American literature course. Every day the school also hosts other activities, such as movies and seminars. I really loved the space, and the people there seem very kind. I hope to spend a lot of time there. (I loved the library...however there was a "SILENCIO" sign...I guess I cannot be as loud as I usually am in the Augie library! Maybe I won't get "shh"-ed, but just dirty looks.)

I don't know if I've shared much about the history of Guatemala. The past few days I have learned so much about this country, its people, and what has happened in just the last 60 years. We watched an amazing and moving documentary yesterday called "Voz de la Montana" or "Voice of a Mountain." It really taught me not only a lot about the circumstances surrounding the civil war, but also what life was like for a Guatemalan village before, during, after the rebellion. I highly encourage you to check it out. You can watch the documentary on the website (www.voiceofamoutain.com) but it hasn't been working for me, but you can also find the documentary on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxDvmG1k9T8). I'm learning that everything in Guatemalan needs to be examined within the context of its history (like everywhere else).  I am blown away by the fact that the violence--the genocide--occurred on these very streets just a few decades ago.

We've had more free time to explore Xela these past few days. It is such a great city. We did a socio-economic survey yesterday, where we were given the amount of money that a Guatemalan on minimum wage would earn in a day (50 quetzales...about $7 in the US). We divided ourselves into four groups, each taking a different aspect of what a Guatemalan would have to purchase--food, clothing, health care, and school supplies. I was with the school supply group (of course!). We visited a few librerias (Guatemalan style Office Max or Staples) and talked with the employees. We bought just the essential school supplies--a notebook, pen, pencil, eraser, and pencil sharpener. They only cost about 19Q, but the price of public school is 300Q a month and a school uniform costs at least 145Q.  Just the price for tuition would cost one-fifth of your monthly income. And school seemed reasonably cheap compared to health care. (Simple cold meds were reasonably priced, but I paid 371Q for my ear medications, and my doctor call cost 40Q...so depending on your illness, it can get pretty pricey.) I think my favorite part of the survey was talking with the employees. They were very helpful and seemed to enjoy my enthusiasm for office supplies. :) Also, when we were asking the prices of some backpacks, we asked about school uniforms and ended up talking with a young man who was either a current student or former student. It was cool to get the perspective of an actual student. It was also interesting that even after the shopkeepers realized we weren't going to buy anything (backpacks cost 40-60Q...too much for our budget), they were still very helpful and willing to answer our questions. They were very kind people. It was fun.

The food here has been SO good. We've been having breakfast at the hotel every morning, and it's been great mixtures of eggs, beans, fried plantains, and oatmeal. I also tried Indian food for the first time Thursday night! It was very tasty...a tad too spicy for me, but I enjoyed it and our group had a blast. Last night we tried Mediterranean food. That was good, too. Soon we are off to eat some lunch--Italian food today! :)

I'd appreciate some prayers as we begin our family stays. I'm kinda nervous about the language differences, but also excited to practice my Spanish. Also pray for us as we begin classes on Monday!

I gotta run! Thanks so much for reading! I will do my best to get some pictures up soon. Y a los estudiantes que estan empezando las clases--BUENA SUERTE! :)