Holy cow! I can't believe it's already the third day of 2013! New years here is a really big deal...everyone has a party! I went with a few people from the Spanish school to get some dinner (I ordered the super nachos....they definitely should NOT be in the appetizer section of the menu!) and then we went to hang out on the rooftop terrace at a couple's apartment building. It was amazing!! You can see the whole city from up there and so when all the fireworks started to go off you could look in every direction and see them. And a bunch of people had paper lanterns and let them float up into the air and my friend Fraser and I both really wanted one but only one actually landed on the roof that we were on, so we were going to fight to the death for it but then this other lady that we'd just met swooped in and took it. Lame sauce! But really, what would we have done with it later? But it was really a great view up there! And then afterwards the people I was with wanted to go dancing at a club so we went to this super loud discoteca with hardly anyone inside (but we didn't know that until after we paid the cover) and I only stayed for about an hour and a half because I was getting super tired...but my ears were still ringing for at least 45 minutes after I left.
Then there was a really cool processional through the street on New years night and I guess it's a Mayan tradition to have this every year. There were so many people involved and a bunch of people in costumes dancing through the street and they were carrying a big display thing with really pretty statues on it. It was super cool! And, of course, there were a ton of fireworks. I'm pretty sure there are always fireworks going off here...or maybe it's just because I've only been here around Christmas and New years. I don't know...all I know is that I can almost always here some fireworks going off somewhere.
Today was cooking class at my school and we made chilis rellenos. So yummy!! I think I have an unfair advantage because I live with the teacher, so I got to see pretty much the whole process...but it takes quite a while to make them so Lili just brought the filling (pre-made) and the peppers (pre-cooked) and then we just had to fill them, batter them, and fry them. And, of course, eat them!! I think that cooking class is my favorite because we get to eat afterwards. :) Two weeks ago we made empanadas with a chicken filling, but I think I like the chilis rellenos better because they felt so light! The batter is egg whites, so maybe that's why they seem so much lighter than bready empanadas. But either way, I love learning to make these things and getting to eat them afterwards!
My brain is so full of verbs and verb tenses that I think I might explode! Sometimes I think that my teacher is crazy because she expects me to remember every verb that she's ever taught me, even if it was just in passing, and every tense conjugation of every verb that she's ever taught me, especially the irregular verbs. Funny thing though, all the irregular verbs have irregular conjugations...yet somehow I'm supposed to remember them all. Also, I think she thinks she knows my life/what I like/what I should do with my life better than I do. But it's not a big deal! She's teaching me a ton and I'm learning a ton and I still can't really believe that I'm actually here in Guatemala learning Spanish and living with a family that I just met. It's pretty incredible! I have one week and one day left of Spanish classes and then I'm out in the real world. Hopefully I can set up some sort of job teaching English before then, but at least, as of today, I've found a place to live after I'm done studying!
I still haven't gone rock climbing. Apparently the gym here takes holiday during Christmas and New years, so I'm planning to try again on Saturday. Hopefully I can make some climbing friends who will take me to la muela (the molar...it's an outdoor climbing place here) so I don't have to pay Q300 every time I want to go with Quetzaltrekkers (a tour company that takes a trip to la muela to climb).
In other news, I just met a new student today who's starting classes tomorrow who is only 19...so I'm no longer the youngest student at Utatlan!!! My teacher is always telling me I'm the school baby........pretty much the story of my life! But yeah, my fellow students are awesome and I love hanging out with them at different school activities and running into them here in town. It's great! But it's also kind of lame that everyone leaves within a couple weeks. ¡Así es la vida!
No comments:
Post a Comment