wait, am i in guatemala?

While I am actually in Quetzaltengo, Guatemala, sometimes I do have to remind myself of it. Xela is not a tourist city, because there is little to actually see here. It is the second largest city in Guatemala and I think there is a church, a park, and a cultural museum. But it's known more for the spanish schools and neighboring hikes then for the city itself. This means that it's a great place to settle down and learn spanish, work and live - and it appears that's exactly what a lot of foreigners have done. There are cute coffee shops and restaurants almost around every corner of the center (Zone 1), with coffee, espresso, north american style desserts and dishes, and free wifi. Including the one I'm in right now - where i just had a chicken sandwich that tasted like heaven with mustard and whole grain bread. There are also bars with a funky atmosphere and live music, that could just as well be in California, or on U street.

There are plenty of restaurants that cater to (or profit from) the vegetarians who come to Guatemala. You can buy tofu by the pound and go to all vegetarian restaurants. Not to mention, I think I had the best indian food of my life last weekend. No joke.

I've also been experimenting with different ways of getting exercise. Running in Xela isn't ideal, I think the fumes you inhale counteract the workout itself. But, I have been going to a yoga studio a few times a week. Full of foreigners and a few guatemalans, the classes are both in English and in Spanish (depending on the teacher). I would have never guessed that I would do more Yoga in Xela then in the states (and for less than $2 a class!). I think it's a bit of a haven for a lot of people, as each class is always packed - but the room is also oddly shaped and relatively small. Apparently there is an American style gym a little outside of town that has classes, so I might even start spinning again!

On a side note, I moved into my own apartment this morning. It was a little awkward telling the family that I was moving out, but staying in Xela. Although I think they understood and they had a new student moving in today. I enjoyed my time with them, but am also happy to be on my own again. The apartment that I moved into is a series of suites with 3 rooms in each suite. I haven't met my suitemates yet and am not sure if they are out of town or just weren't in when I got there this morning. We share a bathroom, kitchen and living area and have a TV and internet. Again, something I was not expecting to have.

This last week, my host Senor practically disappeared and I feared that either I had become boring, uninteresting or done something terribly offensive. He was so chatty before and then from one day to the next he was gone. On Friday, I found out that he decided to stop eating in the kitchen because he's on a diet. It was too tempting to eat in the kitchen. He has a metal rod in his back and his doctor says that too much weight puts strain on his back. That I can believe, but the diet he has to follow is also know as starvation. He can only eat fruits and vegetables, 1 tortilla/day, 1 egg/day and 2oz of meat 2-3/week. No wonder he can't keep to it.

We, on the other hand, ate a range of eggs with ham and cheese, just cooked vegetables or carrots with about a jar of mayo, broth with noodles or pasta. In speaking with other students, I actually feel lucky though. It seems pretty common that the families eat different food than the students - they mostly eat better food, like they will eat meat and not serve it to the students. But other that I know have had meals of just chips with tomato sauce, potato cakes served with mashed potatoes, rice and tortillas, or pancakes layered with bananas. I'm thankful I had vegetables every now and then.

So, I'm looking forward to living on my own again. I have my first full week of orientation at Primeros Pasos and am ready for this next phase of my Guatemala adventure.