A Typical Day :)
April 23, 2018
It has been 11 days since I landed in Guatemala, and 8 days living in Xela (Shay-la) where I am attending language school for a month. Even though I have only been in Guatemala for 11 days, I pretty much have my daily routine down and I am finally getting to know the streets of Xela. On the outside, I may seem like the type of person that has no schedule and goes day by day. But deep down inside I do like having a routine and the knowledge of what to expect the next day, or the next several hours.
My life here in Xela is very, very different than the one I had back in the states. The main difference is that I either walk or take the bus everywhere, never drive or ride with someone else. I will now describe to you a typical day for me.
After a good nights rest I wake up around 7am to get ready for language school that begins at 8am. At 7:55 I open the door of my host family home to walk to school and greet the warm sun as well as the cool 60 degree morning temperatures. School is only a 5 min walk with traffic, but within these 5 min all senses are on high alert. After walking down one quite block, I turn right past two street dogs always basking in the morning sun, and head towards the notoriously busy Calle Rodolfo Robles- a four-lane road with plenty of cars that do not yield to pedestrians. Sometimes while crossing I get caught in the middle of all four lanes, and end up playing “frogger” to get across. It’s a blast. Once on the other side it’s another two blocks of walking down crowded sidewalks/streets and inhaling the exhaust of the plentiful “chicken busses” as well as the scent of steak, chicken, and sausage grilling on a wood fire at the nearby restaurant, Churrascos. I finally turn down Avenida 19, the one way street the school is on and I am greeted by Volcano Santa Maria looming in the background and 12,000 ft. Just before the school entrance I always walk past two young women in their traditional Guatemalan outfits making tortillas outside to sell at all three meals of the day. I walk into school at 8, grab some coffee, and begin my classes.
At 10:30 we take a 30 min break and I usually head out to explore a new bakery or grab a glass of the best fruit and vegetable juice at a small restaurant around the corner. We start back up at 11 and finish classes for the day at 1pm. I head home for lunch, along with the rest of the population of Xela as it is the custom for everyone to eat lunch at home together, if possible. Once home, I not only eat lunch with my host mom, dad and sister, but with the uncle and aunt, 2 or 3 cousins, and 2 grandkids. Lunch is the big family meal of the day, and the food is always delicious, consisting of beans, a type of meat, soup, vegetables, fresh fruit or tea to drink, tortillas, fruit to eat, and coffee with bread.
After lunch I usually rest for a little, unless the school has a field trip planned where we do something touristy as a group here in Xela. Right now at the school there are only three students, so planning is easy. In the late afternoon I do a variety of activities. I either explore the city on my own, go to the local gym for some exercise, or meet up with some Guatemalan friends at a coffee shop to chat and hangout. But whatever I do, I always get plenty of practice with speaking Spanish.
Dinner is around 7:30pm, and it is usually just leftovers eaten amongst two or three of us. After a nice dinner and coffee, I complete my homework and call it a night. The next morning I wake up and do it all over again.
My weekends are free, so it gives me time to do some hiking and other full day activities which I truly enjoy. There is a Lutheran Church here in Xela, so I look forward to attending their service on Sunday mornings. Throughout all these activities, I am constantly reminded of how awesome our God is, and how much love He has for these people who live amongst a masterpiece of God’s creation. Everyday I thank Him for granting me the opportunity to make known His name in another part of the world, and I encourage you to thank Him as well for the many blessings you have, wherever you may be.
From the highlands of Guatemala with love,
Ben
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