¡Buenas tardes!

I did end up going to Lava on Sunday. I had slept in/read till nearly 11:00, skipped lunch, and had an early supper. The “gourmet hamburger” lived up to its name! I had a bacon cheeseburger and a coke for $8.50, which is actually pretty steep, but I had decided to splurge before setting out. (At the restaurant a bottle of coke cost 12 Quetzales – $1.50; my family runs a little tienda and sells the same size bottle for 3.50 Quetzales – 45¢). After Lava I tried out an “exotic” ice cream place just down the street, and for a tiny serving of “pistachio rosa” I paid $2.50. Definitely not going there again … though I have to admit it was pretty spectacular. Similar to Nico’s in Blantyre. (I dedicate this paragraph to Rachel.)

For a couple hours after that I just walked around the streets, soaking up Antigua. People are generally friendly here, and many will greet you as you pass by. I walked toward a more affluent part of town, and there was a street lined with Jacarandas, though they aren’t in bloom. As I was walking under the Jacarandas, I was again struck by how much it smelled of Africa. There are other things that remind me of Malawi also: the street vendors on every corner, the speed bumps and crazy drivers in the streets, people standing in the beds of trucks, the children playing football on the dead-end roads, the plethora of little shops that sell everything from shampoo to chips (called “tiendas” here). Just walking around by myself put me in a sentimental mood.

The best part of my day was when I passed by a little girl that couldn’t have been more than three years old. I smiled at her and she said in a little voice, “¡Buenas tardes!” and I responded with the same.

On Monday I met Max. He is a superb teacher; I’m already thinking of requesting him for a second week. He pushes me very hard, but I feel like it will help me to expand my Spanish quicker. He also understands more English than Aura, which makes it easier when I have a grammatical question. We worked on a lot of irregular verbs on Monday. I’m wondering what the rest of the week will be like…

After class I walked around looking to buy some more tarjetas (notecards) on which to write Spanish vocabulary, and I found a Subway! I knew where McDonald’s and Burger King are, but I hadn’t known of the Subway. There is a law that prohibits store signs to be over a certain size, which may explain why I hadn’t seen it earlier.

A long overdue ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! to my youngest sister Ruthie! Love and miss you!

Adios!

“I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.”

Psalm 89:1 – 2