Today is Sunday, my first real free day since I arrived in Guatemala. I woke up and went to the market to pick up a few things. I love walking and looking at the fresh fruits and vegetables, some of which I know, others of which are completely foreign. The most exotic item I saw for sale was fresh Iguana—dried and cut open, ready to cook and eat!

I cooked my family a typical American breakfast, or as best as I could manage with local ingredients. The hash browns were a hit! I told them I'm going to make banana pancakes one of these days, and smores as well. After meals I enjoy sitting around the table and chatting about all sorts of topics with my host family. The custom is to say “muchas gracias” after finishing your food, after which everyone at the table says “buen provecho”.

We had Spanish class and technical training throughout the week, and went to the municipality building and met the mayor a few days ago. He was very receptive and offered to help us however he could. We've also paid visits to the fire and police stations. Yesterday my three fellow volunteer trainees and I went to Antigua, supposedly the most beautiful colonial city in Guatemala, surrounded by 3 volcanoes and full of colonial architecture, churches, and colonial ruins. We met up with some others from our training class and got some nachos and beers. It was fun, but I really missed hanging out with my family!

This afternoon a bunch of us from the various families walked up to see the corn fields. We all had a wonderful time joking and playing around. I brought a hacky sack, which quickly became a source of amusement for everyone, kids and adults alike!

I've only been in Xenacol a little over a week, but it's feeling more and more like home every day.