Halfway...

Hello again!

So this week is my sixth week in Guatemala, which means I have six more to go. It's amazing how much time flies, yet another six weeks still feels like quite a long time. Earlier today, when I was standing at my usual corner in Antigua waiting for the chicken bus, I found myself reflecting on how I was when I first arrived here. I can remember standing in that same corner six weeks ago, completely confused by my surroundings. I felt as if I had been plucked out of one world and thrown into another, which was both exciting and intimidating. The language of people on the streets washed over me; words floated by, their meanings a mystery I desperately wished I knew. Poco a poco, I often reminded myself: step by step. All in due time.

And now, here I am, six weeks later, and although much of the mystery remains, it is much less foreign. I am no longer confused (most of the time) when waiters in restaurants ask me questions, or when my host mom asks me to do something. Responding to questions or telling stories doesn't take nearly as long.  And, I believe I have mastered the art of getting on and off the chicken bus. I realized today that it's kind of a dance you have to do, jumping on and finding a seat as the bus jerks forward,  getting the timing right for using the seats as a crutch when you walk down the aisle, anticipating the stops and starts, learning to change seats more towards the front as the bus empties out, just so you can get off faster. The chicken bus, for me, is now as routine as taking my car to work. And the first time I rode on it, I nearly fell flat on my face. I hadn't gotten my sea legs yet.

So those are just some of my thoughts for now. No pictures today, I'm afraid. Guatemala's Independence Day is this Thursday, so I imagine I will have some pictures then of some of the goings-on.

Peace to all who read this!