Especially for Tami and Sue: A Day In the Life

I apologize for the delay in this much requested post.

This is what a typical week day has been like for us these past five weeks. However, after next week, Robert and I head out to explore Guatemala and beyond.....

A Day in The Life of Bert and Liz Campbell
6:00 am- After hitting snooze for 10 minutes (yes, we do that here too!), Robert and I furiously finish our homework from the night before (for those of my college friends, you know my homework switch turns off around 9:00 pm).

7:12 am- I throw on a long-sleeved t-shirt, wrap my towel (it is pink with minnie mouse on it) around my waist, put on my flip-flops, and head for the bathroom.

7:15 am- I am done! It is really cold here. Showers are short and sweet (just like me!)

7:20 am- I pass my wet flip-flops to Bert and he heads into the shower.

7:20 am to 7:30am- I dry my hair while Bert finishes his shower.

7:30 am- We eat breakfast with our host mother. We usually have eggs, black beans, and bread every morning. (I repeat, EVERY morning. We are on day 20 of black beans and eggs. Needless to say, Robert and I need to drink A LOT of water. Yikes!)

7:55 am- Literally, we walk across the street to our school. (By the way, it is somewhere between 50 and 55 degrees here in the morning, and Robert and I have limited choices in our attire. I have worn the same jeans and sweater for 15 days now!)

8:00 am- School bell rings, and classes begin.

8:01 am to 10:30 am- Classes go something like this, "Lo siento, que? Si, Lo siento.....que? Repite por favor."

10:30 am to 11:00 am- We speak in English as quickly as possible to express all of the things we wanted to say in Spanish. Oh and we eat a lot of bread. (By this time of the day, we are starting to de-layer our clothes. It can get into the 70's in the sun.)

11:00 am to 1:00 pm- We continue with classes.

1:00 pm to 2:00 pm- We go home and eat lunch with our host mother and her housekeeper, Angela. This is typically the largest meal of the day and it is difficult to stay awake afterwards. Our host mother (and Angela) are excellent cooks and we have enjoyed a variety of local cuisines.

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm- Siesta!

3:00 pm to 7:00 pm- We spend a lot of time walking around the town and trying the hot chocolate at the many little cafes here. We usually find a cafe and spend the next few hours studying and doing our homework.

7:00 pm to 8:30 pm- We return home to Martha's house, where she has a small dinner waiting for us. These meals are typically composed of bread, bread, more bread, and oh yeah, bread! But, I admit this is my favorite time of the day. Robert and I usually spend over an hour talking and drinking tea with Martha. I am certainly going to miss her when we leave.

8:30 to ?- Bert and I spend a lot of time in our room in the evenings. We work on homework, read, and talk about our day. It is great to have him to share all these new experiences. We are both learning so much; not only about Guatemala, but about ourselves too.

Every Friday evening, there is a graduation ceremony at the school. We get together with other students and eat dinner. Typically, we go out afterwards. It has been a great way to meet some interesting people. Saturday and Sunday we are free to do whatever we want. Those days have been filled with wonderful excursions and we have the link to the pictures posted.

Although the routine has been comfortable and relaxing, we are ready to move on to the next part of our trip. We will spend one week in Xela without taking classes, and then head to Lake Atitlan to celebrate our first anniversary. It is hard to believe that one year has already passed. We are looking forward to our next adventures and sharing them with you. Stay tuned.....