Day 42 - Incredibly, my week of classes has finished already! My goodness that went fast. I didn't quite get to cover everything I'd wanted to though, and decided to sign up for two more days next week. The other student that was here earlier in the week left for Tikal on Wed, so the school has consisted of only me the last two days.

My teacher told me today that the student that was with her before me, studied here for 4 months. She (the student) arrived knowing no Spanish (other than what everyone knows -- where's the bathroom, what's your name, good morning...). At the end of the 4 months, she is very nearly fluent -- speaking fast and comprehending very well. She's now found an apartment to rent in town with some local girls for a few more months. Wow! Hearing that made me really jealous, in a good way :)

After classes I accompanied Leti, Ilde, and Mishelita out of town to some public baths, which they go to every 15 days. It was a fun experience -- interesting for sure. You pay for a private room with a big tub sunk in the floor. Natural volcanically heated water, which is quite hot though not scalding, fills the tub. They sell shampoo and soap so you can, well, bathe. The three of them shared a room and I got one by myself. It was quite dirty inside actually. The once white walls were completely brown, the tile covered in brown, a plywood door for privacy, a grime coated window for light, and the guy working there quickly snatched a 2 inch beetle off the floor as I walked in. Riding the chicken buses to and back were fun. Mishel slept on the seat with her head on my lap.

I'm now at the point where I like the family. Everyone has their idiosyncroses, of course, and this is a real family like any other, not an ideal construct. In the photos above, from left to right, is Mishel, Ilda, Leti, then in the other Ludwig, Natasha (his girlfriend who arrived from Swiss), and Leti again.

The second was at night when the power went out, which has happened nearly every night. All the restaurants and banks on the street have diesel generators sitting outside that they fire up when this happens.