Cerro de la Cruz

Rough morning.  Usually by Thursday, my kids are struggling and we are ready for the weekend.  Well, we hit the wall hard last night.  There's an organization that offers IT classes that says their classes are like drinking from a fire hose because there is SOOO much information given in such a short time.  I think that's an awfully good description of what the last 3 weeks have been like for my kids.  New culture.  New food.  7 hours a day of spanish.  4 miles of walking.  Visits to rural Guatemala.  I can tell you that there have been times this week where I have been frustrated.  I just want to talk without having to think so hard.  Practice makes perfect, but it is HARD to constantly be thinking.  It's no wonder toddlers have temper tantrums.  It is frustrating not being able to say what you want with the limited amount of words that you know.  The kids have been doing amazing but it's good that they have Saturday-Tuesday off.  We have the weekend free and then we are going to Tikal on Monday and Tuesday.

Tim, Scott and Shelly walked the kids to school while I worked.  I've been working half days remotely this week...except for yesterday when we went to Tecpan.  When I was done, Shelly and I walked to the mercadito near Parque Central.  We were having a hard time making any headway with bargaining so we headed over to the Mercado by the bus station.  There is a stall I have purchased several things from.  We bought a blanket and some placemats there today.  when I stopped in this afternoon, she said 'you are back!  What do you need?'.  Is it bad that the ladies at the market are starting to treat me like a friend?  Don't answer that.

Tim and Scott picked up the kids at noon and they DROVE by  us in the back of a truck eating ice cream cones.  When I do pickup we walk home.  Tim buys them ice cream and they get a truck?  I hollered "WHAT?"  And Jake said 'It's Oscar!!!'  The director from De Casas a Hogares had offered them a ride.  Does that mean we are starting to fit in?  When locals start to offer us a ride?

After lunch, we all walked the kids back to school and Tim and I and Scott and Shelly hired tuk tuks to take us back to Cerro de la Cruz.  It's a cross on a hill above Antigua.  I can't believe I had never been there before.  It was beautiful.

I emailed PLFM about next week.  Sounds like the kids will get to take a field trip to ChiChi to the market.  I think I'll probably join them.  Tomorow they are going to skip out of school an hour early to go to the ChocoMuseo workshop again.  I'm hoping I can convince one of them to make some dark choocolate for me.  In the morning, Scott, Shelly and I are going on a coffee farm tour.

After Cerro de la Cruz, Shelly and I walked around the market until it was time to pick the kids up.  We got some more gifts and I found a bracelet for Grace made out of a Guatemalan coin.  We had to wait to get one made with the year of her birth on it.  On the way to get the kids we stopped to get some bananas, fresas and lichees.  I wish I could buy fresh fruit along the street at home every day.

Mayda made an amazing dinner tonight.  Pupusas, Rellenitos and Churritos.  She is a phenomenal cook.  She told me how much her grandchild liked the books we gave her.  She said he had her read them, and then repeat, and repeat, and repeat.  She's a sweet lady.