day five in guatemala

it´s been raining since 6am today, but life here does not stop. the market is still open. construction on buildings continues, but with this weather it´s obvious why some buildings are on their third year of construction and not even half finished. today is the perfect day for writing.

ingrid is not feeling well today so i came to town to pick up some supper to bring back. we´ve been reading a lot. she´s enjoying "the girl with the dragon tatoo." i have been eating so well here, much better than i ever did at home. so ironic. and no sickness has affected me. whether luck or health, i´ll take it. ingrid has no running water in her house, but she keeps a rain barrel outside. we get all the water for washing from the rain barrel. however, i brush my teeth with filtered water from a tank. she said "you`re having a real guatemalan experience today," when i began heating up water for my shower. you have to fill a plastic tub mostly full of rain water and then add heated water to it, however much you need for warmth. it worked out fine. not ideal, but nothing i can´t get used to... and anything is worth it when you need a shower. when most of your surroundings are dirty, there´s nothing like being clean.

after that we ate an omelet with the filling of yesterday´s ratatouille inside and bread with mashed avocado and fried plantains. i´m keeping a close eye on her ways in the kitchen so i can cook with kevin in our own house when he comes next week. i´m getting used to the pace of life here... and it helps that i don´t have much to do. but the days seem so much longer because they start early, but everything is done in an order. preparation, action, cleaning, resting, and so on. tomorrow i hope that we can do some hiking. today´s plans were interrupted by the rain, which i think is coming from the tail end of a tropical storm that is headed toward florida today. there´s a coffee house that ingrid wants to take me to in the next town, and she likes to walk there even though it´s a big hike. hopefully i´ll have some photos to share of that trip when it comes. i´m preparing for my language class, which starts on monday morning. there is a banana farm behind the school and a big garden. my goals have extended to learning how to grow my own food. i think it may be a skill as useful as learning the language.

even without doing much each day, i´m giving myself time to take everything in. i´m looking forward to holding everything like a sponge... and for what i can´t hold in my mind, i´ll share with you here.