There is simply so much to tell

So, as I said in my last post, I departed from home on Sunday. Traveling was regular: I got on my first flight and tried to sleep on the way to Houston. I only partially succeeded. When I couldn't sleep, I read my trusty differential equations book. When I arrived in Houston, I had about three hours until my next flight. Luckily, as a birthday present from my parents, I had been upgraded to first class for my second flight (from Houston to Guatemala City). This meant that I could chill in a fancy lounge in the airport to wait for my flight. Flying to Guatemala was quite comfortable: comfy chair, good lunch, a movie to watch (Megamind was actually pretty entertaining), Guatemalan travel book to peruse, and bountiful drinks. Unlike Agustin's, my flight was relatively short (about two hours and forty five minutes from Houston to Guatemala City). Flying over the country was amazing, as I got my first look at how truly mountainous, green, and variegated the landscape of Guatemala is. Toward the end of the flight, I was handed customs and travel documents which were somewhat ambiguous at certain parts. Fortunately, the customs officials didn't seem to completely mind that my forms were blank at the ambiguous sections. I found my checked bag and proceeded to the exit, which was slightly difficult to find. After being offered "La Salida?" and responding positively, I was steered in the right direction. That is, until I was told "a la derecha," and stumbled over myself in my sheer excitement trying to turn to the right.
After exiting the airport, I scanned the crowd for anything or anybody that indicated they were waiting for me. I quickly found two young women holding a sign with my name on it and walked over to them. We briefly greeted each other and then proceeded to get into a taxi. Guatemala city is extremely urban. Riding in the taxi, I was assaulted by the noises of all the buses, street vendors, kids in the streets, and more buses (or other loud vehicles). While trying to soak in the city (there was seriously so much to see and hear), I also more properly met the two people who picked me up: Jessica and Allison (who also goes by Tank). I can't remember much specifically about the discussion on the way from Guate to Antigua, except that Shakira is coming to Guatemala and that elections are going to be in September. I also got to get a better idea of the Guatemalan terrain (very green and hilly) as well as get a sense of the living conditions. The use of zig-zagged aluminum metal sheets in buildings is extensive.
I was brought to my hotel and shown to my room. It was a cozy room: simple. I think I got there around three-ish, and Allison said that they would drop by around six-thirty and we would go to dinner. I really didn't know what to do, so I started with going down and simply walking the streets. I tried not to wander too far from my hotel, but walked past three old churches, some panaderias (bakeries), and a plethora of shops. Next to one of the churches was a small market (I haven't seen the main Antigua mercado yet). I returned to my hotel and decided to give the internet for a spin. Of course, I updated the facebook first, and then I used Gtalk to call my parents (FOR FREE). After that, I fell asleep. Hey, it had already been a tough day.
When Jessica and Allison returned, they brought with them a colleague named James, and then we went to eat at a cafe in Antigua (se llama "cafe no se"). After that, I came back to my room and pretty much just went to bed, thus concluding my first day in Guatemala.
It is very weird to wake up and think to yourself, "man, here I am. I barely know anybody at all in this entire country and it's all new to me." So the first thing I did was take a shower. I was later told by James that that was probably the best shower I will take my entire time here (I will talk more about that later). Again, James, Allison, and Jessica came and got me and we got breakfast. My first Guatemalan breakfast! We hit a nice little panaderia and I also had my first Guatemalan hot chocolate. Yea, it's a big deal. Good stuff. I then went to the Soluciones Communitarias (related to the Social Entrepreneur Corps) office for the first time and proceeded to start my training, which includes introductions to the management and products of Soluciones Communitarias, general information about Guatemala, and some extra Spanish instruction. Again, Allison and Jessica escorted me to a place to eat for lunch (James left to somewhere that morning), and we had burgers (yes burgers) in a restaurant close to the central park of Antigua, which has tall, beautiful trees and traditional looking buildings surrounding it.
One of the most important things I did yesterday was travel to the house of my home-stay family for the first time. It's actually not in Antigua, but in a town about a twenty minute bus ride away called Santo Tomas. My mama is named Yolandi (Yoli) and her kids are named Concha, Edgar, and Ivan (I actually don't know the father's name, but I talked with him too!). Also, I only know Ivan's age (nineteen), but Edgar looks to be around ten, and Concha in her early twenties. My first meal with my family was spaghetti! And before you think, "spaghetti? That doesn't sound Latin American at all," we ate it with tortillas (maize, not flour) and black beans, avocado, and peppers. 'Twas plenty Latin American. I have my own room, and it's cozy. I have a tv too. I was looking through some of the DVD's next to it and have concluded that I will surely have to take advantage of the opportunity to watch an illegal version of Prince of Persia in Spanish. Before I went to sleep last night, I made sure I had things in order for the next day- my clothes, my money, the things I would bring to Antigua the next day- and then took the time to soak in the noises of Santo Tomas. Most notably, the singing and trumpet playing from down the street and the relentless howling of all the dogs (there is a sizable population of street dogs in Guatemala). Those noises didn't bother me nearly as much as the roosters that woke me up at three o'clock this morning.
With that, I think I shall have to conclude this blog post. I feel like I am leaving so much out (and I haven't even talked about today), but I can only use internet while in Antigua and it's about time that I made my way to Santo Tomas. I will end by saying that I do miss home, but I feel like I am settling in fairly nicely. Oh, and I almost forgot! I know the town that I will be in after my two weeks in Antigua: I will travel to Nebaj in the Quiche departamento of Guatemala. Until the next time,
Adios!
Goyo