There was a rat in the house. But its okay, I know how to live with a rat because my parents have prepared me for everything J. I believe the rat left the house last night, because the trap was gone and Senora Patti said it had left. Marissa and I saw it last night while we were in my room, and we closed the door so it wouldn’t come in (Xela rats are more massive than Florida rats, apparently). When Senora Patti came to my door to ask us a question, we had to explain why the door was closed, because we usually keep them open. She exclaimed “It must die!” and proceeded to close all the doors in the house (so that the rat would stay in the center garden area) and set up a trap for the rat.

Apparently the power goes out every once in a while in the afternoons in Xela. I’m not sure of the exact reason, but I think it has to do with the rain. The other afternoon, a group of us were in a café when the power went out. It was kind of cool to sit in the café with candlelight, but also a little eerie when we walked home without any electronic items running. The power outage only lasted for about 30 minutes.

Tuesday afternoon we watched “When the Mountains Tremble,” a documentary about Rigoberta Menchu and the civil war in Guatemala. Although I felt that the movie was long and slightly one sided (pro guerilla), it was a good movie that introduced some of the reasons for warfare in Guatemala and the perceptions of many people (government, military, guerilla). After the movie, we discussed the role of the US in the war and what it takes to have power. Ideas were thrown around, and many felt that all it takes to have power is weapons and a following. We were then asked an extremely difficult question: “What would you do to start change in Guatemala?” Most of us felt that this question was impossible to answer, but we did discuss the importance of education and presenting a positive role model for citizens of Guatemala.

Yesterday, we went to a museum about Mayan culture and saw many trajes (traditional Mayan clothing). Our guide talked to us about the world ending in 2012. Don’t worry! It won’t…. 2012 marks the end of the Mayan cycle of 5,000 years. This only means that a new cycle will begin after 2012. The Mayans hope that the new cycle brings positive changes that steer the world away from extreme climate change (don’t we all!).

25 Mayan tribes exist in Guatemala, and we were able to see the traditional clothing of 12 of them yesterday. Our guide told us all about the dieing process and weaving. Certain tops depict the sun and moon, while other have lines and shapes that signify the cycle of life. Each tribe has a combination of colors that represent a combination of meanings, and each tribe has artwork that originated in their land. We also heard about the ceremonies that are held for moments such as planting, harvesting, births, deaths, etc. I learned that the Mayan calendar is based on 13 months, each containing 20 days. This adds to 260 days, which correlates with the amount of time needed for human gestation (but then I heard a different story, so I need to see what is actually true).

Next to the museum, there was an art gallery. One of the artists was there, and Sarah, Korrin and I started to talk to him. He had traveled to many places around the world and was very excited to show us pictures and tell us about his work (in Spanish of course). He even took us to his separate workshop, a large room full of paintings and other artwork. He spent a long time telling us about his life and work, as well as stories he has written. While it was interesting to hear him speak, he sure did like to talk. I spent a lot of time pretending like I knew exactly what he was saying, but actually being really confused. He asked us if we had any free time within the 6 months that we are here, and requested that we return so we could hear more of his stories.

The Spanish school sells chocofrutas, and yesterday I had a chocobanano dipped in peanuts. It was extremely delicious! Today I had chocofresas, which I think tasted even better. I’m going to have to ration myself on buying those! I also decided to buy some peanut butter because some days I don’t get much protein in my diet. I bought it at a bakery and actually got to watch him make it! The bottle was still warm when he handed it to me. It tastes much different that any peanut butter I have had before, and the consistency is more like a peanut paste. But, it is good!

This afternoon we had our first written exam to see who is ready to go to the next level. Tomorrow, we have an oral exam in the morning. We take exams every other week, and they help our teachers see where we need help. Regardless of how we do on the exam, we will get new teachers next week. I’ve gotten so used to how my teacher speaks that it will be interesting to switch to another Maestro or Maestra. But, that’s exactly why they do it!

Tonight we have Salsa class and then as a group we are going out to eat dinner. This weekend, we have a trip to a coffee finca. We leave Saturday morning and get back Sunday afternoon. We will be eating meals and sleeping at the finca, so it should be interesting!

I really wanted to take pictures of the trajes, but we weren’t allowed to bring our cameras in the museum. I was able to take a photo of one of the pieces of artwork in the gallery (of course it shows ballerinas!).

I also took a picture of the front of my house, and the tienda that my family owns.