Update from Tecpan

Life in Tecpan has been going great! Tecpan, the Guatamalan city I´m living in, is an odd mix of rural and urban feel. When you walk down the street you will pass both tightly packed storefronts and men pulling along goats and ox. There are plenty of coffee shops (although coffee shops are only open in the afternoons here, which I´m still slightly confused about) and restaurants as well, although it is impossible to know at which restaurants you are completely safe from the threat of parasites.

My Spanish is getting much better as well! I am able to have pretty consistent conversations with my host family at this point, although when I try to speak Spanish while tired I usually end up just stuttering and creating some odd mix of English and Spanish that no one can understand. Being here has definitely reignited my desire to learn new languanges. The ability to converse with someone in their native language, especially as an American, many of whom never bother to sincerely try learning another language, is a very respectful and rewarding thing.

Another very rewarding part of this experience is being almost completely technology free. My pocket is free from the weight of my iPhone 6 and my computer access is limited to only an hour or two a week (which is the reason that my blogs are so few and far between... sorry about that). After the first week or two of constantly reaching for a phone that wasn´t there, I finally got used to reading or simply gazing off into space when I´m bored rather than instantly turning to social media. The lack of connection to my friends at home and at college has definitely allowed me to stay in the present throughout this experience and create a sense of home for myself much faster.

Overall, this experience has been absolutely incredible so far, and I can´t wait to see what my last few weeks in Guatamala have in store for me! Crossing my fingers that I will get another blog post or two up next week... Thanks for bearing with me!