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Well, my 5 weeks in Xela are almost over which is hard to believe. I finished Spanish lessons last Friday and was quite relieved to do so. I 'm hoping that I will see the benefits of it over the coming weeks. At the moment it doesn't feel like I have achieved a lot. The problem with the one to one tuition is that it is quite unstructured and you have to set your own agenda and the temptation is to sit and chat. My teacher Claudia was interesting and knowledgeable but I know I should have asked for more grammar and exercises and less chat. Anyway for 20 pounds a day including accommodation and 3 meals who can complain? I can also say that watching rubbish US movies with Spanish subtitles also qualifies as work as you can learn all kinds of different ways to say rude things
So for my last few days I have gone back to the lovely hotel that stayed in a couple of weeks ago where I can have a bit more space and peace and quiet. The family I stayed with were very sweet but with 3 barking dogs and an enormous extended family that seemed to spend half their time in their rather tiny but centrally located house it all got a bit oppressive after 4 weeks.
The great thing now is that the weather has improved no end. It rains only a tiny bit in the afternoon and the last few days the day time sun has been really hot.
Apart from studying and drinking endless cups of coffee in Xela's many cafes I have had a weekend away with my American "schoolfriends" to a beautiful location called Semuc Champey. What you forget in this country is that distances, or rather roads, can be deceptive so although the journeys are spectacular they are often very very long. This past weekend I stayed local and went to some surrounding villages and to a stunning Mayan sacred site called Laguna Chicabal.
What you also have to take into account here is the altitude which in Xela is over 2,300 metres. This makes (for me at any rate) any kind of uphill walking a challenge to say the least. It's disheartening because you get out of breath so easily and feel so unfit even though if you were doing the same walk at normal altitude you could be skipping along - well. almost.
Hallowe'en is approaching and the US influence here means it is a big deal in the expat community. For Guatemalans the following day, November 1st, the day of the dead is the day to celebrate but unfortunately I will be on my way back to Guatemala City that day to get my flight to Argentina so will miss seeing the enormous kites that they attempt to fly. So fingers crossed that all goes to plan and Graham and I meet up in the luggage hall of Buenos Aires airport on Friday night - then off on our 3 week camping trip through Patagonia. i have a feeling the internet connection may be sparse so don't know when I will next get to update this blog. In the meantime all the best.
ps I really miss Radio 4 - I had a sneaky listen to the Archers on BBC listen again website the other day - very spooky
Love Linda
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