Xela

At the moment Quetzaltanango (Xela as it´s been dubbed by the locals) is our headquarters. The base of operations. Our language school is incredible. For a little over $100 a week, we have a room (picture the simplicity of a monk´s quarters), personal maestros de Español, cheap meals when desired, the occasional cooking class, ¨field trips¨ every other day, and CLEAN water.

Chicken buses are the transportation of choice. Imagine your old school buses (which they are).....now imagine them jacked up on Latin American adrenaline, speeding around snakey cliff-sides, gluttenously stuffed with anyone (and anything) they can pick up off the side fo the road. Good fun.

Lastnight Guatemala faced off against Mexico in a ¨friendly¨ game of soccer. Future generations will surely call this match the ¨show-down between two mortal enemies that futiley ended in a pool of blood¨. Thankfully, from this mess, a single Gutamalan fist emerged... (Only one person was shot and killed this night)

So we continue to move steadily forward.

- John Michael