Volcanos and Host Families!

Yesterday we hiked the Santa Maria volcano, the highest volcano in Guatemala. I was super bummed upon arriving to find out that my camera was dead. So those pictures I promised to take? Yeah they don't exist. It was so incredibly beautiful and difficult. The city of Xela is at about 7500 feet above sea level, and the volcano sits a good 8000 ft higher. We left Xela around 5:30 am and started trekking at 6, making it to the peak around 9:30. I've never experienced the lack of oxygen, and because of it, I felt like someone was grabbing onto my lungs so that little air could be let in. It was SO COLD.. probably around 35 degrees when the wind blew, but you could see for about 100 miles. When the clouds cleared, the view reached to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexico! A volcano that was right next to Santa Maria erupted around 10 am, and the ash cloud kept us from seeing a lot of the time but it was still worth it. On the way down I started to feel really woozy and nauseous, and I ended up getting altitude sickness which can only be cured by... not being at a high altitude. So the hike down was pretty terrible and I feel so sick, and ended up taking it easy the rest of the day.

But today has been great! We finally finished up our orientation week (so hard to believe we've only been here a week), and moved in with our host families! A lot of us were extremely nervous (definitely including me); not just for the language barrier but also for being separated from one another and entering into the home of complete strangers. But my family is so sweet! I was quite relieved upon meeting them.. My host mom is Lorena, an elementary school teacher, and she has twin daughters, Debora and Dorca, who are 17. The girls are so cute, and Lorena is extremely welcoming and warm... So I can't wait to get to know them more! They're also extremely patient with my lack of Spanish skills, so that's greatly appreciated.

Alright well I'm signing off.. not much else to do around here so I'm gonna take a nap. Spanish starts tomorrow! Super pumped for that.