Hammocks

Many of you have already seen my crosspost on IG/FB (that got reposted by MCC) cataloging the glorious dawn that welcomed me to my first full day in Copán Ruinas:

Welp, here it is again, but from a slightly different angle

Mother nature wasn't the only one who offered me a warm welcome; my host family has been making sure I'm well fed and settling into daily life. Monday morning, my host mom, Sara, walked me to school in time for class to begin at 8. Since it's pretty tranquilo here in Copán, the rest of the days I've walked down by myself the half-a-kilometer or so and then usually walk back up with the other students in the afternoon. Well, I did catch up with Kara on the way down on Friday, so we walked the second half together.

Last week was the first time I've had something close to a daily routine! Language classes are one-on-one sessions from 8-noon. My teacher's name is Julia, and a typical class consists of talking for a while to practice conversation skills, going over homework, covering new material, recess at 10 (during which I lay in one of the school hammocks), and more practice or new material after recess. In the afternoons, I go home for lunch before lounging in the hammock outside of my bedroom. Late afternoons have been a little more fluxy; I may chat with my host family, play with my host nephew Andre, do my homework (more likely I'll wait until after dinner), or explore the town a bit.

Recess last Monday

Tuesday recess

Post-lunch siesta time

Wednesday was the only day that derailed my lovely horario. Seemed the new food had finally caught up with me. After waking up without much of an appetite, I tried to go to school but I was so pálida that Julia told me to go rest in the hammock. After an hour, I still wasn't feeling better... I won't gross you out with the details, but by mid-morning I was heading home in a taxi and was laid out for the rest of the day. (Bless Sara for her concern and care for me that afternoon!) Later in the afternoon I went to the clinic for a consult and got prescribed some meds to take for the next week. Fun! 🙄 I was also, doctor's orders, placed on a bland diet for several days.

The next day, I woke up notably improved stomach-wise (and better every day since), but the golpe to my immune system had let the cold going around the MCC team get ahold of me. (Today, I've been hacking my way through Day 5.) The bland diet that Kara and I were both on (she'd been to the clinic on Tuesday) meant that our cooking activity at school had to be cancelled. We were going to have made empanadas with our compañeras de clase Meredith and Christine, whose last week it was. Instead, they went to the mariposario with their teachers while Julia, Dunia, Kara, and I played Bananagrams.

Isn't this game is hard enough in English?

Thursday afternoon, I was feeling well enough to go explore the centro a bit. Kara and I walked down to the plaza and enjoyed the plantings and architecture.

Time in some green (and yellow, and red) space was probably good for me, too.

To start the weekend off right, Kara, Christine, and I went to The Tea & Chocolate Place for samples of the titular attractions on Friday afternoon. We also ordered some delicious noni kombucha which we savored alongside some lovely conversation. Other weekend highlights include catching up with friends and family over video chat, visiting the Parque de Aves with Kara, and eating canches and drinking horchata while watching the children of the church break not one--but four piñatas during their celebration for Día del Niño (which is actually tomorrow, when they'll celebrate it in the schools).

Getting to know the local fauna

Today it's back to the weekday schedule; after school I watched Zootopia in Spanish with Andre and my host sister Dulce. Then Kara and I hit up The T&C Place again to avail ourselves of their WiFi and download some readings we need to do before the MCC retreat this weekend.

The sunsets aren't half bad, either

Okay, I've procrastinated my homework long enough. I'll leave you with an image of the other end of a day in Copán. ¡Nos vemos!