El Diario de Guatemala CUATRO – Snapping The Globe

DIA CUATRO

Figuring out how to cook scrambled eggs in the microwave saved me about twenty minutes this morning. Why have I never figured this out before?

Because of my discovery, I was actually able to leisurely walk to school this morning.
I must admit, I wasn’t eager to begin my day in the classroom. I felt a bit frustrated even with the studying I had done the night before. But I was here to learn and I was going to try my hardest!

The school day began very well and I had some “Aha!” moments when I understood some forms of the verbs I was studying. I felt like I was finally getting somewhere! After my break, I returned to the table with my teacher. Like yesterday, I felt like we lost a bit of steam. On this day, I think she misinterpreted some things I told her and I began to feel like she was getting frustrated with me which, in turn, was making me frustrated. Next thing you know, she had me playing Scrabble in Spanish. Now, I suck at Scrabble in English and I pulled some bad tiles. I couldn’t even make words in English, much less in Spanish and she made me play for an hour until class was finished. Enough said.

Maybe this wasn’t the best fit after all. She was a lovely person and I enjoyed our interactions, but I was distracted by the other student and I noticed that she was spending a lot of time listening to his lesson.

During lunchtime in my apartment, I glanced out of my window at the door across the street.

Academia de Antiguena. This had been my second choice of schools.
Putting aside my quesadillas, I walked over and rang the bell. Speaking with the director, I explained my situation, was given a tour of both facilities and offered one of only two spots available for the following week.

Maybe I made the right decision…maybe not, but school is even closer, it’s a lot cheaper and has better facilities. I think that all of those are positives.

Once that was done, it was time to get my culture of the day. One of my favorite places I visited a couple of years ago was the Convento de Recoleccion. This convent and basilica were destroyed during the earthquake of 1773. The ceiling of the Basilica collapsed into the church, leaving the walls standing. Visitors are allowed to enter the remains of the basilica and make their way around the giant, boulder-like remains. It makes for some amazing photos! Connected to the basilica is the remains of the convent. It contains a few open courtyards flanked by many rooms. With not so many visitors in the city, I had the place to myself…what a peaceful afternoon!