Here in Guatemala....

Hey all,
I have been in Guatemala for just under two weeks now. Hard to believe, because so much has happened and my friends & I are commenting on how it seems more like a month has passed. I am living with two other female volunteers in a small pueblo outside of Antigua. It is hard to access even simple daily things. For example, today we walked for a half an hour to take two buses and finally get to Antigua. We did some shopping for little food items we wanted i.e. chocolate, candy as well as other needs like shampoo, mirrors, etc. Alot of effort goes into accesing things that were definitely once taken for granted i.e. an easy trip to Target now becomes a half day plus excursion.
I have a beautiful view of the mountains from my house, and it is quite peaceful. I have language classes 5 days a weeks, and on Saturday mornings sometimes. I am finding the language part to be a fairly easy adaptation, since I am at a more advanced level. I am glad I have the language on my side, because the cultural adaptation itself is always a challenge anywhere a person goes.
I visited two other volunteers who have been here for about a year each. Our program directors took us so we could talk to them & ask them questions, etc. One lives in a very remote locale, but has an amazing house & beautiful view. The other lives in a larger town, or small city. Very different locations, but each was nice to see & begin to think about our preferences, because they do give us the option for input as to where we get placed after the next 2 and a half months. That next site we are placed in is where we will begin our work assignment and stay for the next 2 years. As many of you know, I will be doing small business development, often in Guatemala that assignment overlaps with Agricultural Marketing. There is a good chance I will be working with a co-op or some other kind of community organization.
The details on the job don´t really fall into place until we get our final assignment and each get to see our particular job that we are assigned to.
The weather where I am living now is on the cooler side, which is nice because I started to acclimate myself to the Oregon weather. The rainy season will be starting soon. I am in Western Guatemala, it is in the Eastern portion where the really hot weather is that everyone thinks of.
Well, my computer time is about to run out. Will write more later! Take care & send me emails!