Beans & Bucket Baths

Ola Todos. I made it to Guatemala safe and sound and have had the chance to stay with two different families so far. The first family was with another volunteer in my group near the PC training center and now I am with another family in a different community, where I will be for the next 3 months, and it is only me there. Communication has been hit and miss with my Spanish, but I am feeling like I am gaining more and more every day. They are a great family to live with, we have had a really good time so far. As for the title, my diet has included an extensive amount of beans and I have not taken an actual shower since last Tuesday in DC. I would have taken one Wednesday morning before our departure, but my roommate and I overslept and almost missed the bus to the airport. Not the best way to start the trip, but we made it. A bucket bath is just a 5 gallon bucket with lukewarm water, and you use this water to rinse yourself once you are soaped up. Not nearly as bad as it sounds. Guatemala is a very beautiful country and I will be posting photos soon, once the Peace Corps computers are up. There is a small internet cafe in my town, but uploading photos is a process that could take hours. It costs 3 Quetzales for half an hour, which is about 50 cents. Not too bad really. We have been going through initial training with our training director over the past few days and today started our projects, learning what we will be doing, with whom, etc. Tomorrow, we actually get to work on constructing a garden with one of our host families, which will be good. Sitting and listening to information about security, health, development, etc. has been useful, pero un poco aburrido. Not used to sitting in class 8 hours a day. Anyways, my time on the computer is about up and I should probably get home to see what is for dinner.