Some interesting side notes

The plumbing is very bad in Central America so you can't flush TP down the toilet b/c the toilet will overflow. I walked into my host families home to see the toilet overflowing and Josefina swept the water into a drain on the ground. The houses are made from concrete and it has 3 BR, 1 living room, and 1 kitchen, plus an area in the middle of the house cut out llike a sun room where she hangs her laundry to dry. The toilet thing at frist freaked me out, but then I said, Oh well, try not to look into the canister you put the soiled paper into and use a lot of hand sanitizer. I've just gotta deal w/o the luxuries for a while. Nolan, are you ready?

Also, I can't believe how short everyone is! I'm quite tall here and I'm a measley 5'4". The people are so beautiful, nice, and friendly. However, if they are driving in a car and you're trying to cross the street than look out. you have to run for your life.

The pollution is out of site. It's incredibly sad how dirty and how much trash is every where. I was walking over a viaduct yesterday and the entire river blow was covered in trash. Trash is everywhere. People at on the buses and threw out their wrappers. My eyes have been red, swollen, burning, and tearing nearly every day several times a day. The vehicles emit thick clouds of black smoke which can be quite suffocating at times. What's going to happen to my lungs while I'm here? Life here is very different, but very interesting. I'm soaking it all in like a sponge and welcome any new experience and dish; except meat. I even at a salad today, which Josefina prepared some kind of yummy dressing. Her black beans are out of sight!

It's very cold in Xela! I'm bundled up each night I go to sleep. The sun doesn't come out much and it rains alot there goes my idea of getting a tan while living in Central America. It takes my hair like 5 hours to air dry b/c of the moisture in the air.

My host mom loves ketchup! She makes the stiffest coffee, which I'm too embarassed to say I don't like the coffee so when she leaves the room I hurry to the sick and pour it down the drain. Am I bad or what? She made a very good tea for me the first day, but hasn't since.

My hand feels like it's going to fall off for typing for an hour straight! Yo esperanza todo es bein en Estados Unidos. (I hope all is well in the United States.) I have no idea if that's grammatically correct. LOL!

P.S. I rode a chicken bus to Zunil yesterday and it wasn't that bad! I survived my first ride!

I feel like I could write for every, but my hand hurts as the keyboard is a bit different than the states so my fingers are oddly positioned.

Ciao!