Catherine, Aug 10, 2018 in Guatemala
“I am learning a lot, having an amazing time!
“It’s great to have a kitchen in this apt because I don’t have to eat out every meal. I really like going to the market and just getting a few things, and then at supper, getting back here before dark and eating whatever is on hand. Last night I had some string beans I bought in the market for nothing (at home Guatemalan string beans are so expensive!) and an avocado with lime juice (from a lime from the tree right outside my door) and some bread I got at the bakery. Food is so inexpensive here. The other night I had an early supper at the bakery–a pizza, personal size, total cost, $5.
“The other day, we were working on Spanish in the apt and this ringing kept going on and on. I asked Marleny and she said it’s an ice cream vendor so we went outside and there was a man pushing a little cart. We got ice cream sandwiches. Marleny says he walks all over the area, way out to her town, and to others as well. He walks all day, every day, selling ice cream. I wish I’d thought to take a picture.
“I’m slowly getting to the museums, hoping to do more this afternoon. Yesterday I went to the Church and Convent of our Lady of the Pilar of Zaragoza (Las Capuchinas). Designed in 1731 by the Mayor Architect Diego de Porres, was the last religious building founded in the city in 1736. The church was dedicated to the Archangel St Michael. The facade of the temple was manufactured in worked stone instead of the traditional stucco. The main cloister has low and stout columns, designed to resist earthquakes. The "retirement" tower, a circular shaped building unique to this region, has 18 cells around a central patio, each one had its own toilet. The temple was damaged by the earthquakes in 1773; despite all, the Capuchinas is one of the monuments that is well conserved. Since 1972, the monument is the headquarters of the National Council for the Protection of Antigua, Guatemala.
“Yesterday morning we studied on Mt Hato! From there, we had a view of four volcanoes! On top of the world! Beautiful views.
“In Spanish, working on verbs. Whew. I’m trying to cram in as much as I can! It’s a lot all at once, at the end of the day, my brain is destroyed!
