We Finally Arrived

After spending the night in Chicago’s airport, we finally arrived in Antigua on Sunday. It is like no other city I’ve ever been to before. It is composed of short blocks of streets centered around a beautiful main city square. The buildings are bright, all different colors and styles, lining roads of stone that slant in a steep ‘v’ to allow the water during rainy season to disperse out of the city as quickly as possible. Everywhere you look around you, you see mountains, with due south easily found by a large volcano called “agua.” The clouds dip low and cover the tops of the mountains, but the sun shines bright, keeping you warm. It is rainy season now, but so far, we’ve only had a few rain showers, typically in the afternoon, and often not lasting too long.
The first two weeks we are here, we are learning Spanish. Each morning at 8am, our tutors come to the house for the four hour-long lessons. Being with just your teacher allows you to work on what you need to, and you can just talk. I think it is the best way to learn a language. After two hours, we take a break for coffee and bread and then get back to it for another hour and a half before lunch. Our food is wonderful! I can’t get over how flavorful the fruits and vegetables are. Each one has a distinct flavor and every bite fills your mouth with another amazing taste. I have never had anything so fresh before.

Since we have afternoons off, we have plenty of time to explore the city and try new places. Our new routine is to head into the city after lunch for coffee and homework. Homework sounds terrible, but studying Spanish with nine friends and a fresh cup of coffee is not bad at all. Plus, walking into the cafes here is great because as soon as you walk through the door, you walk into a courtyard and the beautiful open air, flowers, and sunshine.