Hola from Guatemala!

Hello from Guatemala!

I am sitting in the main dining room of the Earth Lodge listening to your daughters enjoy their first day of classes. They are in Spanish class right now. Cara just led the entire group in a call-back Spanish-language dance and they are all diligently taking notes in the sun.

The Earth Lodge is spectacular. We are nestled in a series of cabins and dorms along the edge of the mountains high above Antigua. Yesterday was windy, but this morning we awoke to a clear sky and a stunning view of the two volcanoes on the other side of the valley.

So far, we have taken small mini-busses from the airport to our current home, unpacked {and some exploding} our backpacks, and started to get to know each other. Yesterday, we went to town to change money and call home. The girls were in great spirits and enjoyed sitting in the central plaza and people watching. We started our first class day this morning and we have a hike planned for this afternoon. All of this combined with orientation, games, a movie, lots of laughter, and delicious meals. We are here during the avocado harvest and have been feasting on home made guacamole every meal!

Tomorrow we are going to a local elementary school to help a local Sponsor A Child project photograph 250 children. The TTS girls will be in charge of orchestrating the chaos! We will also be hiking during the afternoon through the local villages, and ending the night with study hall. Friday is a full day of classes... and we'll be mountain biking Saturday morning through the local villages and visiting a women's co-op. I'll take lots of pictures of the girls patting tortillas with the local women. We are planning a wood fired sauna post-biking...

We are doing well and enjoying the sun and the process of learning about each other and TTS. I'll update you soon... I wish there was a way to upload the sound of their laughter on the breeze.... Thanks for sharing your daughters with us. They are wonderful.

All the best,
Gennifre