Question time?! - Answers!

Mahalo for the questions everyone!  I only had 1 comment in the previous post, but thanks for asking via Twitter, email and SMS.

Question 1... What is your typical day like?

Since my Field School has started, my days have actually been quite hectic, in some aspects it is even more demanding than a normal school day.  I wake up every day around 5:30.  My alarm is set for 05:35, but I always turn it off before it goes off... I run everyday at 06:00.  Yes, running on my vacations, and actually next week, I will start spin classes here in Antigua to prepare me for my 100 mile bike race coming up in about 2 months (gasp!).  I run for about 45 minutes, I either run by myself or with 1 or 2 other members in my class.  After running, I return to my homestay, take a quick shower, and yes breakfast is there ready for me.  After breakfast, I have classes all day.  A morning class which either entails a class with all of the students in my Field School, or a more focused class with the individual groups (Gerontology, Pediatrics, and of course my group NGO Network and Health).  After class, I head home for lunch - yes freshly prepared.  I will post a future blog with the types of food, I've been eating - much probably to the dismay of my Century Ride coach. lol.  3 days out of the week, I have 3 hours of Spanish class and to be honest, its surprisingly going very well. I think coming out of my comfort zone and traveling all over Guatemala where I had no choice but to speak English really helps.  Not to mention, I've recently become a chatterbox on the bus, or anywhere really.  Then after class at 5, back home to relax.  A full day of class is quite a bit exhausting.  After than its pretty much relaxing, dinner, reading, typing field notes, and any observations.  The next 2 weeks will be particularly extensive because we will be conducting interviews (yes! we finalized our questions last week).  So that's sort of my current typical week-day.

Question 2 - Did you look for houses in Cuenca?

No, I did not.  I spent most of my time in Guayaquil, Ecuador and with not much time left, the decision was either Cuenca or Banos... and (http://hawaiiinsomniac.blogspot.com/search/label/Ecuador) will tell where I went and why!! (ha, sorry!! Next time!)

Question 3 - Animals in Antigua?

Antigua is quite a developed city.  To be honest, during the field school I can't leave, so the only animals I have seen is a lot of stray dogs (as opposed to large amount of stray cats in Hawaii), and random insects.  I don't recall seeing much birds either, but I will keep you up to date.

Question 4 - Postales or Pasteles?

This is actually a joke.  I was looking for postcards (postales) and you guys know I love desserts (pasteles).  Needless to say, I mixed the 2 up quite frequently and asked for the other at the wrong time.

Question 5 - Where are the pictures?

Well, I've taken nearly 400 pictures so far on this trip, and a few have been posted on my blog.  I am currently working on a 3G USB thumb drive from Tigo, which by the way is really cheap, $26 with 15 days of internet included - AND no data caps!

This weekend, I plan to mostly relax, finalize my school schedule for the fall, laundry and yes, take some pictures of food and Antigua itself.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I've a quite hectic week.

Thanks for the questions and just post more in the comment and I'll be happy to write more about what you want to know about Guatemala.

I'm currently working on my next blog: I wish I had, I wish I hadn't - Things and Travel Tips.

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.