what the sun can do to a person.

After almost two weeks of continuous rain, we finally awoke on Thursday morning to a beautiful blue sky and a brilliant sunshine! All I can say is...PRAISE THE LORD!! The girls and I were already in a good mood when we woke up! Sitting at the breakfast table, we were all happy and giggly with smiles on our faces, ready for the new day! Kylie and I walked out to go to class to be greeted by birds chirping and the warmth of the sun on our backs. What a beautiful morning it was!

Friday was also a fun day because there was lots to do! After my Spanish test (which I got a 94% on), my teacher and two other students with their teachers went to a botanical garden/greenhouse thing. It was really neat and we got to get away from the classroom setting and see some of the cool things that grow here in Guatemala.

 Kayla and I with our maestras.

 There were lots of  cool signs all over the garden!

The weirdest flower I have ever seen. 

Friday afternoon, the school took a group of students to a macadamia nut plantation outside of Antigua. The great thing was that Paul (our leader) wanted us to go and so he paid the way for those of us who wanted to go! We went with the two drivers from the school (I always ride with Reuben because he has great music and he's just so cool!) and it took about 20 minutes to get there. At the beginning, a guy from the school gave us some information about the macadamia nut/tree: 

-It only takes 2 years to grow/mature here in Guatemala when it normally takes more like 7 years

-The roots are 7x the size of the tree, making it very durable during earthquakes

-There are two shells over the nut, providing great protection

-The macadamia nut is VERY good for the skin

-Much more! 

We got to see how they sort the nuts and the processes they use (which are completely natural and 100% organic at that farm!). We got to taste some nuts, chocolate, and use some oil/lotion made from the nuts. It was a really neat experience and I am really glad I had the chance to go! 

 A person could go nutty there...hahahaha :P

A VERY ecological bathroom...and surprisingly clean!

Welcome!

It was a really fun day yesterday and I was really grateful to God that He let the sun come out for us! Now, I am hoping that the rainy season stays away. 

This morning I was able to sleep in a little bit (does sleeping til 7am count as sleeping in?) and we had yummy breakfast sandwiches before Kylie and I headed out for the market to get some shopping done! I am almost done with all of my shopping for other people (Christmas gifts/birthday gifts, etc.) which will be nice to have all that done! But it's really fun to shop here because there are so many fun things that I want to buy for people! One of the purchases today was a handmade headband that I bought for myself...isn't it cool?!

I hope you are all doing well at home! I miss it a lot...I will definitely be ready to come home in December. But for now, I am trying to enjoy my time here because we only have eight more weeks here, isn't that crazy?! From here on out, the weeks are going to start going by faster and faster because we have more plans! Next on the list: Panahachel and Lake Atítlan next weekend! Can't wait! 

Much love and hugs to you all :) 

-J