Almost done with my first week!

Hard to believe I have been here almost a week. So far I have learned enough Spanish to conversate in the present tense about basic things to speak with my host family and understand a good amount in return. I go to school until 1in the PM, then spend the afternoons/evenings doing my homework (yes, i get homework from my teacher!), studying, attempting to speak to people, and exploring the city. No real surprise, but Guatemala is in many ways similar to the non-touristy parts of Mexico. The sewage system here is not able to handle toilet paper, the shower in my house is heated by fire, and most homes don't have heat (and it gets freezing up here in the winter I have been told). The city has a mix of traditional Mayan people and the more westernized "Ladino" Guatemalans. There is a lot of American clothing - for example, on my walk to the internet cafe a girl was wearing a traditional Mayan skirt and an Abercromie sweatshirt. The city is set high in the hills, so it is surrounded by hills and a volcano, which I intend to climb in the upcoming weeks. So far, I have not received anything too bizarre to eat, although I did have a rice/milk drink at lunch. Lots of corn things (tortillas, tomales, etc.) but no beans yet. I haven't been sick, yet... Knock on wood.....