La Ciudad de Guatemala

What a great weekend so far! Friday was the end of my second week of one-on-one Spanish lessons. Of course, that meant another test. Don’t worry though…after studying hard and almost 2 hours of testing I passed with only a few minor mistakes. :) To make the end of my second week even better, I got a free t-shirt from La Unión! It’s sweet!

Friday after Spanish was over, we went back to our homes to pack for a night in Guatemala City. Chiqui gave us some sack lunches and we headed to our meeting spot so we could depart at 1. The drive to Guatemala City was much faster than the last one (for the soccer game). Our first stop was the museum! We visited the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. It was a blast! I took tons of pictures (some of which can be seen below and more are on facebook). We got some really fun shots by the fountain, on a bench, and on the steps outside…and got to see lots of really ancient art and sculptures. Seeing how I’m missing out on Art Prize back home in Grand Rapids :( it was nice to experience and appreciate other artwork, which is much older.
[Aleia and me with some ancient art]
[Had a little fun with the headless statues...]

[the awkward fountain picture...we couldn't decide what to do]

For dinner Friday night we went to Kacao to celebrate three birthdays (two which are today and one that was yesterday). It was an amazing restaurant with some typical Guatemalan foods as well as other options. We shared an assortment of appetizers and I tried a little bit of everything. My main course was amazing! I had a chicken and shrimp kabob with pineapple, rice and veggies. Delicious!! For dessert, because I had to get something, I decided to go simple with strawberry ice cream. They added a little flare and put raisins on top of each scoop and some kind of caramel sauce. I had a pineapple fruit shake to drink, which was monstrous! After we were stuffed beyond what should be humanly possible, we returned to our hotel for the night where we got to take warm showers, play cards, and watch Pride and Prejudice in English before going to bed.
[Dinner at Kacao's]

[Me, Ashley, and Aleia...enjoying the restaurant?!]

[These are the candles at the restaurant...the white stuff they are sitting on is wax. So cool!]

[Me and my dinner]

This morning we got a tour of the former Presidential Palace across from Guatemala City’s Central Park. There were lots of really neat things there to see and admire. The building itself was beautiful. It was full of paintings, stained glass, chandeliers, and amazing architecture. After the tour, we got to see the National Cathedral. We then walked to Pollo Campero for lunch before heading to the market where we got to spend 45 minutes looking, bartering, and buying. However, I was one of the people who just did the looking. I figure I’ll have enough time to buy gifts for everybody in the next 13 weeks…
[Front of the palace]
[Inside the courtyard...so pretty]

[The hands are holding a white rose which represents peace in Guatemala]

[The front of the National Cathedral]

[Inside the building...]