Dear amigas y amigos,
I'm alive and well and everything is going very smoothly here in Antigua, Guatemala. I have waited over 20 years to fulfill this dream of living in Latin America, and I have just begun.
I'm staying with a family in a smaller pueblo (La Ciudad Vieja) approximately 10 minutes bus ride from Antigua just like I had planned. Actually it is the fiancée Evelyn and future father-in-law Neto of my friend David whom I met last summer. David asked permission to have time off from his work at the local beer bottling plant and he picked me up in his car in Guatemala city just as he promised. He drove me here and showed me around so I feel comfortable taking the bus into Antigua solo today to exchange some money and procure some necessities: more shampoo, soap, etc. I'm already feeling comfortable using my Spanish and it can only improve.
The weather is warm, yesterday in the 70s. They say it's more windy than usual and somewhat cloudy, but it's quite different than the 16° above zero and snow when I left Minneapolis yesterday. When we arrived, there was no electricity and thus no running water in Ciudad Vieja. No problem though because they have plenty of purified water on hand for me. I also brought my backpacking water filter, just in case but haven't needed it so far. I have a small room with a private bathroom with shower (hot water!). My room is on the second floor overlooking a small courtyard filled with plants, cats, and a noisy parrot in a cage. I have a great view of the nearby hills covered with cornfields and out on the balcony I can see the cloud shrouded Volcano Fuego. Besides being accepted into this family's home, and the fact that my large backpack and suitcase arrived intact, I'm very grateful for electricity, being able to type this e-mail using Dragon NaturallySpeaking on the lap top my parents gave me, clean water, toilet paper, my health, the cheese and spaghetti dinner with bread and tortillas which I had last evening with my host family, clean clothes, and the Keen Sandals from my brother which I'm wearing.
I will try to send you an invitation from Kodak Gallery to see some of the photos of my time in Minnesota and Wisconsin with my family: cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, etc. After I take some pictures here in Guatemala I'll upload those to the Kodak Gallery.
I hope you are well. Blessings upon you all,
William Straub
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