Weekend Antics.

Friday morning our house mother took us to visit the local markets in Zona 1. Easily a shopaholic's dream, the markets are filled with everything from fresh papaya and racks of meat

to gigantic life-size piñatas. We maneuvered through the market's hustle and bustle, bargaining with stall owners for a stack of playing cards or the freshest pineapple around.

On Saturday, Sofia and her sister took us to visit Antigua, an old colonial town about a hour's drive from Guatemala City. Home to the first university in Central America, towering volcanoes, and cobblestone pathways, Antigua, which once stood as the country's capital, is now maintained as a cultural heritage site. Although the volcanoes surrounding the town allow for spectacular views, they are also responsible for numerous architectural ruins throughout the city. We visited an old convent, imagining ourselves as the young nuns who, after entering in their early teens, never again saw the outside of the church's walls. We marveled at old church ruins, watched workers in a jade factory, and eventually found ourselves in a quaint Italian restaurant where we enjoyed wood fired pizza and waited out the rain. (Its rainy season in Guatemala!) When the rain died down, we ventured to La Casa de Santa Domingo, Antigua's most famous hotel and every girl's dream wedding venue. With gushing fountains and squawking parrots, the hotel is somewhat of a tropical paradise. At the hotel, we even ran into doctor from Chapel Hill has been working at UNC hospitals for the past 20 years. What a small world!

Saturday night Sofia invited us to her home to watch a movie, American Violet. (which I would greatly recommend) The best part of the evening was when the movie instigated a conversation which truly brought out all of our cultural differences. The four of us have all been raised according to very different religious traditions, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu and Muslim, and I'm starting to realize that the best part of this trip is simply having the opportunity to discuss and evaluate my views in great company.