Nebaj and Cunen

Last night I spent the night for the first, and most likely only time in an aldea. In Guatemala the country is divided up into departments, which are similar to states. The next subdivision is municipalities (like counties) and then after that are aldeas. I am pretty sure that although I've done a decent amount of traveling here in Guatemala and have visited other volunteers, I have always stayed in the main town where the municipal building is located. It was a very cool experience and I was a little bit jealous to see what a strong connection the volunteer I visited has with her community.
I have good friendships here in Cunen but it is a totally different for volunteers that live by themselves in a very small town. They are more isolated and naturally turn to the people living near them for support and friendship. It must be a harder adjustment but it was really cool to see how much everyone in the aldea connected to her and are so sad to see her preparing to leave.
I was not jealous of the micro ride, which was on a bumpy, muddy dirt road for about forty minutes. I also came to appreciate living in the Muni for the consistent running water we get here. An hour or two after arriving in Xix, where this volunteer lives, the water went out and didn't come back at all the rest of the visit. However, this morning we traveled back to the Muni, Nebaj, which is a tourist attraction for its rich history and unique language, and because it attracts tourists it has certain luxuries that Cunen doesn't offer. We stopped in El Descanso, a restaurant started by a former Peace Corps Volunteer that has pretty amazing chicken barbeque quesadillas. There is also a restaurant run by an American that has grilled cheese, french toast and other U.S. comfort food. It's nice to have those things in Nebaj, since it's only an hour away but I've only been there a handful of times throughout service.
Tomorrow is the big day! I'll be up and out early to meet with the community members, work out last minute details and oversee the distribution of materials. Send positive vibes my way, because things have a way of not going as planned here!

The first couple pictures are of Xix, and then the girls are my host sisters and there is a picture of the sunrise view from my porch.