DAY 1: Cultural Exchange in Ixil

We woke up late and had an incredible breakfast of fruit, orange juice, and Mexican-style eggs. It was blistering hot even at 10 in the morning, but it seemed to cool off as the day went on. After picking out fruits, sandwich supplies, and a multitude of Spanish magazines (and Twilight in Spanish), we were on our way to Ixil to meet some new and old friends. Upon arrival, there was a request for a dancing lesson, which Emily decided to try and teach. The women had fun and caught on well, however the lesson failed when Emily forgot the number "seis" in Spanish and confused everyone when she counted to the music...Tita taught us a cultural dance that she had mastered and we were very impressed. While we were waiting for our eggs to boil (to decorate easter eggs) we made friendship bracelets. Everyone got involved, but it was difficult to teach some of the kids in Spanish, so Caroline ended up making friendship bracelets for everyone.
Finally, the eggs were ready!!!!! We were so excited to dip eggs in dye, however the kids in the village beat us to it. They had never heard of such a strange tradition as the "Easter Bunny" but they caught on quickly and made a plethora of eggs for us to appreciate. We made a few, too. The awkward silences had been broken. When we saw a hula hoop lingering in the yard, we knew what we had to do next...trust games. Yes, you guessed it. These are the games that we play when we just feel like having a good bond sesh. Camp, senior retreat, first day of freshman year...you get the idea. After this, we had the pleasure of traveling to Cindy's AWESOME beach house and SWIMMING in the ocean. We first got a tour of the house, saw the incredible view. The sun set beautifully as we capsized the kayak. It was a beautiful night. Hasta luego! - Katherine, Emily, Sydney, Caroline, Courtney, & Alex.