Amiga Emma

July 13, 2013 (13-7-13 in Spanish)

Hola! I think I’ve made some progress with my Spanish, but it’s difficult to tell. The complexity of the language is pretty amazing. I just keep thinking how people say that Spanish is an easy language to learn! I’m not seeing it yet. A couple days ago I inadvertently told my host brother and mom that I was a hot babe. I was trying to tell them that I was hot (as in my body temperature) from running. They kind of looked at me funny when I said “Yo estoy caliente/I am hot.” My teacher told me the next day that food or other things can be caliente, but humans have calor... unless you’re referring to your level of attractiveness. Noted.

Speaking of temperature though, the climate here is so different. The temperature is not actually that high (somewhere between 70-80 degrees), but the humidity is almost 100%. It’s intense. It makes my hair poofy and my skin oily, and it takes forever for anything to dry. I now pretty much know my way all around Copan. I’ve scouted out the best internet cafes (including the only one with AC), and I’ve found some people who speak English other than me. Life with my host family is good. Their maid, Hilda, used to work in restaurants so she is a really good cook! Most days for lunch, I have some type of meat with rice or other pasta, corn tortillas, vegetables, and fresh-squeezed juice. I’m getting spoiled here not having to do any cooking or chores. They don’t eat chocolate very much at all though. :(

Last weekend, I got the explore the Mayan Ruins near Copan with my friend Julie. It was pretty amazing to see the complexity of the structures of the ancient culture. Archaeologists speculate that the Mayans used to play a game using an 8-lb. ball that was kind of like a combination of volleyball, basketball, and dodgeball. They had to get the ball to hit the eyes of macaw statues on the perimeter of the court. After the game, the captain of the winning team received gifts of jade, and the captain of the losing team was sacrificed to the gods.