Wow, time is really flying around this place. Just as the cars do without stopping, and the guatemalan voices do without breathing. It is great how the teachers of Pop Wuj know how to speak to you slowly in Spanish so you understand at least a bit of it, but in the streets of Xela it is whole new world. In a way it doesn´t even sound like Spanish anymore...and sometimes its not. For Example, when we visit the small communities of Guatemala, the people often speak the language of the Mayans with is called Quiche (Kee-Chay). To me Quiche sounds mostly like a series of clicks with various vowel sounds in between. I visited a clinic that is run by a midwife about an hour outside of Xela, and began to understand the Quiche speakers only by their expressions and movements. Interestingly enough, I felt as though I could understand them better then when someone speaks to me in Spanish, a language I know at least a bit of. Maybe it is the lack of preconcieved knowledge that allows me to understand without thinking, and causes me to be intuitive rather than rational. I do feel a connection with the mayan culture for the very reason that it is less "rational" and more "alogical". I only use quotes because to those of the western culture, these words can sound negative, but within many indigenous cultures there seems to be a trend of this idea. There is also a different perception of time, and different ideas about community (vs. individualism). etc. etc.

I wish I could write more right now, but it is time for dinner...

Buenos noches.