"Diamond in the Rough"

Blintz Cafe is our "Diamond in the Rough!" We regularly visit this cafe for coffees and crepes because it actually serves espresso beverages and has a few vegetarian items on the menu. We are getting quite friendly with the owner and her daughter, joking with them often and have even taught them how to make delicious iced americanos! The crepa natural is a favorite choice and very good value because for only Q10 ($1.50) you get a huge crepe with syrup. The atmosphere is so clean and tranquil, and the service is remarkable for Guatemala. And, much to our surprise and delight the owner offered to let us leave a stack of our fliers advertising English classes at Enlace Quiché!

Very few of our blog followers have been to Santa Cruz del Quiché , but those who have understand how this cafe is a rare find. If you want to envision us here in Guatemala...sitting outside Blintz Cafe sipping cappuccinos is a great scene. Also, if any of you come to visit us, this will be a prime destination!

How do I comment on the blog?

For those of you who have asked ¨How do I comment on the blog?¨ This is how!

Under the posting that you wish to comment you select the word comments. Then you can either sign-in with your google email address and password, or you can select other or anonymous. We prefer you don´t select anonymous because we like to know who has posted comments. If you select other then you can type in your name and write out your comments and then post.

Now you all have no excuse not to make comments under our pictures and stories. Thanks!

Oh Quiché

Well, we have almost completed two weeks here living in Quiché and things have slowed down quite a bit. It is nice to be going to a job on a regular basis as we both need something to do and love the people we work with. It is a great atmosphere to be in and we are really beginning to feel like a part of the team. The last few weeks we have sat in on many of the English classes, strategizing how we will teach, along with helping out the students in the classes. We are always given a warm welcome with many "Good Afternoon's" and kisses on the cheek. The students love learning from Americans. In addition we also took in upon ourselves to market the class, creating and passing out small fliers in various locations around the town advertising "native speakers." Other than that we have been working as eye candy for the organization showing off the fact that the Americans really did come to teach as well as administering a few English placement tests for a few people that have some "advanced" English skills.

The home life has been very good as well. We spend a lot of time cooking together, reading, playing games, and much more. Over the last two weeks we have filled in many of the gaps in supplies we needed for the house such as lawn chairs for the rooftop, tupperware, bedsheets, and a few more things. We have however been struggling to find hangers. I spotted them one day at a small booth in the market, but unfortunately haven't seen them since. Perhaps the big market this Saturday and Sunday will yield some.

Overall things are much slower here. Not a lot to do on a weekend except shop at the market, go for a walk, or watch a local soccer game. Tonight we are going out with the office for a little soccer match and birthday celebration, so that will be some much welcomed entertainment.

Lastly, a care package ordered from the Piering Household should have just arrived this evening via San Francisco, so we are greatly awaiting its contents. Thanks again to Mom and Dad Piering.

Price Check on 1st Avenida

Living full-time in Quiche has both its benefits and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that anything you need you basically have to hunt for in the local merket. The market is not what must people would envision either. Essentially the market consists of numerous city blocks filled with vendors selling everything from fruit to cow toungue to sanitary pads. The market occurs daily, however in this town it becomes EVEN MORE PACKED and THRIVING, on Thursday and Sunday, the "market days." Today we hit the town in search of a variety of things. We usually try the two supermarkets (and I use this term VERY loosely) first to see if we can quickly find a few select items that we need. Today we hit the jackpot when Brittany spied coffee filters tucked in the back of one of the stores. At the bigger store we gathered some coveted items including instant coffee, honey, Brittany's favorite brand of chips, etc. The store is also great for breaking large bills to get change for the local venders since things usually range in price from 1 to 10 Quetzal. Walking through the streets we spotted some fresh ginger while I was eyeing the local rolled tabacco. Mark that off the list. We also spotted dill, mint, basil, and parsley, all herbs we have yet to either see, or see a lot of thus far. Here's what we picked up today and how much it cost:

2 lbs of Strawberries - $1.10
3 ounces of ginger - $1.10
4 lemons - $0.15
2 lbs of filngerling potatoes - $0.30
1 Red Bell Pepper - $0.30

Sunday's Scavenger Hunt List:
Fresh eggs from some lady with a little basket of eggs
Parsley
Cilantro

Note: Time Change

This is just a note to let you all know that when the U.S. and Europe had a time change, we did not change our clocks. So...this means that we are now only 1 hour ahead of Pacific Coast Time and not 2 hours ahead.

We´d also like to take this opportunity to remind all of you to register on Skype so that we can talk with you all for FREE! The link is posted on the right-hand side of our blog.

Thank you.

Ducks Advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tourney!

In what shouldn't have been a close game, Aaron Brooks scored 18 points and the third-seeded Oregon Ducks held off No. 14-seed Miami 58-56 in the first round of the Midwest Regional on Friday. I don't how this 3rd seed-14th seed match up became an actual fight, however I am sure it was because the Ducks simply like to entertain their fans. Like a cat that dangles a half-dead mouse in front of its owner, the Ducks knew they could kill Miami whenever they felt like it it was time. Let us all hope the next round looks a little better.

Volcan de Fuego on FIRE!

Last night as we were walking back from the bar with a few people we have met here, one of the women in our party looked up into the sky and said "What is that red light." Brittany and I knew exactly what it was as we looked up to see a nearby volcano, Volcan de Fuego, spewing hot red lava hundreds of feet in the air from the top of the peak. The lava then ran down a significant portion of the side of the volcano. It was quite incredible just walking back home and seeing hot lava squirting out of a volcano in the distance. Quite surreal indeed. This morning it was still bellowing a healthy smoke column and you could see the cooling grey rock from last nights lava flows. I will try to get a picture of this morning soon.