Buenos tardes!

Day 3 of school has gone well. I woke up not feeling so well, but nothing to report bad about. I just think I´m a little tired, as well as extremely sore from yesterday´s adventures.
After school yesterday I went back home for lunch, then back to
school to go horseback riding in a local village, through the hills, mountains and valleys. Two other girls from the school accompanied me, although they´re a bit older as many other students here are. There are some people my age, who I´ve met and they´re... interesting, to say the least. So I went with the other two ladies, Katy and Jana, and someone from the school to this guy´s farm where he has horses for us to ride. We took the chicken bus, which was not terribly
enjoyable. As time went on, I began feeling more nervous and wishing I could turn back and not go at all. I´m not the fondest of horses, and have only ridden them twice. Once at a camp when I was 14, and another time 1.5 years ago. Both times having a lot of help. This time, the cowboy farmer spoke only Spanish, and had a sly, somewhat creepy smile. He was alright, but kept asking me to sing. Also, I realized once I got on the horse that I didn´t know how to direct it or anything really, so it was interesting as my guide told me in Spanish what to do. I figured it out int he end. So we spent about 2 or 3 hours riding th
rough the gorgeous rolling hills of this village about 30 minutes away from Xela. Once we got going, I had absolutely no regrets. I am very thankful for such an experience. It was so peaceful, and although the horse didn´t always want to listen to me, it was a wonderful experience. The mountains and volcanoes here are absolutely stunning with the clouds, and the grass is so green, with lots of corn and people and houses here and there. Below are a few pictures.Here is the view outside my window at home (during the day, and then at night).

And my room (as I was unpacking... it´s much cleaner now):

When you walk in through the first gate, there is the yard so to speak, with tile and flowers, and then you walk in through the front door and there is the living room: two couches and a tv. Then theres the dining room which has a table and 6 chairs. To the left is where the sink is to wash clothes and dishes, and around the corner is a bathroom and a couple s
leeping rooms. Forward still from the dining room is the kitchen. To the left is a hallway to Zach´s room and my room. To the right there are stairs to go downstairs where the bathroom and a couple rooms are.
Here is the yard, with some of my host brothers playing soccer:

Here is the living room after you enter the front door:
Here is the dining room past that:
And the kitchen:

I thoroughly enjoy living in this house. After my riding adventure, I came back last night and had dinner with the family, and then worked on some homework. Lucas (my host brother who is 21 and studying business administration) was at school studying for an exam, but came home late for dinner, so we just talked in Spanish for about an hour... the first time I really practiced. It was awkward sometimes, but really great. We talked about what we´re studying, traveling, favorite colors and animals, our families, etc. Very simple, but nice to actually be able to say what I wanted to say. It gets better each day I think. Today after my 3rd day of class I went home for lunch and then played cards with Cusco (host brother who is 15 and plays junior soccer here) and Lucas. Then I was reading in my room when Nisha came home (18 and from England, volunteering here). I heard her talking in English, so I went to see who she
was talking to. Alex (last host brother who is 16 and studies medicine in his high school) was doing his English homework. So I got to help him out too, and we started talking with a bit with Sandra´s (my host mom) grandson, Jose Fernando. He´s 8, and the brother of Aby (Sandra´s granddaughter who is 5). I hope that wasn´t all too confusing, haha. Everything is well, and it makes me happy to talk about my family and share pictures with you all. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
Here is the garden of my school, and the walkway around it:


Here are a few pictures from yesterday´s horseback riding adventure. I almost forgot to post these!



Lastly, here is also a typical street in Xela. You can also see on the left a Mayan woman carrying something on her head. She is dressed in typical outfit which can have a lot of flowers or animals on it. My teacher at school is Mayan and she dresses similar, and today she was telling me that everything they have (for the most part) is all natural. It´s very important to them.