With two days of Spanish school remaining, I´m capable of conversing at a very basic level. The person I speak with however, must use very short words, in very short sentences. He or/she must also be prepared from time to time for a response that is unrelated to the actual topic of conversation. I´ve entered a learning curve with far too many twists and turns. It´s been fun, but the hair that I haven´t pulled out of my head has turned completely gray.

This past Saturday, we hiked up a dormant volcano to a crater lake called Laguna de Chicabal. From the summit we were observing a buena vista, when all of a sudden another volcano erupted in the distance. We couldn´t hear anything, as it was probably about 8 - 10 kilometres away, but great clouds of smoke rose from its peak as lava flowed down its outer walls.

The next day we walked down a mountain road through a big cloud. You could see bright sunshine in the valley below. This kind of natural beauty is impossible to clearly explain or express in words. We didn´t even take a photograph. A picture wouldn´t have done it justice.

I´m chomping at the bit for Friday at 1:00 p.m. to arrive; its then that the real adventure begins.

No more teachers, no more books...