Playing Soccer with the Locals

Of course I started my day with bananas and sweet bread for breakfast. I went to class and for the entire Spanish tutoring session my group worked on our charla (presentation about stoves). While we were working away the other groups with their tutors went to a restuarant that has an amazing view. Little did they know, the president of Guatemala had the same idea for a Thursday morning. Half of my group (not including me unfortunately) got to meet the president and vice president of Guatemala and take pictures with him! I am really jealous!

For lunch I told my mom I loved the plain cooked chicken yesterday so she gave that to me again! And I saw her cooking it tonight for me tomorrow and I told her all my friends were jealous of my chicken so I think this is going to continue. She makes fun of me for only eating bananas and chicken, but I will take it if I only have to eat bananas and chicken! After we ate our lunch we went back to Cafe Sky but this time we went to the roof top for drinks. It was a perfectly sunny day out and it was a really great view of the city.

At Cafe Sky

Such a crew

Midday cheers!

After lunch we had more time to prepare our charla and then we presented to our group. It was a 20 minute presentation totally in Spanish about our stoves. We talked about how many people in Guatemala cook with wood on the floor in an open fire. How these people have lots of problems with their health because of the smoke in their eyes and lungs, problems with burning their children, and problems with having to purchase so much expensive wood which contributes to deforestation. Our stoves offered a solution to these problems! We had three types of stoves: the cement stove, the metal stove, and the rocket stove each having their own advantages but all of them with no smoke, less wood, and safer for their children at a very reasonable price.


I returned home and videochatted with Taylor and was able to virtually introduce her to my whole family and show her my house! My mom said everyone thought I was talking to myself before they realized I could talk to someone on the computer. Taylor attempted to speak Spanish with my family it was really fun!

The best part of my night was playing soccer in the town next door with my friends home stay brother's church group. It was a well lit cement field with goals. We played with a Duke soccer ball my friend had bought his family. Muoser had his brothers drive us there and we played for about an hour! I was surprised that they weren't very good but it was fun because they were impressed by some of my skills. We played the "gringos" (what they call white people) vs. the locals and we won 4-1, and I scored the second goal. During the game there was very joyful church music playing! I am really glad I went and it was the first time I exercised at least a little this trip!

Soccer with locals on cement but with lights and under a roof

Tomorrow we go into the field to survey people about our stoves which should be fun!