Hello. So I am finally back at the home, after a good three weeks at language school in Antigua I can finally start to make a dent in my speaking abilities. I've been pretty frustrated about the whole spanish speaking thing, because I've been learning and learning and learning, but with minimal speaking to suppliment it all, my brain has pretty much got a grammar traffic jam (9 tenses) everytime I try to speak even simple present tense and some past tense. I've been getting more and more agitated about my inability, but today, actually got to do a decent amount of talking with some of the kids.
I arrived here around 9:45 and not too long after getting all my stuff set out where it belongs I joined in a water fight with some kids and two other short term missionaries, then I took a nap for about an hour. After my nap I decided to go hang out with the younger boys (they are generally the easiest to get to know and the most patient with bad spanish speakers). So I played UNO with Javier, Hans, David, Sammy, and Giovanni for a while and then wrestled around/had a pillow fight with them for half an hour or so and then went back to the other property where my living area is. I hung out with Amy and Erin (the short termers) and Lee for a bit and then went back to the other side to have dinner. I hung out with the girls and Salomon (one of the older boys) for a bit, pretty much not talking, just listening...I'm not comfortable yet speaking Espan~ol in groups (by the way, I could use a lot of prayer in general but especially for the ability to speak to these kids). Then we ate dinner with the older boys, again I just listened the whole time. I've been frustrated a lot of today since I had trouble manning up and just talking. Oh well.
So after dinner I was sitting listening some more, with just the two girls there, and Edgar and Rony still at the table, and finally, after they left I had a decent conversation with someone. Rony asked me why, after I've been to language school, was I not talking at all...haha...so the thorn in my side ended up being the topic which started my first conversation. So I talked with Rony (14 yrs?) for 20 mins or so about medicine. I was surprised to see that he actually struck up the conversation, it was really cool. I know all this probably sounds wierd, about my frustration and inability to just go out on a limb and talk, but believe it or not, it's actually been really frustrating that I've been such a wuss. So anyways, we talked about how he wants to be a surgeon, and the system in Guatemala (it's mostly government run), and things that Rony has gotten to see in the clinic here (like last year when a guy came in with wooden shrapnel in his gut from an explosion), and also my plans for med school and after. We also talked about his schooling right now and what he's learning in science class...this made me more excited to begin tutoring math and science (hopefully I'm able to help him). Anyways, so that was just a bit ago, and now it's about 8:00 and I'm writing this.

Oh yeah, I've been pretty tired this week and also, today and thursday I have generally just felt crappy...apparently my body is still getting over the explosive sickness I had the other night. I finished my antibiotics today, Praise The Lord! This drug that I've taken once a day for this amoeba or whatever I had, has given me a constant bitter taste on the back of my tongue. Much of the time for the past week, I have had the taste of bile (puke taste) on my tongue.
It's really wierd because it's not my tongue actually sensing the taste, it's just my brain telling me that my tongue is sensing it, so nothing I have done (mint, brush teeth, drink water) has helped get rid of the taste...aahhh, good times. Also, every sip of water I take, I can taste every impurity in it clear as day...not to mention that I can taste the air (and the air is extra polluted here so it's like chewing on dirt or the bottom of a shoe...yumm).
Just so you all know, I'm not sitting here angry about all this, venting to you...I just find all this interesting and wierd, so I thought I'd pass it along.
Again, as I mentioned in a previous post, I really enjoy reading any comments you guys put up, so please keep commenting. It's strange how much little things from home, like those comments, fuel me whenever I read them. Okay, well I'm gonna go read and then go to bed, and then it's off the the megachurch (12,000 people) in the morning! Have a great night.