I'm here!!!

Well, I made it to Guatemala, and I absolutely love it! Even when my plane landed and the taxi was taking us to San Juan, I knew this is exactly where I am supposed to be. God is so good, and He has prepared me to be in this very place. I love all the sights and sounds, and especially the people...even though they are all crazy driver!
So when I arrived in San Juan, Lionel, the taxi driver dropped us (another girl, Katie, will be here with me for the next three months) right down the road from my host family's house. I was kind of in shock when I was shown to my room that is barely wider then the bed! The roof is half covered by wood, the other half is covered by a hodge podge (can I use that word?) of metal. And of course the first thing I think is “I bet this room is full of spiders (which I'm terrified of!).” And wouldn't you know there was a spider right over my bed to great me. Do they know that I'm terrified and seek me out? But good news, since I killed him, I've seen no more! Let's hope it stays that way...But anyway, more about the house...my host family is wonderful! They are so nice and generous, don't speak a word of English though! I think that is actually a good thing to help me learn Spanish quickly. I eat meals with them, but its kind of frustrating...I understand a lot of what they are saying, but just can't come up with the words to respond or say much. Hopefully that won't last too long. The outside is surrounded by a beautiful garden. Filipe, my “dad” is a gardner, and he makes the place look awesome! The bathroom is tiny...I have to remember every time I go the bathroom, not to flush the tp! And when I shower, the knob has to be turned just right, so the water is heated. They use what I think is called a widow maker to heat the water, and when I say heat, I mean slightly above frigid, not hot by any means. But hey, it gets the job done! Hmmm, what else? Oh when I go to sleep at night, a large array of noises fill the air. There's the dogs barking continuously, and sometimes fighting. The chickens, oh and the roosters don't just crow the wake you up in the morning...no, they feel compelled to crow all night! And then there's the bombas...these are like fireworks but without the lights, just the loud sound. Sleeping is an interesting process, but it's getting easier! Well, that's plenty for now! More later!