Summer > School

Hey folks! Time for another update. This past work week was productive – I finished all of my interviews with study team members and am almost finished analyzing and synthesizing the data. Next week, my goal is to finish a first draft of the paper to send to my coauthors for review. In comparison to the school year, it’s really nice to be able to focus on one in-depth project. It’s also wonderful to have my evenings and weekends free, and yesterday I realized that I still have almost three months left before fall classes start up!

A coworker and I preparing for an interview at a delicious restaurant/bakery less than a block from the office

View of Guatemala City from top of E's building

This past weekend, I spent Friday evening with some friends at a gay dance club, which, I must say, was pretty awesome. The club had three levels (including an outdoor patio), good dance music, unlimited drinks included with your cover, and several performances (read: men in drag wearing hot pink wigs, swirling around oversized lollipops). Funnily enough, the club was one of the data collection sites for the study I’m writing about.

The next day, E and I got up early to set out for a daytrip to Iximché, which are Mayan ruins about a 1.5 hour drive from Guatemala City. First, though, we stopped for much-needed brunch at El Pedregal, a homey, delicious restaurant right near the ruins (Tecpan). I ordered fried eggs on top of crispy tortilla strips, which came with coffee, oatmeal, whole grain bread, elderberry jam, beans, tortillas, and cheese (all for under $6).

I love this teapot

Eating our feat at El Pedregal

After stuffing our faces, we wandered around the restaurant’s garden in the rain and took pictures of flowers (see below).

Iximché, while perhaps not as towering or visually impressive as some of the better-known ruins, is a very special place. The majority of visitors when we went were indigenous Guatemalans, some of whom still use the area for rituals and ceremonies. The area is absolutely beautiful and surrounded by rolling hills, which we could see much better when the sun came out.

Roses at Iximche

At the ruins

 For all you puppy-lovers out there

We walked around for a few hours before deciding to continue on our trip back toward the capital. Our next stop was Hacienda Real, a restaurant/tourist destination right outside of Tecpan. There, we shopped at their artisan market, took more pictures of flowers, and ate some appetizers (fondue, garlicky mushrooms, and bread) while being serenaded by a classical guitar-playing musician.

Hacienda Real

Our final stop was Chimaltenango’s Parque Central which, on a Saturday night, was bustling with food vendors, church-goers, and an intense women’s soccer game. We closed the evening with a visit to a CD/DVD stand, so if anyone is interested in the latest reggaeton or bachata (or watching a pirated version of Contagion), let me know.

Parque Central, Chimaltenango

How I spent most of my Sunday - reading and drinking tea