Jose the champ

So last time I believe I left off with the story of Jose, the little guatemalan boy who made my first day in guatemala so enjoyable. We played a bunch of futbol and really connected. I have found that futbol is an excellent why to connect with people here in Guatemala since everyone here is a diehard fan. Before leaving the hostel, I felt that i needed to give jose something to remember me by, so I ended up giving him a hat that had Jim Thorpe written across the top. I could tell that it meant a lot to him because he gave me a bottle of wrinkle free spray as a token of appreciation. Although this isnt a whole lot on american standards, it was all he could give and I appreciate his token of friendship.
One by one students from my program began to arrive. With each new arrival, excitement was mounting exponentially. One after I began to meet interesting people. Our program director Ellie was really cool and came to meet us in the hostel. The other students arrived the morning be departed. I am very glad that I arrived earlier to spend some time in the hostel.
As we were leaving the hostel to start our journey to Xela, which would be our home for the next 6 months Jose ran up and pretended to hop onto our bus. Before I left he gave me a big hug and I wished him the best of luck. I wonder where his life will lead him and what adventures lay before both of us.

The picture on the upper left was a snapshot of the drive to Xela from guatemala city. A road filled with beauty and a heck of a lot of landslides. Luckily we didnt run into any.

Keep on Keeping on,
Maloney