We need to catch up on some dispatches from the weekend. The geological engineering 352 students are still in Guatemala (even though a new semester officially started today).

Yasmin (Sunday):

Well today was another free day for our GE 352 class. Luckly, the market day for Chichicastanango is on Sunday. The first task of the day was to attend mass with the locals. Some students and I went to church in this huge cathederal. It was amazing being able to participate in something so extravagant. After church, several of us continued shopping in the market. There were live chickens, dresses, masks, flowers, and more. Almost everything imaginable was located in this mile-long stretch of local street vendors. I myself have discovered that I am extremely good at bartering. It has been a lot of fun enjoying each others company, meeting new people, and missing the first week of classes.

Adam (Saturday):

We are no longer in Antigua. Yesterday we traveled from Antigua to Pannajachel. It is a beautiful city by Lake Atitlan. Today we got up early and some of us hired a boat to take us across the lake to Santiago for a couple of hours. Others stayed in Pannajachel to shop in the market. Santiago is located on the lake in between two volcanoes. It is very pretty but walking up and down all the hills in the city was tiring. After we returned to Pannajachel, we ate lunch and packed up again. This afternoon we will be driving to Chichicastenango, where we will stay until Thursday. We will keep you updated on what Chichicastenango is like.

Yasmin (Friday):

Once we left for Panajachel, the ride was long and extremely bumpy (there wasn´t a flat surface in sight). We went uphill for so long that we began to drive through clouds. If you love shopping as much as I do, then Panajachel is definately the place to be. Katrina and I walked literally two blocks and couldn´t resist buying at least one item from each vendor. All of their accessories are incrediably cheap. I got a purse, a shell pendant, two keychains, a scarf, and dinner for under 20 dollars. I love it here! I definately need to remember that I promised to buy my friends and family gifts.