Spanish School... DONE

Well we finished our last spanish class yesterday and our brains are all jumbled with verb tenses and new words I feel like i understand less but I am sure I know more my brain just needs a break. We had a great time in the small lake side town of San Andres. Our homestay family was very welcoming and our days were spent on the front stoop watching the local kids slide down the steep streets on plastic bottles and cooling off in the lake. The temperatures were WAY higher than in Xela (our first spanish school town), at times it was hard to think it was so hot.
We took a weekend trip to the Mayan ruins site of Tikal last weekend and had a great time climbing the temples and viewing the jungle from a top ancient structures. We camped in hammocks near the park so we could watch the sunset from the top of the temples and enter the park at 6am before the tour buses arrive. For the most part we had the park to ourselves which can be a little scary when you hear the howler monkeys coming close to you... the sound like LARGE tigers, luckily they just throw poo at you if they feel threatened!!! (we stayed clean!!)
This morning we caught the bus to Rio Dulce, another lake side town in southern Guatemala but this time the lake accesses the carribean. We are now in a cafe waiting for a boat which we are going to sail on for 7 days to the belize cayes (which are actually off the coast of Guatemala) and back. It sounds like a great trip and a special way to spend christmas, now we just need all of you to share it with!!!
The temperatures definately dont feel like christmas but the people remain festive, there are fake trees made out of green streamers and adorned with flashing Gallo lights at the top (Gallo is the local beer in Guatemala and they have managed to get their name on everything).
I hope this message finds everyone well and excited for the holidays.
Best wishes...