Week 1: Recap Continued

[Note: This was meant to be posted last night, but the internet was out with the town's electricity until this morning.]

I just walked back from ViaVia (great restaurant/bar, Belgian owners) by moonlight. The town lost power about 30 minutes or so after the soccer game ended, but the electricity is still (miraculously) working in Don Udo's. USA won 2-1 against Honduras! No screaming in the streets tonight, but USA plays Honduras again in San Pedro next week, so we'll see if the tides change or not. Anyway, let's continue.

WEDNESDAY: In the evening, I had dinner with some of the archaeologists/art historians/etc. currently working in the Copan area. It's really great meeting and making connections with these people, who are all brilliant and yet incredibly down-to-earth. In a way, it's like a sneak preview of what the future holds. Some of the people I've met are grad students, others already have their PhDs, some have edited books, given presentations at conferences, etc. These are all endeavors I see myself pursuing, so I am enjoying getting personal perspectives on what each stage of that life will be like. In this way, it's somewhat nice not to be surrounded by fellow undergrads simply because I am more inclined to branch out and meet all of the other interesting people working here. At the same time, though, I miss having some buddies to play sardines with in the ruins.

THURSDAY: I started my research routine on Thursday. CONIMCHH in the morning, CRIA in the afternoon. The rest of the day was pretty relaxed. I've started reading This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin, which I've been meaning to read for the longest time. After the first couple of chapters, I can't say it's too mind-blowing. But, to be fair, these chapters have dealt with a lot of rudimentary music theory with which I'm already familiar. It does seem to have a lot of promise, though, so I'll give you a better review once I've finished.

FRIDAY: My first Ch'orti' lesson was Friday an CONIMCHH. So fun! Later that night, I was jonesin' for something sweet, so I went to Cafe Welchez and brought back some flan de coco (coconut flan). It was the first time since I've been back that I was out near el parque after sunset. I had forgotten how vibrant the town is at night, with lots of music and people enjoying one another's company. It really is a great place to be. Oh, and the flan hit the spot!

TODAY (SATURDAY): Today was a nice, relaxing day. Explored the town a bit, did some reading. I also enjoyed some of my favorite Copan meals: I had a licuado de sandía (watermelon smoothie) with lunch, and the espagueti vegetariano at ViaVia. My fellow field school alums will be pleased to hear that the marimba version of "I Did It My Way" is wafting in from the Udo's restaurant as I write this. It's been a very Copan day, indeed!

Hope everything is going well! Keep in touch.
Imb'utz akb'ar! (Good night!)
Alyce