Quetzaltenango, Wednesday

1804 Back at hotel.

A much better day than yesterday - though that's a pretty low bar.

School was better today, I didn't feel quite so incompetent or put upon. We didn't go to the market today, I think that might be happening in the break tomorrow. Still not sure how I feel about my teacher, but he is at least OK - I avoided getting into a big political discussion with him - and he's not supposed to be my best mate. It's too early to say if he's a great teacher but he is at least competent. We did have an impromptu expedition to some art gallery during class time - I could have said no but I didn't - but generally it was OK.

Feeling hugely uncertain whether I should change schools or not. No point being foolishly consistent with my thoughts last night. On the other hand, I haven't experienced the cooking or lunch things - that will be tomorrow, I assume - so it kind of depends how they go.

After class came back here and did homework, went out to La Vienesa then walked over to the cultural centre in the old train station. Supposedly there's an art gallery and some museums there, including one about the train station, but I couldn't find most of them. One had a door with an 'abierto' sign but it was a Mayan textiles museum which was a lower priority so I didn't go in. The main central door of presumably the old station lead into a hallway with a big photo of the station in use, but apart from a big hall with some people faffing with chairs at the end, I couldn't see any sign of a museum and there was no one around to ask. I did also see a door round the side by some football pitches saying 'ingreso' but it looked a bit like it wasn't maybe a public place. I did go in, up a staircase and halfway up it looked like some kind of university building so I decided to turn back.

Not super impressed with my own performance there, but I might have hoped for better signage of their part. I didn't see - perhaps because I never got into the right place - any noticeboards about cultural events like music or films or language exchanges as I had vaguely hoped. I will have to look on the web to see if I can find exactly where these museums are and if anything of interest is happening.

Oh, I went into supermarket on way over to La Vienesa - my teacher said they did have batteries, near the tills - and bought a single AA alkaline for Q7.75, which seems pricey but I don't often buy batteries and especially not in shops so who knows. It was at least nice I could buy one for half the price of a pack of two.

I looked on web earlier for advice re the insoles in my shoes slipping back to the heel and "double sided foam tape" seems to be the answer. Supermarket didn't have any. On a semi-whim I went into a biggish hardware store in the slightly-grittier-than-central-part area near the cultural centre and was moderately chuffed at managing to convey to three different staff members what I wanted and buy some double-sided vaguely foamy tape. I had to buy a biggish reel for Q13 but still, if it works (and doesn't somehow destroy the waterproof lining of the shoes) it's well worth it.

Went into a small restaurant I forgot to get name of in 12 avenida on way back. Was going to have pollo dorado but they didn't have it; due to a fuckup on my part in the ensuing conversation I accidentally ordered caldo de res, but it turned out nicely - big bowl of soup with beef and vegetables floating in it and tortillas on the side. Eating chunk of corn on cob was a bit tricky with just a spoon but I manfully surmounted that obstacle. I even ate the avocado on the side of the plate - it wasn't *bad*, it just seemed a little bland and bitter. So I'm going to provisionally say that I don't actually dislike avocado, but I still don't like guacamole - I tasted a bit the other week when I was in Antigua.

Feel a bit lonely coming back to the hotel for yet another quiet night in, but I am trying to have a bit of time off the booze and will try going out and maybe get into a chat this weekend (and, if that fails, during next week too; it may even be easier to strike up a conversation if it's quieter during the week) - as I think I said the other day I'll probably try that bar with live music (probably a local-ish bar but who knows) Fri and then Sat I'll try one or two of the more touristy bars (I know there's at least one Irish bar here), perhaps taking a hint from the guide book. I could also consider moving to a hostel and probably all sorts of other things (eg language exchange; I haven't even looked on the web yet - or perhaps if I do a tour on my own initiative one afternoon or weekend); really for relatively good reasons (off the booze, trying to get school sorted) I haven't been actively making an effort to meet people lately.

I have mostly written off the school as a source of acquaintances, but if I do stick on there there may be some gradual striking up of conversations etc. I still think it's best option to be having classes 8-1 for all I don't like getting up early; even as it is, it often seems to be getting on for 3 before I leave hotel after doing homework (I don't like to have it hanging over me all afternoon). I suppose you could argue that in part starting school was an attermpt at meeting people; even if I'm assuming it's a failure, it still counts as an attempt, I guess.

I am of course getting some social contact just by having the classes every day anyway.

Look, I clearly overreacted yesterday. On the other hand, it remains true that I can do the hassles associated with this cooking stuff and while it no longer bothers me so much, I do still feel I've been railroaded into participating a bit. On the third hand, feeling a bit calmer as I do today and having had an OKish set of classes today, if the cooking is not such an enormous imposition I may well feel I might as well continue with this school. As I said above, I'm not quite sure how I feel about my teacher but he is clearly at least competent and if I go somewhere else I may end up with someone who isn't, or who rubs me up the wrong way even more. I suppose I have to bear in mind that nothing stops me changing school after two or three weeks if I want, if only for a change of pace. Really I need to wait and see how it goes tomorrow.

2343 Bed. Was doing some laundry earlier and the water cut off for maybe 30 mins, but it did come back on.