Independencia!

I have no school today!! That's reason enough to celebrate. So, so nice to have a little break. But the reason I have off is because today is Guatemala's Independence Day. Last night was the big fiesta. I was told there were going to be a lot of people in Central Park, but it was absolutely insane. People were EVERYWHERE. It was a little overwhelming. There were parades and music and food and people selling things.

The hardest part was staying up until midnight. I felt so old last night because I was struggling to stay awake. Embarrassing. I made it though! And midnight was definitely the highlight of the evening. Leading up to the special hour, we watched a Guatemalan band perform. And I can't really explain that experience other than to tell you that they were all middle aged, all dressed the same in suits and a blue tie, had choreographed dance moves, one had a mullet, and another was reading his lyrics off of his hand.

They announced when it was midnight and we had the "grito" de Independencia. Everybody basically yells to celebrate the coming of Independence Day. Afterwards there was a great fireworks display. Guatemalans love their fireworks. It was a great show, and probably the longest display I've ever seen.

All in all it was a fun night, and I was very, very glad to be able to sleep in this morning knowing there was no school.

Here's my one picture to commemorate the evening. And its grainy and dark. Sorry about that. It's my teacher friend Jen and I sitting in Parque Central during the festivities.

In other news, I think a rat lives above my ceiling...

Two nights ago, I was startled awake at 2 AM. And I'm not usually a light sleeper. But I heard this rat creature scurrying loudly back and forth over my head. It was quite terrifying actually. It was just running back and forth, chewing, and there were thuds like it was jumping off something. I just kept picturing it falling out of the ceiling and onto me or something. So I couldn't sleep. It kept scurrying until like 4AM. I have no clue what it was doing. I have heard it since, but not as bad as the first night. Now I just think, "Oh, there's the rat." and roll back over. I'm too tired to let a little rat affect my sleep!