One week completed

We arrived one week ago- and yet it seems a long time ago and a different world. Instead of snow,we see tropical vegetation and hear birdcalls and insect noises and Spanish words spoken in torrents of sound that can confound and confuse by beautiful people smiling and greeting and laughing and talking.  
We love our language classes and the school is rigorous but fun. Thus far we have spent each day either in class or studying for the next day. Alex and I are staying in a room in the guest house and eat lunch and dinner outdoors in the comidor, a thatched roof building where everyone eats together. The food is not quite what we would have at home:this is Oaxaca,Mexico and I can assure you what we are eating is not on the menu at the Mexican restaurants in town! I now realize that spaghetti without sauce, black beans, fried bananas and a glass of water can indeed make a meal.We buy fruit in the nearby village and it tastes better than you can imagine.Our only real disappointment is the extreme difficulty in communicating to the States. The Internet is very,very unreliable,our telephone, non-functioning here at the base and so we have to go into Puerto Escondido in order to make contact. So... we will do the best we can to stay in contact.We miss you all and love you. Alex and Peggy

Some Geographical Details

   Below I have pasted two maps to show exactly where we'll be staying while we're in Mexico.

This map of Mexico shows the state divisions. We will be 

staying in the state of Oaxaca, which is located in the south.

                                  
                        Here's a close-up of Oaxaca state. Roca Blanca is a thirty-minute
                     bus ride from the city of Puerto Escondido, which is shown on this map.