I'm tired. I got back within the past 30 minutes from The Buddha (where I sang Your Song and Hey Jude during karaoke). It was just Holt, Yessy, her mom and brother and me (and the other people in the cafe). But, Holt kept on leaving intermittently to go to La Rumba and La Paranda because we drank a little before, but he was super drunk. He's 18, and he drinks at least the 1/5 bottle of rum before we go out. It was good to see Yessy one last time before we leave. She has always been so sweet (and she gave me a bottle of perfume tonight and Holt something as well). She, Rocio, Juan Carlos and Noemi came to my good-bye lunch yesterday where I received a diploma (more like a certificate) from Proyecto Lingüístico Santa Maria (mi escuela) and one from Universidad San Carlos (mi universidad). It was a nice lunch at La Taquaria (I had quesodillas and horchata), and afterwards, we went to about ten zapaterias (shoe stores) in La Democracia (a market area) and around el Parque Central, searching for a brown pair of "tacones correos" (brown wedges) that I would like. Couldn't find any so then we went to La Pradera (or Hiper Paiz--a mall, basically). Yessy had to meet her cousin to see a movie so Holt, Juan Carlos and I finished the rest of about 10 shoe stores there, and then we went to San Martin, an amazing bakery (probably the best in Xela). Normally, I have bread from Xela Pan (and once I bought a strawberry cake for everyone in the house from there). It's delicious, but here we all had chocolate cake which was divine and rich. I had milk, Juan Carlos had a cappachino that he didn't like and Holt, a frappe. I don't know why I wrote (or remember) that--must be the server in me. Well, Juan Carlos saw us off to a minibus, and I guess I don't know if I'll ever see him again. He was really nice, often waited with me at the university for my taxista to come. He's just all around helpful and intelligent, informing me of things in Guate, helping me learn modismos (slang) and correcting some of my speech. Anyway, he was supposed to come to karaoke tonight, but didn't.

Tomorrow I have class at 8, as I had this morning. I'm going one hour early because tomorrow I'm leaving my school around 11 since I have to catch the bus to the capital at 12:30. Holt and I are having hamburgers at our house--Noemi's going to make them and I'm interested to see how they'll taste. Then, we're taking a taxi at 11:45. I need to send postcards that I've written already, write a few more--including one to Beltran (totally forgot about him so this is kind of a reminder...oops), and go the the ATM before I leave. I also am going to end up giving my huge Larousse Spanish dictionary to my school because I just don't have room; I've already donated some of my clothes, given my Hundred Years of Solitude to Holt (my copy from Rose), and I still have to put a few things in my booksack. I don't know how I'm going to carry Jesse's birthday present, my booksack, and my purse throughout the airport. But, I have finished all my gift-buying except for Cecilia and Raymond. I even bought Carlito a present (drumsticks because he's always beating his drums with spoons) because he turns 3 on Monday (same day Jesse turns 28!!). I'm so excited to come home! Though I'm really sad about Shosheila. Mia told me today after she found out that Shosheila has parasitic worms. My mom and she are bringing her to the vet tomorrow, but we haven't brought her to the vet in probably 5 years, and that's why she got them. I hope she's okay, but Mia says she doesn't seem to be acting differently. But, Mia locked her in the backroom so she won't sleep with her tonight. I'm going back with Mia for the day after she comes into town for Harry Potter. Well, I probably won't update until I return to New Orleans because tomorrow it's school, bus to La Capital, evening at Carolina's, Antigua, bright and early Saturday morning with Erick, Carolina and Mario, and Sunday morning around 9, I go the airport. Well, that's all I guess, for now. ¡Buenas noches!