Maple Candy

I have created a blog. I am trying not to dwell on the fact that I am weirdly uncomfortable with this and instead to bask in the egotism of it all. Ok, that's done.
Travel preparations---
I need to purchase a gift for the host family that I will be staying with while attending language school in Xela, Guatemala. It is supremely weird to buy presents for strangers and to attempt to purchase a present that "respresents America." When I stayed with a host family in Mexico about 4 years ago, the family had hosted all these Japanese students who had, almost without exception, brought them framed, shiny, metalic horse drawings. One was a unicorn. They adorned much of the apartment. A bright white horse with silver star eyes prancing in a dayglo sky hung above my bed. I felt so safe under its gaze. And then I began to wonder, are these animal pictures representative of Japan? They did look remarkably similar to something I once won at an arcade with tickets earned from a most successful game of skee ball. Did the host family like the pictures or did they feel obligated to keep them and have nowhere to hide them. I have decided that it might be best to purchase a consumable gift. If the family likes it, we'll eat it together and all will be good. If they don't, they can feed it to a dog in the street while I am at class and regail me with stories of how tasty it was when i return. It will not be hanging on the wall above my bed, taunting me with it's inadequacy. So I think i will buy some maple candy. I live in New England and this is a uniquely New England food. I will have to pack it in my suitcase to ensure that I don't consume it during the plane ride.