Hola everyone!
sorry for the long pauses between blog post, last week i picked up a bacterial infection from some food and was not able to get on the internet at the office and this week the internet at the office wasn´t working so i wasn´t able to get on and catch everyone up!
these have been a couple of crazy weeks, last saturday for our spanish class we got to go to antigua for the first time, antigua is so beautiful, but very touristy and a lot more expernsive than the rest of guatemala! we explored hidden court yards, the market, the jade factory (one of the best in the world) and then had brunch at the bagel barn (if anyone comes to visit we are probably going to have to hit this place up.....it has every kind of bagel imaginable!) all and all it was a very enjoyable spanish class followed by a nice relaxing afternoon back in San Lorenzo.
Then on monday we went to Guatemala city to learn how to use the correct taxis, locate the hospital that we will go to if we ever have a serious medical problem, and see the embassy. I thought that as far as latin american capital cities go, it was very clean, but very american as well. we ate at a mall foodcourt that had almost exactly the same resturants that there would be in an american mall. our spanish teacher loved it, we were less than impressed, but still gorged ourselves with panani´s, ice cream, chuchuros and hot chocolate. the mall had a movie theater, belks, victoria secret and many other americanish things in it! we are only allowed to be in guate if we are leaving/entering the country or going to the places listed above, so i don´t think i will get to utilize the malls and i definitely wouldn´t be able to afford it on my pc salary! haha
the rest of the week past pretty normally, spanish classes and training. But this past saturday we had our inter-community exchange with some of the eco-tourism trainees. They came to San Lorenzo first and then we went to Santa Catarrina. Santa Catarrina is very beautiful and has a lot of coffee farms around it so it is very green. Afterward we had our first free afternoon so we headed back to antigua for a afternoon of hamburgers and more exploring.
But this weekend was very different from the last weekends in SL becuase the fierra came to town. this is a big parade/fair that is set up in the plazuela. it starts at the bottom of our town with people in the town dressed up as oversized stuffed animals and they do this shuffle dance for about 30 minutes before proceeding to a neighbors house, having snakcs, and starting their dance again. they normally start around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and arrive in the plazuela around 9. it is so loco! definitley one of the more bazarre things i have seen!!! then the town sets up a dance area and the entire town comes to dance to a band(on saturday night) and a dj (sunday night) until 12 or 1 am! it might not sound very crazy, but considering that normally bed time is 8:30-10 pm at the latest, this is definitely a chance for the people to cut loose. the next town party isn´t until august so it is always fun! it definitely made the weekend go by quicker!
today we started our practicum, which just makes me more and more excited to get to site and start working! tomorrow it is back to spanish and training but friday we get to have class in antigua again and practice our bargaining skills at the market and the pacas (used clothing stores). Saturday we are going to see a traditional mayan ceremony and sunday is one of the girl´s bdays in my language group. its hard to believe how quickly the days pass here!
i miss everyone very much and hope everyone is surviving the winter! más venir!
So glad to hear you made it to Antigua. I loved it there! My friend, Susie, bought a beautiful ring at the jade factory you visited. Did you find the cafe I mentioned? Before you leave that area, you need to go up to Lake Atitlάn. Huge beautiful, volcanic lake. Just stunning. On the far side, there's a lakeside community called Santiago Atitlάn where they have one of the most bizarre customs ... They worship Maximόn ... Mayan I think. Anyway, you are considered very fortunate if you are chosen to host Maximόn in your home for a year. Now Maximόn is this big wooden mannequen ... Like a cigar store indian ... who arrives at your house during a very festive parade. The family will have him sitting up in the family area to receive the people from the community who come to bring offerings, usually money, all year. Maximόn can never be left along and there are generally a ton of candles lit all around him. I have pictures of Susie and I with Maximόn that I'll have to send you. At the end of the year, he leaves your house in another big parade and moves on to the next lucky family. Go there and ask someone to take you to the house where Maximόn is. It's just too wierd to miss!
ReplyDeletehey fran!
ReplyDeletesorry i just found your post! we passed by lake atitlan on the way to cabrican, it is beautiful and there is one site there so maybe i´ll be placed near it! i have heard about maximon- mayan´s really like to talk about him here! i hope your doing well!