Familiarity

A bridge for KS

Oh how I wish that you could know Guatemala; I want to know it so much better.  Being here sometimes feels like a dream, and other times I feel all too awake, and humbled, but both are good.  Things are becoming more familiar, which is nice.  While was walking to Parque Central this evening to meet a friend  at the artisans' market (which only happens on the first Sunday of every month), I passed this old Victorian house.  I don't know the story behind it, but I am glad that I know where it is.  Near a cafe called Blue Angel, there is this old stone bridge.  It doesn't really serve much of a purpose anymore, but it is old and beautiful, and I like it very much.  We'll walk on it if you come! 

Familiar is good, but it is also easy to fall into a stagnent comfort zone, and stop exploring.  I don't want this to happen.  If you have the energy, could you keep me accountable? 

School:



Language studies are good, but slow.  In class, we are reviewing grammatical concepts that I learned in Canada, but I can't use them well [yet].  I feel like vocabulary doesn't stick, and I cannot understand my family.  I don't like feeling like a slow learner; I want results now!  Poco a poco though, right?  Still, I want to come back to Canada being able to communicate, and I don't know if that will happen.  I think that vulnerability, humility, and patience are the underlying themes of language studies...good, so good.  It really isn't bad; I am learning, and I love it... it just takes time...

                                                                 Family:

I want to introduce you to my family!  Unfortunately, I can't really, as I am not really sure who is related to who.  Hmm.  Sonia is my host mom.  She is wonderful, and tells me not to worry during every meal, as I pull in my chair to make more space, or ask about how to help.  I never do dishes anymore...it could be that I wasted to much water, and am thus banned, but who knows?  Either way, I am spoiled.  Sonia always makes me supper, which usually is eggs and refried black beans with french bread.  Me gusta.  Carlos is Sonia's brother (I think).  Yesterday, I asked Carlos what the bird's name is (which I don't remember), but Carlos thought that I asked what his name was (which I very well may have)...poor Carlos thought I didn't know his name.  At lunch today, he said that he got up at 6:00 am today, with a half-teasing, have not so teasing look...oops, my fault, as I left the house at 6:00 for the hike.  But then he kissed me on the very top of my head, so I don't think that he is too angry.  He is a sweet man.  (I woke up Sonia too.  oops.)   There are 4 others in the house: Marla, Chaly, Pedro-Jose, and Marla's daughter Luisa, although Mili and her daughter Stephanie eat lunch here.  I think that Marla, Chaly, and Mili might be siblings, and that Pedro-Jose is their cousin (I think that he is living here while attending University).  They are all very nice, and laugh SO much amongst themselves, but I can almost never understand.   Luisa has slowly started to play with my hair again when here mom isn't in the room.  Generally, there is a lot of yelling in the house, which is somewhat unsettling, as my parents don't really yell...at all, but I am trying to get used to it!  I mostly just see my family at meal times, as they all seem so busy and I don't like to be in the way (me...worry?).   Sometimes I bring my homework to the kitchen, just to present the opportunity to see someone! 

This past week:

photo by Sandra

Last Sunday, we went to Momostenango (45 min. drive) and saw the transformation of sheep wool into rugs and blankets.  I feel like we have lost something in our culture...a foundational knowledge about where things come from.  Her spinning wheel was simple and wooden.  An old shoe sole helped keep tension at one end...so creative.  She uses leaves, berries, and bark boiled in water with lime for dye.  She claims that the colours never run, nor fade.  Her whole family works with her, taking turns so that they can go to school as well.  After our tour, Thelma made us tortilla and egg sandwiches.  I also tried to make tortillas, but the dough is very sticky, and mine never worked.  After showing me several times, she brought out a "tortilla press".  Oh well.  I ate my holey creation. 

Monday: I am sorry.  I don't remember.  I may have gone to the market, and/or taken a nap or something. 

Tuesday: We went to a chocolate factory.  The factory has been in the family for generations, and our host, the owner, was so wonderful.  She was a short, Mayan woman who wore traditional clothing, and had long braided hair.   After giving us a history on cocoa (which I don't remember unfortuantely) she gave us a demonstation: grinding the cocoa beans, mixing the paste with sugar and a little bit of ground vanilla.  She then mixed it with hot water, and we had hot chocolate.  She goes to the finca and buys the beans because they are better there than in the market.   I guess that her chocolate is world famous, and that she has travelled to the States and Germany because of it.  It was exciting to see an independent, successful Guatemalan business.  (Guatemalans seem to be proud people and support their own, be it Pollo Campero fast food or beer).

Wednesday: I locked my key in my room, which wasn't a good start to the day, as I didn't have my books, my raincoat, or any money, and my teacher and I were going to Totonicapan for their feria.  oops.  You should have seen the look on my host mom's face when I told her.  double oops.  It ended okay though as she found a spare.  ,The fair in Toto was pretty much the same as in Xela, but it was good to see the countryside.  (Wednesday was my Grandma's birthday too :)

Thursday: We hiked up to the Vahos which are steam baths (sauna) over an hours walk up from the city.  I thought it was swimming or I would not have gone ;)  I'm happy for my ignorance because the hike up was so beautiful, with great views of the city country...good exercise too!  "Xelamap" describes the Vahos Steam Baths as Natural Saunas fueled by veins of volcanic heat....  It was good to get out of the city.

photo by Sandra

Friday: Friday at 8 (or more like after 9) was the Cena (supper) Internacional.  This was an activity my first week but really was too overwhelmed to participate.  This time, however, 2 other students and I went to the supermarket, and the street market, and bought supplies...how things changed in 3 weeks!  The kitchen was SO busy, but a really good time (even though much english was spoken...).  The supper lasted until 11:30...the director of the school and 2 teachers ate with us and conversation turned back into a spanish (with a lot of added laughter).  Oh, so many dirty dishes were left over, but the director said to leave them...I don't really understand this "students don't do dishes" policy, but I am afraid that I am going to get used to it!

Saturday: 3 of us went to the tree nursury to check out ICA's reforestation project.  The man working at the project told us about the different types of trees in the nursury, and uprooted some "baby trees" so that we could transplant them in little black bags to grow individually.  After we went part way up a hill (because we were tired) and planted 4-5 cypress tress each.  It was a solid way to spend Saturday morning!  Saturday afternoon was spent with friends, as one of the girls was leaving to work on a coffee farm...a hard thing about ICA is that people come and go...it was a good afternoon though :)

Sunday:  Today!  I woke up this morning at 5:15 and was at the school by 6:00 to meet for a hike to Laguna de Chicabal - a lake on top of the Volcano Chicabal, considered sacred by the Mam Maya.  Jungle, vines, mysterious fog (which sets in incredibly fast), birds, beautiful views, fields, mud, water-eroded roads, and wonderful Israeli tourists - the Laguna was well worth it.  I wish that my pictures could Guatemala justice, but you will just have to use your imagination.  The smell in the country is fresh and wet.  The dirt is light brown with smatterings of white-ish sand.  The fog is so dense that it makes your hair wet; the trees are vibrant and green when it is sunny, but slowly fade to green (up close) to white (in the background) when there is fog. 

Guatemala is such a beautiful country; it's incredible.  I wonder if it would still be familiar in a couple of years...

 words:

darse cuenta: to realize

cosechar: to harvest

reto: challenge

riesgo: risk

                                                                     resbaloso: slippery (like the mud road up to Laguna Chicabal)