As my teachers have been telling me the past couple of weeks, "el tiempo vuela!" (time flies) Two more weeks after this...I cannot believe it! How am I supposed to learn all four tenses of subjuntivo in 2.5 weeks?!
So, I guess I will give a brief overview of what has been happening here. It is already after midnight here, and morning always comes quickly. It is fun to talk with extranjeros...no matter where they come from, most everyone gets caught in the rhythm of going to bed early (sometimes REALLY early...8:30?) and getting up early.
These days, Mondays-Thursdays, I get up; do my homework; prep a bit for english class; get ready for school; eat breakfast (incredible for me...I eat breakfast EVERYDAY! not that it is so exciting to read about...); attend spanish classes from 8-1; eat lunch; go make fotocopias of english homework, find a snack for the students (poor kids, it is usually bread); teach english from 2-4; participate in a school activity if they are not already over; eat supper at 7; hang out with friends; sleep, and wake up to study. I know that there is a couple hour gap there, if there is no school activity, but still I always seem to be busy, which is wonderful, but leaves little time for blogging! Here is the overview of what has been happening:
Saturday, October 30 - Went to a Saturday morning program in Parque Benito Juarez, not too far from el Mercado la Democracia, where church groups meet to hang out with "ninos de la calle" (kids in the street), lead them in some games and songs, and give them breakfast. Some of the kids came with their kits to clean shoes, and other could only grab a quick bite because they had to go off to sell chocolate bars and chicles (gum). How different life is in Tofield. I never see kids cleaning shoes in the street. Still, children crave attention, in both countries, and it was beautiful as well to see the interaction between the leaders and kids. Some tried to teach me some Quiche, but I remember NOTHING! Saturday afternoon, I had some catch-up Spanish classes in a new cafe for me ("new" before the noun in spanish...as far as I can tell, signifies that the action is new for the speaker - new car for the owner, but it is acutally used -, but not newly built or out of the factory...interesting, no?) Another friend and I ended up returning to the cafe in the evening to chat in Spanish and take advantage of the wifi...eek.
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| Skate event in Toto |
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| Houses washed out by floods |
Sunday, Oct 31 - I met a Canadian, missionary family, living in Xela! They are so kind! I was supposed to meet up with them when I first got here, but like I said, time flies, and yikes, it is already to months later! I ended up going to an orphanage with them, and then to a skateboard competition in Totonicapan. I had no idea that there were so many skaters around, but I guess I wasn't looking!...the Virags' work with youth in a skateboard-outreach program. So cool! There are so many ways to show people that they are valued, and it is meeting people where they are. I got to speak a little Spanish with a girl that was sitting next to me at the competition...sometimes I needed things repeated, but in we could communicate on a certain level, and that was EXCITING :)
Arriving in Todos Santos, we went to a comador (translated as dining room, but more or less like a restaurant) where we had the choice to eat eggs and beans, beef and beans, or chicken and beans - of course with corn tortillas and pre-sweetened coffee...I ordered hot water. After that, we were free to wander the town until 3, when we would head back to Xela. A couple of other girls and I made for the famous horse races...it was easy to find as EVERYONE was basically heading that direction...and all in their typical dress (suit)...(traje tipico)...as I am typing this, I am not really sure about my English...it sounds right in Spanish, but I am not really sure about the English. how strange. no importa... you should have seen everyone. Some students related the experience to being at a costume party, because it just seemed so uncanny that EVERYONE was wearing the same vertical striped pants and white jackets. On the way up to the city, we passed a group of guys on the side of the road, and they were, of course, wearing traditional clothing...one student asked if they were part of a band...but later realized that no...everyone wears it. 
The horse races (carreras) are a big deal in Todos Santos...for tourists and locals alike. It was an adventure trying to find a place to stand...there were SO many people, but after climbing a hill, walking and weaving through groups of people, passing through part of a house, down a crowded staircase, and crossing the horse track, we finally found a good spot to watch the races! The idea is the horsemen, also dressed traditionally, get really drunk and drive the poor horses down a dirt track, which really isn't that long. Some "gringos" joined in, which the crowd found quite entertaining. We watched the races in the morning. I guess the races in the afternoon were even more wild, as the riders had more time to drink. It is terrible, but the crowd loves it when someone falls off, and I guess the races are a success if someone passes away. I honestly do not say that lightly, but it is tradition, and the town takes it seriously. As wild as the ethics are, it was interesting to see the whole town participating in the festivities. 
After the races, we walked over to the cementery, which was full of flowers, food and drink. Families leave food for their relatives that have passed away because they believe that their connection with the deceased is stronger on the day of the saints. For this reason, many families spend the day visiting the cementary. The families leave; people from the street come in and eat the food, and when the families return, they believe that their relatives have come back and eaten...or at least that is one explanation that I received...I am sure that there are many versions, but in any case, families visit the cementeries, and fly kites (which reach to the heavens).
We took some time to wander, but the feria was absolutely packed and it was hard to see anything for all the people, so we took a side street and ended up sitting on the sidewalk and eating suckers from a little tienda, which overlooked a TIGO in todos santos wall...Tuk Tuks would pass ocasionally. I really want to take one...but we did not know where we would go so we didn't. It was good to just be there though...the traditional clothing still gets me. I saw a guy in Xela the other day, wearing the traditional dress, and I knew where he came from.
Tuesday - I really do not remember what the activities were, but I don't always have time to participate in them anyway because English classes are at the same time. hmm. Live music and cafes in the evenings...maybe...seriously, the music "en vivo" is so much better than the spanish music in itunes...unfortunately, the many of the artists and just starting out, or are experimenting, and don't have cds.
Friday, I went to a Spanish-English exchange at a local cafe. There was one Guatemalteco, so my friend Ina and I chatted with him for a bit. Poor guy...I thought my spanish had improved, but he lived in the states for 10 years, and had a different standard of what it means to speak a different language...my goal is that people understand me...still working on it.
Saturday, I went to the activity in the park again. It was a different group leading the activities, and they ran out of food, but still kids ate. In the afternoon, Ina and I took a camioneta (chicken bus) to the coast (which really isn't the coast as in beach, but is just the general area that is lower, flatter, and warmer than the highlands. We wandered around San Felipe, enjoying the warmth! There were NO other extranjeros in the town! We got a few strange looks, and a little girl stared at us from her place on a tree branch. It was beautiful just to sit on a curved park bench, watching people, listening to the buzz of tuk tuks, and eating a quickly melting Sarita ice cream. I am going to miss the central plazas, with the churches and parks, and vendors selling their product just off to the side. The bus back from the plaza was full, and I sat with a lady who lives near Xela, but unfortunately I was having a hard time understanding her Spanish...asi es la vida (that's life) ... sometimes discouraging, but other times, I can understand, and it makes up for all the times when I can't!
Sunday. I FINALLY made it to that futbol game! I didn't go the opportunity I had my second week...and all the other times haven't worked out, but I finally went! It was at noon, not at night, so I was able to go alone. It was so beautiful out, with the sun shining, and little wind. I think the vendors selling aguas (pop), chocobananos, ice cream, and fruit were happy :) My maestro (teacher) had told me that Xela fans would be wearing red. If he had not told me, I would have shown up in my bright blue sweater; the opposing team was dressed in royal blue...yikes. Thank you Gato (mi maestro)! The fans definitely know how to cheer on their team. The fans came with cut up newspaper confetti, compressed blue, red, and white gas which when released, looked like a flag of the team's colours, and all of their musical instruments. They played cheers with their trumpets and percussion throughout the game. I can only imagine how tired their lips would be. It was so great...so much pride! Generally, Xela's team isn't that good (I hear), but they still have support! Xela did win, however, 1-0. wahoo!!! and the crowd went wild!Monday - Friday
I taught classes alone because Sandra was travelling Guatemala. I really enjoyed it though! I feel like I have gotten to know the students so much better. I had already done the activities with the school, and they took place during my teaching hours anyway. I did watch a movie, and went to a new cafe, at the recommendation of my new maestro, where they serve ice cream in hot chocolate! I love finding these new places...almost prideful of Xela, and the increased comfort that I now have here. I just wish that I could show it off to all of you now. Thursday my maestro y yo started talking about knitting and traditional foods of Canada. Well...I am not really sure what constitutes a traditional Canadian food, so rather we talked about Norwegian flatbread, perogies, and french toast! She knits fantastic sweaters, but didn't know how to make mittens, so we are now working on a pair in the pausas :) I love that I have an excuse to interact with the teachers while not in classes...as I am realizing that I know many extranjeros in Xela, but not Guatemaltecos...it is too bad, because I will be lacking my community when I return. I guess I will have to make a new community!
Each week, the maestros talk to us about what we are doing in the week, or our plans for the weekend. Plans change, so everyday I was telling my maestra, Nancy, that something different that I was going to be doing that weekend. There was an opportunity to climb Santa Maria (the volcano in the foto in one of my first posts...it looks like a stereotypical cone mountain. It's incredible.), but my friends were leaning towards not going and I definitely did not want to be in the back all by myself! Santa Maria is viewed as somewhat daunting...or quite daunting, for us extranjeros, and I find the hill leading up to the school difficult! (It is not a hike for "ninos" as Enrique, the director of the school, said.) Some former students of the school were also planning on going to Xocomil, Mayan-themed waterpark at the coast. I didn't want to stay in Xela alone, so finalmente, I had decided that I was going to go to the waterpark. That changed right after classes when they announced the hike was changed into an overnight...watch the sunrise from the top of a volcano...kind of deal. With a little bit of encouragement, and a lot of skepticism, I decided to go. Ha. I was checking my email that afternoon, when the maestro who normally hikes with the group, came up to me and said "are you sure that you want to go. Maybe you should go another time. There will be other times. I don't think you are ready. Are you sure that you are ready to go now?" It was all a joke...they are always joking, and I guess they get a kick out of my rather expressive face...the maestro, called Perro, said that profs psych out their students in the university the same way...no importa. I went.
SO INCREDIBLE! SO SO SO INCREDIBLE! I am so glad that we went. I can hardly imagine that we almost didn't! The hike was hard, but not impossible. It turns out that we didn't have a guide (Perro didn't come!), but the trail was basically simple, and one of the guys had climbed before. Ina and I made it to the top a little after dark (5 hours hiking), and set up camp. Ha....the poor Guatemalan guys were not experts at setting up a tent (but they knew how to get us up the volcano, where were the views, and when to get up to see the stars). Our tent worked out fine (well, mas o menos...I don't think it would have passed with my camping friends in Canada, but it didn't fall down!), but the poles for the other tent didn't have the right metal endings, and while I tried to explain how it was supposed to work (not that it mattered, because some of the ends being broken), they thought they knew better, and didn't take my advice. The experience was hilarious...the an American girl, Ryan, and I laughed and laughed. (Everything is better after making it up a volcano). In the end, the tent fell down, and they slept outside. From the tent, we moved on to fire. Ryan and Marvin collected some wood from a bit further down the volcano, but the mist had made everything damp, and even with the help of paper garbage that we found, we could not get the fire going, so we ate raw marshmellows around a pile of sticks. 
In the middle of the night, not that we were sleeping because of the hard ground and the cold, the fog had cleared and the stars were out. SO WONDERFUL! So amazing. I feel so blessed to have had the experience to stand there, staring up at orion, the big dipper and caseopea (?), in GUATEMALA, from the top of a VOLCANO! I guess that their were two shooting stars, but I missed them. We got up around 5:30 to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was quite foggy again, but it was still BEAUTIFUL! Thanks to the advice of one of the Guatemaltecos on the hike , I sat a ways away from camp where it was possible to see Santiaguito, one of the most active volcanoes in Guatemala...(I took a picture of an explosion of Santiaguito from the Finca de Cafe)...and we did end up seeing an explosion! I guess when it is not foggy, it is possible to see the red lava when it explodes in the night...I would like to believe that I saw a hint of red amongst the ash :) The sunrise was beautiful, even with the fog, and there were moments where the sun burned away enough clouds for us to see the Laguna de Chicabal and other mountains. We saw Tajumulco, the volcano de Zunil (I think where we planted trees my second week), and the city of Xela. On clear days it is also possible to see a bit of the Lago de Atitlan! Ay!
After breakfast of Xelapan and tea (thank you Bill for bringing a stove and tea bags!), and much time taking pictures, we headed back down. The hike down was definitely less exhausting, but definitely more slippery...with mud! We had nearly made it to the end, when poor Ina twisted her ankle...it was quite swollen, but she still managed to walk the rest of the way. Her ankle will be okay, and she doesn't regret climbing.
Yikes...in it was so great. GUATEMALA! I cannot believe it. Each time that I see Santa Maria now, which is basically from everywhere in Xela, I am so grateful that we had the experience! So beautiful! I really wish that you could experience it too! Are you getting tired of me saying that yet? I suppose you will just have to get here, so I stop nagging. Good idea. Thank you :)
More spanish classes this week. (learning the subjuntivo!) + English classes (last week teaching sola) + school activities (movie, conference on the history of cafe in Guatemala, international supper tomorrow - what should I make?) + pupusas de la calle (street) + finally being able to go to a young person's church service + hanging out with friends who returned from travelling and have already left again... = a very busy, but very wonderful week!
