Mi Vida en Guatemala - Spring 2012

It has been quite some time since I last posted, so I lots of stories and pictures to share. I apologize, but I don’t think I will be able to help but writing a novel here…

Going all the way back to my first week in Guatemala…Antigua was a blast! After driving around for a while, we settled on staying at a hostile called El Gato Negro (The Black Cat). Then, we spent the day in Antigua walking around town and visiting the market. Sarah and I both bartered to buy purses (with a lot of help from Jesika, Rea, and Katarina). We weren’t quite ready to barter ourselves yet! We also stopped at this European Café, and Katarina and I shared a drink called “Monkey’s Ass.” Sounds mouth watering, right? It was like a chocolate shake made from milk, chocolate syrup, peanut butter, Nutella. Very rich and very good!

In the evening we went to a Salsa Bar and an Irish Pub to dance. So fun! I was so ready to sleep when we finally made our way back to El Gato Negro. The beds weren’t all that comfortable and it was a bit chilly (and smelly!) at night, but I didn’t mind too much. In the morning I had a huge breakfast with an omelet and fresh fruit that made up for any discomfort the night before!

Going to the beach on Friday was my favorite part of the week. It was so monumental to see the Pacific Ocean and black volcanic sand for the first time. It was absolutely the perfect day for the beach. So sunny and warm. Katarina has a beach house where we got forewheelers to ride along the beach. Later we went swimming in the ocean and watched the sun go down. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous. It was hard to leave!

The next day we left Jesika’s family and met the rest of our group at the Guatemalan airport. I was so nervous to get on the bus to Xela to meet my host family. I really enjoyed my time with Jesika, her family, and friends. It had been such a fun and relaxing week and reality was finally starting to hit me that I was going to be here for four months. I just didn’t know what to think!

That night when I went home with my host mom, Claudia, we drank tea together and shared our family pictures with each other. She was very warm and welcoming and showed me around her apartment, my new home! It is only her that lives in the house. She also has a tenet named Nestor. He works a lot and is not around most of the time. Nice guy, but the first morning I was here I was woken up at 7am by his blaring music. Seriously, it was loud. I wanted to pound on his door to tell him to shut it off, but (of course) I didn’t do anything. I mentioned it to Claudia later that day, and since then he plays his music and TV much softer. Thank you Lord!

The first couple of days in Xela were exciting, but they were also the hardest so far. Like I said, reality was setting in that this place was going to be home for over 4 months. I didn’t really think about the magnitude of that time before I arrived, so it was quite a shock when I finally did! After school started and we got into a routine it was much easier. We start school at 8:00am, one-on-one tutoring. We break from 10:30-11:00am, and then finish the day at 1:00pm. It is quite a lot of Spanish in one day. I loved my first teacher, Loyola. She is an indigenous woman, very kind, patient, and knowledgeable. She is very easy to talk to you; we often got side-tracked in conversation when we should have been taking notes or reading! We went to the Bake Shop and the market one day. I purchased some banana bread and she purchased watermelon, which we shared when we got back to school. Every day of school, I looked forward to meeting her in the morning. Tomorrow we are getting new teachers. I will definitely miss Loyola!

We have gone on a number of trips so far. The school organizes activities and excursions for us every day of the week. It is our choice whether we attend them or not, but we like to go to as many as we can.

The first week we visited the oldest church in Central America in the town of Salcaja, Ermita de Concepción la Conquistadora. We also went swimming in Las Fuentes Georginas, natural hot springs. The hot springs were discovered in 1902 and since then there have been 3 pools constructed, each filled with varying degrees of temperatures of water naturally heated by the surrounding volcano, Zunil. It is quite a popular place to go. I attempted to go in the hottest pool, but it was so blistering hot that I had to return to one of the other pools!
Our biggest excursion during the first week was our hike up Chicabal Volcano. We left bright and early at 6am. It quite the trek; by then end of the climb everyone was ready for a nap. The views up and down the volcano were absolutely amazing. The trees and plants are so green and you could see clouds hovering over the tops of other volcanoes in the distance. We had to take quite a few stops along the way up to rest (many of us were still adjusting to the difference in altitude), and it was so nice to look at such surreal views. On the top of Chicabal Volcano, there is a lake that is sacred to the Mayans. I felt out of place and disrespectful just being there, but our guide, Kevin, assured us that it was okay. Some of the people preparing for the weekend ceremony smiled and said hello to us, which better assured me. It was quite the site to see. There was just a large group of people gathering on the beach. Adults were sitting down chatting, some playing music, while there were children running around. We made our way around the lake walking to the different ceremonial spots along the way. When we were directly across from the beach where the people were gathering, the ceremony began. They were singing and their voices traveled across the lake in such a powerful way. It was beautiful to listen to. The sun was casting across the water, and such a peaceful feeling seemed to sweep over everything. It was quite the experience.

I was pretty tired walking back down the volcano and it didn’t help that I could feel two huge blisters forming on my heels from my brand new hiking boots. I didn’t look at them until I got home because I knew seeing them would make them hurt worse. Man, they were at least the size of a quarter when I did look at them!

It was interesting to find both Mayan and Christian religious influences at this sacred Mayan lake. There was the traditional Christian cross at certain ceremonial spots, and the Mayan cross at others. The Mayan cross is different as it is even on all sides. Each arm of the cross represents the four cardinal directions and has a significant color for which a candle is burned: North- white candles, South- yellow, East- red, and West- black. The idea is that the sun rises from the red (East) and sets in the black (West), while the wind dominates the North and South directions. The cross itself also represents the 2 equinoxes, the 2 solstices, and the 4 seasons. At a ceremonial site, the Mayan cross was constructed in the dirt along the lake. The four candles were set up in a cross, and in the middle was a mixture of plants, flowers, and incense that had been burned. The Mayans believe that they (human kind) are at the center of this cross, with everything else working around them.

Ceremonies can be practiced at any time, but the often the large gatherings like the one we witnessed take place on the weekends, when people are free from work.

At midday and at midnight, a niembla (large cloud) comes over the volcano and the trees and passes downwards onto the lake. During these times, the niembla makes contact with the water of the lake and it is believed that an opening from this world (the material world) and the inframundo (the next world) is created.

Mayan ceremonies take place in areas of high altitude, like Chicabal Volcano, and areas of low altitude depending on what a person is praying for. If they are praying about something more metaphorical/spiritual concerning God, they travel to a ceremonial place of higher altitude. If they are praying about something concerning more of the material world, they will travel to a place of lower altitude. Depending on what a person wishes to pray for, there are certain days of the calendar when it is appropriate to do so. At the end of a ceremony, a fire is lit. In the past, honey was often used to draw the cross where the fire would be burned, but nowadays, sugar is often used instead. With the plants, flowers, and sugar, there is a sweet aroma that spreads after the ceremony is finished.

The following week, I climbed the mountain La Muela (the mole). It was a pretty leisurely walk up a hill to the base of the mountain, so I was really excited when we had to start climbing up the rocks using our hands and figuring out the best way to the top. Once at the top, we were able to overlook the entire city of Xela. It was quite the site to see: Santa Maria Volcano (among other volcanoes) in the distance, bright grassy fields on the outside of the city, the city’s buildings painted so colorfully, and the sun beginning to set on the other side of La Muela. It was getting pretty chilly up there as the sun was starting to go down, so we were ready to leave after admiring the view for a while!

The next volcano that we climbed was Santa Maria. That was a challenge. We left at 5:00am to drive to the base of the volcano. It took us 4 hours to reach the top. It was quite different than climbing up Chicabal. It was pretty much straight up the whole way. We took several stops along the way. The elevation bothered me a couple of times. I could feel myself getting dizzy and would need to take a break for just a bit. We passed several indigenous women walking up the volcano and they were just wearing little sandals…I thought if they can do this wearing those, I should for sure as heck be doing it wearing my tennis shoes!

As we got closer and closer to the top, it felt like we were NEVER going to get there. Our guide, Kevin, kept saying “muy cerca, muy cerca,” meaning “very close, very close.” I stopped believing him after a while. Gosh, when we finally made it to the top, it was so exhilarating. I was surprised at how many people were already up there. It was a bit overwhelming. We walked past the crowd to take a look at the scenery. We were so high! Clouds actually passed us when we were climbing down the volcano. Have you ever been in a cloud before?! A cool feeling just passes all around you and the mistiness kind of envelops you. It’s a pretty neat feeling.

Anyway, at the top it was very sunny and warm when the wind wasn’t blowing too quickly. We could see the volcanic range in on one side and the other there was a smaller volcano that actually let out clouds of steam a few times when were up there. They a huge mass just billowed upwards. It was crazy to think we were so high we were looking downwards upon it. We ate lunch and took a nap on the volcano before heading back down. I just can’t believe I can say I slept on the top of a volcano! Coming down was as much of challenge as going up. By midday, the earth had warmed since the sun had come up, and the dirt turned into mud from so many people walking on it. We had quite a few slips along the way. A couple people went home with muddy butts (not me though!). I wish my pictures better showed what it was really like on top for you all to see. You would think the views of and from volcanoes would get to be the same after awhile, but really every single one is different and amazes me each time!

The 2nd annual Latin American “Theatre of the Oppressed” (TO) took place last week in Xela. TO was developed to bring awareness to injustices and oppressed in the world. Shows are put on every day of the week by groups from all across Central America. There is a unique methodology to the shows: a short play/skit is acted out, and then afterwards the audience can suggest changes of how they think the injustice/oppression could be fixed in real life. They then have the opportunity to go and stage and act the change themselves. I saw two plays: one on women and sex trafficking and another on discrimination against people with disabilities. So many of the people were so passionate about the different oppressions and how they believed we could/should fix them to better the world. It was difficult to follow along when they were speaking so fast in Spanish, but you could get the gist if just watched the people interact and listened to the cues from the music being played. It was quite a big deal that Xela was hosting the event. We actually helped the Friday before it began, cleaning a school where the different groups would be staying when they were here. The school was very run down and taken care of poorly. I couldn’t believe students actually still attended classes there. It was nice to know we were helping to prepare for such a great event, but also cleaning up the school a bit for when the students would return.

This past Saturday we went to the beach. Yay! It is getting warmer here in Xela, but it is still fairly cool because we are up in the mountains, so it was nice to be hot in the sun all day. I had my first exam this past Friday, so I really enjoyed just relaxing! Though the salt water just burns my eyes like fire, we couldn’t get enough of swimming out in the ocean and letting the waves take us back to shore. The water was so refreshing as the sun gets so strong by the afternoon. It was about a 2.5 hour ride to the beach on a road in terrible condition. Oh my gosh, with all the potholes and speed bumps, my insides just cringed. If it weren’t for such a trip, I think we would go to the beach more often.
Yesterday we visited the town of Momostenango. It was about an hour drive from Xela on a road in much better condition than the one going to the beach!...although we still had our fair share of potholes and speed bumps. We visited the home of a man named Louise. For five generations his family had been working there creating textiles made of wool with all natural dyes. The wooden “machines” that they have been using throughout the generations are 150 years old. The practice of making wool textiles goes all the way back to the Mayans. We learned about the whole process of cleaning the wool, preparing the wool into thread, and finally weaving the thread into a final product, for example a blanket. We actually got to try each of the steps; they were very patient in showing us how to do it. They work much faster than we do! The family works almost every day, all day (6am-5pm). All of Louise’s sons are working now; they start when they are about 10 years old. The family was so welcoming and even made us lunch! We had tortillas (freshly made and hot from the fire!), beans, guacamole, cheese, and salsa. Que rico! (How rich! How delicious!) They had many blankets, jackets, hats, gloves, table runners, and scarves available for purchase. I have always been jealous of my dad’s wool blanket, so I decided to finally get one for myself! You can see a picture of it in my photo gallery. It is so heavy, warm, and soft. I also purchased yarn for knitting in red, green, purple, and creme. My professor’s wife, Danielle, is sort of starting a knitting club here for us. I am looking forward to learning how to knit my own scarves. I am never patient with these types of art projects, so wish me luck! All in all, our visit to Momostenango was the perfect end to my relaxing weekend!

This week we get new teachers, which we will have for the next 2 weeks. My new teacher’s name is Rebeca. She is very nice, but I still wish I could have class with Loyola! I cannot believe I have been here for 4 weeks. Time passes so quickly. I am getting more comfortable speaking Spanish, making mistakes, and learning from them. I can see myself progressing, but sometimes it still gets frustrating talking to my host mom, Claudia, and not being able to get across an idea. It is all a part of the experience though! I feel like I am getting to know Claudia better, which has made me much more comfortable conversing and living with her. Her daughter (Maria) and granddaughter (Louisa) come every Friday afternoon for lunch. Claudia absolutely adores her granddaughter. It is neat to see her face light up so much. She is always in a good mood on Fridays.  It is also really fun for me to play with Louisa for a bit after lunch before she takes her afternoon nap too.

This coming weekend we will be traveling to Lago Atitlan (Lake Atitlan). I was at Lago Atitlan two years ago for spring break when I volunteered at a mission in the town of San Lucas. I am excited to return and hope that we will be able to pay a visit San Lucas and Father Greg.

The following weekend we will be leaving for a week-long excursion to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. We will make a few stops on our journey along the way to visit other places. I can’t wait to climb the ancient pyramids in the jungle, though I am a bit terrified of the thought of the snakes and spiders there.

Miss and love you all!
Kirsti

1/3/2012

On our first morning in Guatemala, we woke up and had a traditional Guatemalan breakfast: scrambled eggs, tortillas, and beans. It was delicious! Jesika and her sister's friend, Katarina, then picked us up at about 11:00am. We headed to the Popul Vuh Museum. There were many Mayan sculptures, pottery, and items with hieroglyphic writing on them. Jesika taught us a little bit about their numbering system. One long line represents the numeric value of 5, and one dot represents the numeric value of 1. There was a replica of the ruins at Tikal, and it got me very excited to see it myself! The museum was actually part of the Universidad de Francisco Marroquin. Katarina attends the college there, so she gave us a short tour. The school is very pretty. There is a pond with fish, and we fed them. They went crazy and even came up to the edge where we could touch them!

After the museum, we headed to Fontavella (a shopping/ restaurant center in town) where we walked around a bit, and then had lunch at an Italian restaurant called Tre Fratelli. It was funny to think of eating Italian in Guatemala, but Guatemala City is more similar to America than I thought. There are chain restaurants like McDonald’s, Applebee’s, and Starbucks. There are also advertisements, billboards, and signs in English. Spanish is definitely part of the city though. The people speak Spanish, traffic signs are in Spanish, menus are in Spanish, etc. I am not at all confident in my Spanish abilities, so it was really nice to have Jesika, her sister, and Katarina with us to get around and communicate. They also know all about the city…where to go and where not to go…so I feel very comfortable exploring the city with them. We shared pizza for lunch. It was delicious!

After lunch we headed to La Aurora Zoo. They had classic zoo animals there, but also some that I had never seen before. It was fun to walk around. The flowers and plants are so green, so pretty. It’s quite the change from the brown landscape of Minnesota!

We ended our day by going to the hanger. It is the private part of the International Airport with smaller planes. Katarina’s dad has his office there, so we were able to go in the back and look at some of the planes. We were able to see one of them take off. The sun was beginning to set, so the sky was turning pink. The clouds were hanging over the volcanoes in the distance. The view was absolutely amazing.

We made cheeseburgers and salad for dinner with Jesika’s dad. The burgers were really good. We rinsed the vegetables for the salad…it made me a little nervous about getting sick...But, I knew I should be fine. Jesika has been watching out for us. (Thank you!) And it is probably good that we are being introduced just a little to the water. It is much chillier than I thought here. It is warm during the day (70's), but it gets cool very quickly at night (40's). I wanted to pack reasonably, but now I wish I would have just packed everything to stay warm. O well! I'm sure I will manage just fine.

1/4/2012

Today we climbed Volcano Pacaya. I climbed up Pacaya two years ago when I came here for an ABE volunteer trip to San Lucas. I still looked forward to climbing it again. The volcano is constantly changing, and we took a different path up the volcano, so the views and landscapes were still new and exciting to me. We had a quite a large group of people going: Jesika, Raul, Claus, Katarina, Andres (Katarina’s boyfriend), Iza, Brenda, Morisa, Sarah, and me. We bought walking sticks for 5Q each, which is less than a $1. Most of the group had already gone up the volcano a couple times before, but we still got a guide to lead us up. This is normal practice because, like I said, the volcano is continuously changing, so the guides are the only ones who are familiar with and know the safe and scenic paths up. Our guide was very friendly and patient with us. The climb was tiring at times, and he had no problem just hanging out while we took little breaks along the way. Everyone just takes their time. It’s part of Latin American life. All the way up Pacaya we could see Volcano Agua and Volcano Fuego in the distance. The views were absolutely gorgeous. Unbelievable.

It was warm at the bottom of the volcano, but as you climb higher and higher, it gets fairly cool. When we were nearing the top of the volcano, the ground was covered in cooled, black lava. It is quite sharp and dangerous if you fall. There was actually no lava flowing, but there were pockets of warm areas where we roasted marshmallows. (Yum!) We also went into a small cave that was made out of the volcanic rock. It was warm inside there. There were holes in the ceiling where the sun came through, and we took some cool pictures that looked like we were holding a ball of light. The guide had us take those pictures. It was so cute how excited he was about them. We were given a choice to either continue up to the very top of the volcano to see the crater, or turn around. I really wanted to go all the way up. When am I ever going to see a crater at the top of a volcano again!? It was already late in the afternoon though, and by the time we would be coming down the volcano, it would be dark. This can be a little scary when you can’t see where you’re going down the volcanic rock! Our guide said it was a difficult trek up. We ended up deciding to head down.

We took a short cut down the volcano and went volcanic surfing! There was an area on the side of the volcano covered in small pebbles of volcano rock. It was deep and fun to jump through. Down the volcano we went jumping and running through this dusty, volcanic rock. I would compare it running down a mountain covered in sand. We were covered in dust head to toe when we got down. It was a blast. I realized I was content coming down the volcano instead of going up to the crater because once the sun began to set it got chilly and dark quickly.

We only had a few snacks for lunch, so once we got down the volcano and back into town (which took us about an hour) we went and got pizza for dinner. It tasted so good to eat something warm!

Living with Jesika is not that different than America, so it has been a nice transition period. I am really enjoying my time so far. It is so nice not to have worries about school or work. I am anxious to get back into the classroom to practice my Spanish, however. I have been very hesitant to use the language. I haven't spoken or listened to Spanish since last spring, so it has been quite a while. I was not able to follow much of Jesika's friends' conversations in Spanish today, and it got me a little stressed out! I know it will just take some time to get back into it, but right now, I am getting impatient with myself!

Driving is absolutely crazy here. For all of you who complain about St. Cloud drivers, you need to come here. There are speed limits and stop signs, but most people choose not to follow them. There is little law enforcement. You go as fast as you want and just expect everyone to get out of your way. It's like your in a NASCAR race 24/7. I think Guatemalan driving is quite ironic because it seems in all other things everyone takes their time. It will be strange to return to American driving in a few months.

Tomorrow we will be going to Antigua to visit the markets and the beach on Friday. I can't wait. I have never seen the Pacific Ocean before!

Welcome to my blog, everyone. I am going to do my very best to keep this blog updated with all my stories and adventures of life in Guatemala. I will be leaving on Monday, January 2 for Guatemala City. I will be touring the city for a few days with friends, and then we will be meeting the rest of our group on January 7 to travel to our new home in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. I am very excited for my semester abroad! I will be in Guatemala the next time I write. Talk to you all then!