First thoughts...

It’s been over one week since I arrived in Guatemala and I’ve been learning a lot from Guatemaltecos and my host family every day. We’ve all been separated into groups according to Spanish proficiency and technical project. In our cohort, there are two projects: Sustainable Community Tourism and Healthy Schools.  The community I’m in is small, near Antigua.  The first day we arrived, the town had an Inauguration celebration and literally, the whole town was there. Because I grew up in pretty large towns, I think it’s awesome that everyone knows each other and participates in the town activities.

               

The family unit here is also very strong. There is always someone home. Always. And people just knock on the door and expect someone to open it. Visitors are always welcome as well. Kind of reminds me of college – people just go knock on other people’s doors and chill. That’s not something I can always do.  My host family here consists of an abuelita, padre, madre, hermano, y dos hermanas. They’re ready to help me with Spanish and my homework, answer my many questions, and crack a joke on me once in a while.

Something that I haven’t been able to get used to during my time here is the noise, especially at night and the wee early hours of dawn. We trainees came at the perfect time: there is a week-long festival (in all of Central America) celebrating Cristo Negro, who is Christ for sinners.  Actually, people from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and all of Guatemala etc. mass migrate to Guatemala City to see Cristo de Esquipulas in Chicimula. (Most Guatemalans are either Catholic or Evangelical and there is a great divide among the two; it is assumed that parties and festivals for Catholics aren’t for Evangelicals and vice versa… people of the other religion just aren’t invited.)  So, in addition to extra mass, celebrations, and confessions, the people here use bombas (large fireworks, without the pretty lights) to announce the start of a mass or… just to celebrate. They are very, very, … very loud, especially at 3AM and 5:30AM and during the afternoons.  The churches also have loudspeakers outside, on the roofs, and the whole town can hear the worship, singing, and praise team. I told me madre that we don’t have bombas in the States and that if a neighbor were to blast one at 5:30AM, we’d see cops. Haha.  But good on the Guatemalans for celebrating and expressing their faiths. Of course, chuchos (street dogs), cats, and roosters contribute to the noise as well.  I usually sleep like a rock in the States, but I guess it’s a little harder for me to do that here.

Some Activities:

-          Hand washed my laundry in the pila

-          Made corn tortillas with my host mom and with my group at Justiniano’s casa.. also made tamales!!

-          Mi hermana is teaching me how to weave traditional textiles

-          Mi madre here started the weaving process (putting everything together)

-          Met the mayor of the town!

-          Played soccer with children.. gasp!!!!! I am so bad at soccer. I thought I was only hand-eye coordination deficient. I found out I am foot-eye coordination deficient as well. And I believe my English is deteriorating.

Prayer Requests:

-          For the safety of the Guatemalans, especially those living in Guatemala City. There is violence (bombs on buses), possibly due to politics (elections this year), poverty, or indifference.

-          Perseverance and open-mindedness of trainees (us) to accept and learn to love Guatemalans wholeheartedly and their culture.

-          Wisdom, not to offend or make cultural mistakes while we’re training here in this town.

-          Intelligence!! To absorb new Spanish vocab words and get the language down pat.

-          Health. So far, we’ve been doing pretty well with health – no extensive diarrhea days or malaria or parasites or severe injuries.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. Having trouble uploading them onto the internet......