To continue with my happy posts, I have to say that my stay here in Guatemala has been like camp plus intellectual stimulation. Im learning a ton, having so much fun with friends and my "Guatemalan family," and I feel so relaxed all the time.
This past week, there was one particularly poignant lecture for our group (during our first six weeks here we always have one or two lectures and a movie in the afternoons after class). Last Tuesday afternoon, a man who fought as part of the guerillas in the 1980s came to tell us about his experiences. I have been reading about this harsh 36 year long armed conflict for a while, but hearing about the atrocities in person was very moving. By the way, the guerillas, although they were not always completely just, fought against the government controlled armies on behalf of civilians during the civil war (it ended in 1996 officially).
The lecturer, named Vincent, talked about his time in the mountains, when for one month, they had no access to food at all and had to eat meat without salt...he talked about this for awhile, trying to convey how terrible it really was to try to fight with no sustenance. He also talked about a day when his troop fought against a special army troop called the "Kaiwiles" who were specially trained in torture (trained by the US military by the way...this is a whole other story). He described to us his fear as they retreated from the Kaiwiles for hours. It was quite emotional. He also talked about how hard it was for him to recover after the war, suffering from both epilepsy and insomnia.
Like I said before, Ive read about atrocities like this before, but hearing it from this man standing 5 feet in front of me was very poignant. Most Guatemalans do not talk about their experiences during the armed conflict, since it was so recent and horrific at points. But in the end of his talk, Vincent conveyed a lot of peace of mind to us. He talked about how he now has his own business based on natural medicine, which he uses to help people with similar medical problems that he had after the armed conflict. He talked about how its important to not look back on your problems in the past and stay positive in order to enjoy the life you have ahead of you. Coming from a man who had suffered so much, his message was particularly strong.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A Guatemalan Wedding and a Bit More
Antonietta (my Mom) and los novios (the wedding couple) at the reception - 
The highlight of this weekend (along with some great salsa dancing and time with friends) was the "Boda" (wedding) of the niece of Antonietta (my mom here). We drove to Guatemala City at 4am in the morning to arrive at the mass and ceremony at 11am. Like I said before, I am so honored that I was invited (it's not required by my living with Antonietta). Also, I loved getting to know the rest of Antonietta's extended family. My grandma, Francisca (mother of Antonietta), came along with her four other sisters as well as a few other aunts and three of the younger girls. (There's a picture of the five ladies at breaksfast on the way there). Everyone in the family is so sweet, and although it was hard for me to understand them, when they talked to me directly, I could have a few nice conversations.
The family love in Guatemala amazes me everyday. All these ladies are so fun, always laughing and always so sweet (even when the little bus we rode in was hot, crowded, and bumpy). There is so little complaining in Guatemala for the most part. The optimism of the people here is very inspiring.
The wedding itself was beautiful (pictures are posted). I loved being there to watch a Catholic mass, and the party was so fun! The food was great (choice of chicken or pork, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and of course cake) and the site of the reception was beautiful. The party was held at a beautiful sugar cane farm 45 minutes outside of Guatemala city. There was also a very cool dance the women of my family did - it's a calm, traditional dance from Xela, called "Son" (a movie and picture of the dance is posted). The dance was very cool to watch along with other traditions (some of which were pretty similar to any other wedding) like having confetti-filled eggs, the bride throwing the bouquet, cutting the cake, and father-daughter/mother-son dancing. Otherwise, things have been going well here.
Last Thursday afternoon, me and the other students in my USC group had a little scavenger hunt in the market. In addition to exploring the market, we learned a few more Spanish words, and after buying the food, we prepared it - homemade guacamole, hot chocolate, fruit salad, and lots of other goodies! Our mid-week party was great fun (there are a couple pictures posted). I also did two extra salsa lessons at the end of last week, and it's still amazing. I even got lifted by one of the guys there! I bought 4 more classes (and it's pretty cheap too...each group class is about $4 American dollars). I love getting better at salsa, and then we went to "La Rumba" again, one of the great clubs that has salsa night on Fridays. I even danced salsa that night with a couple Guatemalan boys!
So today (Sunday) I am taking it easy and doing a bit of studying. I have a Spanish exam on the third level tomorrow morning. Hopefully, it will go fine. This rest of the week is pretty normal - class in the morning, a few conferences and movies, etc. I'll update soon. Love, Sarah
Pictured below - the farm for the reception, the mass at a church in Guatemala City, the bride getting dressed at home, me and Antonietta on the roof at the bride's home before the wedding, the five older women at my family at a rest stop the morning of the wedding, and the group´s midweek party/scavenger hunt (making guacamole!)
A movie of the traditional Mayan dance -
The highlight of this weekend (along with some great salsa dancing and time with friends) was the "Boda" (wedding) of the niece of Antonietta (my mom here). We drove to Guatemala City at 4am in the morning to arrive at the mass and ceremony at 11am. Like I said before, I am so honored that I was invited (it's not required by my living with Antonietta). Also, I loved getting to know the rest of Antonietta's extended family. My grandma, Francisca (mother of Antonietta), came along with her four other sisters as well as a few other aunts and three of the younger girls. (There's a picture of the five ladies at breaksfast on the way there). Everyone in the family is so sweet, and although it was hard for me to understand them, when they talked to me directly, I could have a few nice conversations.
The family love in Guatemala amazes me everyday. All these ladies are so fun, always laughing and always so sweet (even when the little bus we rode in was hot, crowded, and bumpy). There is so little complaining in Guatemala for the most part. The optimism of the people here is very inspiring.
The wedding itself was beautiful (pictures are posted). I loved being there to watch a Catholic mass, and the party was so fun! The food was great (choice of chicken or pork, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and of course cake) and the site of the reception was beautiful. The party was held at a beautiful sugar cane farm 45 minutes outside of Guatemala city. There was also a very cool dance the women of my family did - it's a calm, traditional dance from Xela, called "Son" (a movie and picture of the dance is posted). The dance was very cool to watch along with other traditions (some of which were pretty similar to any other wedding) like having confetti-filled eggs, the bride throwing the bouquet, cutting the cake, and father-daughter/mother-son dancing. Otherwise, things have been going well here.
Last Thursday afternoon, me and the other students in my USC group had a little scavenger hunt in the market. In addition to exploring the market, we learned a few more Spanish words, and after buying the food, we prepared it - homemade guacamole, hot chocolate, fruit salad, and lots of other goodies! Our mid-week party was great fun (there are a couple pictures posted). I also did two extra salsa lessons at the end of last week, and it's still amazing. I even got lifted by one of the guys there! I bought 4 more classes (and it's pretty cheap too...each group class is about $4 American dollars). I love getting better at salsa, and then we went to "La Rumba" again, one of the great clubs that has salsa night on Fridays. I even danced salsa that night with a couple Guatemalan boys!
So today (Sunday) I am taking it easy and doing a bit of studying. I have a Spanish exam on the third level tomorrow morning. Hopefully, it will go fine. This rest of the week is pretty normal - class in the morning, a few conferences and movies, etc. I'll update soon. Love, Sarah
Pictured below - the farm for the reception, the mass at a church in Guatemala City, the bride getting dressed at home, me and Antonietta on the roof at the bride's home before the wedding, the five older women at my family at a rest stop the morning of the wedding, and the group´s midweek party/scavenger hunt (making guacamole!)
A movie of the traditional Mayan dance -
Friday, January 16, 2009
My first full week
The group at the school (our welcome party!)
Things continue to be going great here in Xela. Last Friday night we had a really fun welcome party in the school. There was great food including some delicious tamales. Part of the party was also our first group salsa class. I´ve taken some salsa classes at Penn in the past but they´re nothing like this! The salsa steps they teach us are really hard, but so fun! Later that night we went to a salsa club called "La Rumba" in center city and it was amazing. All the kids there were so fun and we got to practice what we had learned! I also spent half the time sitting mezmorized at the Guatemalans dancing. They´re amazing! Even better than ¨So You Think You Can Dance¨on TV. This will definitely be a great highlight of the trip...we get a group salsa lesson every Thursday night from now on!
Last Saturday morning we went on a group hike up "Baul," a mountain right next to the city. It was a tough hike actually, but challenging in a great way (especially after all the awesome food Ive been eating at home), and the view from the top was amazing! There were also a few monuments up top that two of the girls climbed (I have pictures)! The monument must have been at least 50 ft. tall. But the best part of our trip to Baul was the amazing slide! We definitely dont have slides like this in the US. The first time I went down the slide, I wiped out at the bottom, but it was so fun that after, I slid down at least two more times :)
This week has also been great. Jose Carlos continues to be an awesome teacher. We also had more conferences to learn more about Guatemalan history, especially the Mayan religion and culture. A lot of that has been wiped out over the years after the colonial era and the civil war in the 1980s but there are movements now to reteach Mayan history and culture.
Also, Tuesday, the students in my group hosted a birthday party at the school (two girls turned 24), and we had a pinata, a bonfire, marshmallows and music. It was so fun that we are already planning our next party for Valentine´s Day.
Lastly, a week from this Saturday, I´m going to a wedding with my homestay family. It´s the wedding of Antonietta´s (my homestay Mom) niece. I am so honored that Antonietta invited me because she didn´t have to. Truthfully, that makes me feel even better about my homestay. Antonietta has been so sweet this past week but after this gesture, I really feel like I may become part of their family during these six months. Plus, I´m so excited to see a Guatemalan wedding! I feel like it´s a once in a lifetime experience.
This weekend has also been great. We visited Momaztenango, a city near Xela, where they make clothes by hand from lamb´s wool. I learned a lot and it was fun because we got to try help them with their weaving (lots of pictures of this). On Sunday we did an AMAZING hike to Laguna Chicabal. It took us all morning to hike up the mountain then go down the steps into the lake (the mountain used to be a volcano but now the inside was the lake). We had lunch right next to the (sacred) lake and had a great time.
Buenas tardes! Keep me updated on all your lives! <3
Pictured below - the welcome party and our first salsa class, the hike up Baul (and the big slide), the Rumba - the club with salsa downtown, and our trip to Momaztenango to learn about weaving
Things continue to be going great here in Xela. Last Friday night we had a really fun welcome party in the school. There was great food including some delicious tamales. Part of the party was also our first group salsa class. I´ve taken some salsa classes at Penn in the past but they´re nothing like this! The salsa steps they teach us are really hard, but so fun! Later that night we went to a salsa club called "La Rumba" in center city and it was amazing. All the kids there were so fun and we got to practice what we had learned! I also spent half the time sitting mezmorized at the Guatemalans dancing. They´re amazing! Even better than ¨So You Think You Can Dance¨on TV. This will definitely be a great highlight of the trip...we get a group salsa lesson every Thursday night from now on!
Last Saturday morning we went on a group hike up "Baul," a mountain right next to the city. It was a tough hike actually, but challenging in a great way (especially after all the awesome food Ive been eating at home), and the view from the top was amazing! There were also a few monuments up top that two of the girls climbed (I have pictures)! The monument must have been at least 50 ft. tall. But the best part of our trip to Baul was the amazing slide! We definitely dont have slides like this in the US. The first time I went down the slide, I wiped out at the bottom, but it was so fun that after, I slid down at least two more times :)
This week has also been great. Jose Carlos continues to be an awesome teacher. We also had more conferences to learn more about Guatemalan history, especially the Mayan religion and culture. A lot of that has been wiped out over the years after the colonial era and the civil war in the 1980s but there are movements now to reteach Mayan history and culture.
Also, Tuesday, the students in my group hosted a birthday party at the school (two girls turned 24), and we had a pinata, a bonfire, marshmallows and music. It was so fun that we are already planning our next party for Valentine´s Day.
Lastly, a week from this Saturday, I´m going to a wedding with my homestay family. It´s the wedding of Antonietta´s (my homestay Mom) niece. I am so honored that Antonietta invited me because she didn´t have to. Truthfully, that makes me feel even better about my homestay. Antonietta has been so sweet this past week but after this gesture, I really feel like I may become part of their family during these six months. Plus, I´m so excited to see a Guatemalan wedding! I feel like it´s a once in a lifetime experience.
This weekend has also been great. We visited Momaztenango, a city near Xela, where they make clothes by hand from lamb´s wool. I learned a lot and it was fun because we got to try help them with their weaving (lots of pictures of this). On Sunday we did an AMAZING hike to Laguna Chicabal. It took us all morning to hike up the mountain then go down the steps into the lake (the mountain used to be a volcano but now the inside was the lake). We had lunch right next to the (sacred) lake and had a great time.
Buenas tardes! Keep me updated on all your lives! <3
Pictured below - the welcome party and our first salsa class, the hike up Baul (and the big slide), the Rumba - the club with salsa downtown, and our trip to Momaztenango to learn about weaving
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Exploring the city
I am pretty much loving Xela as a city. Yesterday in the afternoon the group walked through Zone 3 in the north of the city. Theres a huge market there with lots of cheap fruit, meats, clothing (great for gifts, yay!) and there´s even a supermarket owned by Walmart. So not only is their great shopping and wonderful people, there´s plenty of conveniences here in the city as well. In fact, Im in a really nice internet cafe as well. Some of the pictures here are of the market. There´s also pictures of the ¨central park¨ which has some great stores, restaurants, the house of the mayor ¨the municipality¨and a beautiful church. The other students and I meet here often already to walk around. It´s only a ten minute walk from most of our houses.
The other great part of this program is how much we´re learning. Im learning a ton of Spanish with a private tutor for four hours a day. He´s so funny too! His name is Jose Carlos and he´s the husband of the program´s director. In addition to a ton of vocabulary and grammar, he teaches me useful phrases like to make a poo poo and to fart (tocarse el pedo), haha. His teaching is so fun and it´s an amazing learning experience as well.
Our group also has a lot of afternoon activities. Tuesday we watched an amazing movie about the dumpster in Guatemala city called ¨Recycled Life.¨ It was so eye opening to the environmental issues in Latin America and frankly, in the rest of the world. The issues are just more obvious in Latin America. Tonight we have a seminar with the group on the basic history of Guatemala and a discussion about being a culturally sensitive doctor. We read some great articles and I´m looking forward to talking to everyone about our initial impressions of Guatemala.
Hasta luego. ¡Que tenga un buen dia! (See you later, I hope you have a good day)
Pictures below...the market in the north part of the city, the city cemetary, an old theater where there are a lot of cultural events that still go on. I´m planning on going to some later during my stay.
You also see some of the market in the north part of the city and the central park. Last is the municipality (building for the office of the mayor inside and out). Enjoy!
The other great part of this program is how much we´re learning. Im learning a ton of Spanish with a private tutor for four hours a day. He´s so funny too! His name is Jose Carlos and he´s the husband of the program´s director. In addition to a ton of vocabulary and grammar, he teaches me useful phrases like to make a poo poo and to fart (tocarse el pedo), haha. His teaching is so fun and it´s an amazing learning experience as well.
Our group also has a lot of afternoon activities. Tuesday we watched an amazing movie about the dumpster in Guatemala city called ¨Recycled Life.¨ It was so eye opening to the environmental issues in Latin America and frankly, in the rest of the world. The issues are just more obvious in Latin America. Tonight we have a seminar with the group on the basic history of Guatemala and a discussion about being a culturally sensitive doctor. We read some great articles and I´m looking forward to talking to everyone about our initial impressions of Guatemala.
Hasta luego. ¡Que tenga un buen dia! (See you later, I hope you have a good day)
Pictures below...the market in the north part of the city, the city cemetary, an old theater where there are a lot of cultural events that still go on. I´m planning on going to some later during my stay.
You also see some of the market in the north part of the city and the central park. Last is the municipality (building for the office of the mayor inside and out). Enjoy!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Second day in Xela
Hi all, my first stop My first stop in Guatemala was Guatemala City. I stayed at a hostel with a few other of the students in the program and it was wonderful. They had hot showers, a computer, and served us breakfast in the morning. But the best part was talking to the other students for the first time and getting to know them. Ironically we all ordered pizza and talked until we were too tired from our respective travelling journeys, and it was great and everyone had great stories to tell!
The hostel, "Los Volcanes,"
I arrived in Xela Sunday and today (Monday) is our orientation day at the Spanish school. The school is wonderful with a beautiful backyard, computers for us, and they even serve us snacks. Today we had a delicious tortilla with beans and cheese. It is a family run school with a mother Gladys, her daughter Helga and son with his wife, and a crazy old uncle named Tio Lionel. I am amazed at how friendly everyone is and the school, which is only two blocks from my homestay house!
Yesterday I also met my wonderful family Im staying with. Antonietta is my mama who is in her forties and also in the house is her mother Francisca and Franciscas sister Consuelo. There will also be two other students living right next door to me who are studying at the University. The two boys, one who is studying to be an engineer and one who is studying to be a dentist, are from different parts of Guatemala. Im looking forward to when they return the Antoniettas house. Right now both of them are at home for their vacation.
Antonietta and her mother and aunt are so welcoming. The food is great and Antonietta seems very excited to cook for all the students she has. She told me that it really fulfills her when students like her cooking, so I made sure to mention multiple times how delicious everything was. Last night I had chicken, cauliflower and chicken soup and this morning she made pancakes. It was great.
Just in case you were wondering I do have my own room with a full size bed and shelves and everything. It was a little cold last night but I just layered. I think after I buy an extra pillow I will be very comfortable there.
I miss everyone a lot but Im excited for the trips and activities to come. Tomorrow I start formal spanish tutoring and I am loving speaking Spanish with everyone already! Thanks for reading my post. Adios y hasta luego.
The hostel, "Los Volcanes,"
I arrived in Xela Sunday and today (Monday) is our orientation day at the Spanish school. The school is wonderful with a beautiful backyard, computers for us, and they even serve us snacks. Today we had a delicious tortilla with beans and cheese. It is a family run school with a mother Gladys, her daughter Helga and son with his wife, and a crazy old uncle named Tio Lionel. I am amazed at how friendly everyone is and the school, which is only two blocks from my homestay house!
Yesterday I also met my wonderful family Im staying with. Antonietta is my mama who is in her forties and also in the house is her mother Francisca and Franciscas sister Consuelo. There will also be two other students living right next door to me who are studying at the University. The two boys, one who is studying to be an engineer and one who is studying to be a dentist, are from different parts of Guatemala. Im looking forward to when they return the Antoniettas house. Right now both of them are at home for their vacation.
Antonietta and her mother and aunt are so welcoming. The food is great and Antonietta seems very excited to cook for all the students she has. She told me that it really fulfills her when students like her cooking, so I made sure to mention multiple times how delicious everything was. Last night I had chicken, cauliflower and chicken soup and this morning she made pancakes. It was great.
Just in case you were wondering I do have my own room with a full size bed and shelves and everything. It was a little cold last night but I just layered. I think after I buy an extra pillow I will be very comfortable there.
I miss everyone a lot but Im excited for the trips and activities to come. Tomorrow I start formal spanish tutoring and I am loving speaking Spanish with everyone already! Thanks for reading my post. Adios y hasta luego.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Preparing for the trip
Today, Thursday, I am continuing to prepare for my flight to Guatemala Saturday morning. My room is a mess :) with a large pile of stuff in the corner which includes everything from anti-malarial medication, a Spanish textbook, sunscreen, and a flash light. I'm trying to be extra prepared for my trip so that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
The whole prospect of the trip is very exciting and nerve racking at the same time! I'm glad the time is here, but I can't believe I have only a couple nights to spend with family and friends in Houston. I'm just going to try and make the best of it!
I am planning to continue to publish to this blog (hopefully with awesome pictures as well) so that any friends/family interested can check in with me. I will make sure to post here again as soon as I can when I arrive safe in Quetzaltenango, otherwise known as Xela on Sunday morning after spending Saturday night in Guatemala City.
Thanks for checking in with me!
<3
Sarah
The whole prospect of the trip is very exciting and nerve racking at the same time! I'm glad the time is here, but I can't believe I have only a couple nights to spend with family and friends in Houston. I'm just going to try and make the best of it!
I am planning to continue to publish to this blog (hopefully with awesome pictures as well) so that any friends/family interested can check in with me. I will make sure to post here again as soon as I can when I arrive safe in Quetzaltenango, otherwise known as Xela on Sunday morning after spending Saturday night in Guatemala City.
Thanks for checking in with me!
<3
Sarah
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