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 -
sounds amazing. I want to learn how to salsa.
ReplyDeleteIt´s done...we´re taking class as soon as I get back :)
ReplyDelete