Monday, April 21, 2008

Just Thinking

Well I am sure that most people have heard that we will be coming home in May for a little visit. It is hard to imagine that when we land in Denver it will have been over a year since we have been in the States, a record for the both of us. The anticipation that is building inside of me reminds me of being a kid and waiting for Christmas. The excitement builds with every coming day, and I know that it will be impossible to sleep the night before the flight.
As I lay in bed at night dreaming of carpet, hot water from the choro, driving, bathtubs, and beer from a tap, a question starts to nag me from some corner of my mind. How will I describe the past year of my life to everyone? Most of the time only one-word answers come to my mind. Guatemala is great, frustrating, heartwarming, heartbreaking, amazing, lonely, crazy, boring etc. I suppose that if anyone were to be asked what their past year was like the answer would look much the same. Still, I crave something that could sum it up for people as I anticipate this question to come up.
“So how has the last year been in Guatemala”?
The last year has been sprinkled with just about every emotion that I can think of. I have felt elated after an especially great class and I have felt despair and thought of quitting after a terrible one. I have basked in the beauty of a volcanic lake, but I have also lamented the destruction of the environment. I have felt connected to Guatemalans but others have also robbed me. I think that development works some days and think it’s a farce others. I suppose it all is summed up that my life here is filled with opposing feelings and contradictory experiences. Perhaps that is the Guatemalan experience.
Guatemala is a land of contrast for me. It is a place where the rich and the poor live in relative proximity. It is a place where people wish for security but life is so uncertain. It is a place where ancient cultures live next to and perhaps compete with modern culture. Guatemala is a land of agriculture but also of malnutrition. At times one can feel guilty about living around this but still having the luxury of being removed and only a plane ticket away from escape at any moment.
But that did not answer, “How has the last year been in Guatemala”?
The last year has been… Interesting? Fun?
Those words seem so trite and so far removed from the truth. I suppose it is cliché and again only a one-word answer, but the truth is the last year has been an adventure.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Visitantes

In March/beginning of April we had a few visitors. First our dear friends Sarah and Soren and after my parents. We had a great time and are very thankful for all the gifts they bought for us and to help us with our work. We hope they had fun climbing volcanoes, going to a Guatemalan ¨baby shower¨, swimming in Lago Atitlan, learning how to make tortillas, and overall seeing this beautiful country. Below are some pictures from our adventures.
Eating¨helados¨in Parque Carmen

¨Baby shower¨Guatemalan style



Delmi, Edwardo, Kelly, Mosiah, Sarah and Soren


Niños with Sarah and Soren


Dad in the back of a pickup

Climbing Volcan Chicabal near San Martin Sacatepequez

At the mirador


Mom cooking with two gabachas


Swimming in Lago Atitlan

Semana Santa - Holy Week

Semana Santa - Holy Week

Semana Santa was March 16th through the 23rd this year. Guatemalans celebrate the resurrection of Christ much differently than Christians in the United States - no chocolate, Easter eggs or bunnies... There´s special food, family dinners and most of the country is shut down from Wednesday to Sunday. However the main events are the processions. The processions are elaborate ceremonies where townspeople carry large platforms with figures from the Easter story through towns over a processional route that has been covered in alfombras - carpets made of colored saw dust. We were able to visit Santiago Atitlán on Good Friday to see the procession there.

Images from Santiago Atitlán, Sololá