Chichicastenango

No time to write much now, but I am heading here on Sunday...

http://wikitravel.org/en/Chichicastenango

Spanish Conversations

I can definitely understand a lot more Spanish than I can express myself, but things are coming along. Today, I had a conversation with a Guatemalan woman about the crazy things that happen in relationships and between couples - things that make daily life seem like a soap opera. She relayed a story about her married neighbors, jealousy (not sure if there was an actual affair or not), and a young guy getting his head bashed in by the husband´s hammer. She then confided that she doesn´t like her husband and hasn´t liked him for a long time. Many years ago, she tried to divorce him, but her particularly religious family didn´t accept that. Now, she lives in her village, and he lives in the city, visiting his 10 year old son for two hours every other week. But they are still married. She says she doesn´t need another man.

Points being, all of the world has the same problems, and I am the best Spanish-language listener ever!!! I have also, more than once, had an in depth conversation about people eating meat (including their pets). Because apparently, when someone shares with you that they are a vegetarian, that is an invitation to share your own love for animals - on your plate!!! Bambi and Thumper both came up, along with other bunny rabbits, overly-fat chickens, and the beautiful fish in the sea. To be fair, the last was brought up by the mothr at my house, who said that she doesn't like to eat fish because they are too pretty. But Bambi - - BANG!BANG!MMM.

Being here, there are a couple things that I miss, and some things that I do not miss at all. I miss my cell phone, mostly for text messages (I think I feel it vibrating in my bag or pocket all the time), but I do not miss my computer. I am able to check my email often enough, and Facebook is starting to bore me. I don't miss tv at all, and I can go to the movies if I want to sit back and just watch something. The movie theater in Antigua is like the cinema pub in Falmouth, and it's free! Beers start at about $2.50. Another thing that I do miss - flat, flip-flop worthy streets. ALL of the streets here are cobblestone, and not the particularly flat kind, and the sidewalks are where the man-hole covers are. Also, homes in Antigua have a strange feature where the front living room is also a potential garage, so every entranceway is a 45 degree ramp so people can bring their cars, scooters, and motorcycles inside if they don't have somewhere else to park them. I will try to get some pictures of the streets, sidewalks, and entranceways while I am here, preferably before I break my face and I am thumping down the cobblestone in a wheelchair.

I am not sure if I mentioned the two French Canadian ladies who moved into my homestay. They have very strong French accents and don't speak much English, but we can converse in Spanish fairly well. It is very odd to hear Spanish words with a thick French accent though.

Can you see what it says under the picture of the pancakes?

Fin de semana

So, my British housemate went hiking up Volcan Agua yesterday and asked me if I wanted to go. I said no because of 6,000 feet of elevation gain and a 6 hour hike (and the fact that I can't keep up with him when we are walking down the street in Antigua). I am glad that I turned down the invitation, because he got robbed by some guy with a machete on his way up. I don't think this is as serious as it sounds though - apparently the robber was pretty terrified himself. He asked for my friend's bag, and my friend told him that he needed his water for the climb and a Guatemalan would have no use for jeans that fit a man over six feet. He was able to convince the guy to just take his money and his phone. And then the guy left him enough quetzales for a bus back to the city where we live. So courteous! And my housemate still continued on up to the crater at the top!

I took myself out for breakfast this morning (about $4.50 for coffee, juice, eggs, black beans, tortillas, and a salad) and tried to get some studying done. I went over vocab from last week, which ended up filling about 8 pages of my notebook and taking three hours to recopy. Today, I don't speak any Spanish. I ran into my homestay family on the street this afternoon, and when they asked how I was doing, I stuttered until they filled in the blank for me, "Very well." Hopefully I will feel better at 8am tomorrow when I begin a full week of 30 hours of one-on-one.

This afternoon, I am going to climb up to a giant cross on a hill that overlooks Antigua with some folks that I met here. Hopefully I'll get some good photos, and after that, back to the studying!

How is everyone out there doing? I love emails :)

I bought a comb...

...for Q2, or about $0.26. Perfect! It pays to shop around.

I am thinking that one week, I will only do classes in the mornings so I can travel and do cool things in the afternoons. There are tons of places that I can visit cheaply to see what life outside of Antigua is like. And I definitely want to get to Tikal one of these weekends.

Right now I am sitting in my favorite internet spot, and in the building's courtyard women are selling woven shirts, blankets, placemats, tablecloths, and other beautifully made things. The colors are strong, reds, purples, blues, and the women who wove these things are obviously skilled. My teacher told me that girls in her village (San Antonio) start to learn weaving when they are about six years old. While her village is known for double sided weaving, she likes lighter, less heavy clothing better. I think that she teaches as often as there are students, but she said that she does weave in her spare time.

Today, one of my housemates requested that we stop in McDonald's. Funny thing, this wasn't a trip for food. It was to see the interior, which is beautiful. The order counter is like a regular McDonald's, but there is also one of those Starbucksified new McCafes, and in the back there is an amazing outdoor eating area with a fountain, views of the volcano, and of course, Ronald himself sitting on a bench. So far, my only picture of myself since getting here.

Days Four and Five

I still haven't bought a hairbrush. I might go to the outdoor market today and see if I can find a cheap one, along with some t-shirts. I definitely did not bring enough clothes with me, and the tiny little bathroom sink at my house is not clothes-washing-sized.

Yesterday was my last day of classes for the week, giving me some time to take a break and process what I have learned. I haven't sat down to review yet, but I think that things are going well and I should have no problem passing SIT's oral Spanish test when I get back (likely the first week in May). While I had planned on going to Lake Atitlan for a week to study, I think I might just keep plugging in Antigua with trips to different places on weekends. It's funny how easy it is to fill up a month - plenty of people have asked me if I plan on going various places both inside and outside Guatemala, but I don't feel like I have time to get far from Antigua. I am definitely going to go to Pacaya (volcano with active flows) and hopefully some place people have been talking about with caves and hang-gliding for $70.

After class and lunch yesterday, I joined the British roommate for hours and hours of beers in a hole-in-the-wall locals bar. We talked to a bunch of people, but I think the best conversation was when I was trying to ask a half-drunk Guatemalan if there is a re-enactment of the crucifixion with real people and he though I was asking if Jesus himself was coming to town. We went home for dinner, and then three of us went back to the previous bar for a few more drinks, and then to a park for some street food. I had these amazing churro type things that were a cross between churros, fried dough, and vanilla cake, topped with some chocolate sauce. And all that goodness for about 60 cents!

Today, I woke up at 5:30 to see some processions and some carpets made from sawdust in the street and a model of Jesus' body in a glass coffin in a giant church. And all of these things happen with a giant volcano in the background! This afternoon I might take a nap, and tonight, heading to see The Hangover with some English-speaking folks from various countries. What culture!!!

To those of you asking for photos, I haven't figured out how to make that happen yet. I'm taking them, but I haven't brought my camera cord with me to an Internet place yet...

Day Three and Some Corrections

The rat was definitely imagined, and likely the result of a book that I am reading that describes a similar scene somewhere in the world. All I´ve seen so far is a couple of mosquitoes and some of those tiny little ants. So, I am safe from insect attack. And also, the name of the older girl in my house in Karla Isabella, not Karla Maria.

I had a great conversation with little Tiffany about Bob Espongo and she has promised to show me ¨el mundo de Bob Espongo¨ on the computer so we can play some games.

Language class today was pretty good. I asked to review the subjunctive tense before the week is over, but diverging from the lesson plan isn´t something my teacher though was a good idea. So, I´ll go find some books. I´ll show her! (Just like 10th grade math class!) During the six hours today we had some great conversations about culture and (in)equality between men and women and dress. I told her that, given everything I read in guidebooks, I was very surprised that the women walking down the street in Antigua look the same as the women walking down the street in New York City. I read that it´s best to cover your legs and your shoulders. She said that she thinks the people who don´t cover enough skin are dressed like prostitutes, but she definitely wears short sleeves because it´s too hot to do any different.

Last night I went to the church of ... (a tiny little bugger just bit me!!) ... San Francisco to see ¨la valacion.¨ I´m not sure what that translates to, but outside it was like a carnival with churros and light-toys for the kids (Minnie Mouse, Dora, Pokemon), made-in-China plastic jewelry, and tons of food. Inside, there was a beautiful carpet made from colored sawdust surrounded by an offering of local vegetables. Where the altar usually is, there was a giant scene of Jesus and some other folks, with Jesus in manequin form and the rest like Flat Stanley.

Tonight I am going to check out the night scene with some people from my school, though I am thinking one drink will do it before bed. Six hours of class, Spanish meals, and the gym is a lot in one day still. Perhaps by the end of month understanding and speaking Spanish won´t take calorie-burning effort...

Days One and Two

I forgot my hairbrush. And the currency conversion makes me very averse to buying a new one - Q48!! No way I am spending 45 anything on a hairbrush!!

It turned out to be a good thing that I got two hours of sleep the night before my flight, because I left Boston, and then woop, all of a sudden awake in Charlotte. Didn't even have to get off the plan, and then woop, awake in Fort Lauderdale. And on the final leg, I woke up to look out my window to see what I assume was the Yucatan Peninsula. In my little notebook, I drew some of the coast, a distinct fish-shaped island, and a seahorse-shaped coastal lake. Hopefully when I have the time, I can scan a map and figure out where I was.

Esvin from the school picked me up at the airport and drove me through billboard heaven (Burger King, cell phones, cars, travel, Chuck-E-Cheese, Domino's...), up and over and around some hills, and toward Antigua. Other interesting things that I noted along the way - tons and tons of people everywhere, but no sidewalks; Guatemala City constantly smells like the Fourth of July because of all the diesel smoke and brush burning smoke and broken car smoke; Guatemala City is very noisy from music sharing of all sorts; most of all, it was nice to see some leaves on the trees.

As soon as we got to Antigua, Esvin brought me to the school to get some paperwork and pay, and then I headed to my homestay with Jose and Karla Sanchez. The Sanchezes run their own language school out of their home, and I am thinking about studying with them one week because they are so nice. They've got three kids, Carlos, Carlosmaria or Karlamaria (?), and Tiffany, and two dogs, Princesa and Oichi. My room is big, with two beds, a desk, and a cute little armoir. I am convinced that there are rats living in the wooden ceiling because I can hear something munching at night, but I haven't seen any glowing eyes yet. Hopefully they enjoy their ceiling home and don't want to spend some time in my bed with me.

Also at the house are three other students, one from Canada, one from Minnesota, and one from England. The one from England sneaks out before lunch every day and gets some fried chicken. I think that he and I will be friends (because I see the hilarity in that, not because I have some special fondness for fried chicken).

Language class started today, from 8-10, 10:30-12, and 2-5. Right now we are flying through grammar that I know is in my head somewhere and doing a ton of vocab. I think my kindegarten-level Spanish skills (being generous there) are going to put my teacher, Olga, to sleep. She yawns at me a lot. I say, "Is that correct?" a lot and most of the time she looks to the side and says "Ugh." Either I am awesome or beyond help.

I joined a gym today so I can have some time to clear my head. For a month it costs three times my gym in Plymouth, $34, but since it wasn't listed in Quetzales I was able to handle it. Seriously - $34 for a month at the gym or Q48 for a hairbrush - which seems like a better deal to you?

I told my family that I am a vegetarian, and I think they are secretly feeding me vegetables with meat powder.

This week is Saints Week or holy week, so there is quite a bit going on. Last night I took a walk and came across a procession of people dressed in purple robes and pointed hoods with signs regarding the stations of the cross, other people swinging metal baskets of incense, and a giant structure that I can only call a float being carried by forty or fifty people representing the crucifixion. Like always, such religious devotion puzzles me. I wonder how people are feeling when they participate in something like this. I wonder if the three boys dragging along the generator to light the float feel that they are receiving some special favor in God's eyes.

And for Caitlin, regarding your questions, the weather is perfect. MV's best earlier summer day where you can wear shorts and a t during the day but you want jeans at night. And the colors. Awesome. The indigenous women dress like I am sure you have seen in pictures, all of the buildings are stucco or some sort of concrete and many are painted nicely (my house is red), and the central park has those trees that are full of purple flowers. Along with a fountain that is surrounded by mermaid shooting water out of their nipples, which they are holding in their hands. There are tons of great textiles to buy, but things aren't nearly as inexpensive as I would have thought. I'll need to explore before I find goodies to bring back for everyone.

Tomorrow is six more hours of class, and then who knows!