Hi everybody! We've been busy this past week and have lots to tell you about! Last week Antigua was full of people in preparation for their Indendence day on Thursday, September 15th. Wednesday evening there was a big event planned in Central Park that we were going to go to, but it started pouring outside and we decided to stay home, as Alyssa was finally drying off from a "maraton", or run with the kids. Picture 250 kids, from 1st grade to 18 years old run/walking a 2 mile course that passes the dump, runs down the highway, and through some truly sketchy neighborhoods...then throw in one of the most torrential downpours I have ever seen. We were literally soaked to the bone in about 3 minutes, but the run is something that all the schools in Guate do to commemerate their independence day, and who were we to stand in the way of tradition! Oh, and did I mention that the littlest kids got to take turns running with a gasoline-fueled torch in front of the rest? Yeah, definitely not something you'd see in the states, but it was a blast. Here's some of the kids during an assembly:
The Kids from Camino Seguro
Anyway,when our family got home from the event in Antigua they were soaked and they stopped the event early due to the rain. Since I didn't have to work and Pat didn't have to go to school on Thursday, we went out with a big group of volunteers from Camino Seguro.
On Thursday it was INDEPENDENCE DAY! We slept in and then went to the big parade of marching bands in Antigua. Alyssa was very intrigued by some cute little dancing cowgirls. At the end of the parade the whole town went to their stadium for a big awards ceremony. It was crowded and chaotic. We stopped by and took a picture from inside the stadium:
Independence Day in the Antigua Stadium
After relaxing for a bit we headed back to the Parque Central to catch to ginormous crowd and bands assembled for the closing ceremonies of the day. It was complete with high school bands, a military march, bombs and fireworks. Quite an exciting display! Here's a photo that shows the crowd, along with the main cathedral and the volcano in the background:
Independence Day at Central Park
Friday was another day of work and school for us. Pat got his diploma and said goodbye to his teacher Carlos; meanwhile, Alyssa made plans with the other volunteers to meet up for drinks and dancing that evening. We actually hung out with our brother Francisco, who we hadn't gotten a chance to hang out with yet.
Saturday, we woke up late after our busy night and decided to go to the gym, where we got a solid workout in and went to send emails at the internet caf�. We ran into Mareika, who gave us the sad news that Lora�s best friend had died the night before and most likely would return home to Canada and would not be coming with us on the trip we�d planned for the next day to Chichicastenango. We returned home and ironed out plans for the next day, had supper and went to bed early�and woke up to go to �Chichi�!
Our early morning bus ride was uneventful until our transfer in Chimaltenango. We then hopped on a short bus that was already packed and everyone had to fend for themselves�which was a considerable task given that the driver was bent on arriving as quickly as possible, whether or not that was safely! Couple that with 180 degree switchbacks that climb and descend hills like those in San Francisco (only steeper at points) and then you need to hear about our seat partners. Both Pat and I had aisle seats. The guy next to me was fine other than the fact that he kept falling asleep and leaning on me, pushing me further into the aisle until finally I got fed up and let myself fall so he�d fall and wake up too. The guy with the window seat sat with his legs spread and hogged at least half the seat. I spent the better part of 2 hours holding on for dear life and silently blaming him for the blisters on my hands from squeezing the bar on the seat in front of me. Pat took the cake because (Robin, you will appreciate this!) he was seated next to a tiny little nun who was so small she didn�t think she needed to hold on. However, this meant that Pat had to support both of theirs weight�and any time he tried to reclaim part of his seat after sliding off on a corner, she�d jab her tiny, pointy elbows into his side!! Needless to say we were grateful to put our feet on solid ground and explore the market at Chichi.
Chichi is famous for its huge outdoor market. It is run almost entirely by native Mayan peoples and has a definite indigenous flavor to it. The women especially are dressed entirely in their traditional dress, as are the children, who are soooo cute! They help their mothers sell anything and everything in the market�food, clothing, jewelry, jade, you name it and they probably have it. Pat and I bought a hammock, some postcards and music, but mostly we just gawked at the displays and tried to think ahead towards Christmas gifts. Here�s a photo we took from above, but it really doesn�t do it justice:
The Chichicastenango Market
And here�s a couple pictures of the people there:
The vendors were crammed really close together, people were bustling from place to place, and lots of pushy salespersons, who included little kids who were persistant and cute and sad all at once. We stayed much of the afternoon and returned on a (more safe and comfortable) bus and grabbed dinner at a restaurant. What a fun day!
Monday was Pat�s first day at the project, and he was assigned to the 3rd grade class with Mareika. She only has 1.5 weeks left so Pat will be taking over solo when she leaves. Every Monday the kids go to the park to play, so the boys got to like Pat quickly when he played soccer with them. Tuesday he spent most of the day tutoring students in math. He still has a rough time understanding the kids when they are in a group, but in small groups during tutoring it is fairly easy to communicate. His next goal is to have me (or other teachers) to teach him the swear words so that he knows when the kids are swearing. Overall he is having a good time and feels like he is helping the kids out.
My girls are getting much more comfortable with me and are learning my name, what they can get away with around me, and are slowly growing accustomed to having a structured class with Flor (who is just awesome!) We also have another assistant to the class whose name is Alycia, so we�ve become �las Alicias� with the kids and they think it�s the funniest thing when they call for one of us and both answer.
Hope all is well with you guys and we look forward to hearing from you soon!
