Unas Fotos

Finalmente I found a way to upload mis fotos!  I have a tendency of getting caught up in the moment and therefore my photos are by no means a complete representation of all that has transpassed during these past three weeks. Hopefully they will give some sense of the landscape, the numerous educational trips offered by the school and of my host madre who I described in an earlier post.

The adorable dog at Guatefriends, the B  & B I stayed at my first night in Guatemala

Trina, one of my first friends at the language school. We went with the school on a hike to an ex-Guerilla camp called La Muela; it was made all the more interesting due to the fact it was led by a former Guerrilla fighter who had traversed the path hundreds of times throughout the Guatemalan Civil War.

A view of the beautiful countryside between Xela and a nearby hot spring.

Trina next to a gigantic leaf  at the hot springs (Las Fuentes Georginas)  where the naturally scalding sulfuric water seemed to slowly boil the bathers.

Maria Teresa, my host madre, tried on my sunglasses. We laugh a lot together.

View of a small town neighboring Xela. The bright yellow edifice is a historic church built in the 1600s by Spanish colonizers. Its vibrant colors and designs incorporate Mayan concepts into the Catholic tradition.

A forest veiled in fog during one of the most difficult hikes of my life. Incredibly, the 7 hour journey of constant muddy uphill treks is traversed everyday by individuals of all ages who must travel from the opposite side of the mountain to sell their goods in the town of Zunil. We saw children as young as 10 years of age carrying heavy loads on their backs to bring to the bustling market in Zunil.

Maria Teresa blows out the candles for her 64th birthday party. She soon realized that they were trick candles.

Don Fido, Maria Teresa´s dog, enjoying the festivities at her birthday party.

The first church in Central America in the town of Salcaja, built in the early 1500s. It has survived numerous earthquakes over the years and even the wooden door is original to the building!

Mis Maestras (My Teachers)

The language instruction at PLQ is all one on one with highly experienced, skilled and dynamic instructors who all appear to be as much invested in their relationships with the students as they are with PLQs history of progressive activism. Each week you are assigned to work with a new maestro so you can experience different teaching styles and benefit from relationships with individuals from varying backgrounds. Among them are social workers, former Guerilla soldiers in the Guatemalan Civil War, sociologists, philosophers and more.

Rosario, my first maestra, is a veteran PLQer who has worked there for over 20 years, teaching 10 hours each day - 5 with one student during the morning session, then 5 with another student in the afternoon session. Incredibly, she doesnt seem to get frustrated or impatient with the broken Spanish she has to listen to all day long!

One of my favorite things about the language instruction is that you can take it out of the classroom. Last week, Rosario took me for a visit to the Mercado de la Democracia,  a bustling "everything" market where you can find diapers, leechee fruit, funerary wreaths and nail polish all within a jam packed 3 block radius. Rosario taught me about market etiquette in Guatemala and we bought her a fresh rose to decorate her desk back at the PLQ.

This week I am working with Paty, another veteran Maestra who began on the same day as Rosario.  She is a coffee addict and a talker like me and weve been taking time out of the classroom to practice grammar at her favorite local coffee shops. I am excited to continue connecting with the amazing teachers here at the PLQ during the 6 weeks I have left at the school!!

Estoy Aqui en Xela ctd...

So the first week of my time in Guatemala in almost over and I can not believe how quickly the time has flown! The school I enrolled with here is so much more than a language school - they have coordinated a homestay for me with one of the most hilarious, amazing woman I have ever encountered, they have daily lectures and excursions to learn about Guatemala´s political and social context and the teachers become both mentors and friends.
So let me start by describing my host mama, Mariateresa (A.K.A. Mariaterre). Mariaterre is about 65 years old with lively soul and a rambunctious sense of humor. She owns a tiendita (a small shop) from which (according to her) she sells "Rum, beer and gum¨" and has been hosting international students for the past 3 years. Every now and then she is invited to my school to teach a cooking class due to her prowess in kitchen, and given that I share three meals with her each day I have been and will continue to eat more than well during my time here. And more importantly than that, she sits and eats with me, sharing stories, laughter and new vocabulario.
She owns a scrappy, lovable mutt named Fido (pronounced Feedo) who apparently wandered off and went missing for several months earlier this year during which Mariaterre cried every night thinking he would never return. Amazingly, he was found by a neighbor who recognized him despite a patch of hair missing on his back and the fact that he had worked his way all the way to the other side of town. Pobre Fido!
Mariaterre almost never sits she is so busy working in her tiendita, cooking for her host "children" and caring for Fido. Her birthday is coming up at the end of the month and we are throwing her a huge fiesta for which I plan to prepare, per her request, my famous Strawberry Mojitos.
I only have 6 minutes left at the internet cafe I am sitting in so I will have to add another cliff hanger on this. But just know that I love you all, am in good hands here, am happier than ever and am learning mucho mucho espanol!!!

Estoy Aqui en Xela!

Hola amigos y familiares! Estoy aqui en Xela! (Hello friends and family! I am here in Xela!)
I arrived in Guatemala City this past Saturday, having flown over the most other worldly countryside I have ever witnessed. Guatemala from the air is a symphony of soaring highs, dramatic lows and surprising notes that stretch long, flat and steel like amidst the otherwise varied tones. After staying overnight in Guatefriends Bed and Breakfast as one of two guests there that night, I headed to Xela where I will be spending 4 weeks, living with a host family and taking one on one Spanish lessons through the Proyecto Linguistico Quetzelteco (PLQ). I have to go right now to watch a documentary but there will be more to come later, I promise!!!

Packalackin!!

Copy of passport... check.
Laminated copy of passport...check.
Scanned pdf of passport...check.
Actual passport...check.

 

... Thanks to my Papa Solow's incredible attention to detail, I think my identity will still be intact when I cross the border to Guatemala this-coming Saturday. 

I have slowly been corralling items to take with me, piling them high on my sister's old bed. At this point, I am almost ready to cram everything into a carry-on rolly bag, but things seem to keep being added to the list..."small roll of toilet paper", "knitted cap", "Airborne".... 


Does anyone have any packing wisdom to share? I welcome your advice! 

 

The organized mess of preparation.

Just in case...

Got my Airborne and cough drops. I am now unstoppable.

Super stylish money belt.