Gringas in Guatemala

A while back I got to enjoy a nice chat, and then the next day dinner with two great gals , a dancer and a librarian, from the states who had met here and were travelign together for a while. They were staying next door to me for a couple of nights. It is always so fun to meet, laugh, share stories of trials and tribulations, and simply speak English, too! So this is Tracy and Ana at Poppy's, where we will never go for dinner again! (Old, crotchety American guy who stood and sat over/next to us smoking as he served our food...ugh!)But it was great hanging out with Ana and Tracy.....Saludos, you two! I read on your blog that the hike to Todos Santos went well!....

Singing Children

So, while having dinner with Jaime and Blythe a few nights ago, (read about Jaime and BLythe and Chajul in the post below) we saw a television program with a tall gringo working wth local kids who sang and counted in English. The next day I was walking back with one of our facilitadoras form his house where I had been visiting, and there ont he calle is the tall gringo from the TV show! OBVIOUSLY I said something, like, You're the TV star! Turns out he runs a community center of sorts out in an outer lying neighborhood, all on donations, and has been in country for 6 years or so, off and on but mostly on. He invited me to have dinner with him at the home of a local family the next night, and I accepted.

I did not bring my camera, as it seemed it would be rude. But I did not realize dinner would lead to a concert by a bunch of kids from his center---for me! I wish I had had my camera!

Ths community is a jumble of shacks and some small buildings connected by narrow dirt paths winding up and down a hillside. I would have had no idea how t walk home form there! We dropped off one child at her house, visited another family in their home the size of my former laundry room, and then rambled on to the home where we were to have dinner. I was served a delicious soup with incredible flavor apparently from chiles, with onions, potatos, and some meat. (I just tried not to picture the meat hanging in the carneciero (?) meat market...) The soup and tortillas were delicious. For security and peace of mind, I brought my own agua pura....This family had ample space and an electric light, simple furnishings and a dirt floor. They have three daughters and a son all involved in Bryan's community center, and they all went with him and the group to sing at the music festival in Santiago last November.

After dinner we collected kids like pied pipers, and arrived at the community center where the kids sang for me. The songs were in Ixil, Spanish, English, and Swedish. (Bryan hails from Ballard!)One little girl, about 11, is clearly incredibly intelligent. It was her I saw on TV counting to 1000 in English. She sang numerous versus solo in English that night, including verses to "The ink is black..the page is white....a child is white..a child is black.." that brought me to tears.....And together we sang all the camp songs--in English--that most of us know and love...This Land is Your Land, He's got the whole world in his Hands,....Quite endearing!

As we wound our way up and down dirt paths by flashlight in what would otherwise be utter darkness, dropping off kids as we went, I marveled at the unlikeliness of the experience in the dark hills surrounding Nebaj...

Visiting Chajul

Last Friday I met a couple here at the Descanso who are traveling around Guatemala before starting med school in the fall. We made a plan to visit Chajul, a neighboring pueblo, on Saturday. It is Jaime and Blythe you see in the photos here. The minibusses for Chajul leave from in front of my hotel, so that was easy. It was about a 45 minute ride. We had seats because we were first on the bus, but it is fairly hilarious (not to mention a little frightening)how people just cram into these little mini-vans, happily standing and chattering away. Everyone was very friendly to us, and it was a pretty drive.

Chajul is the place where members of Rigoberta Menchu's family were killed in a massacre that she described in her Nobel Peace Prize winning autobiography. However, the accuracy of her details have been questioned, both by locals and by author David Stoll, who is somewhat of an expert of the Ixil Triangle: Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal. There is no question that there was a massacre. But she described people being burned alive after being tortured, and others say the people were shot. In any event, this atrocity was to "warn" people about affiliating with communistas. The Ixil Triangle was particularly hard hit in the violencia of the early 80's, and I have met numerous 30ish year old people whose parents, family members, or father, were killed during those years. The records of those events have recently been made public record here, and details of the atrocities continue to bubble up from where they ahve been submerged for three decades.

On a happier note, Chajul today is quite charming, with adobe homes and red tile rooves, active, friendly children who were very curious to talk to us, and a beautiful church. Jaime ended up playing soccer in the street with the kids, we toured the cultural museum and the church, and then just explored the streets and tiny paths of the town.

We met Tomas, a volunteer fireman, who asked us if we could get a used medic van for Chajul, because they don't have any way to transport sick people to the clinic in Nebaj. Of course we did not promise anything, but I am mentioning that here incase anyone has contact with our local fire department or rotary and has an idea about how to get a medic van for Chajul! (Nebaj has one; it, too, was donated, and I assume driven down from the states. It is HUGE for a city or pueblo to have one, as so many peiople live out in rural areas and when sick, or giving birth, transportation is a huge issue...)
It was a bit amazing, because after I said I was working with Puente de Amistad, Tomas said, "I know Puente de Amistad. They helped my wife and me." And he knows Diego, the facilitadoro with whom I spent the day on the motorcycle, visitng Trust Bank Groups!Talk about 7 degrees of separation.....

It was really fun to hang out with Blythe and Jaime, and spend a morning speaking English! We met again for an enjoyable dinner that evening, sharing lives the way travelers so often do--impromptu,and I was sorry to say good-by, But they left for Coban the next day. (Hi you two--in case you are reading this! Con mucho gusto!)

In the field with Puente de Amistad

The story of this phenomenal day continues down through the next blog too....the three women at the table are the president, secretary, and treasurer of the Rio Pajarioto Trust Bank. The photos that are looking down into a valley from way up high are aat Rio Pajarito.



These pictures go with the next account in the blog entry below the pictures...that I thought was lost when the power went out hte other night, but thankfully had been auto-saved! So the story of my motorcyle visit into the mountainous aldeas is there. You will see in these photos the lovely women and sometimes their families who Friendship Bridge is helping by offering micro-loans to individuals through a bigger group loan. If you are interestd, look on the KIVA website, click on Friendship Bridge/Puente de Amistad as a partner, and you will see groups of women who have either gotten loans or are applying for loans. These photos are of those same type of groups. In fact, if you're inspired, you can offer a loan yourself, of $25-$50 or whatever, through KIVA. It is in fact a loan, and you get repaid. Then if you want, you can invest it again. In this weay you chould choose to be a part of this heart-warming work in the back country and hillsides of rural Guatemala.

A Day in the Field

Just call me Motorcyle Mama
Yesterday, since the learning center was going to be closed, I had asked to go with one of the facilitadoras or -doros) into the field to visit the Trust Banks,the groups of women who receive the Friendship Bridge (Puente de Amistad here) loans. So Wednesday morning I was told I could go with Diego and should be there at 8 or 8:30 the next morning. Then marta asked if I had a car? When I said no, she asked if I had a motorcycle? When I said no, she indicated that if I wanted, I could ride with Diego. I felt some misgivings asbout this...but said, "Sure!" since I knew it was the only way I was going to be able to go!

Fortunatley, it turned out Diego had a helmet for me, and also, fortunately, I remembered to ear my own hat, which effectively covered the atrocious helmet-hair when we were with the groups....!

The day was absolutely phenomenal!!! Off we went through town (how different it felt on the back of a bike) and up into the mountains through which I had traveled to get here. When the air turned fresco, after about half an hour, we turned off on a dirt road and went for another half hour, up into the hillside aldeas (this is the word used for the tiny little hillside communities). There we wound down into valleyd and back up onto hills, visitng three different groups of women who either ARE a Trust Bank (a loan group), want to be (one group was together for the first time),or have formed a new group. It was informative to see the different stages of service that the loan officer gives. At the first group Diego explained the whole process, what the women would need to do, what would happen at the next meeting, and how long before they wold receive their loans. Some understood his Spanish, and some women only spoke Quiche (different from the Ixil dialect here in Nebaj). Then a husband of one of the women was translating everything into Quiche for the group as we climbed back on Diego's bike and headed off to the next group.The first was at a community called Salinas Magdalena, the next across Rio Pajarito up into the hills. At this second group, loan payments were made, and then Diego delivered the lesson on maternal health including nutrition and the wisdom of limiting the number of children a woman has for health reasons. He asked how old I was, and they all said 40ish...and he proudly told them, no , 53!! See what good health and not so many babies brings!!!! He also told them that in China people had one baby, and that two was a lot! Que interesante! This location was gorgeous, as you will see from the photos. I asked one teen I was chatting with to take a photo of Diego and I on his bike, so Maria, who is in the photo of the two teenage girls took the photo.

Casa de Ana

So this was over a week ago, but such fun it is a story I have to tell. I had gone to the Artesanias Market, a cooperative of women's work, and was chatting with each of the different vendadoras...but at some length with one gal, Ana. She ended up inviting me to her house, an invitation I accepted. So she closed her stall and we walked together to her house where she said she would show me her back strap loom and work area. I was a little uneasy, but it seemed like the right thing to do, to accept this invitation. And my gut feeling was quite accurate. I had a wonderful visit, watching her weave, meeting her sons, taking some photos of the family (which I sent them via email), and hearing about their life there. Then she asked if I would like to dress up in her traje, the native clothing for women of corte (skirt) and huipile (the beautiful woven blouses of this country). And so I did. Here you see the pictures from that afternoon!

lecciones de mi cama-last weekend (14-17 april)

Well, perhaps a more accurate title, lest you get the wrong impression, is "lessons from el bano!" Being sick in a foreign country, especially when you are there alone, is frightening, but I was given the opportunity to absorb some important life lessons: Not only is it okay to rely on strangers to help you, they WILL help you and do what is needed to make sure you get better. Juan, who works at the hotel, went out ane bought gatoraid for me. Felipe,who also works there, and who brought me Semana Santa bread and fruit with honey on Easter, moved all my stuff and helped me to a room with its own bathroom. And then he made me tea and checked on me every couple of hours. Victoria and Heydy came the next day and went out and bought Pedialyte and bananas, and la senora at the hotel discreetly washed my soiled clothes. I was scared, and they halped me feel more secure. I felt alone, and they filled those empty holes. I was horribly uncomfortable and embarrassed, too, and they let me know I did not need to worry. The lessons I was given were profound.

Spanish School

Below is a photo of Pedro, my dear, patient, Spanish teacher and the view from the rooftop "school" where I study.

Also of fun note, when I arrived at the learning center this morning, Heydy and Victoria told me hurriedly that they had a meeting until ten o'clock and I would be on my own with the kids...who speak mostly Ixil and some Spanish, and to whom, oddly enough, I am teaching English---with paints! So my partners didn't return until 11:00 as it turned out, and I did the 9 and 10 o'clock classes on my own. If you can't punt around here, you're toast! You just have to go with it! It was fine, and went well, albeit a little unnerving on my own in the learning center as there is a lot of drop-in activity I couldn't attend to. But there you go....and off we went, elarning numbers and colors.

Tomorrow I am going out in the field with a facilitadoro to do group meetings...on the back of his motorcycle!I am thrilled, and por supuesto a little nervous!

Classes in Session!

This week I am teaching English! Here are some photos from the first day...numbers, colors, articles a/an......

More Semana Santa - Friday afternoon and evening

So the pageantry continued throughout the day. Jesus (the live version, enacted by the youth of the church) was led in ropes through town, always followed by a crowd, with the park filled wall to wall with people swarming to watch. Then a while later he was led through the streets again carrying a huge wooden cross. For a while on a little stage next to the church ther was a flurry of activity we couldn't see, but eventually first one, then two, then three crosses, just like in the Bible, were raised on the stage, each with what I first thought was a mannekin but then discovered was a live human man on it, Jesus of course in the middle. I will try to attach a few second video of Jesus's shudders at the end of his life--in Nebaj!

Semana Santa

Easter week is a big holiday in Nebaj...a combination of religious drama and popular carnival. Starting on the Wednesday afternoon before Easter things begin to close and people begin their vacations. A ferris wheel was erected behind the iglesia (church), carnival and gambling games set up in the calles, special foods prepared, (bread, fruit and honey among them), and an air of festivity overcame the town. For me it was a bit unnerving at first, espeically when I discovered this polace, my connection to civilization, was shutting its doors Thursday, Friday and Saturday! But this forced me to branch out and explore new places, thibgs to do, and restaurants to eat at in town. I can,t say I am eating like a local....but I have certainly been resourceful! And I make ample use of my usually private rooftop terraza for highly exotic dishes like yougurt anad granola and cup of soup!

So Thursday night was a big church service in the Catholic church on the park, followed by a reenactment of The Last Supper in front of the church. Jesus and his disciples then walked through the streets, follwoed by crowds, essentially to my hotel, where Felipe (my no0w friend who works there) and I had ringside seats. The group of 13 sat in this blind that had been created earlier in the afternoon and awaited the inevitable. Eventually the guards came and arrested Jesus.

In the morning was first a procession with a float of Jesus and the cross followed by throngs of people in traditional dress (very common here) and incense. The float stopped at various spots around the city for prayer and everyone kneeled in the streets. Of course I joined in, and took photos, mostly from behind so as to be respectful.I think I will post this so far; I have learned the hard way soemtimes everything crashes...

Finally! A connection

hola mis amigos y mi familia!
First, a note about the photos finally posted in the entry below from around Nebaj.Scroll down to see them. The scene with the bus was taken from the terraza of where I am staying. The thatched roof building is the Descanso, where I can post on this blog as it seems to have the only wireless access in town....spotty though it msy be/=. Today they had a new account name and password, so I am hoping for an iimprovement in access as well!The 3-story building with the blue vert9ical beams on top is the hostel/Spanish school. My Spanish ''class" is on the rooftop under a shade awning w ith a write and wipe board! The other scenes are typical around town.I'm adding a couple more here of el parque, the pride of the town.

Estoy en Nebaj

OK, finally I am back connected with civilization and can post some photos of this little pueblo where I am now living. Starting last Wednesdy things started shutting down for Semana Santa, and b y Thursday all the internet cafes plus this one restaurant where there is wireless were closed for three days. So I have figured out some other places to eat in town and have also grown to be very appreciative of Cup of Soup noodles that here comes with a great little packet of hot sauce and I can prepare it with the agua pura y caliente at the hotel where I am staying and eat it on the terraza, my favorite place because I can see out over the town, sit in the shade, and enjoy light and fresh air. So first I am going to post some photos of Nebaj. The I will write about Semana Santa in the next post, and finally about meeting Ana at the MErcado Artesania today and being invited to her house to see her back strap loom, meet her family, anad try on traje typica!So here are some photos from around Nebaj.