A routine

I've really been enjoying myself here in Queztaltenango, Gautemala. School has been going pretty well and I've been able to converse better with Carmen, my homestay provider. She's a retired school teacher and the house she owns was here mother's (I think). There are some other family members living in the house and for the longest time I couldn't figure out who was living there and who was visiting. I think I've got it now. Carmen's daughter (Carmen has 3 kids from what I can interpret) and her 2 kids. There are 2 other girls here that are related to Carmen, going to school, but they aren't her grandkids.

My days go like this. Have breakfast at 7am which is usually warm cereal. I can't tell what it is exactly but it's got milk in it (I think the milk is powdered or condensed???) along with some corn flakes or some other Kellogg's cereal and pan or pancakes, which are my favorite b/c of the syrup provided and some hot beverage which I never know what it is. Nescafe sometimes. Something else creamy and ricey the others. I just eat and drink whatever is put in front of me. I think I had some tripe today at lunch-I got it down. After breakfast, I go to school for 5h. Come back home for almuerzo, which is the biggest meal of the day and usually has arroz, frijoles or both and always fresh tortillas.

Then I do whatever. Study. Workout. Go on excursions through the school. Yesterday we went on one but I'll get to that in second. Cena is around 7-8pm and it's usually pretty small. Typical here is some chicken product-usually eggs- with beans and/or rice and tortillas.


I'm on my own after that. Usually at one of these meals Carmen and I will talk for a little while. It's gotten easier to respond to her as the week has progressed but I'm still far from intermediate or advanced with my Spanish. Comprehension is one thing. Responding is another. I really wish the switch would flip already but I need a lot more practice.


Yesterday me and 2 other student went with Alma, the do everything assistant of the school to Salcaja. It's about a 10min chicken bus ride (chicken buses and minivans run regular bus routes here in Quetzaltenango and all over Guatemala) there. In Salcaja they have a big market, again, where you can buy just about everything. That's part of why we went there yesterday, for Market Day. Salcaja also makes the majority of the fabric that most traditionally dressed women wear for skirts. I guess this whole area manufactures/produces a lot of goods for Guatemala. This is a huge agricultural area as well.


After the market, we visited a home I guess. It's hard to say exactly what it was, home, hospedaje, business, maybe all 3 and more. On the top floor were 2 weaving looms where guys were weaving fabrics that will become the reams from which many many skirts will be made. It's a little strange to me that the thread, string, etc. going into the cloth were likely made on industrial machines and dyed industrially, but then they go into old school weaving looms. Maybe I've got this wrong though.

This place also makes Caldo de Fruta which is a wine/liquor made from fermenting various fruits (apples, cherries, and some others I can't remember) for many months or even years. Reminds me of punch. The fruits are saturated with alcohol and are incredibly strong but the "wine" is much more suave and tastes much better than the fruit. We bought a bottle for our school's director birthday.


From there we went across the street to the oldest church in Central America. I think it was built in 1534 and is still in use. Most of the wooden support beams are the originals. It's really quaint and beautiful. Right next door is a basketball court (now that I've mentioned this, there are basketball courts all over Guatemala. I've never seen one being used for basketball. Futsal, or futbal, but never basketball. I've got to admit, I find it really strange there are so many courts for a country of people so short) painted almost entirely with a Contigo (cell phone company) advertisement. Everything painted blue with white letters. Maybe that's what will be next. Churches emblazoned with company logos. St. Grace's Cathedral brought to you by SBC/AT&T.


This was the end of the tour. We caught another bus and went back. I think that since we were with Alma, we didn't have to pay the gringo prices. Tonight is Gladis' (dir./owner of El Mundo en Español, my school) birthday. She's only 40 and just became a grandmother. This is pretty normal in a Catholic country where abortion is illegal, but maybe not necessarily for that reason. Alma is 36, 37 and has 5 kids. She was saying it's not uncommon for a family to have 12-13 kids. I forgot to ask about infant mortality and divorce though. Next time.


Elisa wasn't having so much fun where she went off to so I've convinced her to come here. She gets here today or tomorrow. Tomorrow Alma is taking us to Fuentes Georginas, a natural spring up in the hills whose different pools are fed by hot sulfur springs. Que rico!