Hello. It was with weak Spanish skills that I embarked on this trip, and it is with similarly ill-equipped blogging skills that I attempt to succinctly describe MAYA´s experiences over the past few days here in the wonderfully mystifying city of Xela. Forgive me if my entry lacks the common conventions of a travel blog and contains the occasional Canadian spelling irregularity.
Our Tuesday began with Spanish language classes en la mañana, an experience that ranges from original Guatemalan political commentary (shoutout to Joel and Ruby) to trips to Mennonite bake shops and Spanish flash cards (shoutout to Ian, Scott and me). As per usual, what my fellow beginners and I lack in vocabulary we make up for in enthusiasm, engaging in passionate, if ill-expressed, debates with our maestras about vegetables and pastries. After an exhausting morning of verbs and cookies, the group returned to our home-stays for a semi-traditional Guatemalan lunch. The home-stays vary from multi-level mansions to smaller apartments but all have showers, warm beds and (finally!) toilet paper. Guatemalan cuisine is best described by Alyssa as “like really really good, especially the eggs holy crap.” After lunch the group met up again to try out some Central American cooking, and the experience was much more trying on the other side of the counter. The ordinary in Guatemala is usually fairly extraordinary to us; Sarah, (a somewhat experienced chef) was particularly impressed by a Guatemalan woman´s ability to whip eggs into merengue by hand. To quote Hannah, “all of the locals are really badass.”
Afterwards, the group split off to spend time with our families, explore the city, and take advantage of the unique opportunity to eat from a local Guatemalan McDonald´s. Exploring Xela has its ups and downs; there are beautiful cathedrals and ample opportunities to buy Guatemalan clothing and knickknacks, but the sight of starving dogs and begging children can be a bit of a rude awakening for the many of us who have spent our lives sheltered from poverty.
Wednesday began similarly, but for the afternoon we hiked up a hill to an isolated school above the city of Xela, to play with precocious Guatemalan children, who schooled us on our Spanish and dominated in an impromptu game of soccer. Our group managed to make a good impression with even the most savvy of children. However, it can be difficult maneuvering through the politics of Guatemalan schoolyard games and homework, and the experience was not without qualms. Regina remarked: “I realized how shitty I´ve become at long division. Good thing the kids helped me.” The day finished off with a celebration for Jai´s birthday, who joined the ranks of Taylor Momsen and Miley Cyrus as a 19 year old citizen of the world. After an undeniably idiosyncratic celebration that included a cookie cake, Spongebob piñata and Spanish singalong, Jai reflected on the night, stating: “My favorite part was the plastic dinorsaur I got. His name is velociraptor.”
Thursday had an air of finality to it, as we prepared to leave for the upcoming trek through the mountains to Lake Atitlan. The Spanish school organized a delightfully informal graduation ceremony for us, and gave us the opportunity to say a few words of thanks before our final day of classes on Friday. I include below a poem Robin wrote (entirely in Spanish!) for the staff of Casa Xelaju.
Following the morning of classes, the group split up for lunch and reconvened at Nick and Aimee´s extremely well-furbished apartment for a lesson on packing for a three-day trek. We are preparing for lots of rain, bugs, and joy, and have learned a valuable lesson from Aimee that “nothing is water-proof.” After the meeting the group split up again for dinner, with some of us heading to a local cafe to watch the vice-presidential debate. It was an acutely Socratic experience; the table was comprised of two Republicans, an independent, and a Canadian foreigner, and we calmly discussed the many issues we have agreed to disagree on. Our group is a remarkable smörgåsbord of personalities, and we have all benefited from the opportunity to get to know crazy people from the opposite side of the political spectrum.
Friday marked the final day before our departure. After an ultimately disavowed trip to Walmart to stock up essentials before the trek, the group bid our beloved teachers adieu (shoutout to Claudias one and two). We then set forth to prepare some chocolate alongside Guatemalans, a process that was ultimately undertaken (as many things have been) entirely by Guatemalans. We are now off to spend the evening with our host families before an early departure tomorrow morning. I pride my self on the dearth of sentimentality in my person, but as we leave I can´t help but feel I´m going to miss this brave new world of speeding cars and slow pedestrians. As my newfound friends and I set out into the next daunting leg of our journey, I leave you with the words of Helen Keller, who insightfully quipped that “…life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
– Miranda