Follow the Journey

Hello friends and family of the fabulous maya group, since we last updated the blog we have had many adventures. Thursday we explored the beautiful Ixtacapa river, which is about an hours hike from Pasac. After our swim we flew kites that our wonderful guides made for us. We were surprised when they let the kites go, and learned that this is a Mayan tradition symbolizing the release of a deceased persons soul. On Dia de los Muertos all the families of Pasac make similar kites for their late loved ones. We also collected trash from around the town and made fashionable trash wallets from chip bags. The following day was our last in Pasac and began bright and early with PANCAKES for breakfast!! Following our meal we wandered to the house of one of our guides and helped prepare a roots and wings fundraiser lunch. This consisted of beans, tortillas, tomato sauce, rice, and oh yeah freshly killed chicken! Shane, Ricky, and Quintin did the honors of slaughtering the three chickens right then and there with a machete. Once this was done went to our homes and our families dressed us in their traditional mayan attire. The girls wore long skirts sashed at the waist and gorgeous hand woven shirts. The boys also wore skirts (although theirs were much much shorter), hand woven shirts, and some got to wear scarves on their heads (making them look at bit like pirates). We were paraded around the town while the townsfolk stood outside their houses (most of them laughing.) That night we performed a show for the villagers which included a dance to the song “cant touch this”, a sing along to wagon wheel, a warrior princess Tae Kwon Do performance by Lizza, and some really cool acrobatics by Shane and Brent. The audience was not very big into applause which we attributed to their culture and not our performance. After the show we circled around a fire (wood, trash, and paint thinner) and said our goodbyes to the guides, thanking them for their hard work. The morning was rather emotional, all the children of the village jumped onto and chased the van as we drove away. Our time in Pasac was nothing less than extraordinary, a community that we will never forget. We arrived in Xela and checked into the Black Cat hostel, after a few hours of roaming the city we headed to a reknowned Indian restaurant and ate our hearts out, which way have been hard for the few of our members with some rather
severe indigestion. After our meal we headed to La Parrillanda, a dance club. Everything was all fun and games until Ricky slipped in the bathroom and busted his head open! Although he may have a slight concussion, he survived and the night was still a success!! Sunday morning we left the Black Cat, full from a delicious complementary breakfast, and met our new host families!
The accomodations in Xela are a bit nicer than Pasac. Our immenities include hot water, our own beds,and bathrooms with doors!! Monday morning we attended our first day of school at Xelaju where everyone has one on one spanish tutoring, five hours a day.The city of Xela is quite beautiful and with our free time we have meandered the streets, taking in the sights of Xela! We have also taken a cooking class and a salsa dancing class. Tonight we are going Salsa dancing, hoping to have an injury free night.
Lots of love from group MAYA to all of you reading this,
Sophia & Jared