Hello from la Escuela de la Montaña,
We’ve had a terrific week! On Sunday morning we moved out of our Xela home stays and caught a public bus that took us to The Mountain School! Immediately, we could tell this was going to be very different from PLQ. The bus dropped us off in the middle of the woods, right in the middle of the mountains we could see from far away the previous week. We were greeted by Candace and Tómas, a retired couple from Seattle who now manage the school, and they gave us a tour of the premises: it was amazing! On the school property there is a library for the local children, pathways to the coffee fields, gardens, beautiful landscaping, banana and lime trees, and, of course, the ranchitos–thatched-roof outdoor huts–where our classes were held. Basically, it was a perfect change of pace from the crowded city of Xela.
After the tour we got assigned to new host families. We wouldn’t be sleeping at their houses, but we would eat all of our meals with them. To our surprise, it was only one person to a house, meaning we wouldn’t have any other English-speaking companions with us. People were pretty nervous about that, and it definitely was a challenge, but a lot of people said later in the week that being by themselves was the best thing that could have happened for their Spanish skills. All of the families live very close to the school. There are two communities: Fatima and Nuevo San Jose. One of the many awesome things about the school is that it provides work for the women in these communities. We could see that the locals were genuinely happy to see us.
That night we had our first official group meeting. We did a guided meditation at the start start and gave shout-outs to group members who had done a particularly awesome job at something. We handed the reins over to a new presidente, Madam Brynn, and she read out our new jobs for the week. That night, to celebrate the cumpleaños de David, he taught us all how to swing and salsa dance, and everyone loved that! We went to bed exhausted from travel but in good spirits from our sweet new digs.
Monday morning we rolled out of bed, ate either too much (Brittany) or too little (Chris) breakfast, and then took on our day of class and adventure. It was just us at the Mountain School, so 8 students had class in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. At 10:20 on the first day we had a school orientation, where everyone said their name and algo que le gusta. It was a good way for the teachers/staff to get to know the students, and vice versa. We particularly enjoyed Rony and Tito’s antics (Rony and Tito are two Spanish teachers who enjoy a good prank), and the legend of Guapo Joe was born.
Throughout the week we had class intermixed with some really cool activities. These consisted of a hike to the bungalow of a Mayan sacerdote (priest), a trip to Colomba (the bigger town nearby the Mountain School), a soccer game (Maestros vs. Estudiantes), and a cooking class where we made delicious empanadas. We also had lots of visitors who shared really cool stories. Monday night Tómas told us about the history of the Mountain School and how it relates to Guatemala’s history. Tuesday morning Maria Teresa and Jose, an indigenous Mayan couple, told us about the Mayan cosmovisión and history. They shared the importance of the Mayan cosmovision and how it relates to the designs of their beautiful and intricate weavings. We also had the chance to buy locally-made granola and yogurt, pastries, and bracelets.
After a week of classes, all 14 of us graduated Friday morning after sharing our experience at the school and thanking everyone involved. Wade and Avery, however, did not officially receive their diplomas due to their skit about their teacher, Rony. Rachel is holding on to them until further notice;) On Saturday, we took a viaje to La Laguna Chicobal. This a sacred lagoon, so there are many areas for Mayan ceremonies to take place. The trail was very, very steep. There was even time for a quick game of ultimate frisbee. We are working extremely hard to keep the frisbee off of the roof, but we have a steep learning curve. David initiated a hilarious game after dinner. The rest of the night was filled with music, packing, and of course, eating peanut butter.
Lexi and Avery made sure to show our gratitude to the school with a handmade card. Thanks to Joe and Jordan… and Rachel and David…we will be safely on our way to Lake Atitlan tomorrow morning.
-Wade and Hannah
