hey there! I apologize for the brief hiatus in blog posts, but sometimes it just takes sitting down and writing to get it done. I´ll attempt to summarize what has happened in the last two weeks as best I can:
THE GOOD: we´ve done/experienced some really incredible things in the last two busy weeks. We met with a couple who lived in the US for 23 years in avoidance of the war. they welcomed us into their home to eat lunch and hear their story... they were crucial in the sanctuary project of the 1980s, and found Vermont as their home for such a long period of time. we also participated in a traditional Mayan cosmovision ceremony which may be one of the coolest things I´ve experienced thus far... led by a Mayan priest, we all stood in a circle around the sacrificial fire and took full part in the ceremony by offering candles, sugar, and sesame seeds (or something similar) while the priest chanted in the traditional Qui´che language and explained to us what all of this words and actions meant. Mayan cosmovision is centered on a balance between light, rest, spirit, and tangible beings. I greatly admire their devotion to the earth and to each other, and the balanced approach they have to life and death. This has also been independence week for all of Central America, and Xela is headquarters for the party. Wednesday night the parque central is closed off and is surrounded by street vendors selling deliciously fried foods and tons of live music. At midnight, there´s a fireworks show to greet the Independence Day and everyone shouts in celebration. We all had a blast, and drank our fair share of tequila shots to greet the day.
THE BAD: the majority of the group has encountered digestive issues from either the food or water... inevitable
THE REALLY GOOD: is called Lake Atitlan. Last weekend we had our first free weekend to do whatever we wanted, but most students choose to go to a nearby lake. It´s a volcanic lake that is rumored to have first erupted nearly 11 million years ago, and it´s the largest of its kind in Central America. We arrived on friday afternoon with pouring down rain and tons of clouds, so we were really worried what this ¨"paradise" was really going to turn out to be. We had to take a small speed boat to the town where our hostel was, because there aren´t roads that connect all of the different towns around the lake, and when we got there I have to say it was a relief that all of the staff were either American, English, or Australian. A break from Spanish wouldn´t hurt. The hostel was BEAUTIFUL, the food was delicious, and the staff and other guests were so friendly. We woke up on Saturday to an incredibly clear morning, with the two giant volcanoes straight across the lake. Asking around to the other guests, we figured out that we could hike for about 20 minutes to a cliff where we could jump into the lake. We knew that we had to walk through the property of a hotel that was down by the water, and it turned out to be the most tranquil and beautiful property I've ever seen. The lake has risen nearly 20 feet just in the last 2 years, and the water was covering some of the lower patios of the hotel, \which made for perfect wading to be possible. The water was a sweet 75 degrees and the sun just hot enough to dry us after swimming. Needless to say after all the rainy and cold days in Xela the weather was more than needed. We had a great dinner and a little too much fun at the party afterward (every Saturday in the hostel is encourages cross-dressing) and then woke up on Sunday to do the same thing. When we were jumping off the cliff a man who lived nearby started yelling at us to get off. We swam back over to the hotel and he rode over on his boat to tell us that it was a "nature preserve that cost him a lot of money." I guess he felt bad for chastising us, so he came back over about 5 minutes later to offer to buy us drinks at a nearby country club. For free drinks? Of course we would go! We walked over and it was a gorgeous club with an infinity pool and a bar, and the man who introduced himself as Bill was super nice. It was an excellent way to end the trip.
THE REALLY BAD: my computer is completely broken. I can only use school computers, but luckily we're leaving to go to a rural community on Sunday so technology won't be needed. However, I'm really worried what I'm going to do to fix it, as I have to wait until we get to El Salvador.
Ciao!
Becca
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