Guate Gal

Christmas was so wonderful. The 2 weeks with Willie here were definately the best 2 weeks of my time in Guatemala. Just before Willie arrived the school sponsored a traditional Mayan healing ceremony in the backyard of the hostel connected to the school (my new home). It was very interesting, powerful, and cleansing. A great experience to have before reconnecting with Willie! Willie and I met in the very clean, tourist oriented city of Antigua and spent 2 relaxing days there. It was just before Christmas and each night we hung out in central park and people-watched. In Guatemala there is a tradition that starts 9 days before Christmas and continues until just before Christmas Eve. Each night a group of local people walk through the streets in a procession with candles and a statue of ... read more

Hi everybody. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I think I got a bit burnt out on Xela and needed a change of scenery. Not much occurred in the past 2 weeks, lots of studying and well, that's about it. I did attend 2 lectures in school. The first was about the 36 year civil war in Guatemala. This civil war just ended in 1996. It's estimated that over 300,000 people were killed and 200,000 are still missing. The history of the beginnings of the war were discussed and it's a shame because it appears that a fear of communism was used to commit genocide on the Mayan people. Yes, most of the people killed were indigenous Mayans who probably don't even know what communism is. It appears that racism against the Mayans dates back ... read more

Xela is an interesting place. There are many beautiful buildings surrounded by such poverty. Xela definately has a city feel but is surrounded by lush beautiful dormant volcanoes. The sidewalks are extremely narrow and it´s very difficult for 2 people to pass each other, you are definately forced to acknowledge each others presence. It is very common to see traditionally dressed Mayan women walking next to people in western dress. One thing I didn´t expect was the size of the typical person here. I am at least a head taller than most people here. Today my maistra referred to me as ¨tall¨ and I am only 5´4¨. My new school is great! There are lots of activities, resources for students and we study in a pretty garden. My maistro last week was the perfect instructor for ... read more