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Published: September 25th 2010
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La Nariz (The Nose)La Nariz (The Nose)La Nariz (The Nose)

Can you see the face? It goes both ways with 2 different expressions. The faces are looking up and La Nariz is the highest point.
From Las Ninas

When you look up at the Nariz from San Juan, it looks steep and hard to climb, but possible. It is most definitely steeper and rockier than any of the mountains at home. It’s fun to find the two different faces in the mountain and wonder what the person could possibly be doing sleeping (face # 1) or talking/ screaming (face #2), but it is even more fun to look up at the face in the mountain and say that you climbed to the only place that does not change between faces, the nose.

Let’s skip all the sweating, panting, drinking, slipping, and sweating some more, to the part where we actually make it to the top. It took about three to four hours of climbing straight up hill. So you can imagine how it felt to have finally reached the top.

The relief of reaching the top lasted a few minutes before I sat down and actually thought about how high up we were. I am terrified of heights, so naturally, I started to hyperventilate. Dad had to comfort me a little but luckily there was a fog covering the top so I could
We Are Talking SteepWe Are Talking SteepWe Are Talking Steep

Kiran and I agreed, despite years of hiking, we have a new understanding of steep. That's our fearless guide, wonderful teacher and new friend Freddie in the front.
not see for miles as we would have if not for the cloud relief.

We stayed up there for awhile, enjoying the coolness of fog. When it started to clear up, however, it was time to leave. We took a shorter hike down the other side of the Nariz into a small, poor town called Santa Clara. There we got Tort-Trix (an amazing Guatemalan chip) and a pickup truck.

One of the many ways of transportation here is standing up in the back of pickup trucks clinging for dear life to metal bars. We all managed to stay in so you can start breathing again grandma. This was our first time riding in the back of a pickup and unfortunately not the last. We ended up in a town called San Pablo where we got a ten minute Tuk-Tuk ride back to San Juan.

I know that we all got a good night’s sleep that night, minus the dog barking for an hour, which is a different story for another time.

Joy

The Unexpected

We know it’s been awhile. A few unexpected events have made blogging a challenge. First, our computers were invaded by
We Made It!We Made It!We Made It!

One of those houses down there is where we started.
a nasty virus putting both of them in techno ICU. Second, our house lost power last Sunday and remains in the dark. Apparently, it may be awhile before energy is flowing to our sweet Guatemalan home again. However, more angelitos have appeared.

Juan, a “computer guy” who grew up in Santiago Atitlan, has already fixed one of the computers and is working on the other one. He is Morman and did his two year journey in Arizona, something I did not know when I called him. After struggling through a 5 minute description of our problem in Spanish, he responded, “No problem. I can take care of that. When do you want me to come by.” Gracias a Juan!

David, who I’m sure would cringe at the idea of being referred to as an angelito, is the owner of the Posada, by all accounts one of the best places to stay in SA. He is also a supporter of The Hospitalito. Though The Posada shuts down the month of September, David offered to rent a small house to us for our remaining days here. It has light, comfortable beds, a little kitchen, hot water and if you walk down to the main building, you can pick up the internet. We are living large. David is renting it to us at a 1/3 of the usual price. Gracias a David!

Leigh’s Birthday

Months before we left, it occurred to Leigh that her next birthday would be in Guatemala. After some initial disappointment about not being with her friends, she said, “But hey, how many girls can say they turned 9 in Guatemala.” Joy responded, “besides millions of Guatemalan women and girls, not many.”

Guatemala did prove to be a great place to 9. Kiran, as usual, planned the perfect day. We began with the traditional birthday scavenger hunt followed by eating out for breakfast. At 2:00, the two Gringo families near us came over for Ice Cream Cake and an afternoon of swimming, hide and go seek and gifts. At the end of the day, Leigh said that she will never forget turning 9.

The Home Stay

Once Kiran stopped taking call at the hospital, we were free to leave SA and embark on some adventures. First, we boated across the lake where we encountered a large dose of Tz’utuhil hospitality. Freddie, Kiran’s Spanish
Las MujeresLas MujeresLas Mujeres

All the women in typical San Juan attire.
teacher, arranged for us to stay at his Mother’s house in San Juan De La Laguna. With the exception of the Nariz hike (see Joy’s story above), we joined in the day to day rhythms of their lives.

Kiran, Joy and Leigh went each morning to the molino. This is the machine that grinds the corn into maza, the dough for making tortillas which are eaten at every meal. They even let me (Mark) tag along one time, a clear departure from the traditional gender roles. There were lessons in tortilla making (much harder than it looks), weaving and corte wrapping (the traditional mayan skirts). Mixed in were many fascinating conversations about their lives past and present.

One night, Freddie and his wife invited us to dinner at their house. As the food was being prepared, I grabbed Freddy’s guitar and we started singing Circle of Mercy songs. A small group of young boys gathered at the window and were thoroughly entertained by the Baptist Gringo Von Trapps. It’s probably the closest we will ever come to street preachers. Freddy also added some of his favorite tunes. We had a fun little songfest and a nice reminder of
Joy and RosemarieJoy and RosemarieJoy and Rosemarie

We were all wanting to get our hands on Rosemarie.
music’s amazing ability to join people together.

Perhaps the sweetest part of our time in San Juan was the powerful bond that formed between Leigh and Yolanda. It was beyond words, particularly so because they shared no common language. However, their ability to connect and share life was easy and fluid. When it came time to leave, Leigh and Yolanda both said they wanted more time together. A plan emerged for Leigh to stay an extra night, without the rest of us, and Yolanda would bring her back to Santiago Atitlan the following day.

Now, there are a thousand reasons that parents with good sense would reject the idea of leaving their 9 year old daughter with people they just met in a foreign town where she is unable to speak the language. But, it was clear, this was one of those non-sensical moments of Grace that beg a non-sensical “Yes”. Leigh had a wonderful time soaking up more of the family’s love and was safely returned to us the following day with a memory that, I’m sure, will resonate inside her for the rest of her life. Last night, we all had fun imagining the reunion one
Leigh With A Sweet LoadLeigh With A Sweet LoadLeigh With A Sweet Load

That's Rosemarie's grandmother, Yolanda, behind them.
day when we return to their home, this time with more years on our bodies and more Spanish in our brains.

Montericco

Soon after our time in San Juan, we took a three day trip to Montericco, a beach town on the Pacific famous for its nature reserve, sea turtles and black volcanic sand. It was great training for Cuba. The heat was often intense and the accommodations more rustic than our Gautemalan home. Leigh had her first experience of travel sickness and a loud ceiling fan made sleeping a bit of a challenge.

But don’t think it was all for naught. We had fun splashing in the hotel’s cracked pools, playing volleyball and riding horses on the beach. Leigh and Kiran also visited the Tortugario where they saw some baby sea turtles that had just been hatched. If you are wondering about swimming in the ocean, our family’s usual beach activity, I’ve never experienced such powerful water. Huge waves would regularly break on the surf. I(Mark) found it invigorating, but it was a bit much for the others. While all were glad we went, I sense it did not make the Sigmon Siler “must return” list.
Riding On The BeachRiding On The BeachRiding On The Beach

On the beach in Montericco with some four-legged companions. Notice the black, volcanic sand.


The Good-Byes

We only have three more days in Santiago Atitlan. We are feeling sad about leaving. On Thursday, when we decided to move out of our lightless house in which we had been living for 6 weeks, we sat around the kitchen table lighting candles while recalling memories and giving thanks. It went on for a long time.

Yesterday, we had our final Spanish classes. I’m not sure any of us, teachers included, expected the upwelling of emotion. Through hours of halted conversation, walks to the lake, conjugated verbs, soccer in the yard, Spanish scrabble and hilarious (if not embarrassing) mistakes, we’ve met some amazing people and forged some wonderful friendships. If anyone is looking for a stunningly beautiful place to learn Spanish from stunningly big hearted people, check out the EcoSpanish website: www.ecolanguages.org. The next few days will be filled with more sad good-byes, yet another sign of the rich time we've had.

What's Next

Some of you already know that our plans for getting to Cuba have changed. Due to the barriers that the US government places on Cuba travel and the uniqueness of our 9 month stay, we will be spending a week in Cancun (Oct. 2 - Oct. 8) waiting for our Visas. Fortunately, we found a relatively affordable place to stay and will make the most of it. I know that sounds a bit strange since thousands flock to Cancun every year, but we would much rather be in Cuba.

We are getting excited about seeing Ken (Sehested, one of our pastors) in Miami. He is meeting us there next Thursday to bring various and a sundry things that we will need. He takes his role of tending to the flock very seriously and for that, we are deeply grateful.

Firsts

First bat in the bathtub. Upon arriving in our new house, Joy and Leigh found a bat in our bath tub. Fortunately for me, it was either really sleepy or really sick and did not try to fly away as I scooped it up.

First red meat for Kiran in 20 years. Part of receiving hospitality is learning to eat outside of the box.

First whole crab in the soup bowl. For our last meal, Yolanda prepared a San Juan special, soup with a whole crab looking up at you. See previous statement
TortillasTortillasTortillas

Learning the ancient art of toritilla making.
about hospitality.

First time sitting on a scorpion. After returning from Montericco, a small creature jumped from Leigh’s chair on to the floor. It was a scorpion who thankfully had a slow trigger.

First time seeing the Pacific Ocean, for Joy and Leigh.




Additional photos below
Photos: 23, Displayed: 23


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Erwin and OliverErwin and Oliver
Erwin and Oliver

We ran into Erwin and Oliver on the way to the Nariz. Erwin has been my (Mark) teacher for the last couple of weeks.
Almost ThereAlmost There
Almost There

The last leg into Montericco is a boat ride through the nature reserve. That's Aklach in the front, our wonderful driver and friend.
NymphaNympha
Nympha

Aklach reached out of the boat and picked a few of these flowers growing on the water. He called them nymphas
A PlaymateA Playmate
A Playmate

Early in our time in Montericco, we met Delmis. She lived nearby the place we were staying. We had great fun swimming and playing volleyball with her, her siblings and her cousins.
PracticePractice
Practice

Violin practice Guatemalan style.


26th September 2010

great blog
Dear Sigsils, I loved, loved, loved reading this blog. You all are such good ambassadors!!!! So fun and kind and open. Just like you appreciate all the Guatemalans, I know they appreciate you all too. You are the best! So glad you're having fun. love, May
26th September 2010

Your pictures are great, thanks for sharing them! Your hike and the tortilla making sounded difficult, but fun! You sound very flexible as you lose power, see bats and a scorpion, and say good bye to new close friends. Hope the Cancun leg of your journey goes well. The Junaluska Peace Conference went well last weekend. In two weeks we take Reed to Washington, D.C. Our thoughts and prayers go with you all. Happy Late Birthday, Leigh! And Happy Early Birthday, Joy! Love, Paul and Louisa
27th September 2010

I'm so glad you all were able to experience the beautiful people and hospitality of Santiago Atitlan. Traveling mercies to you as you embark on the next part of your journey.
28th September 2010

Goose bumps!
Reading your e blasts give me goose bumps - what an incredible adventure you are all on. I wish you safe travels and continued good health and fun well in Mexico and Cuba!! Adios. Lynne

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