Advertisement
Published: October 8th 2010
Edit Blog Post
Nicolas
Nicolas was the guardian of the property where we lived in Santiago Atitlan. He helped us with anything and everything. Gracias a Dios por Nicolas! Reflections de Las Ninas Yesterday, my Dad and I went to the beach. I was doing school work and my Dad said, "Are those turtles?" My Dad and I looked over and..........
There were turtles coming out of their nest right in front of our eyes. We ran over and there were baby turtles wandering around the sand trying to figure out where they were. Then someone asked me if I wanted to hold one. I said, "YES!" They put a little turtle right in the palm of my hand. I held it against my chest. It kept on squirming around still trying to figure out where it was. When I set it down I said, "Good luck!"
I felt very lucky to hold a baby turtle that was about to have a big and long life in the sea. It is pretty cool because just this summer I have seen baby turtles in the Atlantic (Topsail) the Pacific (Monterrico in Guatemala) and now the Caribbean.
Tomorrow we leave for Cuba, I miss everyone very much and yet I am very excited.
Leigh
Reflections de Mark Admittedly, this post will not be as
The Rainy Day Departure
Of course, it was raining hard the day we left Santiago Atitlan. interesting. So, we don't blame you if you jump to Youtube for the latest video craze. These last few weeks have been filled with a lot of making arrangements, sitting on planes, checking in and out of hotels and waiting. We are in the in between, the time between Guatemala and Cuba, between what's been and what's coming. Because of this, we took very few photos. We didn't think pictures of public restrooms and hotel beds were worth your time, or ours. However, these are a few shots that we thought might interest you.
As most of you know, we were hoping to spend this week in Cuba but instead we've been living in downtown Cancun. The good news is that this was the perfect place to work out the travel glitches because there is a Cubana Airline office here. We've been told, after three trips there, that we should have no problem getting on the plane tomorrow. May it be so. We've also learned that our Cuban friends are making arrangements for us to get "foreign resident cards". We think these may allow us to avoid the time and expense of leaving Cuba in order to get our
Antigua
One of the many old churches in Antigua. The city is filled with classic colonial architecture. visas renewed. Again, may it be so. While this time has been a surprise, the door keeps moving in the right direction. Gracias a Dios!
For me, it's been interesting to notice how different Cancun feels, though technically still in Latin America. There are obvious things, like the fact that we are within walking distance of a Super Wal-Mart and an Office Depot and when you try to speak Spanish with someone they usually talk back to you English. But more difficult for me is the sense of desperation that many seem to have when a Gringo (ie a potential sell) walks by. Granted, it is the slow season, but we stopped into one tienda to look for gifts for some of our Cuban friends and when Kiran explained that she wanted to look around more of the market, he became angry and said he would charge her more if she came back. In addition to being a poor business strategy, it was different. Of course, we encountered many vendors who worked hard to sell us their wares in Guatemala, but it did not have this edge to it. Perhaps the lure of wealth is so close, so in
The Last Meal
Our final taste of Guatemalan food, in the airport. Not sure that counts. your face and yet so unattainable, that it fuels an understandable resentment which we have not experienced before. I wonder.
Needless to say, tomorrow we enter a completely different reality. The fears still get me every now and then (mostly around the Spanish), but more common are feelings of great anticipation and excitement. There is so much there for all of us to learn. Continue to pray that we remain open to it all. With much love and appreciation for you all!
Reflections de Kiran Leaving Guatemala Just when we got used to the constant rain, learned all the short cuts around Santiago Atitlan, and got used to being a foot taller than everyone around us, we up and left Guatemala. I (Kiran) am a professional sleeper and the only lost sleep I have had on this trip was the night before we left our lake side town. Listening to the sheets of rain - then 4 days into the latest tropical front that had come and stalled over Guatemala - I began to wonder if we would be stuck in our rainy town forever. The last rain like that caused mudslides that closed roads for
October Christmas in Miami
Santa Ken in our Miami hotel room delivering sweets and sweet cards. several days. The questions swirled in my head. What if the roads collapse, we miss our flights, the catastrophic predictions of the Mayan calendar are upon us and Ken is waiting in Miami?
Gratefully, the roads, although wet, rough and battered were clear enough for travel and our friend and trusted driver, Aklax, navigated the pot holes and swollen rivers to safely deliver us to Antigua. Antigua is a small town with cobblestone streets, fabulously old architecture and more language schools, banks and bars than you can shake a stick at. We did not stand out in the least there as many tourist, students and backpackers find their way through Antigua. We ate Pizza for the first time in 7 weeks (I know, we had it rough). While there, we also skyped with May’s 3rd grade class. Both Mark and I teared up when we saw those sweet kids take turns putting earphones on and asking Leigh questions about Guatemala, her life and what she is learning. After 2 nights in Antigua we caught a predawn shuttle to the airport (in the rain of course) and had an uneventful trip to Miami.
Miami Seeing Ken run through
the rental car center with arms wide open was definitely the highlight of the 40 hours we had in Miami. We exchanged stories, gifts and the cash we need for our year in Cuba. Seeing him was a bit like driving through Asheville but not being able to stop and see everyone else. It felt strange to be in the US but not at home. We so appreciated the time to sit and talk with Ken and get the news about Circle of Mercy, family and friends. We ventured into a nearby Wal-mart to purchase sheets, duct tape and restock on the many personal supplies that can be tricky to find in Cuba. It was great to know that I spoke better Spanish than some of the sales people spoke English. We continue to enjoy the Sam’s choice peanut butter and cannot figure why the Latin World has not recognized PB for the essential food that it is.
Cancun Last Sunday we arrived for the dream vacation we never planned, nor wanted. Because Sept and Oct are the low tourist times, restaurants are handing us coupons for free margaritas and waterparks are begging for our business.
I
now think the week transition is a gift in itself. The time in Guatemala was really special and a week has allowed us to grieve a little, if grieving includes floating belly up in crystal blue waters while thinking about the good old days in Guatemala. The week long wait has also made us all very excited about meeting new friends and learning more about what our life will be like in Cuba.
The girls really want to attend a Cuban school if possible. We know so little of what privileges will be extended to us. Will we get a food ration card? Will we be allowed a government issued email account? Will we be issued or even allowed to use Cuban pesos or will we have to use CUC, the much inflated foreign currency? Will the girls be allowed to attend a public school and if so, will Joy and Leigh be the first US citizens to attend?
I am most excited about meeting new friends, students and teachers at the seminary. We are hungry for our new church family and all the activities that await us at the First Baptist Church in Matanzas. If public school
A Back Stage Shot
In case you are wondering, we had to sit through a 2 and half hour sales pitch in order to swim in that pool. is not an option then we will look forward to finding language and music teachers and diving into whatever youth activities the seminary, church and community has to offer.
If email and internet are available we plan to post blog entries from Cuba. If not, we will send them back with foreign visitors and try to keep the blog alive. We love hearing from each of you and so much appreciate the investment many of you have made in us.
With tight hugs and feelings of deep gratitude- The Sigsils
Advertisement
Tot: 0.08s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 16; qc: 51; dbt: 0.03s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
May
non-member comment
how did Joy get in the toilet bowl?
Dear Joy, Leigh, Kiran and Mark, Once again a great blog entry. I can't wait to hear about your next home. I think it's cool that the girls want to go to public school in Cuba. They are so special. I love you more and more and more, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. xoxoxo May