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April 6th 2006

Published: April 6th 2006

Wow - its been thyat long since I updated this site? Maybe you read the updates opn the kid´s site. Since I changed homes over two weeks ago its´been very busy. Living enar the centre of town encourages me to go out more in the evening, as I have tonight, buyt most internet cafes close between 7:30 and 8:30. Last night I went for a stroll but the one I got to was open only a very short time - just enough to call Dianne (my wife). Many stores are open until 7:30 or later. I started checking out shoes becayse the ones I have been wearing are collapsing with all the walking I´ve done, much of it on uneven surfaces like broker cobblestones and of course the volcano. But I hope I can find some insoles for these that will get me home - I have some cheap sandals I´m wearing tonight but they are no good for serious treks.

Where do I start - can´t view previous journals from here! I attended a gathgering organized by the immediate past liason officerf with the school at a hostel a few blocks ffom here. It was advedrtised as boing about free trade in this area with the USA (CAFTA) and I was curious. But he spent 90 minutes giving historical context (most of which was not new to me), and since I was sitting on a concrete step with no back I was very uncomfortable and also very tired due to waking up at about 5 AM. So I left at the break and didn´t hear the free trade part. It turns out that our school had him in this week to speak to us (the usual one hour conference turned into two hours) and it was interesting because he has many statistics and much information about the situation of the economy here in Guatemala and who will benefit from the CAFTA agreement that is about to come into effect. I talked to him briefly after, and now he wants to meet me for "coffee" on Friday at 5 in the afternoon. He knows my Spanish is pretty limited, but he does u8nderstand some English so I guess between the two we will communicate some. He runs his own educational institution and does a lot of speaking on various issues havfing to do with culture, the economy, and the situation of the ordinary people of Guatemala under the current structures.

I´ve seen a film on pollution here in Guatemala (a serious health problem), attended a conference on the well-being of children here (turns out the student who was here from Honduras - who is originally from the USA - works for an NGO that rescues girls from the streets and lives of prostitution). I´ve heard a presentation on the Mayan calendars (there are two) and the spiritual significance of them. Similar to the zodiac, they claim to be able to forecaste much about you and your life based on when you were born. I admit I was quite skeptical but quite startled by what they said about me (including things like speaking the truth, having a special connection with the Creator, and having a passion for peace and justice). The religious calendar this is based on has 20 months of 13 days - maybe its the other way round - anyway its a lunar calendar I think and based on the period of human gestation which is about 260 days. I ahve also just finished reading a book on Mayan myths and legands, which attempts to illustratge what the author claims is the very frequent sharing and mixing of religious and cultural practices between peoples from China, Japan, Polynesia, Ireland, Scotland, Egypt, Babylon, Sumneria and many other places with those of America. He claims the Mayan and other American practices around life, death, baptism, and religious practices have so many similarities in detail with other far more ancient civilizations that they cannot possibly have developed independently but are a mix of many ideas from many places, as are those of much older civilizations. This means that the people found by the Spanish when they arrived were anything but the ignorant backward people they were portrayed to be - they had long established connections with the rest fo the world from far earlier times. The same probably applies to indigeneous people of every country including Canada. I was a bit surprised to read of some of the practices common among our Irish and Scottish ancestors, some still current. I think the same can be said for the rest of Europe.

Today we had a "mini-conference" on Guatemalan legends and current practices, including the special fiestas, mostly based on Roman Catholic tradition but some very local and some from other roots. Today was also my last time teaching English to the kids at the school we help. I was in a different classroom with a new partner because Danny, our student liason with the school, has left. I ahve become friends a little with the German girl - there are no other German students here this week and we get along fine. I have to be careful because she is bigger than me! I think there are only about eight students here this week: two from England, two from France, two from Canada, one from Germany, and maybe one more, not sure. Every week is different. The new student liason seems quite nice. One formedr student (from Vancouver) returned to help uys teach this week, but is leaving town tomorrow.

Yesterday we visited a small factry on the edge of town where they (mostly women but one man) make handpainted dolls from recycled beverage bottles, plastic balls, some cloth, and miscellaneous materials. All the dolls are dressed in the clothing which is traditional to a particular indigenous people. In the way back we have 26 people in the bus (van) I think - it was rather cosy, as was the short ride today back fromthe school (we usually walk but my teacher went and wanted to ride because we were studying after to make up some of the time she missed last Thursday) - a mother with a toddler on her back sat beside me, with two more little ones at our feet and another about 5 or so two rows ahead.

Sunday I took a shuttle to the hot springs where many students and some teachers went Sat afternoon for an overnight stay and they were there until we left. It was an older place than the other one I went to, with water not nearly as hot any more, but very pretty up in the mountains. We passed through a huge vegetable growing area on the mountainside, which is irrigated, and saw radishes as big as many apples (I had a raddish salad for lunch today, with nothing else but radishes cut like cole slaw) and other huge vegetables piled by the road waiting for the truck to pick them up.

Last week we went to a sauna, a fancy place on the outside and with man-made rooms that hold about 6 or 8 with attached shower (ice cold!), toilet and change stall and sink, and a very small room with a lounge chair or two. It was nice but I was glad we were only there for a short time - there was no pool to sit in or any comfortable place to sit really. They did have an old-fashioned clay oven that might well still be in use.

My anticipated day of horseback-riding with the Cubs didn´t ahppen because it turns out they palce no longer has horses - unfortuantgely they didn´t let me know so I spent from 7AM - 9 AM at the church waiting. And this past Saturday only two kids and no eladers showed up at the zoo - the leader who told us last week (me and the same two kids) it was this week got it wrong and obviously found out his mistake but didn´t let us know. It was about a 40 minute walk from here as I decided not to use the bus. It was only 15 minuted from the church and that area where I have been several times. I sat in MacDonald´s patio for 90 minutes studying, then came home for a while and walked back to the church via the park and market (about 20 minutes) for the 3 PM Cub meeting (and Scouts it turns out). The Cubs were having a raffle of pre-sold tickets, so they blind-folded me and got me to draw tickets for them - 15 in all due to complicated system they use. Anyway, they invited me to join them next Saturday for a trip to a water park somewhere near the ocean. There will be 30 Cubs and a bunch of family members apparently so should be a lot of fun - I met some fo the previously when I attended the campfire.

I bought a couple of other books on Guatemalan life, and a cheap coy of "The Little Prince" (in Spanish) that was recommended to me as a relatively easy and good read. It is still difficult going for me, but will be easier at home with a better dictionary, a sthis one I brought is not too complete for that or for reading the newspaper. By the way, the explosion in the hills here was not at a silver mine, but at a clandestine fireworks factory (apparently there are several in the mountains here) -people here are crazy about fireworks and there are often people setting off noisy ones). No one is publically admitting what caused it but smoking is suspected.

Not sure if I will get to church on Sunday or not. Haven´t ehard from Val. I have booked passage by shuttle which picks me up at the door and takes me to Guat City on Sunday afternoon, where a hostel room is waiting and a ride to the local airport the next morning about 4:30 for a 6:30 flight to Flores and Tikal. I get a tour of Tikal and lunch, plus bed for the night and a ride back to Flores in the morning. I stay there overnight at a pre-booked hotel ($90 US during holy week)and then Wednesday afternoon about 3 PM I fly back to Guat city. Going by chicken bus or other to Antigua the next day is an option - there are huge celebrations including parades there for Holy Week) - but it will probably be crowded and I fly early Friday morning for LA and Vancouver. I´ll decide later but have my hostel room booked in Guat City for Wed and Thursday - will leave most of my luggage there when I go to Tikal. The whole country almost shuts down for Holy Week (Santo Semana) and I gather the rest of Latin America is similar.

There´s much more but I need to save something for when I return. Besides, most of you are already asleep anyway!

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