Xela Continued

Since we last posted, we´ve had two weeks of classes. Here´s a post about the two weeks of classes and some of the activities during those weeks.

 

We watched Maria Llena de Gracia (Maria Full of Grace), which is an excellent movie. We got to listen to someone who works with Rigoberta Menchu speak about her campaign for presidency of Guatemala this September and George Bush´s visit.

Menchu is the first female and first indigenous person running for President here. She is a fighter for indigenous rights, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, and has an autobiography about life during the Civil War in Guatemala. ( I, Rigoberta Menchu). Many people here, however, do not like what she has done. In addition, most feel the country is not ready for a female or indigenous person to lead the country.

Something very interesting that we learned and did not know was Glamis Gold and their relation to Guatemala. Glamis Gold is a US/Canadian (mostly US) company that mines gold in Guatemala. They exploit minor Guatemalan workers, keep 99% of the profits and Guatemala sees only 1%. More reading here on Glamis Gold.

Bush was recieved in Guatemala with many protests, especially Mayan people, since he visited a site that is sacred to them. They said they would have to cleanse the site after Bush left. Overall, we didn´t really see or feel anything in Xela, most of it was in Guatemala City and the indigenous cities that he visited.

We watched a play put on by the teachers about San Simon, the diety of the Guatemalan highlands. The play was hilarious, because the teachers were drunk. San Simon is a stuffed figure draped in colorful clothes and smokes a cigar. He grants wishes when prayed to and offered liqour or cigars.

We went to one of Anita´s (our host mom) grandchild´s birthday party. His name is Danilo and he turned 8. After they sing happy birthday in Spanish, they count the number of years you are and then they yell 'Mordido, Mordido' (Morder means Bite) and push your face into the cake. This kid though, voluntarily smashed his own face into the cake. It definately took us off guard, I didn´t even get to take a picture, I was so shocked. We got him a John Cena shirt (wrestler) which we see him wearing atleast 3 times a week now.

We visited the cemetary in Xela with our teachers one day during class. Very colorful, happy, pretty place. Legend of a 17 year-old gypsy who was in love with a Guatemalan boy. The boy´s parents didn´t want them to be together and sent him off to Mexico. She killed herself at 17 and how everyone writes messages of love, hope for love, lost love, etc on her tomb.

We bathed in natural sulfur hot springs at Fuentes Georginas and did natural volcanic steam baths at Los Vahos.

We attended a futbol (soccer) game, Xelaju vs. Municipal (Xela vs Guatemala City). Xelaju won 2-0. It was so fun and educational, we picked up a lot of new vocabulary, all bad words of course. It was quite entertaining watching whole families sing songs with vulgar words together.

We found an Indian restuarant (Sabor de la India) here and took our host mom and her daughter to dinner one night. The mom we could tell really enjoyed it, the daughter not so much. The host familiy has been fabulous. They own an internet cafe, so have been letting us use internet free. We´ve done our laundry here twice, which saves us time, energy, and money. And they enjoy talking to us.