So I should start this by saying that kids love me, which you can see in the picture below. Before I left my host family we went to Antigua for dinner. It was my first time in the city at night and it was amazing, it was also my first time at Pollo Campero, which is the super popular fried chicken chain here.
Below are pictures of the local soccer field that is just around the corner from our house, my preffered method of transit on dirt roads and the view from our bedroom window of the local women in their trajes carrying tons of stuff on their heads.
Lizzy and I had breakfast on the roof this morning and were able for the first time to see the volcano that looms in the distance. I’m not entirely sure of its name, but it was nice to see the top of it this morning. We just got back to our town this past week and are in the process of putting our home together. We still don’t have any furniture aside from our bed, so we have been using it as our dining table, breakfast nook and couch. We are hoping to change that this week and will be shopping for chairs, shelves, pots and pans. We did buy knives the other day and were fortunate to buy some of the sharpest ones available. I say this because as we were taking them home one cut through the newsprint it was wrapped in, through my back pack, my sweatshirt and poked me in the arm through my shirt.
Saturday we went on an exploratory walk of our village, which is made up of a large valley with some 18,000 people spread over 10-15 square miles. We ended up going about 10 km roundtrip and ended up in another village on the other side of the valley. We are a bit of a rarity here and we would watch men and women hard at work tending to their corn, stacking wood or gathering feed just stop and stare at us. The men stacking wood were a little more subtle and acted like they weren’t staring until we passed and then couldn’t hear the sounds of wood stacking until we were out of earshot. Along the way took in the amazing views of our new home; rolling hills covered in corn, wheat, oats and occasionally some trees. We did encounter a number of unfriendly dogs that were much less subtle with the attention they paid us, but were easily warded off with a swing of my umbrella or a rock tossed in their direction. (I guess it would be wise to explain the dog situation here before anyone thinks of me as unfriendly to our furry friends. Dogs here are basically large scavenging animals that roam the streets day and night in search of anything edible, though it is not uncommon to see them swallowing plastic bags. Though timid for the most part, some can become quite aggressive and rabies is quite common throughout the country, hence the additional rabies shots and boosters we are required to have.) I did buy a slingshot here, which is the preferred method of locals for dealing with the unfriendly animals.
Saturdays and Sundays are the days for soccer in our town and we watched two games on Saturday. Originally I had considered joining a team in our town as a means of integration into the community but after watching how hard the men play and also learning that no outsiders are allowed to play in the local league, I have changed my mind. We watched in amazement as the men in town would run full speed into each other creating some of the worst contact sounds I’ve ever heard. I think I will enjoy being a spectator instead of a player.
Below are pictures of the local soccer field that is just around the corner from our house, my preffered method of transit on dirt roads and the view from our bedroom window of the local women in their trajes carrying tons of stuff on their heads.
Lizzy and I had breakfast on the roof this morning and were able for the first time to see the volcano that looms in the distance. I’m not entirely sure of its name, but it was nice to see the top of it this morning. We just got back to our town this past week and are in the process of putting our home together. We still don’t have any furniture aside from our bed, so we have been using it as our dining table, breakfast nook and couch. We are hoping to change that this week and will be shopping for chairs, shelves, pots and pans. We did buy knives the other day and were fortunate to buy some of the sharpest ones available. I say this because as we were taking them home one cut through the newsprint it was wrapped in, through my back pack, my sweatshirt and poked me in the arm through my shirt.
Saturday we went on an exploratory walk of our village, which is made up of a large valley with some 18,000 people spread over 10-15 square miles. We ended up going about 10 km roundtrip and ended up in another village on the other side of the valley. We are a bit of a rarity here and we would watch men and women hard at work tending to their corn, stacking wood or gathering feed just stop and stare at us. The men stacking wood were a little more subtle and acted like they weren’t staring until we passed and then couldn’t hear the sounds of wood stacking until we were out of earshot. Along the way took in the amazing views of our new home; rolling hills covered in corn, wheat, oats and occasionally some trees. We did encounter a number of unfriendly dogs that were much less subtle with the attention they paid us, but were easily warded off with a swing of my umbrella or a rock tossed in their direction. (I guess it would be wise to explain the dog situation here before anyone thinks of me as unfriendly to our furry friends. Dogs here are basically large scavenging animals that roam the streets day and night in search of anything edible, though it is not uncommon to see them swallowing plastic bags. Though timid for the most part, some can become quite aggressive and rabies is quite common throughout the country, hence the additional rabies shots and boosters we are required to have.) I did buy a slingshot here, which is the preferred method of locals for dealing with the unfriendly animals.
Saturdays and Sundays are the days for soccer in our town and we watched two games on Saturday. Originally I had considered joining a team in our town as a means of integration into the community but after watching how hard the men play and also learning that no outsiders are allowed to play in the local league, I have changed my mind. We watched in amazement as the men in town would run full speed into each other creating some of the worst contact sounds I’ve ever heard. I think I will enjoy being a spectator instead of a player.
2 comments:
sounds awesome! mikey, cj, and i are planning a guatemala trip next fall...we'll have to plan a visit near you and lizzy.
Hey! Just ran across your blog, I'm a fellow PCV, but in the ecotourism program. I started four months ago and I live on the other side of Xela from you guys. I think the volcano you can see from your roof is probably Santa Maria! It sounds like you guys might be into hiking, so if you are ever in Xela or looking for something to do to get away from site a little while, I'd love to meet up! I'm near Laguna Chicabal, which is an awesome little hike. And the park I work in has some great views when the weather's clear.
Hope all is going well for you guys, and that we get to meet at some point!
Steph
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