La vida en Antigua

¡HOLA A TODOS! Finalmente una otra historia de Guatemala para ustedes. Don´t be afraid, I won´t change to Spanish already.. even if I wanted to.. My Spanish improves by the day but I have to work hard for it. The combination of this language course in the morning with Salsa-classes in the afternoon is very good. Mind and body are very satisfied :)

LAST WEEKEND I went to Lago Atitlan with some people I met here. San Pedro was the place were we found a hotel. This is some sort of old hippie-place with lots of places to go out and tjill.. so we did. This place is like Antigua situated between volcanos, but much more isolated from the rest of the world. The best way to get there is by boat and it´s clear that the western people that live there (a minority still) don´t have much to do but smoking pot, drinking beers and juggling with fire ,) We stayed in a nice hostel with great view (see the pic) and swam in the lake. Like Antigua and I guess much more places in Guatemala the people here are very ´happy´ and colourful religious, from Saturday to Sunday we heared them sing in one of the many churches. Texts like the one you see on the picture (Jesus is the Lord) are very common here.

LIFE IN ANTIGUA is good. I did make the plan anyhow to leave this place next Monday with Stephanie to explore more of Guatemala and I´m looking forward to it! I´ll give you a little impression of the daily life. I wake up around 6 in the morning because by then it´s very light outside and the Guatemal girls that work here, Anna and Christi (sisters) make lots of noice when they start their working day. It´s very nice to have the chance to live and learn with them - Mayas and only Spanish-speaking girls. On the picture you see we gave them a map of the world. Their first question was ´what´s the blue?´. They´re very mature although they´re younger than most of us, I think mainly because they have lots of responsibilities for their family. I´ve been invited to a ´real´ Maya-wedding by a friend of them, but unfortunately I´ll be away by then. Christi is very sweet, a few minutes ago she came to me and gave me a little bag with Guatemaltecan Worriedolls for good luck.

Usually I have some breakfast on the roof in the sun and do my last homework. Around eight we walk to school were we have classes till 12 o clock, with a little coffeebreak that gives us time to exchange the latest gossips in town – and believe me, after some weeks in this small place everybody behaves likes he or she has been here forever. The school is on a picture at the left, it´s beautiful.

My teacher is very dear to me already, this is Blanca (see pic). She takes me everywhere and tells sooo many story´s that I normally would never hear. For instance, did you know that because children have breast-feed until 2,5 years over here, the mothers have to think of a little lie to get the kids to eat normal food? They put rice on their breasts, so it looks like there are worms with the purpose that the kids don´t like it anymore.

I have been working in a school, playing with little kids that cannot go home for different reasons. It´s very funny to talk with little kids that give their best to correct me when I speak bad Spanish. QUE VAMOS HACER???? screamed one of the girls to me after I asked four times what she was saying. I will never forget how to say ´What are we going to do?´ in Spanish again..

Right now I´m going out with two housemates, Minke and Marlijn, for cubas libre. Tomorrow I go with my teacher to a museum in Jocotenango, to see how coffee and clothing is made in Guatemala.

¡Adios!