“Bombas” or firecrackers– really more like bombs than fire or crackers – exploded all day today; usually causing me to wince, duck, and search for cover. Alas, only ash, and no mushroom clouds shrouded Antigua today. All of this in honor of The Virgin of Guadelupe. Apparently a Mexican Saint that every house I went in today had a mini-shrine for but almost no one knew why she was so special. Though, like I postulated to Emily, “Maybe it's just that she didn't have sex.” What? It's pretty miraculous in this age. Anyhow, all of the little kids here dressed up like indigenous Mayans (Which I think signifies how Guadalupe first appeared to a Mayan.) At La Merced, an enormous, yellow Catholic church there were booths paying homage to the Virgin where proud parents could snap photos of their Mayan-dressed Ladino children.
Of course there were marimba players and drummers there as well. Later in the night there was a procession with a float containing a semblance of the virgin and tons of flowers, carried over pine needles and yellow chrysanthemums. The household shrines had white flowers, little flowers, a picture of the virgin, and a bowl of coals – which I think symbolizes the incense of prayers the family is asking her to pray for their family members. Right outside our house was an alleyway decked out with streamers and torritos, which are these men who wear a cardboard tent with fireworks on the outside and run back and forth, letting the sparklers flare out into the crowd and causing Emily and our Guatemalan family to huddle together, heads turned in for safety.
And now for my tres quetzales adventure! It costs 1 quetzal and 50 centavos (about 25 cents) to take a chicken bus from Antigua to San Juan; so that's what I did. It's not as if I just decided to go on a traveling spree; the week before I had met two sisters at Common Hope, where I translate letters. They were back this week for her (still-in-stomach-type) baby's check-up so we talked again, this time Delmy, the 15 year old sister, invited me to come over to their house and pick nisperos (a fruit that grows here...don't think it's in the states, but the dictionary translates it as “medlar” if you know what that is.) Anyhow, they're these small, sweet, juicy fruits with sizey brown seeds, and I like them!
So I took Delmy and Wendy up on the offer and traversed up the side of Volcano Agua
On Good-will: I've learned a lot, and much of it seemed to culminate today at Common Hope. There I was, just translating letters when I get invited by Delmy to visit her and they buy me my favorite Guatemalan pastry (rellenito: fried plantains covered with sweetened black refried beans!), I draw and play with a little girl whose mom is busy selling nativity sets and they give me one of the clay doves, my boss gives me a lovely blue t-shirt. People just seem so generous and kind down here, and I'm unsure whether it's because... well, I don't know why that is. Sure, I've made a few people cards, friendship bracelets, or drawings down here – but that's just something I enjoy doing. Perhaps I've forgotten other people can be just as kind; in different ways, but still nice with seemingly no reason.
