Christmas

Last evening there was a Christmas parade and the fireworks have been going off for at least a week now.  There are many celebrations going on.  For several days before Christmas there is a small group that walks down the street playing simple instruments. They carry a statue of San Jose and Maria.  It is all prearranged. They stop at a couple of homes and are told there is no room. At the next home they are told they are welcome to stay.  The statues were left at the place I am living.  They had a short service and prayer and refreshments. The statues were moved to a different home the next evening.

Today I worked with "Mayan Families" helping to distribute food baskets.

Each basket weighed about 25 lbs. Many of the women carried the basket on their head.  They were also each given a whole chicken.

Last year this organization was able to distribute 3000 baskets to needy families.

Panajachel Princess

I was invited to attend a Thanksgiving event by the family I work with.  I asked if it was a   church service and he said no.  However it was a service not in a church.  Other than having to sit through 2 hrs. of Spanish choruses I liked the concept.  Almost all their family attended.  The elderly parents  were prayed over and the adult children gathered around them. It was a big family.  They then served lunch. The first thing the lady who shared my table did was spill her coke all down my pants!

Everyone was dressed up for the occasion.  Little Tomasita was beautiful in her Guatemalan clothes.  Her mom made and hand embroidered her blouse. I am sending  a close-up so you admire the work.

The handwork here is gorgeous and the colours are so vivid. The women also wear lacy blouses. The toddlers are especially cute when wearing the local costume.  They cinch their skirt on with an
embroidered sash. Although Western wear is becoming more popular, tradtional clothes are the norm.

Cute as a button

Walk-a-thon

Yesterday I went on the LIFE school walk-a-thon to raise money for tuition for the children. It was about a 2k walk to the Nature Reserve and then a 3k walk once there.  What a gorgeous setting!  We had to cross on many swinging bridges, only 6 people at a time.  The kids really enjoyed the monkeys swinging from the trees.

Nature Reserve

It was a beautiful day for a hike, but the bugs ate me up alive!

I hope they were able to raise a goodly amount for the children.








Last evening there was a celebration on the street.  It was "El dia de diablo".  It is the day to get rid of the devil.  There was music on the streets and people in wonderful costumes were dancing.  I had a hard time getting a good shot, but here is one of my better ones.

Of course, they are wearing masks.  There were Disney characters, Flintstones, spacemen, etc. I was impressed!

San Antonio

Yesterday 3 girlfriends and I took "the truck" to San Antonio.  The truck is a half ton with a bench on both sides of the box.  When the benches are full others have to stand.  It cost us 5Q each way which is about 67 cents.

On the truck

It was a gorgeous day for a ride.  The ladies were looking for pottery and there are 3 pottery places there. All pieces are hand painted.

San Antonio is a clean, quiet town.  Like all towns around the lake it is very hilly.  All 4 of us like to walk and had our exercise for the day.

San Antonio

These men, like so many, are carrying heavy sacks on their backs.  When you see the terrain you understand about the mudslides in the rainy season!

We had lunch at a restaurant by the lake.  I took photos of the fishermens boats.

They are pretty crude but get the job done! It is so picturesque here.

Teaching

This is the family I teach English to.  The mother's name is Tomasa and the father's name is Julio.  The little girl is Tomasita (little Tomasa) and the little boy is Julio.  It is tradition here to name the first girl after the mother and the first son after the father.  They are a great family and both have a good sense of humour.

I needed a new pair of capris and thought I would help the family by purchasing from them but they refused to take money from me and gave me the capris as a gift!  

There was a big race here last week end and it was good for the many businesses.  As Christmas approaches there are more events planned.  The family keeps me up on events.

The windy days are gone and the weather is beautiful. 

Thanksgiving

Yesterday I went to a Thanksgiving feast at Jonas and Nancy's. They are an American couple about my age.  They sold all and moved to Panajachel permanently. They had invited quite a few people and I met new people from all over the world.

I was visiting with a man with a German accent.  When I told him I was from Alberta he asked if I knew where Camrose was!  I was raised in Camrose.  His ex-wife is from there. Small world!

I went to look at a house to rent.  It was $400 a month and was about 2500 sq. ft.  It had 3 huge bedrooms and balconies all around the house.  It had a big courtyard with an avocado and orange tree and many flowers. It would be good with roommates, but too big for just me.

One day walking by the lake I saw this set up. I guess you could have your photo taken while sitting on the horses.

Tradition

Many people here, both men and women, dress in their traditional costumes. The women wear a wrap around skirt with an embroidered cumberbund.  Their blouse is either woven or embroidered.  The embroidery is very densely done with flowers.  The sellers sit at their stall all day doing handwork.

I took these photos from on high.

The Guatemalan's like bright colors and mix various patterns.  They will wear flowers and stripes.

I see this woman almost every day.  She is in her 80's I would guess.  In her little basket she has homemade items to sell.  It is very common for women to carry big bundles on their head.  I see little girls with smaller bundles.

This woman is carrying her baby in front with a sling.  Generally they carry the baby on their back and often have a big bundle on their head as well.

The handwork here is beautiful. I am having a hard time choosing gifts for family. Items are very reasonably priced when one considers the hours of work that went into them.