Ride up to Santa Maria de Jesus

So a few weeks back I decided to make an impromptu expedition up to Santa Maria de Jesus, which is a town high up on the skirts of Volcan de Agua.  I really just looked at a map and decided it didn't look to far away and probably had quite nice views from its perch up there; and in the end, I was right about one of those two assumptions.  As some of the photos I share here suggest, the views from the town are pretty incredible.  However, the path up was not the easy Sunday cruise I envisioned, especially when riding the only slightly-used bicycle I was graciously borrowed from my roommate.  

My mode of transport for the year

As it turns out, what appears to be perhaps one switchback on the map is more like a continuous ridiculously-steep climb for 5 km or so.  A sharp decline in gym visits since I came here combined with brakes that rubbed continuously and gears that didn't shift all helped insure that I walked the bike up at least the last half of the climb.  

However, getting to cruise around the town's narrow streets for a few hours on the rusty bike made the climb well worth it.  Here are some photos that I took during my time there:

Small farm plots on the side of the volcano showing through a corn-stalk fence

Facade in the town square

Girl sitting in front of an old, abandoned church

Now, this next picture may not be the greatest quality, but it provides a pretty accurate glimpse into at least one aspect of Guatemalan life.  These kids are simply hanging out in the open area in town and setting off firecrackers.  If I had to guess, I'd say the kids could range from anywhere from 5 to 10 years old.  Lots of freedom for kids here, especially with regards to fireworks.

kids lighting firecrackers

Some of my pyrotechnic friends gathering for a picture

More kids gathered to see how they look in a camera

Surrounding hills peeking out behind some old corn stalks

 Needless to say, the ride down was much more pleasant than the ride up.  My chief concern was watching my speed as I really had no faith that my brakes were going to last all the way down.  Fortunately, all went well and I made it back safe and sound.  This being said, I'll probably just grab a ride in the bus next time...

My view as I flew down the road on the way back to my house

Los Barriletes Gigantes de Sumpango

So this past week I hosted my first group down here which really was a fantastic experience—great group, easy-going, really no complaints at all on my end.  As a part of hosting this group, I had the opportunity to visit the town of Sumpango, Sacatepequez, which hosts one of largest kite festivals in the country.  Now, by saying ‘largest’, I am both referring to quantity of kites and their sheer size.  Unfortunately, I don’t think photos can do the festival justice.  Here’s a glimpse anyway:

Not able to fly, but still pretty impressive

Just about every color represented in this one

The festival takes place on All Saints’ Day (el día de todos los santos) and is a tradition that dates back several centuries.  I heard a few different explanations of the original purpose of the kite flying, all of which involve connecting with the spirits in some manner.  The most convincing story I heard said that the people began flying the kites to help the spirits of their deceased relatives get closer to the heavens so they could communicate with God.  Normally, these spirits were roaming the Earth, but with the kites the spirits could follow the thread all the way up to the kite, which in some cases was actually a few hundred yards in the sky. 

It seems that today the festival has taken a slightly different focus as there are competitions judging both the beauty of the kites, size of the kites, and also how long the said kites can fly –if they can fly.  The largest kites in the back of the photos which had diameters of around 50 feet were more for beauty and message (indigenous rights, environmental protection, and different takes on the Mayan calendar’s 2012 prediction being the most popular themes), however they were able to fly kites with wingspans of around 15-20 ft.-- which is no small feat (no pun intended).  There were hundreds of spectators all cheering as groups of 10-20 kids would line up along the thread of the kite and, on the count of three, sprint across the open field hoping that the kite would catch wind and stay in the air.  We were right in the middle of the field with the kids running past us when this was happening.  Sometimes the kites would take off and fly, while other times they would catch one pocket of air, rise about 20 feet, and then come crashing down on the spectators.  Needless to say, all eyes were on whatever kite was attempting to fly as if the kite was coming down in your direction, it was a strong possibility that the bamboo frame could do significant damage.  

2012 design of one of the larger kites

Bamboo frame clearly in favor of remaining terrestrial

Guatemalan kids a bit confused as to what is going on

Kids lining up to fly one of the larger kites

             

Gringo showing the size of the kite

Mayan design

Additionally, just outside of the main festival grounds, there was a grassy hillside where people could fly their own kites.  I decided after walking around this hillside for a bit that it was the one of the happiest place I have ever seen in my life.  Everyone flying kites had genuine smiles.  Even among those people sitting, watching, and getting hit by rogue kites, I couldn’t find a discontent individual. We played hacky sack with a few guys from Guatemala City who were more than happy to join in and play with us.  It truly was one of the most cheerful festivals I have ever seen. 

Go ahead, try to find the sad face

Fun for all ages

Playing with bubbles

Not showing teeth, but you can tell he´s having a good time

Not sunny out, but that wasn´t going to stop anybody

Now, if you managed to read this far, I want to challenge you to go to a park and try and fly a kite.  I can´t make any promises, but I think if the wind is in your favor you might just have a good time.

San Andrés Itzapa

Women smoking cigars two at a time, children walking around through clouds of smoke carrying liters of beer, bandana clad men spitting alcohol on others and hitting them with bushes… did I somehow find the Guatemalan equivalent of the Little Falls Dam Festival?  Apparently so! 

Ritual burning area outside of temple

I spent my Sunday searching for the town of San Andres Itzapa which is known for its unique celebrations in honor of a local patron saint, San Simón or Maximón as he is also known, and boy did I find it.  I took a couple of chicken buses to traverse the 20 or so kilometers up to the town, and arrived at the strange scene well before noon.  The grounds were not necessarily a church, but rather a building hosting the shrine to Maximón facing an open lot which was used as space to perform the ritual burnings.  There were well over one hundred people at the grounds (of which I am fairly certain I was the only gringo) and around a two hour line to get directly in front of the statue.  I decided after a half hour wait that my time would be better spent not waiting to present offerings at the shrine; especially since I had no idea who San Simón actually was.  So I spent my time talking to people about the rituals and trying to make sense of why men were throwing everything from alcohol to Cheetos over their fires. 

An incredible selection of candles, liquor, and mini Maximon dolls at a little shop outside.

My efforts to were largely a failure as no one I talked to could explain to me the significance of San Simón or the fires outside of the practice being a ritual.  From here I decided actually taking part was the only way I could figure out what was going on around me.  I went back to the entrance of the compound, bought some bundles of flowers, and proceeded to ask some of the women that were practicing a ritual burning there if they could perform one of the ritual cleansings on me, which they gladly accepted. 

Women who performed the cleansing ritual on me

The ritual started with a woman lighting a cigar, telling me to close my eyes, and blowing the smoke all over my body.  Now this was a bit different from what I had in mind for a cleansing ritual.  Next, she sat beside me and proceeded to read my future as shown by the way the cigar was burning.  She would probably be quite disappointed in me if I shared what she told me on the internet, so I’ll have to leave that as a cliffhanger.  Sorry.  Moving on, the last step of the ritual was to wipe (beat) my body down with flowers after dipping them in some sort of liquid.  This wasn’t the alcohol spitting method that I saw applied to nearly everyone else, but I think I’m okay with missing out on that detail. 

Maximón shrine, with neon lights and all.  Also, hazy from the smoke.

All in all, I can safely say that this little Sunday excursion ended up being one of the most bizarre experiences of my life, and can leave satisfied having at least accomplished this, even if I did miss out on the aguardiente liquor shower.    

Highly reliable information on Maximón if anyone is interested: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim%C3%B3n

Day to day life so far

I realize a few people might be wondering exactly what I am doing down in Guatemala this year, so I'll go ahead and explain myself.  I am down here as a Vision Team Coordinator with the organization, Common Hope, or Fundacion Familias de Esperanza as it is called here.  This basically means that I organize and manage the trips for groups that want to come down to see what the organization is all about.  As part of these trips we organize social work visits, time to help in construction, sponsorship visits for those who already are sponsoring a student, perhaps a cultural tour (a visit to the kite ceremony in Sumpango on All Saints Day for the coming group), and whatever other activities the visitors might be interested in. 

I am officially a long-term volunteer which entitles me to a living stipend.  This covers my room and board at a house in a town near the project site, Santa Ana.  From my house, it is about a 15 minute walk to work, a 10 to 15 minute walk into Antigua to the market or supermarket, and probably a full day's hike to summit any of the nearby volcanoes which are all above 12,000 ft.   

The view of Acatenango volcano from my house. 

and the view from my house in the other direction.

This being said, I would suggest against hiking Volcan de Fuego as it is still active.  I actually saw it erupting last night on my way home which is pretty rare; not just the plumes of ash or smoke which happen daily, but actually a eruption of lava.  Sorry though, no picture of the eruption!  

Also, the above photos were taken on a semi-clear day, which honestly has been quite rare so far.  The rainy season was supposed to end a few weeks ago, but heavy rains persisted due to the presence of a few hurricanes and tropical storms up near Mexico.  The first road I take into work is called Calle del Agua (Water Street), which, either ironically or accurately, has been host to a decent sized river a majority of the days since my arrival.  A Guatemalan news station said that somewhere around 60% of the roads in Guatemala had been damaged or destroyed  from landslides that occurred as a result of the rains.  This being said, thankfully the sun has been shining again here the past few days and things are drying out.  Hopefully more drier days to come!      

First Post!

Hello family, friends, and whoever else may be interested in hearing what I will be doing for the next year or so!  I'm sorry for my delay in creating this blog, but I've finally committed a Saturday afternoon to making it a reality.  Anyway, it's about time I let you all know what I've been up to for the past month!

I think I really need to start at the very beginning as my flight down to Guatemala from Minneapolis was by far the most bizarre experience I have ever had in an airport.  I was all set to get on the 5:30 a.m. flight heading for my layover in Atlanta, but the employees at the gate decided that I couldn't get on the plane as I only had a one-way ticket and no Guatemalan visa (which I was told before I could get it upon arrival).  So, sure enough, my ride to Guatemala left without me.  Perhaps not the greatest start to the year...  

As it was still far too early for any sensible person to be awake, I decided to go to the special services desk and make my plea as to why they should help me out and cover the cost of the next day's flight.  Thankfully, the woman working the early morning shift at the desk had a kind heart and decided to comp the next ticket.  However, this still meant that I had 23 hours to burn before attempting to board again.  I waited a few hours for the sun to rise, and then made the surprise phone call to my great aunt, Dr. Sheila, in the Twin Cities to tell her that I hadn't actually gone to Guatemala.  For the record, she was incredibly hospitable and made it the most comfortable day-long layover I have ever had.  

Moving on, I showed up to the airport the following morning and, aside from an awkward interaction with the same Delta employees that rejected me the previous day, everything went fine.  I was out of the Guatemala City airport with bags in hand and a stamp in my passport within 20 minutes of touching down.  On to Antigua!