April Journals
The past week I have been quite busy with a variety of projects here at Nuestros Ahijados. At this point, I have been mainly involved in development projects and administrative tasks in the office. However, this week I visited a special education school associated with Nuestros Ahijados, and after Judy visits, I will be spending more time there. They currently have 6 classrooms (15 attention deficit kids per classroom) and one teacher per classroom. They certainly can use some help here.
Last weekend I traveled to Chichicastenango to go to the Sunday market. This is a very famous market in Guatemala and is a favorite tourist destination. Even I, who hates shopping, was impressed with the variety and quality of clothing, crafts, and food.
Judy will be arriving today for two weeks in Guatemala. I have missed her more than I could have imagined. It will be good to relax and spend some time traveling with her.
Photos:
This is a photo of a Mayan procession in Chichicastenango.
This is a picture of some of the colors in the market at Chichcastenago.
This is a picture of a procession in Antigua for Lent. This group of purple guys are from the church of San Bartolo. A different parish sponsors the procession every Sunday in Lent.
Judy was here visiting for the last two weeks. We had a fantastic time, in fact Judy said it was one of the best vacations she ever had. We traveled, saw all kinds of wonderful scenery, and ate some great food in some very exotic places. I have not traveled much in Guatemala, so this was a great opportunity to see many of the sites that everyone talks about. I can't even begin to recount all the different experiences we had during this time, so I will focus on two main activities: the religious activities in Antigua during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and our trip to Tikal. Tikal will be covered in the next journal entry.
Part of the reason that Judy came in April was to see and experience Semana Santa. This week is rather crazy in Antigua. There are processions every day, sometimes 2-3 per day. Each procession has one or more platforms (andas) with statues of Jesus carrying the cross. The large andas require 80 men (40 on each side) to carry them. It is a privilege to carry the andas. Men dress up in purple gowns and pay 25 Quetzales ($3) apiece for the privilege of carrying the heavy anda for 1/2 hour. They really look like they are in pain during the procession.
For each procession numerous beautiful alfombras (carpets) are built which are then completely destroyed when the procession walks on top of them. These carpets are built in the middle of the street and are made of three main materials: colored sawdust, flowers and grasses, or fruit. A complicated carpet can take ten people 5-6 hours to complete.
Many people from Guatemala and all over Central America come to Antigua to celebrate during this week. It is so packed with people that it is often hard to walk in the streets. Although Semana Santa was an amazing event, I was glad to have it over and get back to normal.
Photos:
This is a photo of a carpet in a restaurant. This one also has some bread in its design.
This is a photo of a team working on a sawdust carpet.
This is the Candelaria neighborhood (where I live) carpet. This is made primarily of pine needles and flowers.
Another design form the same neighborhood.
And another design.
Here is Judy posing in front of one of the carpets.
This is a picture of some sharply dressed procession marchers.
