Still November - my first trip. Photo is of the street leading to my homestay in the sort of poorer NW section of Antigua
Today's excursion, after searching out "American" food markets w/ mi maestra and finding little, was to look up the masseuse who introduced herself at the Spanish school last week. She has lived here 13 years, but evidently spends 4 months of each year in USA (around here referred to as "usa" - oosah) and Canada, fundraising for something called Wings, which buys vasectomies and whatever for people who want them, and Servas.....there's a website which describes that: gives you the opportunity to stay in people's homes in various countries, and vice versa. Very friendly group. The woman nomad used it alot.
So I followed the little map on the back of her card and found nothing of the sort, checked the names of the street w/ passersby and finally found her gateway just by chance. Another blank gate opening into a rather nice but somewhat disheveled garden, w. banana and orange trees and coffee plants. I tromped around for awhile and finally someone told me where she lived. She let me in and showed me her one large room, divided into eating, massage, and bed space, and a small bathroom and tiny kitchen. She has been paying $225/mo., but it would be more now. But there are several little and bigger houses scattered around, at a fairly low cost, and this is on the South end of town (I live on the north) so the streets are quieter and safer-seeming (fewer passersby, stand-arounders, etc.) I was quite taken with how different it felt - bad and good, as I like the bustle and children on my street, but at nite nsg.
So I followed the little map on the back of her card and found nothing of the sort, checked the names of the street w/ passersby and finally found her gateway just by chance. Another blank gate opening into a rather nice but somewhat disheveled garden, w. banana and orange trees and coffee plants. I tromped around for awhile and finally someone told me where she lived. She let me in and showed me her one large room, divided into eating, massage, and bed space, and a small bathroom and tiny kitchen. She has been paying $225/mo., but it would be more now. But there are several little and bigger houses scattered around, at a fairly low cost, and this is on the South end of town (I live on the north) so the streets are quieter and safer-seeming (fewer passersby, stand-arounders, etc.) I was quite taken with how different it felt - bad and good, as I like the bustle and children on my street, but at nite nsg.
She then took me on a "walk." Her first thing to show me was the GORGEOUS hotel (inconspicuous enough on the outside) across the way from her. It has all been done in the old Mexican nunnery style, with paint-fading walls, large rounded wood columns, curved walls in some places, all the old natural colors of this town.......think absolutely primo New Mexican fancy hotels or expensive houses, but everything natural and beautifully faded and curved and deep and rich. She was just totally bold in marching through here (some of the staff seemed to know her) so I followed along behind, as she took me into some of the SUITES - with huge inset beds with rich old fabric on them, views into banana-treed gardens, a bathroom the size of my kitchen at home with a deep inset pool.....total richness and total taste. I've never seen anything like it. Gorgeous dining rooms and gardens and everything soft and quiet and deep and rich. Panza Verde...well worth staying in.
So then we popped out into the calle again and walked south to look in some big gates at rich people's gardens and an estate some guy set up, divided into lots for sale, with a guard ON guard, but no sales, yet. And on our left all the way just green and green and green. Wonderful place to take a walk every day. And then another subdivision with many houses being built of concrete (to be covered with tile, etc.) - rounded counters and depth and richness everywhere. And of course all inside barred gates, but tasteful ones. How the other half. Evidently 2/3 rich Guatemalans. This whole area had been a coffee finca, but evidently they make more money turning it into rich people's fancy homes. She said a couple still comes and picks the coffee, which is ripening now, in the little area she lives in. The nice thing is that this is all around the corner from the orphanage and the Antigua office of C. Seguro. I would still have some difficulty wresting myself from the more funky side of town, but..... where I find it is where it is. Or would be.
Then more bartering for me with a couple of shopkeepers and I have the huipile that I've been coveting, tho not perfect. These cheap ones are used, in good condition. A new one would be 750-1000 Q or $100-150. But this is beautiful. I wore one of my new ones yesterday across town....white with quadros of purple lines and embroidered birds and animals.....w/ my purple pants. I thought I cut quite the figure.......and certainly was getting a lot of looks from the Guatemaltecos. (Unusual, especially among the young. On my own street the older people will say Buen Dia, but the young ones don't see you.) Later I realized I wear the huipile open like a poncho, where all these women tuck them into a skirt with a sash. Probably looked like an idiot. Well I said if you're willing to look like a fool and lose a little money, you can have a lot of fun, here.
Well I'm 2/3 done with this amazing trip. Talking with my "boss" this morning and a brief email from my daughter about my house reminded me of where I actually live / where I will be again on Sunday afternoon.
I feel like I've been here a month until I try to speak Spanish and fumble so badly I remember it's little over a week. But it is truly amazing and wonderfully fun and interesting, and I am thoroughly glad I am here.
Did I mention that yesterday was just PRIMO weather (especialemente por Noviembre) and is again today. very much like N. Mexico....with clouds always in the sky, so you are more aware of it's expanse. But yesterday the air at about 78 degrees or so. Perfecto. And last middle'of'the nite I woke up with a total vision of what I wanted to do with the situation(s) at the orphanage. Of course I couldn't plunk my vision down on someone else's project, but the material I read in the Rigoberta Menchu book this week (hope I mentioned that; an indigene Guate woman organizer during the 80s - powerful devastating story) about the way that the indigenous village people always cooperated to help whoever in the village needed it suddenly came together for me with these kids living in the project in small houses together, maybe 6-8 same-age kids per house.....and how the whole group could learn to work together to help one child who is having difficulty handling anger or other bad feelings......so that it's made to be about learning, not discipline. A fuller picture than just me coming in to counsel one or another child. I felt so full about it, Iwas totally high, or in love, I suppose you could call it.
So tonite is the birthday of the 14 y.o. tiny niece in the homestay, who lives in the country w- her parents during the school year, and here to help Tere in the house and w- her kids for the vacation. We all feel sorry for her because she is used as a workhorse (scrubbing floors, mopping up after the younger kids, etc) so the other visitors bought her a pair of shoes - what she had asked for - and I bought her a pretty guatemalan blouse just white w- embroidered flowers, boat neck, drawstring waist. She probably wanted a tshirt, but I thought it would be nice if she felt pretty. So we will have a little party after dinner. No bombas. (I don’t think I mentioned that they go off all the time here.....firecrackers. Day and nite for people‘s birthdays.)
The street to my right as I sit in the open doorway of this internet place is full of cars bumping and banging by, the place has a little music on (rather disco'y) and the sun is strong. Muy bueno. Deliciousa.
Then more bartering for me with a couple of shopkeepers and I have the huipile that I've been coveting, tho not perfect. These cheap ones are used, in good condition. A new one would be 750-1000 Q or $100-150. But this is beautiful. I wore one of my new ones yesterday across town....white with quadros of purple lines and embroidered birds and animals.....w/ my purple pants. I thought I cut quite the figure.......and certainly was getting a lot of looks from the Guatemaltecos. (Unusual, especially among the young. On my own street the older people will say Buen Dia, but the young ones don't see you.) Later I realized I wear the huipile open like a poncho, where all these women tuck them into a skirt with a sash. Probably looked like an idiot. Well I said if you're willing to look like a fool and lose a little money, you can have a lot of fun, here.
Well I'm 2/3 done with this amazing trip. Talking with my "boss" this morning and a brief email from my daughter about my house reminded me of where I actually live / where I will be again on Sunday afternoon.
I feel like I've been here a month until I try to speak Spanish and fumble so badly I remember it's little over a week. But it is truly amazing and wonderfully fun and interesting, and I am thoroughly glad I am here.
Did I mention that yesterday was just PRIMO weather (especialemente por Noviembre) and is again today. very much like N. Mexico....with clouds always in the sky, so you are more aware of it's expanse. But yesterday the air at about 78 degrees or so. Perfecto. And last middle'of'the nite I woke up with a total vision of what I wanted to do with the situation(s) at the orphanage. Of course I couldn't plunk my vision down on someone else's project, but the material I read in the Rigoberta Menchu book this week (hope I mentioned that; an indigene Guate woman organizer during the 80s - powerful devastating story) about the way that the indigenous village people always cooperated to help whoever in the village needed it suddenly came together for me with these kids living in the project in small houses together, maybe 6-8 same-age kids per house.....and how the whole group could learn to work together to help one child who is having difficulty handling anger or other bad feelings......so that it's made to be about learning, not discipline. A fuller picture than just me coming in to counsel one or another child. I felt so full about it, Iwas totally high, or in love, I suppose you could call it.
So tonite is the birthday of the 14 y.o. tiny niece in the homestay, who lives in the country w- her parents during the school year, and here to help Tere in the house and w- her kids for the vacation. We all feel sorry for her because she is used as a workhorse (scrubbing floors, mopping up after the younger kids, etc) so the other visitors bought her a pair of shoes - what she had asked for - and I bought her a pretty guatemalan blouse just white w- embroidered flowers, boat neck, drawstring waist. She probably wanted a tshirt, but I thought it would be nice if she felt pretty. So we will have a little party after dinner. No bombas. (I don’t think I mentioned that they go off all the time here.....firecrackers. Day and nite for people‘s birthdays.)
The street to my right as I sit in the open doorway of this internet place is full of cars bumping and banging by, the place has a little music on (rather disco'y) and the sun is strong. Muy bueno. Deliciousa.
I probably didn’t mention that the cars nearly run you down all the time, so you have to hop quickly over the cobblestones. I rather like it, actually. I really love the energy. My only real complaint here is the damn barely tepid showers.
I have to say I am strongly drawn to a place (like this town) where I could walk everywhere, even to work.....and I‘m very drawn to the orphanage, and hear there is also a children's hospital.....and to the people who run these programs, and to the energy, and combo of europeans, americans and guatemalans (certaily mostly guate, tho I was told that 2500 non-guate‘s live here. That seems way too much from what I see on the streets.......) Oh so many thoughts. Trying NOT to think about deciding whether to come back or not, but it certainly is present.
11/16/ again
So, it goes like this: I´d already run out of memoria on mi camera, and want to take photos of my housemother´s niece´s birthday tonite, so yesterday I went to one foto place after another, looking for the type for this camera....and finally found one, for 350 quetzales.....maybe $44. Of course you hear all these stories - one person I met told me her husband used a credit card on the weekend in a little ATM room on the outside of a bank, here, but found he couldn´t get out of the room. So the other man in the ¨¨room¨ said, oh you have to scan your card on that thing on the door, so he did, and got out. Next they found that someone had run up $10,000 on their card. Evidently the man worked in tandem with another one who put this scanner on the door. And you hear they might have these scanners under their jacket when you buy something with a card in a regular store. So I'm always a little cautious, or paranoid, but what else to do, besides be aware or watchful. So I got home and tried the card in my camera, not realizing there were so many sizes, and of course it didn´t fit. When I took it back, slip and all, today, I got a “sorry we can´t refund the next day.” “Our computers are set up so that each day is separate and blahblahblah” (all this in Spanish, of course.) So in my dreadful Spanish, and in a slightly loud, though polite, voice I made it known that the reputation of this store, and the whole of Antigua, would be in jeapordy if they weren´t ¨mas amable¨ con their customers. So would I please come back in an hour when so and so was there? So I went down to the mercado and the supermercado, and found a Nike ballcap and some other kind of sports t-shirt for my sponsored boy, and came back. So while I held my ground on the whole thing, she had to make 3 phone calls to finally get a yes that I could get my money back. Yea! And I found a memory card that fit the camera across the street for 200Q. ($24)
I have to say I am strongly drawn to a place (like this town) where I could walk everywhere, even to work.....and I‘m very drawn to the orphanage, and hear there is also a children's hospital.....and to the people who run these programs, and to the energy, and combo of europeans, americans and guatemalans (certaily mostly guate, tho I was told that 2500 non-guate‘s live here. That seems way too much from what I see on the streets.......) Oh so many thoughts. Trying NOT to think about deciding whether to come back or not, but it certainly is present.
11/16/ again
So, it goes like this: I´d already run out of memoria on mi camera, and want to take photos of my housemother´s niece´s birthday tonite, so yesterday I went to one foto place after another, looking for the type for this camera....and finally found one, for 350 quetzales.....maybe $44. Of course you hear all these stories - one person I met told me her husband used a credit card on the weekend in a little ATM room on the outside of a bank, here, but found he couldn´t get out of the room. So the other man in the ¨¨room¨ said, oh you have to scan your card on that thing on the door, so he did, and got out. Next they found that someone had run up $10,000 on their card. Evidently the man worked in tandem with another one who put this scanner on the door. And you hear they might have these scanners under their jacket when you buy something with a card in a regular store. So I'm always a little cautious, or paranoid, but what else to do, besides be aware or watchful. So I got home and tried the card in my camera, not realizing there were so many sizes, and of course it didn´t fit. When I took it back, slip and all, today, I got a “sorry we can´t refund the next day.” “Our computers are set up so that each day is separate and blahblahblah” (all this in Spanish, of course.) So in my dreadful Spanish, and in a slightly loud, though polite, voice I made it known that the reputation of this store, and the whole of Antigua, would be in jeapordy if they weren´t ¨mas amable¨ con their customers. So would I please come back in an hour when so and so was there? So I went down to the mercado and the supermercado, and found a Nike ballcap and some other kind of sports t-shirt for my sponsored boy, and came back. So while I held my ground on the whole thing, she had to make 3 phone calls to finally get a yes that I could get my money back. Yea! And I found a memory card that fit the camera across the street for 200Q. ($24)
Flush with my new power, I soon talked a sweet indigene woman down on her price for some cute necklaces for mis mujeres in Chico......and realized later that I´d gotten 4 painted necklaces for about $5. oh dear. Some of these ladies are cute and funny and sortof flirtatious as they talk you into their wares for your cuerpo or your casa....and the bargaining is a game of sorts and fun. I´ve gotten pretty good at it, or so I imagine.....pointing out imperfections, criticizing the weave or colors, or whatever; miming and using my excreble Spanish. Perhaps I´m still paying too much...but it wouldn´t seem. When the Qs come in such tall amounts it´s easy to feel okay about talking them down, till you count up the dollars, as I did today, and realize how little you paid.
Beautiful warm day today.....just perfecto!
The energy of the streets here remind me a little of N.Y.-....different people, and different rules (8 people including children standing in the back of a truck; a woman and 3 children on a motor scooter, for instance)...........but very energetic, a little musical (I would like more)....everybody´s looking for something, or selling something, or hurrying somewhere, or sauntering along.
Beautiful warm day today.....just perfecto!
The energy of the streets here remind me a little of N.Y.-....different people, and different rules (8 people including children standing in the back of a truck; a woman and 3 children on a motor scooter, for instance)...........but very energetic, a little musical (I would like more)....everybody´s looking for something, or selling something, or hurrying somewhere, or sauntering along.
I like it a lot.
No comments:
Post a Comment