More Cultural Events

Sunday 17th June. Photo on left is from yearly procession in Antigua.

Something in me has shifted just recently. Or maybe there were several slight, un-noticed shifts before the results became apparent. Whatever has occurred, I am feeling happy and grateful again. My Spanish has improved enough to make some communication possible, though I still struggle with hearing well in the group settings, now two children’s groups. And I think I have just accepted my slow learning progress; which together with a bit of improvement, makes for a lot of improvement in how I feel. And I have loved working in the school classrooms, several days this week because the main teacher had to be at a training all week. So I felt like I was a real help. And Jose, in one class, who was so dreadful at first, is doing better behaviorally, working more at his school work, and when I pass he looks up at me to get his approving looks from me. That really touches me. And then I worked one day in the prepa class at San Cristobal, too, and felt effective, though I have to be very careful not to step on toes, and I need more manipulables for that class. So all that just makes me happy. 

 

And then Fred told me that at their training, the Santa Ana teacher said she was looking forward to my behavior training, which means I have to get back to her in the morning (I want to peek in her prepa class, too.) I wish I had a good translator, familiar with classroom teaching; then I could do these behavior trainings instead of just handing out written materials (checked and corrected in my Spanish class.) And now it’s just one week until it’s time to go home again. What a pain. I don’t care to leave when I’ve just gotten started. I said that last time too. 

 

So it seems I had to come all the way to Guatemala to find out who I am. And oddly enough, it’s who I thought I was all the time. Cut to the bone, without friends or family to distract me………I am what I love……my emotional connections…………the things in my life that make me feel emotional: The kids and my varied relationships with them My dance teacher and the dancing we do.  My TV movies………all emotional ones.  My writing about my emotional life, and that of others. That is my life here. That is who I am. Scorpio, scorpio, cancer cancer And Aquarius writes about it. And of course Capricorn keeps up the struggle of it all. Too funny, really. And of course that is what my horoscope for Guatemala said. 

 

Those kids are killing me. I’ve been getting too physical with the ones in Dianet’s class…pushing them into Time Out for instance, holding the door against them to keep them out at recess (I’m not sure why she wants this.) And when the door banged into the back of my foot, I got a nail in my heel for my trouble, and to remind me that being physical is not the way. We have to set it up clearly so that the consequences speak for themselves and we can be the coaches………trying to help them learn behavior appropriate to a learning situation. I have to remember that for the training. And before I left I spoke to both teachers, and left a written explanation of this stance. But today, in the prepa class, with those three little boys laughing at everything I tried to say….that was hard (I make the mistake of wanting them to like me, that emotional need thing, again) and the boy who screams in my face (and at the other teachers.) I did well with shining both of them on, but didn’t need to make faces at the screaming boy, funny or not. Just shine it one and go about my business, but then exact consequences. And of course later, when I had the manipulatives out and was left in charge of the kids, it was exactly those boys (“my” kids) who were there wanting interaction with me (and the toys) and appreciating my comments. It is interesting to me that Guatemalan kids don’t gravitate to me like the children I’ve known in California. Part of this is the language barrier, but I think some part may be the greater affection I see children getting here. They don’t need me or my attention as much. This is a little difficult to take, but I’m here to help them, not get my emotional needs met. 

 

July. For the past three days this pueblo has dressed itself up as I’ve never seen it before, in preparation for two days of a futbol tournament, evidently. Makeshift booths line two sides of the plazuela, full of video games and food. Both nights the teams came, in full regalia, with referees and a scoreboard. And both nights it RAINED and RAINED, a “tormenta” my manager calls it. And it has been a torment for these people, though I don’t hear them complaining. For awhile the audience sat under umbrellas and the players slipped and slid across the slick court. Hilarious to watch; but it must have hurt and been disappointing for those who invested time and hopes of some income. Finally everyone went home. But the fiesta goes on….evidently working up to the big Antigua festival starting this weekend and continuing on to Miercoles, it’s Saint’s Day. Today many paper decorations on the church, and tonite some performances including two very dramatic but very off-key singers. 

 

Guatemala goes on revealing itself. A social worker I know from FdeE came back from the lake today, just as I’ve been thinking I need to call them to come visit (thinking more and more about San Juan.) She and her husband have left there because the “moral cleansing” that has been going on there for five years started hitting closer to home. I have never heard of this before, even the few times I was in that area, but evidently people who rob and steal or commit adultery, or who knows what else, homosexuality possibly….are being shot, and the people of the community stand behind it. Three teenagers were killed recently for stealing bikes and dealing pot, I think; and she received a threat against one of their employees. So that was it for them. Que lastima for me, possibly, (or maybe I’m supposed to stay here) and que lastima if those projects that are helping the area recover from the pollution of the lake begin leaving it. 

Santa Ana is having another celebration….for Corpus Christi my teacher says, describing some sort of vessel into which the host is placed, which is carried around the village. Maybe that’s what they were carrying this morning, on the third day of celebrations. Unfortunately for the pueblo, the first two nights it rained torrents. The valiant jugadors continued on but they were slipping and falling in the water on the concrete court until they finally called it quits. Last night was clear; it had rained earlier. So the games went on, the women’s teams appearing first. The skill level is not first-rate but good enough. Then the canned music started. Boom boom boom go the woofers, making my windows rattle. Nearly the whole pueblo seems to be out in the plazuela, and finally from my upper window I can see some heads bobbing, which pleases me (it has seemed to me that no Guatemalans dance at these public ferias.) Earlier they had some men and boys with giant animal and people heads on their shoulders, dancing in concert. THAT brought me out into the plaza; they were really wonderful dancers. Later in the evening I saw them from my window, dancing in the futbol court. They had taken off their big heads, revealing lots of dark-skinned young men and boys and a few older men, all dancing with such vigor, arms flying, legs pumping in unison. Just wonderful! But the music went on til at least midnight, when I finally got to sleep. And this morning at 6 am they were at it again, this time with loud bombas in the cancha (futbol court) rattling my windows and setting off car alarms. And then the traditional drums and flutes started to play, and I looked out to see about 100 people - dressed mostly in black, the women with their heads covered with scarves or lace – proceeding from the church, a few people carrying the big vessel, the others walking slowly and singing or chanting. I took a few photos and then stood respectfully as my fellow Santa Anans walked slowly by. And now…at 3:30 pm, it’s time for the full band, with trumpets and trombones, to start shaking the windows again. And again with the bombas. I’m game, but this window-rattling is too much. I think my neighbors will also be annoyed and perhaps get it to stop, but when I look out I see the whole pueblo seems to be in the plaza. No wonder they don’t mind about the windows.