Little Differences

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Mercado

The “mercado” in Antigua is held every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. During these three days, you can find hundreds of vendors selling anything from beef, eggs, dried beans, fruit and vegetables to live chickens, underwear and mosquito repellent. During these three days, many locals (and foreigners) go to the “mercado” to get the best bargain for their shopping needs. Just the other day, we bought over 3 pounds of oranges for under a dollar (and toilet paper for 40 cents). It definitely beats Walmart!

Horses

We don't know a lot about horses nor do we ride them frequently. However, one obvious difference we noticed immediately is that horses here wear diapers (see photo). The diapers are made of corn or rice bags and hang directly under the horse's butt. We think this is a great idea and should be adopted in the US.


Toilet paper

The toilet paper here feels and acts the same but there is a one major difference: we can't toss toilet paper into the (toilet) bowl. Unfortunately, the pipes are not designed to process (toilet) paper so it must be thrown into a trash can. Although this was a hard concept for me (Agnes) to grasp at first, it's simply business as usual now. Que lastima!

Bugs

There are lots, especially mosquitoes and flies. Sometimes I wish I studied bugs and insects so I'd know how to keep the mosquitoes off. I've also seen (and continue to see) some of the largest cockroaches in my lifetime. Sorry the photo is awful but I typically do not have my camera when I encounter one.

Relationships

Just through sheer observation, we've noticed that more Guatemalan men here date foreign women. We have yet to see a Guatemalan woman with a foreign man. Not sure why that is but what we do know is that women tend to be more reserved here, since it's a very small town and word travels fast.

A Day in Antigua

Although some of our time here in Antigua is to observe and soak in the new culture, we've probably spent the bulk of our time just studying and living life as a student (despite what the photo suggests).

A typical day for us is as such:

Every morning, except Sundays, and when we don't want breakfast, we are woken up by a knock and jingle: “desayuno” (which means breakfast) by the cleaning lady. This means breakfast is ready and time for us to start our day. We'll struggle out of bed, put on layers of clothing so we are not bitten by mosquitoes during breakfast and head over to the dining room.

After breakfast, we head off to class for our first four hours of Spanish. Fortunately, class is held just across the street at our neighbor's patio. Although it is very convenient for us, there are several amusing aspects about having class here. First, the house is located right next to a tannery, a place where they make leather, so we are blessed every day with wild scents of dead animals. During our first week, I thought it was the parrot and canaries giving off these foul odors but I soon found out the smell was from next door. You have to love leather.

At 12 pm, we head back home, At approximately 12:15 or so, we get another knock and “almuerzo” (lunch). Almuerzo is typically the largest meal of the day in Guatemala. If we are served meat, this is typically the meal where it's served. We head off to class after lunch for an additional two hours (of Spanish conversation). Although we find it helpful, you can imagine how challenging it can be sometimes to find an interesting conversation for two full hours.

After class, we either study at a cafe or go to the gym.

(Although this week we've discontinued our additional two hours of Spanish in the afternoon for additional studies, and hopefully more blog entries.)

Approximately 6:15 pm, we receive one last knock and “cena” (dinner). Dinner typically consists of vegetables, frijoles, rice or pasta.

We have frequented some bars and clubs here, although, I (Agnes) still find it a bit unnerving to walk around in the dark with just the two of us. I'm getting use to it though. We will go out typically on Fridays and Saturdays, if at all.

Last Friday, we went to a local dance club “Sin Ventura.” As you can see from the photo(s), we had a great time. This is a bar/club where many locals (also known as 'Guatamaltecans') and tourists frequent. We went with several of our friends from school and met some locals as well.

As a side bar, here's some studying tips we (or at least, I, Agnes) have used:

Since it's been many years since we've last taken a class in anything that required memorization, I (Agnes) have forgotten how much work is required to learn a new language. I've learned new tricks to keep myself motivated. For instance, I'll reward myself with coffee or a shower (yes, I'm much dirtier now) only after I've conjugated a stack of my flash cards in future tense. I've also learned to stretch and do push-ups while I'm studying. Hope you find this helpful.

Playa Volcano

Last weekend we took our first day trip outside Antigua, to the volcano Pacaya. There are three volcanoes in the immediate vicinity: Agua, which last erupted in the 1500s and wrecked the previous capital of Central America with mudslides, but is now dormant; Fuego, which erupts brilliantly and suddenly; And Pacaya, which remains in a constant but low level of volcanic activity.

The tour starts in a little pueblo and requires about a 2.5 mile hike to the summit. The ascent wasn´t especially demanding but the footing proved a constant challenge on the way up. Endless piles of fresh horse shit also litter the path. Only when we reached the crater did the climb become more perilous, as the remains of an eruption two months prior left a jagged and uneven terrain. And climbing about with your bare hands could leave you with no shortage of shallow cuts and scrapes.

While the summit is otherwise cool (with an elevation above 8000 ft), the crater itself is quite warm, and some folks complained that their shoes were melting. Steam billowed out from narrow crevices and molten lava flowed just beneath us, glowing no more than about a foot below the surface. For whatever reason, many of us spent our time burning our wooden walking sticks, which were necessary for the hike up. Just putting your stick on the rocks next to the lava would ignite it. Some folks descended the mountain with considerably shorter sticks than they began with. Other folks brought marsh mellows and hot dogs to cook above the lava. I don't know if these things taste better when volcano roasted but I imagine the novelty wears thin soon. Many dogs from the village make the ascent with hikers to enjoy the food cooked above.



The descent was quite amusing. We hiked the volcano late in the afternoon, as the lava glow is more brilliant after the sun goes down. As such, you hike down in darkness (and in our case – in the rain). Unfortunately, one group of folks, which was in Antigua for a wedding, was not told that flashlights were necessary for the descent. As such, more than half our group made the slippery descent in the pitch black of night. It was hilarious. Two small children, who went up and down on a horse, cried the entire time. The folks without flashlights were good natured about their blind descent but generally swore the entire way down. For more than two miles, they baby stepped down the cavity strewn path and wet rocks. Fortunately, they were all pretty young and athletic. That said, a few of them slipped on the way and had horse crap up and down their legs. A group of dogs also followed us to the base, piggybacking off the glow of our flashlights. I guess they can't see at night either.

When we neared the small pueblo at the base of the volcano, children hide in the shadows, preparing to bounce out and rob you. Fortunately, our guide advised us of their presence and nobody lost anything. Hiding in the shadows is a good skill to have here in Guatemala since nothing is very well lit. Like the rest of the country, the volcano used to be crime ridden, but with so many tourists visiting, it is now well guarded by men with shotguns. (Men with shotguns are ubiquitous in Antigua – protecting government offices, banks, and even pharmacies).