This weekend we visited one of the most beautiful places in Guatemala, Santiago Atitlan and Lake Atitlan. We stayed at hotel close to the lake, with a great view from the roof. We visited the main church, along with a memorial for a priest from Oklahoma, Stan Rother, who was killed in 1981 because of a study he was conducting and how he was attempting to help the people have a better life. It is truly sad how many people have been killed by the Guatemalan government simply because they are a threat to the unfair systems of wealth and structure. We also visited a peace park that was the site of a peaceful protest where several were killed by and many injured by soldiers. Justice was finally served when the soldiers occupying the community were forced to leave. The townspeople dismantled the garrison and used the stones to build monuments in the park. We also visited a cooperative set up after Hurricane Stan (in 2005) took over 2,000 lives and left many more homeless. The cooperative is called ANADESA and that was set up by MCC and provides support for women now, who are able to recieve emotional support and produce beadwork for income. They also have literacy programs in Spanish and T´zutuhil. One of the most crazy things was viewing an old hospital that was abandoned after the hurricane. There was a stain from the mudslide that was 4 feet high!
The more relaxing parts of our trip included 2 different wonderful markets, walking around by the lake, group bonding time, 2 five-hour bus rides and a wonderful trip across the lake in a boat! :) We also had free evenings to walk around and we got to witness a interesting parade for Lent. The local people were all dressed very vibrantly and held candles. They carried several large almost life-sized dolls to represent Biblical figures, including a large Jesus figure on a cross. I think we agreed that the Jesus figure looked a little strange, but it was a good experience to watch a little bit of the parade. The streets are always an interesting place to be, and we constantly find ourselves pulling each other to the side and saying ¨watch out!! there´s a car coming!!¨ Although, sometimes the car isn´t a car, but a bus, a huge grain truck, a dog, a person, a bike, a motorcycle, a hole in the ground, smashed food or something else unknown that you don´t want to step in! Everyday is something new, but you are never bored walking the streets of Guatemala! :)
As we are wrapping up the last couple weeks here, we have many projects and assignments to do. Today, I have to write a 2 page composition in Spanish along with my normal homework. I am also brainstorming ideas for the presentation we (my classmate Alex and I) are doing next week. It has to be 10 minutes long, completely in Spanish and include almost everything we have learned so far. On the bright side, I have really started loving speaking Spanish! On our weekend trips, we always eat as a group and most times we are required to speak just Spanish. While this can be very frustrating at times, I sometimes find myself speaking Spanish after the meal when we are allowed to speak English again. My friends often say ¨why are you still speaking Spanish??¨ but I just tell them that I like it (mostly because now I can actually say more than just one or two words) and it´s good practice! Our group leader commented that I speak a lot in Spanish for being at the level I am at. :)
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