Home & School

Today was home and school visit day. We went to the market in Antiqua and each received a "shopping list" of one item to purchase. Only challenge was that the item was written in Spanish, and none of us had any idea what it was we were looking for -- not even familiar words to the few Spanish speakers among us. We managed to get our items, however.

Victorious shoppers in the market.

We then boarded one of the local buses -- we now know where old U.S. school buses go to die! Some of them even have the old school district imperfectly painted over on the side. However, most of them are repainted in bright colors and tricked out with fancy lights and chrome. The shocks aren't great, though, and there is no AC.

Guatemala is where old American school buses go to die.

Enjoying the local means of transport.

We rode to a village about 30 km (20 miles) outside of the city, where we visited a kindergarten. We exchanged gifts (the kids had made little construction paper faces glued to wooden sticks, and we had all brought school supplies of some sort), the kids sang a song and did a dance for us, then invited us to join the dance. Mary taught them a song, etc.

Diego, at left, with some classmates.

The whole class performs for us.

Mary teaches a song.

School dismisses at noon, and our group was divided in half so that eight of us followed a student home, and eight others went with another family for a home-hosted meal. OAT pays the families and supplies the food, the families do the cooking.

The family kitchen.

Little Diego was our five-year-old host, and he was very, very excited for our visit. While his abuela (grandmother) prepared the food, he showed us all around: his dog, the family chickens, his bicycle, the kitchen, the garden, his family photos, his room, his toys, etc. All of this was with a non-stop running commentary in Spanish, of which we all understood about one word in ten.

A bedroom in the family home.

Our home visit sub-group with Diego and his abuela.

The meal was a sort of stew, very common in Guatemala, with rice, chicken, and vegetables. Grandmother served us, Diego kept talking, as as we ate, Diego's mother came home from work. It was quickly apparent where Diego got his gift of gab! The mother was a charming lady, who works in a dentist's office (we didn't quite get what her job is there). She, too, kept the conversation going, and she had a bit of English, which helped. She showed us some of the native costumes that she and her sister were making for themselves -- very beautiful embroidery. One of the women in our group asked if she could buy one of the tops, which was a little embarrassing. Imagine a guest coming into your home and asking to buy some of the clothes in your closet! But the cash was important to the family and they sold after only a little discussion.

We rode back into town on the regular tour coach, not the local bus, which was a lot more comfortable. We had the late afternoon free, and went with a couple from Florida who wanted to investigate some of the Spanish language schools here. For a very reasonable price one can buy a week or two or three of full immersion crash course in Spanish with a one-on-one tutor, and room and board with a local family. They are interested in an opportunity for their grandson. We visited one school with them and it looked interesting, but then we went on our way. They spent the afternoon visiting five more schools!

A little girl and her mom on the old school bus.

We went back to the hotel to rest a bit before dinner, which was on our own tonight. We went with most of the rest of the group to a place our guide had recommended because of the live music. Many stayed, but we thought it looked rather pricey, so several of us set out, and after a bit of walking, finally located a place that was rather American, but OK. It was a pleasant evening to walk home to the hotel, and this city is quite safe, even after dark, especially when walking in a group.