Hola from Xela

I made it to Xela (pronounced: shay-luh) on Sunday. And I've been trying to get a feel for the city. I have a couple of videos to post, but I need to find a faster internet connection. I will say that the city is not immediately what I expected. It's definitely a big city (300,000 people compared to Antigua's 35,000).

I promise to post more as soon as I can! Please check back soon.

Swine Flu Redux?

I thought the "swine flu" had run its course. But I guess I was wrong. At the airport when I flew in I had to fill out a health form asking me a bunch of questions such as "Do I feel ill? Have a fever? etc." I then handed the form to a masked agent who briefly read it over and put it in a pile. I though that was the last of it.

Earlier this week, schools across Guatemala were shut down. I have heard 2 versions of this story. The first version is that the shutdown is part of a nationwide strategy to curb any resergence in the disease. The other story is that the schools were slated to close anyway for a brief recess in the normal schedule.

I can't say what the real story is. But according to the AP story linked above 11 people in the last 24 hours have become infected.

When is a Streetcorner Dangerous?

Earlier this week my Spanish teacher told me a story about what happened to her nephew in the early 1980s. During the worst years of the war in Guatemala, Antigua was relatively safe. Most of the guerilla activity was in the mountains surrounding the town rather than in the town itself. Antigua wasn't safe enough.


Her nephew was waiting for his girlfriend one evening at the street corner (above) when he was approached by what amounted to secret police. He was held in a jail in Guatemala city for 2 weeks and tortured. Later, they released him. Sometime after his release, her nephew saw the man who had tortured him. But he could not bring himself to say the man's name much less press charges or seek any sort of legal remedy.

El Mercado

So, I was walking through the market (El Mercado) this weekend, and I knew that photos just would not convey the experience. I handheld my camera through a long strip of the market. The video is 3 minutes long. Short of uranium and Revolutionary War muskets, everything is sold at this market--



Here are some of the items that you may see in the video.

- Toilet paper

- Goldfish swimming in plastic bags
- Watches
- Normal fruit

- strange fruits

- Underwear

- Shrimp

In Antigua for One More Week

Earlier this week, we got our first big rain. Lots of lightning and thunder. Lots of water. My waterproof kicks have paid off! As you could tell from my earlier video post, my "classroom" is outside but covered. So, we continue to have class under a tin roof with lightning. Eh, no worries.

The weird thing about the rain is you never know when it will happen. Every day, big grey clouds threaten rain, but it doesn't always happen.

In other news, I have decided to extend my stay in Antigua for one more week. I really liked my teacher and the school, and I'm learning a lot. Still will be in school for a total of 6 weeks. Only now I'll be in Quetzaltenango for only 3 weeks.

I've got some more video and images of things in and around the town forthcoming!

Capuchin Church and Convent

Capuchin Church and Convent:

This dates to the early 18th century. When I can find more history on it, I'll update the post. But for now, please enjoy the photos and video.

This is a shot from the outside some sort of structure. The grounds are very lush. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what you're looking at. There wasn't much historical information provided at the site.

This is a shot from the inside of the church. Given it's age, it's tremendously well preserved.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say these are old bathtubs. Again, no information provided. But they look deep enough and the right size for a person.

VIDEO 1: This is inside the structure you see in the first photograph. Legend has it, according to my teacher, that the rooms to which these doorways lead were used solitary prayer as well as penitence. My teacher has also relayed some rather dark history of this particular convent--torture. Nuns who became pregnant were severly punished in these and other rooms.

VIDEO 2: This is the courtyard area.

Want a Postcard?

Things are going great right now. Today marks the start of my second week in the country. It actually seems like I've been here for a while already (and I still have 6 more weeks). But with spending about 7 hours in class for 5 days, it starts to get a little tiring. I do feel like I've learned (or relearned) a great deal.