BIG week!

February 25th - March 3rd

The last week in February was a big week for us... As of Tuesday we officially had a week of school behind us. I can successfully ask how much something costs at the  market, but understanding the response and converting it to dollars quickly in my head  is another story...so I just end up asking how much things cost and then move along. Felipe is doing great...he can put sentences together, understand responses, and is communicating well with the family... We still have a LONG way to go.

Wednesday...BIG day. We woke at 4 am and were out the door at 4:30 to catch the 5 am Chicken bus towards the Indian's nose... Our FIRST  chicken bus experience. It's still dark when we exit the bus and proceed with our quick accent up the mountain. (Thanks Aaron & Kat for the headlamps!!!) Before too long it's a vertical hike...  We make it to the nose in plenty of time for the sunrise. The roosters from the local village were waking the sun...it was a joyous sound ringing up from the valley below. We could also hear the horns from the chicken buses from the surrounding villages as they depart. After the beautiful sunrise we head down the mountain in a different direction; through fields of corn and groves of coffee plants and avocado trees.  Once we reach the village of San Juan we climb aboard a tuktuk... for the FIRST time. We head back to the, house for much needed coffee and breakfast...and more Spanish lessons.

We ascended from the right backside of the face and we returned to the village via the left (down the forehead, across the flat fields, and then down the mountain to the village of San Juan).

Tuesday after class we help Magda and Javier dispose of the weeks compost. The four of us board a tuktuk and head up towards the San Pedro volcano. We dispose of the compost and admire the small coffee field that was passed down through Javier´s family. We then return to the village through more coffee and avocado fields... Felipe is in heaven! On the outskirts of the village we stop to try a local treat... Orange halves seasoned with salt, ground pumpkin seeds and chili.

Men leaving the coffee fields with large bags of coffee.

Sunday we traveled with Javier via boat to Panajachel and from Panajachel we rode in the back of a pick up to the beautiful village of San Antonio.  Here we had lunch with a group of women from Canada that are involved with several not for profit missions in the area.  Their projects range from more efficient and clean burning cooking stoves to education (including Javier´s organization Trek For Kids).  From San Antonio you can see all three of the volcanoes on Lake Atitlan (Volcanoes Atitlan, Tolliman, and San Pedro).

Below are a couple of shots from around town.  We´re very close to the catholic church and everyday we pass through the area and are greeted by the statue of San Pedro and his rooster.  The statue is also a fountain... and in the fountain there are two fish and a crab.  Yes, they have crabs in Lake Atitlan. 

 

Almost everyday after lunch with the family we head down to ¨Gringolandia¨ for coffee and homework.  We found this great cutthrough in the heart of the village.

Andrea (my teacher) took me on a quick fieldtrip to her friends local store. The store was established to preserve the villages art of dying (using natural dyes) yarn and weaving various textiles. A couple of their specialty items included embroidered mayan symbols. This symbol is associated with the exact date of your birth on the Mayan calendar and is said to influence your demeanor... So, of course they looked mine up for me and as it turns out it's the same mayan symbol that is associated with the school (Flor de Maiz).