9/15 Thursday (Guatemalan Independence day)Guatemala gained its Independence from Spain on this day in 1821, and, must like our 4th of July de Los Estados Unidos, they've been partying on that day every year since. A long, fancy parade marches down the street. Kids show off their exorbitant "Indepencia" costumes while marching in lines. I found it quite amusing, and reflected upon what it would be like for one of these Guatemalans to attend the 4th of July Parade through Chanhassen. Below is a video of the experience.
Our morning consisted of taking in the parade. During our afternoon, a monk invited us to lunch with one of the local "jovenes" (young people) from the parish. After stopping in a nice roadside restaurant neighboring a dairy farm and an endless range of looming mountains, we stopped by a bar on the way back to the monastery. It was still light out, but eh...what the heck? You can only celebrate Guatemalan's Independence once a year.
The bar session was interesting. I sampled several different beers, and I settled on Moza as my favorite. When I say "favorite," this doesn't mean I was impressed. These bloggers describe the beer well: http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/Beer-Ratings.asp?BeerID=6975
I like dark beers, and this had to be the closest thing that I could get to a Guinness. Everyone likes "Gallo" down here, but the taste of it reminds me of a rundown multiplex in Saint Joseph, MN. Good memories, not so good beer. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get used to it.
A few necessary events to recount from the bar: 1) After several plays from random latino singers, my jukebox pick of Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There?" blasted loudly from the speakers. The locals were slightly confused but seemed to enjoy it. 2) I was able to explain the concept of "icing" to the locals of the bar. 3) A street vender came in trying to sell ripped-off CD's to everyone. After declining a CD, I bought the guy a beer instead. He happily enjoyed drinking the one beer and talking for about 20 minutes with me. Before taking off, he offered any CD on his carry-along rack. I asked him for the CD with the best party music. He gave me some ridiculous Reggaetone CD that I have since lost.
Biggest disappointment about the whole ordeal? Forgot my camera. Sorry folks! There'll be a next time.
We arrived back at the monastery in time for a quick bite to eat and a Sopranos episode before retiring for the night.
9/16 Friday
Montezuma finally turned his ugly head. I was up several times during the night. No nausea, just... well... bad times. Having seen Justin suffer for just under a week, I wasn't messing around. Time for stool sample testing (costs about $3). Verdict? Parasites, or as they say here, "Las amoebas." Got the proper pills from the pharmacy and spent the rest of the day in my room. Even by 3 or 4pm, I felt better. No further problems after the administration of the antibiotics. Dinner and Sopranos once again capped the night.
9/17 Saturday
Notre Dame finally wins! I think Bernie was more excited than I was.. I'm too used to seeing these guys tank in clutch situations at the end, like another team I know (Damn it Vikes!). After the Irish victory, our relaxing afternoon consisted of reading, plucking the guitar, and munchin' on our football game snacks. Nothing exceptional; just a day in the life. Livin' the dream!
9/18 Sunday
A similar approach was taken to the Vikes game on Sunday (unfortunately our team for the day didn't win this time). Justin and I bought fried chicken from a cheap restaurant down the road from the monastery and explored the town a bit. The day ended as it always does: Prayer, (Mass, maybe), dinner, Sopranos episode.
9/19 Monday - 9/21 Wednesday
Our work for this week has resulted in slow progress. With the installation of Linux on the computers, several CPUs will sometimes fail to install the software. Seeing as all these computers were made in the 90's, downloading and operating are slow. Way slow. I think the paint for the screens dried faster than some of these old Packard Bell towers. While it can be frustrating, it still gives me a chance to practice my Spanish with Alberto, the fellow Guatemalan worker that actually opens these computers up and fixes them.
The wires are mangled... yellow here, blue there, orange under this and that. I am amazed that this guy knows all this computer mechanics, but I've began to notice that many Guatemalans are mechanically inclined. Cars are a rare purchase here, so more people choose to learn how to address mechanical issues themselves. This is, after all, the reason there is a hardware store in every block of this town. Ethernet cables, audio splitters, tools, gizmos, power cords and surge protectors are sold in the stores and on the street like they're the next big thing.
While quite shy, Alberto is great company and is doing his best to make us feel welcome. After morning work on Tuesday, Alberto invited me to a pick-up futbol game on the basketball court. 3-on-3, and the goals consisted of wooden boards constructed into a small 4'x4' square. I wore running shoes, shorts, and a workout shirt while the Guatemalans wore jeans, polos, and either hiking or rain boots.
To make a long story short, I was embarrassed beyond belief. I did manage to score 3 goals, but that didn't come without a long breather break in the middle of the game, as well as very slow walks to either end of the court during the game, which lasted about an hour and a half. During my break, I did manage to snap some great photos of the guys...
 |
| Rubber boots? |
 |
| Can't lose your footing on this pavement... you'll bust your knee open |
 |
| Alberto about to score |
9/22 Thursday
Thursday was a rather eventful day. I was able to recommence my Spanish lessons and set a schedule with Mirna, my Spanish tutor (now I will be having lessons twice a week, Monday and Wednesday at 4:00p.m.). We also were fortunate enough to meet Carlos Estrada, another friend of Bernie's. Carlos had us over, along with many other Bernie friends (Raul, Chilio, Maria, Donal), all adults from the ages of around 45-60. We dined on a wonderful steak dinner with plenty of whiskey for all.
9/23 Friday
Today was a slower day. We went out for breakfast in the morning, and Bernie told us to take the afternoon to catch up on things like blogging. I'm anxious to get more work done around here, but it is just a slower process than the fast-paced work environment in the United States, and I've come to accept that. I always have a laundry list of things to do when I have spare time, so I don't ever anticipate being bored here. This evening, I experienced my first migraine ever in my life. It wasn't too bad after a nap and a couple Advil, but I now know from experience that migraines are not fun.
Tomorrow morning I wake early to go help teach English to students at the local university. This will be a great way for me to work on my Spanish a bit as well. Hope everyone back home is having a good fall. To all those attending Homecoming this weekend, cheers! Have a blast and go Johnnie Red. Thanks for reading... more to come!
P.S. I forgot to mention in a few posts back that when we went to mass at Livingston, the offertory song at the Mass was the same exact tune as Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." The words were different, but I was baffled by the fact that some cantor had taken Dylan's tune and put religious lyrics with it. Unique, huh? It's simple things like that that help define the contraction of the "travel bug."
No comments:
Post a Comment