Obama and El Plan Migratorio

Before  I leave Guatemala  I would like to comment on the executive  orders that Obama has proposed .   This will affect many  both  within  and outside  of Guatemala .   No one doubts  it will  be fought  in the courts  as well as congress over  the next  few  years  and no one doubts  there will be some changes  It  does mean that a.most 200,000 people with roots in Guatemala  will  now reside   in the United  States  with   papers  of  legal  residence.  The changes will allow  families  to stay together  where there are parents  or children  who reside  in the United  States  legally.  Because  people can now come out of the shadows  of society  they will  be able to obtain   better employment  and pay more taxes .  They will also be able to send more money  back to Guatemala  improving  the economic  situation  for many families .   Almost  every  leader  of the counties in Central  America  strongly support  the law  as it takes  pressure off the leaders  to stem the tide of migration.  It is difficult  to know  what  will  happen  going forward.  Will the migration  numbers change?  I doubt  it.  As long as the economic  gap is so rediculously wide and the gangs  rule the streets  there will be those who  see no option  but to leave.  Until the economic  situation  improves  for the bulk  of Guatemalans  there will be migration.  No wall, no  body  of  water , and no police force will  stop people who have nothing  to lose.

It's been a great  three weeks .  In two days it's  back to work  and time to pay for my "indescetions".  It has been great  fun.

Saint Catherine's Arch

Saint Catherine's  Arich is one of the most  recognizable  sites of Antigua.  About  three  hundred  years ago it was built so that nuns could  travel  from one building  to the other without  being  seen or seeing  the public  as the order of nuns was  kept  in seclusion.   Nowner the arch survives as a reminder  of all the orders  of nuns and priests  that once inhabited  the city.  Before the big earthquake  at the end of the 18th  century  there were fifty  different convents and priestly   orders.

I had dinner  tonight   with Walter  Ramírez ,  a man I have known for 10 years. I met him when he worked as gardener in Antigua.  He now is a distributor  for a carbonated juice .    I do hope some day he may visit me in the US.

more about Antigua

I had dinner  last night  with a number of friends  I met in Xela.  They were passing  through  Antigua  on their  way to other places.  Antigua is one  of those  places  where  people  congregate  from all over  the world. At my table were two friends  from Turkey  and one from Bosnia .  The next table had two Israelis and and a German .   I can compare the scene to something  like a combination  of Casablanca  and the bar at the beginning  of the first  Star  Wars  film.  One finds a cast of characters  from every corner of  the  globe  and you don't  know  what will happen  next.  There are also many, many  young people, the 20-30 crowd, who are attracted to Guatemala  due to it's  scenery  and low prices.   Even  in Antigua  you can  find  a secure dorm bed for 6 dollars .   Like the country,

 Antigua  is a place, of contrasts, old   and new, young and old, and rich  and poor.  From top notch  gormet  food to  street  food, there is something  for everyone .    It is a great way  station of the world.

Picture is a church  built in 17th  century  next to the Spanish  School .  No longer  a church  it now is used for functions  from  weddings  to funerals .

volcanos and earthquakes

Volcanos  and earthquakes  are a part of daily  life here.  It is said that housewives  do not have to mix their food if they just  leave  it out  for  a  while,  due to the frequent  quakes.  Indeed, I have  felt three in the past two weeks with one that made me sit up  and take notice.  A quake  in   1976 killed 10,000 people and  destroyed  many  homes.  There are three volcanos  you can see from  anywhere  in Antigua  and one, El   Fuego  is very  active  and  is always  spewing  smoke, ash, and lava.  The capital  of  Guatemala  was in Antigua  from   the  early 16th  century  up  to  the  late  18th  century  when  it was moved  to  Guatemala  City  to try to  avoid serious  quakes. This  did not work but it did allow  Antigua   to keep  many of its  old colonial  buildings .   The skyline  of  Antigua  is very much like  it was 300  years ago .

The photo  shows  El  Fuego  erupting.

antigua

Antigua, Guatemala  is one of the most beautiful  cities  in the world.  Set in a broad valley, it is also surrounded  by threel volcanos.  One  of the volcanos, El Fuego, has been in a state  of active  eruption  for years.  One time  when  I  was here  with Brian  Goss , a family friend ,  it lit up the sky at night from  the lava flows.

Being  such  a beautiful  city  has  its  price and here  it  is  tourism.  The streets  are literally  filled  with  them  on  weekends .    There are hotels  of all price  ranges,from a dorm room for 6 dollars  a night  to rooms  for 300 per night .  There  are also many restaurants.

  I am staying   at San  Jose  El   Viejo ,   a Spanish  School  and hotel combined.  The grounds  are well maintained  with many tropical  plants.  Compared to the stay  in  Xela  this is plush .  I do miss the family  I stayed  with  in  and Xela and would not trade  them   for anything . Tomorrow  it's  on to more Spanish  classes.

Sadness at leaving

I am leaving Xela this Sunday for Antigua.  It is with great sadness as I will miss the family i am staying with, the teachers of Spanish, the students i worked with, and the town itself.  This is a real working city with little in the way of a tourist industy and very few people that speak English.  The quality of instruction, the unbelievably low prices to live here and study, the friendly people, and the great places to hike and visit make it , in my opinion, the best place to study Spanish in the world.  It is not historic like many places in Spain, no very scenic within the city itself, it is difficult to reach, but for a place to immerse oneself in a language it cannot be beat.

 I am on to Antigua, the old colonial capital, which is very scenic, but loaded with tourists.   I will be able to cook my own food there and come and go as i please which will be nice.  The Spanish school there has beautiful grounds and is quite resful.

food

This topic  could  take forever  as it is complicated .  My diet changes dramatically when I come to Xela .   Rarely  is anything  baked.  With all the great fruit you  would think this be a big item but fresh fruit is rarely   served.  Breakfast is typically  refried black  beans ,  eggs, tortillas ,  and cheese.  Cereal  is also served.  Lunch is the big meal  which is almost always something  fried. I have had

fried  chiken, fried  empanadas, fried pork, and fried rice .    Steamed tamallitos  are very  popular (a steamed dough) and paches (steamed stuffed   mashed potatoes  ).  Dinner,  the smaller  meal is usually  what is leftover  from the previous  meals.  Drinks can be tea, coffee, or refrescos (some kind of sweet  juice).  I am suprised  that  all members  of  the  family  drink  coffee , including  the  five  year  old. I do like  the food  although  i  miss my American  diet of cheetos  and coke .

Fluency

Still  have a long way to go before I consider  myself fluent. I am studying  part of the day in a Spanish  School  called PLQE.  We have about 30 students  here  now, all at different  levels.  I wish I could  speak better and I work hard at it.  The people in the hospital  here are very understanding .   There is now question  in my mind that  if you  really  want  to be able to speak a foreign  language  you have to immerse yourself  in the language,  speaking it all day long because   you have to.  I do not know if I will back to Xela again as the trip is long and I am aging.  I am far and away the oldest student here.

café baviera

Have gone here several  times as it is warm compared  to others  at night here in Xela. The  food is good but the hot chocolate  is nothing like Cafe LA Luna  down the street.   Was out late last  night due to a robbery attempt  at the church the father of the house runs.  We had to move all the music equipment  to a safe place.  This took some doing  as we had to find a pickup .  I had a wild ride through Xela at night on the back of a pickup  that felt like Mr. Toads  wild ride at Disneyland .

guatemala two step

There is a dance I do  every  day  that  I  call  the  Guatemala Two Step.  This is the dance I do to avoid getting killed  by the traffic. The dance starts with walking in the  street  due to all manner of objects on the sidewalk  such  as dogs, car parts ,  unmentionable  discards, and people .    You take one step forward  in the street, see  a car barreling towards  you,  take a quick step to right,   walk a few steps forward , and step back to the left  when the car has passed.  This dance step is  repeated  multiple  times until  you make it to the next street.   Drivers here find  pedestrians  to be an annoyance and will virtually  never yield  to a pedestrian. You have to be quick here  or your next partner will be in cemetery .   The picture today is a  footbridge  near  my house  that  I  have  never  seen used .   I wonder why?

Half marathon in Xela

Half Marathon  in XELA

I ran  a half  marathon  today in Xela.  It is THE race in Xela and runners come from all over the western hemisphere  to run  it although 95% are from  Guatemala .   Xela being at 7000 feet created a bit of a challenge  for me and my time was far from  my best.  In fact  it was one  of my worst,  but I had a great time.  About 4000 ran it officially with maNY "Banditios".  Running here as well in many third world counties present unique  problems such as virtually no portátpotties  at the start or finish.  Don't  ask what most people do.  Water on the course can also problematic  as people would not drink it in cups due to fear that it may be contaminated ,  so the water comes in individual  plastic bags that you break open to drink.  This race was the best organized  that I have been in a third world  county and even had electronic timing and mats every two miles.  The crowds  were  great  and  the event  was broadcast  on the local radio station .   God Bless Dani  who ran  it with me and paid for the shuttle  ride  back.  The photo  is Dani, the father  in house  where  I am staying .

bathrooms

There are  so many  aspects  of life here   that  are  different  from  my  usual  life  in Portland  .  One  of  the  biggest  is sharing  one  bathroom  with  five  other   people .  For someone  like  me  who is digestively  challenged as well as water retention challenged this can be a problem.  I have had to make adjustments  in my usual  habits  and use the facilities  even  when  not necessary .   I call it the "preventive strike".  People in the house ,  three  children  and  two  adults ,  are understanding   and try  to be accommodating . So far.... no accidents.  I love the family  I am staying  with  .   Somos simpaticos.
The photo is a graduation  at the Spanish  school .

chicken buses

The chicken buses of Guatemala have a reputation and value  far beyond the borders of GUATEMALA .  They transport a lot more than chickens and are the backbone   of the transportation  system here. They go everywhere in the country, transporting  people, dry goods food, and of course live animals. This week I had to share my seat with a woman, her two children , and a sheep.   The sheep was better behaved  than the childen.  The bus can take you 200 miles for 5 dollars although they are  often crowded, noisy, and smelly. However, the vared company makes  it worthwhile . 

Of the many changes I notice here the amount of young people one sees in the street is staggering. (old folks are rare)  Most of the population is below 25 and with so many older people dyiing before the age of 60 there is a marked outward appearance of the young.  This is noticable in the public hospital where Pediatrics and especially Pediatric Trauma make up a third of the hospital population. Every day I see more children with agricultural accidents, traffic accidents, burns, broken bones, infected wounds.   Unfortunately, many children suffer needless pain due to a lack of nurses and medicines. With one nurse to 8 or 10 children it is difficult to make sure that every order is carried out and every medicine give.  The nurses due a good job with what they have and are quite dedicated. The families usally stay in whole or in part near the hospital and will often take their meals with the children if they can be moved to hospial cafeteria..  The residents pretty much run the show in the hospital as the doctors spend most of their days with the private patients in their office or in surgery. I wish i could speak spanish better as i often have problems communicating techincal terms. Orders as well as notes are still all in paper....something many doctors miss in the US.   The other thing i notice is how rarely the attending doctors talk to the parents. I am not sure why this is so.

Here in Xela the life is intertwined  with the MAYAN  culture .  Many women wear the traditiona dress  of a long skirt (corte) and open blouse with embroidery   (huipili)  .   There are many Mayan religious rites  that take place.  Candle  lighting  is frequent. Each color of the candle brings different fortune.  You  can burn red  ones for love, Yellow  for money, and blue for health.  You can also burn black ones when you want bad things to happen to others.  I only burn black  ones when the Yankees play the Red SOX.

La vita cotidiana

What is different ?

There are many things that are different  in the daily  life  here.   You have to be careful with the showers.  There is no hot water unless you are in a fancy  hotel or the house of the very wealthy.  In most homes there is a small electric heater  where the shower head is. If you turn on too  much water the water comes out cold.  If you just let it drip out the heater is not  triggered and it comes out also.  With time you get the right touch.

The photo is a coffee shop that doubles as an evangelical  church.  I do not think
Starbucks has much to fear unless the almighty takes sides.  

I'm

Arrived in Xela aka Quetzaltenango  this PM.  It's a  nice fall day but everyone here thinks it's cold.  I forgot how I missed the place even though it seems mufflers outlawed.  The family  I am staying with is nice and they keep chickens and ducks to eat.  The father is going to show me how to slaughter them.  This should be interesting.... especially since I am from  Oregon.

Xelaju

Xela just is where I will spending most of November. The official name of the city is Quetzaltenango but nobody who lives there uses that name.  It is located about one hundred miles NorthWest of the capital Guatemala City and lies at 7000 feet above sea level. It is the second largest city in Guatemala with about 200,000 people and has a 50/50 mix of indigenous Quiche Maya people and Ladinos (European Culture).   The economy is based on agriculture, especially coffee, and serves as a market town for many of the highland towns.  There are several universities in the town and a large regional hospital where I will volunteer.

This is about the tenth time I have been there since 1997 and the only changes i have noitced is the buses are no longer allowed in the city center due the narrow streets and traffic, and the proliferation of American fast food outlets.

Surprising to many foreigners is that it gets very cold in November and December with temperatures at times close to freezing.  There are few places with any kind of heat so people sleep a bit later and wait for the sun to warm things up.

It's always an adventure getting there as the roads have big curves, steep climbs, and buses that will pass around blind corners.  Toss in the road bandits and frequent blockades form various groups of the disgruntled and you better be ready for the challenge.