Bienvenidos a Xela, Guatemala

So I've been studying Spanish in Quetzaltenango (Xela for short) for over 2 weeks, and I don't want to spend too much time writing because that's time I should be spending studying.  But I can't resist posting a little bit...

Xela is in the Western Highlands of Guatemala.  The altitude here is 2,335 meters above sea level at the town level. I only had mild altitude affect - one day of extreme fatigue and hunger at the same time - but some people have it much more seriously.

Volcano Santa Maria is just south of town.  She feels like my constant companion - the first thing I see when I leave the house in the morning, in view throughout all my classes, visible from everywhere.  

My school, Pop Wuj (pronounced Pope Woo, so named for an ancient, sacred book of the Mayans - Popol Wuj) is a co-operatively owned project that partners with many community efforts.  My teacher (mi maestro) for the last three weeks has been Benedicto (to the right), who is pretty awesome.  We have class every morning from 8 am to 1 pm.  On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there are volunteer options for students to do in addition or in lieu of class, depending on if you are a morning or afternoon student.  Here, he came with me on the reforestation effort on Thursday morning.  (His shirt says "Solidarity is our Language".)

We were planting 'arbolitas' (little trees) on this woman, Victoria's, private land.  Xela is strongly populated with Mayans, and Victoria is in typical Mayan dress.  Another of our school projects is a Family Support Center, which operates as an after/before school tutoring center and resource for women raising children.  Note the kids in the background - they were on their week-long break during this Thursday morning.

 We planted trees with 10 kids, 3 adults, one hoe and one machete.  First time I've ever used a machete!

On Friday, we took a field trip to the nearby town of Zunil, that is 100% Mayan.  It is a little pueblo in the middle of the mountains.  The major industry is farming, and you can tell.  On the bus into town, the smell of cilantro wafts in the windows, and standing on a balcony above town carries the unmistakable smell of onion. Note on the right, not only do people carry loads on their heads, but many of the workers in Zunil transport multiple sacks of vegetables by strapping cloth over their forehead, under the sacks (see the guy in the very edge of the photo), and running.  It's shocking. All these things end up in the market, and big trucks pull out regularly.   

Weekend trip to Volcan Chiqubal

It looks like a lake at the end of the world, especially given the fog.  In fact, the Mayans may think so - it's a cold lake at the top of a volcano that is fed by natural spring, and sacred for the Mayan people.  Swimming is not allowed in this lake, but offerings of flowers are given. Legend has it that years ago, 3 tourists (from a group of 4) decided to disregard the ban on swimming, and three of them were pulled under by the serious undertow.  The fire department only ever found two of the bodies because the lake is 600 meters deep. 

Do I look tired?  With the altitude, there were times I wondered if I'd make it to the top. After spending about 1 1/2 hours on a, at times, very steep ascent, we descended crazy treacherous jungle stairs to the lake below.

Which was beautiful with mysterious, rolling fog.  When we first arrived, it was clear, then it became completely obtuse.  At right, note the flower offerings of the previous Mayan ceremonies.

Even though the setting was full of beauty, it was muy dificil (very very difficult).  And, suprisingly, the descent is not much easier with the slippery dirt road after a little drizzle, and the steep, steep desent.  Here is Daniella and I making our 'gremlin faces' (the face my sister Kassi makes when she encounters a Gremlin, which scares the daylights out of her) when we realize that we are only 1/2 the way down.