Weekends in Guate

Let me pre-preface this by saying that at placement event wwwwaaaayy back in March 2010, Marcia (our then-future-coordintor) introduced herself and the Guatemalan placement by saying "If having a nightlife is important to you, then you might consider somewhere other than Guatemala.  (She is very diplomatic.) 

Now let me preface this by saying that my nickname here (in VARIOUS circles, in English and in Spanish) is grandma, or abuela.   This is partly because I am a passionate sunscreen advocate and partly because, well, I'm what some (and all who are part of the Antigua-nightscene-circle) would consider... lame.  We've even created a new verb, "abuelear", which means to turn-down an invitation to go out or do anything considered socially cool, at least by young-adult, US citizen standards.  (Ex:  Are you abueleando on me? Yes, yes I am.)

But let me tell you what form that takes on weekends and judge for yourself!

This weekend actually began Friday morning, as I met co-worker and friend, Elly and headed to the annual Common Hope Employee field day at the Antigua soccer stadium. (Insert mental picture:  Open-air soccer stadium, green grass, with a background panoramic view of mountains...oh, and volcanoes.)   By 9:00, over 100 employees were on the field doing a warm-up that put Richard Simmons to shame.  Then began the silly, group summer camp games, kickball tournament, and ridiculously competitive pvc pipe hurdle relays.  After a delcious grilled meat/guacamole sandwhich thing and a quick catnap in the sun (a flea spotting brought that to an abrupt end) the kickball tournament was indefinitely postponed to make room for a soccer game .  I had ganas to play but seeing that I would have been the ONLY girl, and any 3 year old in the stadium would have more skills/experience than me, I decided to join the pep squad (loosely named).  Things quickly picked up when we grabbed a couple of ozarka-like water containers and used them as drums...always a party.
Afterwards, a couple of friends and I shared a cerveza, on a terrace, in the sunshine, surrounded by mountains...and oh yeah, volcanoes. 

The rest of the weekend was re-tran-qui-lo (very calm).  Katharine was in town from Xela, so she got to experience what it was like living with my familia.  Lots of sitting around the table talking about anything from politics to the apocolypse (which here don't appear to be all that different), giving birth (humans and animals), and sharing stories (turns out catching locusts is universal)...  Piling into the living room to watch the Guate v. Mexico Gold Cup game (which turned into a discussion about Mayan, Aztec, and Incan cultures)..  Lots of reading/sleeping in the hammock while listening to the rain on the tin roof (which is now one of my favorite sounds)... and food.  Here is what a weekend of food looks like in my house:

a surprise cappuccino (it was from a packet, but really good!)
chicken soup (NOT from a packet, or can)
eggs, black beans, and toasted tortillas
fried chicken, noodley stuff, and tortillas
tamales (pause)
white beans and pork (yum..the majority of my Sunday was dedicated to learning how to cook this deliciousness) and tortillas
fresh strawberry and banana liquado (smoothie)
cheese, black beans, and toasted tortillas

So,  if there are any future Guate YAVs reading this, fear not!  What one lacks in an adult social life here, you make up for in... beans and toasted tortillas!.. and family, and beauty, and love.  And for this abuela, that is anything but lame.