To sum up: I spent my first two weeks here at San Pedro la Laguna and have now been back in Xela for about four days. I only have two more days of Spanish class left before I head to Antigua for the real reason I'm here, a (medical school) away rotation.
A bit more detail:
My first two weeks were comfortable and lovely. I spent my mornings at Community Spanish School, brushing up on my grammar in a "cabaña" (see photo) steps away from the shores of Lake Atitlan. Almost every afternoon was spent playing with my best friend, 6 year-old Chayito. Unlike her adorable sister, newly-3 year-old Maria Susanna, her Spanish is clear (and wonderfully simple) and she adores having students around to entertain her after school. Most schools here only have class in the mornings so kids are often left to their own devices (if they don't have to work) in the afternoons.
(Side note: With better Spanish, I have been able to have much more interesting conversations with my teachers and host families about politics, healthcare, and education. Just as interesting as the facts (e.g. that school is a morning-only activity or that the public hospitals, while free, are nearly devoid of any materials/resources) are the differing opinions about how Jimmy Morales won, how healthcare should be improved, etc.)
In addition to Chayito, my first two weeks were made comfortable by the small size of the town of San Pedro, the unbeatable weather, and Lily's cooking. San Pedro is one of many small towns along the shores of Lake Atitlan (which is quite large). Despite its small size (now has about 15,000 residents, but this is double or triple what it was just ~20 years ago) it has been incredibly successful at attracting tourists. It now has about 6 Spanish schools (all with the Guatemalan system of 1:1 instruction), many hostels, and extranjero-friendly restaurants. Still, it doesn't feel overrun by tourists, at least not to me. While some of the restauranteurs and all of the hostelers speak some English, they seem to prefer Spanish and would never change to English if you start in Spanish. It is still a town of indigenous people, where the women wear traditional, beautifully intricate clothing and nearly 100% are bilingual in Tz'utujil (one of ~25 Mayan languages still spoken) and Spanish. But there are enough white people that you don't feel stared at or in danger. As for the weather, that needs little description: high of 75, low of 50, rarely a cloud in the sky (during this, the dry, season). And Lily's cooking was such a welcome surprise, since she has a wide rotation and consistently cooks with fruits and vegetables. As I think I mentioned before, this Spanish school has decided to consolidate the families that work with them, so they place multiple students in the same home. This is better for the families because it allows the woman of the house to make a steady and respectable income, and she can focus on keeping her students happy instead of rushing home to make them something after her other work. Lily and I spoke about it several times and she truly seemed content with the arrangement -- although I doubt she minds the few weeks of "vacation" that happen in the downpour of May when few students come to the school.
The school, as I mentioned before, had no frills but solid teachers. I kept the same one for two weeks, which made it easier to continue uninterrupted with my progress, but I admit that I was ready to move on to a new person with whom to spend 5 hours per day after my two weeks there.
During the weekend between my two weeks at the lake, Jared came to visit (from Xela, where he's been studying Spanish for several weeks). We played tourist, eating at Israeli restaurants (forgot to mention that there is an amusingly large and steady stream of Israeli backpackers coming through San Pedro. I guess it's cemented itself as a must-see stop on the well-worn path of 22 year-old Israelis making their way through Latin America) and walking along the safe parts of the lake. We took a boat ferry to one of the other towns to walk around and have lunch. I toyed with the idea of climbing San Pedro (the volcano) again - the last time being 3.5 years ago - but didn't feel up to it. Now I know I was starting to feel the effects of the street food, but at the time I just felt lazy. Still, we had a nice weekend, capped off by the Super Blood Wolf Moon or whatever they were calling it.
On the last full day I was there, my host father Felipe took another student and I to visit his family's small coffee operation -- or, as they call it, plantation. He tries to offer to do this every week or two, so that all the students who stay at his house get a chance to see how coffee is grown here, and a little bit about the history/meaning of coffee growing in this region and to these families. His 14 year-old daughter, Conchita, also came with us, apparently for the first time (?!) which I did not understand since it is only about a 10 minute drive away. She said normally she can't go because there isn't space in the car for her with the students, or she's busy. Felipe took us to a plot of land nestled within a large swatch of agriculture - primarily maize and coffee - which I think is split up into many small, family-owned plots with the boundaries demarcated with trees. He showed us coffee plants at various stages, from <1 year old to ~15 or 20 years old. He said that after about 3 years they produce coffee beans but it takes about another year for them to be really good. Then production is good for 15 years, after which they're like old chickens -- still producing, but less and with lower quality.
He also took us to a sacred spot up the road, with both a Catholic altar and a space for Mayan "spirituality" as he calls it. To Felipe, and most of the people, here, there is no contradiction between following Mayan customs and being Christian. We had many conversations about Mayan spiritual (/religious) traditions and how important they are to how the people think and comport themselves, but also how the church is a central part of their lives.
He also took us to a sacred spot up the road, with both a Catholic altar and a space for Mayan "spirituality" as he calls it. To Felipe, and most of the people, here, there is no contradiction between following Mayan customs and being Christian. We had many conversations about Mayan spiritual (/religious) traditions and how important they are to how the people think and comport themselves, but also how the church is a central part of their lives.
One of the afternoons, Lily also took/accompanied some of us to a nearby town to check out their annual market/festival.
Here in Xela, things have also been quite comfortable. I wanted to stay with the same lovely family as last time, but they already had another family so I was placed with another. Luckily, their house is nearly as close as the last - a 3 minute walk to school - which helps since I have class in the afternoon, which ends at 7pm when it is already dark and I don't especially want to be walking around by myself. Also comfortable is having a buddy (Jared) with whom to spend most of my time outside of class. He's continuing working for his India-based company (in the mornings, on his computer) so had already scoped out the best coffee shops and made friends with the owners before I arrived. I usually dawdle in the mornings and get here well after he does but it works out well. Also, he insists on speaking exclusively in Spanish so the Immersion continues.
Hopefully that is enough detail for now, and I will try harder to keep it up for the next month+ that I am here. This Saturday, Jared and I are going on the school's field trip and then on Sunday I am heading to Antigua for my rotation! Hasta pronto, mis amigos.
And what people here think of Trump (who's surprised?):
And what people here think of Trump (who's surprised?):
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