Tomorrow starts week 4 for me. I have completed two weeks of class, been to many different areas around Xela (learn more about Xela here) & have made countless memories already. It's sad to know that I only have one week left here in Xela before I venture to a rural community & finish up my time in Guatemala. Read below to learn more about what I did this weekend & last.
Lago de Atitlán
Last weekend some of my group and I went on a mini vacation to Lago de Atitlán, it's about two hours from Xela. We took a shuttle to Panajachel (the largest of all the towns on the lake) & then rode the public boats to one of the small towns called San Pedro where are hotel was. Friday night the town of San Pedros lost power during dinner so we spent the night in the hotel watching a movie on a laptop. For most of the day on Saturday we were in the town of San Marcos swimming in the lake. Sunday we spent the early morning in Santa Clara & finished the afternoon in Panajachel. We were typical tourists who tried local restaurants & visited the "must see" spots. Loved taking the boats to each of the towns on the lake & that everything in each town is in walking distance. Below are some highlights of the weekend but to see more look the Guatemala tab.
-San Pedro- The mountains, blue water & calmness of the lake was beautiful. | -San Marcos- The water was warm & VERY clear here- other parts of the lake is suffering from algae & pollution. | -Santa Clara- We got up at 3:15am to catch a tourist van at 4am to hike up a hill at 4:45am to watch the GORGEOUS sunrise at 5:15am. |
Una Quinceañera & Being welcomed with Open Arms
This weekend I stayed in Xela to spend time with my host mom. On Saturday, she asked me if I wanted to go to a birthday party for a member of her son-in-law's family. Let me start out my saying, this was one of the COOLEST experiences I have had yet. I got to become part of the family for the evening & learn about the traditions of their family & culture.
Her son-in-law is Mayan & when a girl comes of the age of 15 they have Quinceañera for her to celebrate her transition from childhood to adulthood. I wasn't quite aware of what type of party I was going to before I arrived at her son-in-law's parents house. Her daughter was being dressed by her mother-in-law in a traditional Maya traje & after I settled on the couched I was quickly asked if I wanted to wear a tradition traje also. I was hesitant to respond because I didn't know what I should say. I really wanted to. So I gave a big smile and a light nod. Then, very quickly, the sister & the mother-in-law went into the bedroom & brought me out a huipil (the beautifully, detailed top), corte (the stitched skirt) & faja (the belt). They helped me get dressed (which I discovered I had a large head to fit through the head hole) & they did my hair.
Her son-in-law is Mayan & when a girl comes of the age of 15 they have Quinceañera for her to celebrate her transition from childhood to adulthood. I wasn't quite aware of what type of party I was going to before I arrived at her son-in-law's parents house. Her daughter was being dressed by her mother-in-law in a traditional Maya traje & after I settled on the couched I was quickly asked if I wanted to wear a tradition traje also. I was hesitant to respond because I didn't know what I should say. I really wanted to. So I gave a big smile and a light nod. Then, very quickly, the sister & the mother-in-law went into the bedroom & brought me out a huipil (the beautifully, detailed top), corte (the stitched skirt) & faja (the belt). They helped me get dressed (which I discovered I had a large head to fit through the head hole) & they did my hair.
The party was very unique & interesting. Everyone sat in a circle around the room, with the girl & her parents at the front. One of the grandfather's led a little ceremony where he gave thanks to God & blessed the life of the birthday girl. Many other relatives also said thanks & blessed the girl too. What I found interesting was that the role of the padrinos or the godparents. The family asked my host mom's daughter & son-in-law to be the godparents. This role and title is a great honor & is taken very seriously. It is the responsibility of the godparents to throw the party & cook/serve the dinner. Just like many godparent's role in the U.S. they will take on the role of "the parents" if her parents were to pass on & they give extra gifts for birthdays & christmases. |
After people took turn giving thanks (they even asked me to give thanks too) some young girls walked in with baskets on their heads. Inside these baskets were gifts from the godparents to the family. There was also an exchange of gifts from the family to the godparents. (Imagine carrying those baskets on your head... I couldn't even lift them!) Appetizers (I wish I took pics & remember what the names of the foods) were served one-by-one to everyone by the family & then the godparents (and family-including me) had to serve everyone dinner. Once dinner was done, everyone kissed & hugged goodbye. Many people told me & my host mom that they were so happy that I was interested in learning more about their culture & showed up wearing the traje. |
The Mayan culture is absolutely beautiful! Of course I want to learn more & I am so grateful that I got a chance to see a glimpse of their traditions. This was an experience I will not soon forget but cherish forever.