The beginning of the end

Time to catch you up on the last few days. It is now Wednesday and all is well!

Monday was a normal day of classes. You can tell that the city is starting to gear up for their annual fair because the number of loud cannon-like fireworks (called boombas) going off is increasing. Boombas are around 35 quetzales each (roughly $5) and make a very loud noise when they explode. No pretty light pyrotecnics like our fireworks, just the very loud sound coming from some part of the city. For the first few weeks we were hear we would hear 4-5 at night. With the fair getting closer and closer to opening in San Pedro we are hearing 40-50 a day, at all times of the day. And since the queen of the fair lives just around the corner from our host family, most of them are being launched from literally the house behind us. The rooster is now a minor sleep disturbance compared to the boombas. :)

On Monday afternoon Tim, Michelle, Rosa and 7 kids all went to the local pool to swim for the day. The pool is on the outside of town, and thinking that this was a small village, when Rosa asked if we wanted to walk or drive in a tuk tuk we said walk. Twenty minutes later we were at the pool. It was a good walk, but we quickly decided to take a tuk tuk ride back when we were done swimming.

The local pool charges 5 quetzales to enter and you can swim as long as you want. Because it was a Monday afternoon we had the place to ourselves. Rosa said that on Saturdays and Sundays the place is packed. There were six different pools. Each pool was progressively deeper and bigger than the one before. There were three on an upper level that were shallow enough for babies to be in. The three on the lower level were for bigger kids and those learning to swim. One of the pools on the lower level was very deep and had a high jumping platform attached to it. On another lower level there were picnic tables and bbq for grilling and a playground.

The kids had a blast and Tim took many pictures and videos. When the kids were done swimming they played on the playground. It had a real old fashioned merry go round. We think a few of the kids spun faster than they should as they came off of the ride looking a little green. 😬

On the way back to the house we were able to hail a tuk tuk. Michelle thought that we would need two for our group and was trying to envision who would go in the first one and who would go in the second. In the end, to her grand surprise, it turns out that you really can shove ten people plus a driver into a tuk tuk. Since tuk tuks are less than half the size of a normal car, you can imagine how we were all crammed in there. It is the Guatemalan version of the London phone booth. :)

Back at the house we showered and played card games through out the evening. The kids are really enjoying Dos and Kings in the Corner. We are planning on leaving both games with the family so that they can continue to enjoy them.

Tuesday say another norm day in classes. Because the fair is going on, the number of activities that the school is sponsoring is minimal. So we rested in the room after classes and took a later walk around town before dinner as a family.

During dinner the ceremony for the coronation of the town queen was happening in the city center. Our host family had relocated their tv to the kitchen so that they could watch it. It was pouring rain at the time, so none of us was motivated to make the walk into town to see it on person.

It was a beautiful ceremony, full of traditional dress and historical meaning. The crowns that the queens wear are made out of wood and adorned with the animal that represents the village. They are intricately carved works of art.

An hour into the ceremony both Tim and Alex had fallen asleep at the table and we opted to head for bead. The only problem was the very proud back door neighbor whose daughter was just crowned queen of the city. And who also heavily invested in boombas. And who decided to let them off st random times between 8:30 pm and 1:00 am. A lack of sleep certainly puts a damper on ones ability to learn a foreign language!

Eventually sleep came. In our next post we will catch you up on Wednesday’s events. Suffice to say we are now looking at the end of classes on Thursday and the return trip home on Saturday. Blessings to all!