Domingo

It doesn’t feel like a Sunday. There isn’t a WELS mission in Antigua, so I can’t go to church. When I have internet access I will try to look into downloading sermons from the WELS website or something. I was able to sleep in for the first time in a long time and it felt wonderful! I finally got up at 10:00 and took a barely lukewarm shower. Just in case I forget, there is a piece of cardboard on the wall in the bathroom with the words, “No PLEASE DO NOT DROP PAPER IN THE TOILET.” That will take some adjusting…

Alyssa offered to take me around town to point out a few things, and we left the house around 11:00. The streets were crammed. Apparently, there was a big procession held today that is usually only celebrated during Lent, and it commemorates a saint from Guatemala who was martyred. The procession was held again today because it is the 25^th anniversary of his martyrdom. This procession is very important to the Antiguёños (Antiguans) as religion is very much a part of their culture. On one street, people were laying down sawdust and then painting it. They also lay down pine needles and flowers. It all had to do with the religious procession.

Alyssa and I ate at a small restaurant with a lush indoor courtyard. By all appearances, there aren’t many plants in the city except in the parks, but they’re really on the inside courtyard of the building. We were served rice, vegetables, and a kind of meat, though I didn’t know what exactly. It was tasty but there were tiny bones that you had to be wary of. We were also given pineapple juice, which was mui delicioso!

After lunch we decided to see if we could find where the procession was, and Alyssa pointed out helpful things like the banks, supermarket, and cheapest vendors along the way. We caught up with the procession on the other side of town, though it was hard to see exactly what was going on, so we doubled back to where they would be coming through later and found a spot to sit. The first in the procession were priests and official-looking people with banners. Then there were several men with incense burners, and behind them a giant float-type structure that was being carried by men in black suits. In the middle of the float was Jesus carrying his cross. You could tell by the look on the men’s faces that this bulky thing was heavy. I couldn’t imagine carrying this thing on my shoulders, let alone do it in a suit. The whole structure swayed back and forth as the men stepped side to side. Following them was a walking band which played religious ballads, though I didn’t recognize any of them. Alyssa told me that they would eventually walk over to where we had seen people decorating the sawdust earlier and ceremoniously walk over it.

After the procession passed by we made our way back up to the house, stopping by a small shop for a Choco Pina (chocolate covered pineapple). It was warm today, but right as we got back to the house we heard a clap of thunder. We couldn’t see any dark clouds, but Alyssa said it was because the storm was behind the mountains. Antigua is in the middle of a valley and surrounded by volcanoes, two of which are active.

Despite my good night’s sleep, I took a long nap and woke up to the rain tickling the roof. It rained the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. It’s the rainy season and this weather pattern is typical for this time of year.

Since it is a Sunday, Olga had the day off from cooking. Alyssa decided to make supper for us at the house; otherwise I would have had to go out to eat. Conversation at the supper table was challenging for me. I listen to them talk in Spanish, desperately trying to understand a word or two. Earlier, Olga’s father (who lives here with her) said to me, “Mucho lluvia!” (which I only understood to mean “much rain” because of a song we sang in College Choir a few years ago). My response? “Ah, si!” I feel awkward not knowing more Spanish.

A couple interesting things about Antigua:

When it is someone’s birthday, people like to shoot fireworks. This happens at all hours of the day. Sometimes fireworks will go off within 5 minutes of each other, and sometimes there is an hour or two before another goes off. It feels like the fourth of July all the time.

Because “Antigua” means “Ancient” it is illegal to tear down any original walls of the city. They can, however, be painted one of four colors: red, orange, yellow, and green.

Tomorrow is my first day of school!

Adios!

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

Psalm 115:1