La Iglesia Santa Clara

Wednesday and Thursday blurred into one this past week. The weather has been pretty overcast lately. People are telling me that the Midwest is in the 90’s, which is hard for me to fathom. Cuando el cielo es nublado, yo necesito vestirme en pantalones y un suéter. (When the sky is cloudy, I need to dress in pants and a sweater.) Ali bought a travel guide book soon after she got here and she read that in Guatemala you will need to change your outfit more often than a runway model in Milan. I don’t think it’s quite that extreme, but there is some truth to it. It ranges anywhere from the high 50’s to the low 80’s in the span of one day, depending on the cloud cover. It is always humid here.

I noticed that Mercedes uses a lot of hand cream, and I asked why. She told me that she has “delicate hands” and applies cream to them after she washes them. Later one afternoon I nonchalantly pulled out some cream of my own and started applying it to my hands. She immediately knew what I was doing and burst out in a laughing and scolding episode at the same time.  

My exam went much better this week because we spent a lot of time reviewing pretérito. I did also learn imperfecto and futuro, but for me they are a little easier. On Friday I took my exam at 10:30, Mercedes and I went through it and corrected it after lunch, and then we took a walk through the calles of Antigua. Students can request to walk in the streets with their teachers pretty much any time, but I spend most of mine in the “classroom.” The benefit of walking around is that you are forced to practice your Spanish without the crutch of a dictionary or notes.

Mercedes and I walked to El Parque Central, where we encountered a payaso (clown) near the large fountain in the middle. Neither of us were too keen to stick around and watch him…

She took me to a church I hadn’t seen before, which I think is called Santa Clara. The inside is beautiful, and Mercedes tried to explain the significance of some of the figurines and plaques and such, but some of it I just didn’t get. Earlier in the day we had talked a little about religion. I had drawn a picture of a tree with many branches and designated a large one for Católico, several smaller ones in a group for Luterano, and other branches for Baptista and Adventista, etc. I tried explaining that there are many kinds of Lutherans, but most have different doctrinas. Over the branches I wrote the word Cristiano in the canopy. We did talk about a couple differences in our faith, especially the difference in sacraments. I also told her that I believe every Christian is a saint, which left her speechless for a few moments. I think this discussion began because she had asked if I go to church on Sundays. She seemed to understand that I don’t go to church here because there isn’t a WELS mission nearby. I did tell her that there are two in Santiago, so I will be able to go to church when I’m in the DR.

I tried to be respectful as we walked through Santa Clara and Mercedes pointed out noteworthy items, but I also think she understood that for me it was more about the artwork and architecture. It made me a little sad to see how excited Mercedes was to share her Catholic beliefs and traditions with me. We passed by a couple confessional booths, and even though I knew what they were I asked Mercedes about them. She joked around with me that I needed to confess the pranks I had played on her during the week.

We also visited La Merced before returning to the school. It was even more decorated than the last time I went in, and I think it may have been for a graduation.

For the last hour of class, I showed Mercedes facebook pictures of my family. She kept saying, “¡Tu familia es muy bonita y fotogénica!” I was surprised at how much conversation we were able to have over those pictures, explaining background information or what we were doing in a particular picture.

I really enjoyed my week with Mercedes. She told me that I need to keep chatting with her when I can, especially when I have more Spanish. (Once on our walk I correctly used a present participial verb form, which surprised both of us. She asked me how I had learned that and I told her I had no idea.) If I can I may request her again, though I’ve decided I’d like to keep trying different teachers for the first six weeks so that I stay on my dedos de pie.

I will be the first to admit that Ali has been far better at socializing with the other students at the school than I am, though she always invites me to join in if they plan anything. On Wednesday evening a bunch of Americans and she went to a bar to watch the NBA finals, but I had too much tarea, so I stayed home to study. Friday, however, a bunch of students were going to go to a bar to hang out and I was invited to come also. It was a pretty fun evening! I know that a couple Americans are from Texas, but I don’t know too much about anybody yet. Some of them are a little rough around the edges as far as profanity is concerned, but it was still enjoyable to be with a group of people in my age group. I was, por supuesto, responsible. I had a beer called Gallo (Rooster) as it is the beer of Guatemala. Surprisingly, cocktails here cost the same, if not less, than beer. The mojitos are brilliant…

Saturday morning we finally had a little sun and blue sky. Ali and I ended up playing a little football with Brandon and Jasmin, Olga and Juan Carlos’ two kids. We didn’t have an actual soccer ball, so we used a small basketball instead. After a little while, their five-year-old cousin joined in also. His name is Santiago. (Much of their extended family members live in very close proximity to us.) Santiago is very good at football. I couldn’t stop marveling at his coordination. (Here’s my chance to get on my Early Childhood soapbox, but I’ll try to keep it brief.) It really hit home again how important it is for kids to play. Though his family is not impoverished by Guatemalan standards, I’m sure that Santiago really doesn’t have as much as a “typical” child his age does in the States. Yet he has excelled in physical development simply because he is able to play. Not only that, he understands the structure and rules of the game. He was one of the first to cry, “¡Mano!” if ever someone made a hand-ball error.

I had asked Olga earlier in the week if she had recommendation for una Lavandería nearby where I could do my laundry. She offered to do it here at the house for a price that I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. However, the weather has not cooperated. The family has a washer, but they rely on the sun to dry their clothes. Por supuesto, the sun has not been out the entire week. When it finally reappeared Saturday morning I jumped at the opportunity and Olga started a load. Yet as I write this it is pouring gatos y perros once again. Have I mentioned that the weather changes quickly here?

On Sunday Ali and I and some of our new American acquaintances are hoping to go to a black-sand beach on the Pacific. Juan Carlos has an American friend named Jimmy who has been here for a year, owns a juice shop with another American named Bob, and does back-road tours through the country for a reasonable price. Juan Carlos recommended doing an excursion with him, and I feel better going with someone that he trusts. The only “down” side is that we meet at 6:30AM at the juice shop, which is almost on the other side of town. It will be an early morning, but I’m sure it will be worth it. Yo espero que la clima estará mejor.

This has been a marathon of a post!

Adios!

“Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.”

Psalm 117