Jacqueline's Birthday
Jacqueline's 4th Birthday Fiesta Over a year ago now, December 2012, marked the change of the Maya epoch. I attended Maya ceremonies and celebrated the new era by visiting my good friends at Hostel Akumal in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. I was fortunate to witness the 10,000 Maya Zapatistas who marched into San Cristobal and stood in affirmation of a new age of indigenous visibility, participation and acknowledgement on Dec. 21, 2012. And at hostel Akumal, I experienced the most beautiful guitar music I had ever heard, gracias a Ivan Renedez and John Masters. I felt as if the angels themselves were singing in a new era and to celebrate gastronomically we created an international Christmas feast.
This year, 2013, I traveled to Belize and Nicaragua but spent most of my time in Guatemala. Although there are wonderful aspects to both of these countries, I missed Guatemala when I was away and was happy to return. It has been a year of deepening and expanding my connections with friends and feeling daily gratitude for the beauty of Lake Atitlan and for the Maya culture that surrounds me. Every day I am so happy that I am here, in San Pedro, and that here I feel at home. And so it was right that this year I stayed closer to home and celebrated the holidays of December with the families and communities who most deeply touch my life here in Guatemala.
December began with the 4th birthday of my friend, Jacqueline, who is the daughter of my dear friend, kitemaker Julio Asturias. Over the years I have had many meals at Julio's house in Sumpango and been honored to know the other members of his extended family who live together with Julio's family in a traditional Guatemalan family compound. Still I hadn't met many of Wilma's family as they do not live in Sumpango. "We would like you to come," Julio had written. "Our whole family will be there." "How many people is that?" inquired. "Oh about 50," he said. I tried to imagine that many people in their courtyard as they also have 5 duchsands, 2 large dogs and a variable number of rabbits.
When I got to Julio's house after a scenic and comfortably seated 3 hours on the chicken bus, several family members were steadily blowing up balloons. Eventually there were over a hundred balloons surrounding us and which afterwards would provide the main toy for the kids. Periodically a balloon would pop, but in this land of intermittent firecrackers and bombas, the sudden explosions startled no one. Personally I was delighted this birthday was being celebrated with popping balloons and not with the traditional exploding gun powder.
This year, 2013, I traveled to Belize and Nicaragua but spent most of my time in Guatemala. Although there are wonderful aspects to both of these countries, I missed Guatemala when I was away and was happy to return. It has been a year of deepening and expanding my connections with friends and feeling daily gratitude for the beauty of Lake Atitlan and for the Maya culture that surrounds me. Every day I am so happy that I am here, in San Pedro, and that here I feel at home. And so it was right that this year I stayed closer to home and celebrated the holidays of December with the families and communities who most deeply touch my life here in Guatemala.
December began with the 4th birthday of my friend, Jacqueline, who is the daughter of my dear friend, kitemaker Julio Asturias. Over the years I have had many meals at Julio's house in Sumpango and been honored to know the other members of his extended family who live together with Julio's family in a traditional Guatemalan family compound. Still I hadn't met many of Wilma's family as they do not live in Sumpango. "We would like you to come," Julio had written. "Our whole family will be there." "How many people is that?" inquired. "Oh about 50," he said. I tried to imagine that many people in their courtyard as they also have 5 duchsands, 2 large dogs and a variable number of rabbits.
When I got to Julio's house after a scenic and comfortably seated 3 hours on the chicken bus, several family members were steadily blowing up balloons. Eventually there were over a hundred balloons surrounding us and which afterwards would provide the main toy for the kids. Periodically a balloon would pop, but in this land of intermittent firecrackers and bombas, the sudden explosions startled no one. Personally I was delighted this birthday was being celebrated with popping balloons and not with the traditional exploding gun powder.
Between 5 to 8 women worked in the kitchen. Though tamales are the traditional birthday food, Jacqueline had requested pepión instead, a traditional sauce which resembles mole surrounding succulent parts of chicken. This simmered in a large aluminum washtub seated on a piece of metal over the fire by three rocks. The other wood fire was cooking the rice. There was an all inclusive, pineapple, papaya, watermellon and cantelope fresh fruit salad with an opportunity to help. There is nothing like pitching in to feel more a part of thngs.
Meeting Wilma's mother and her family it was easy to see the roots of Wilma's competence and easy authority. The food was delicious, we were each given a packet of five warm tortillas to soak up our pepion, there was herbed rice, fruit salad and then cake. And a styrofoam cup of Coke.
Meeting Wilma's mother and her family it was easy to see the roots of Wilma's competence and easy authority. The food was delicious, we were each given a packet of five warm tortillas to soak up our pepion, there was herbed rice, fruit salad and then cake. And a styrofoam cup of Coke.
Jacqueline had a large pile of nicely wrapped presents, which surprised me both with their abundance and their wrapping as Julio's family is poor. But then I remembered there were at least 50 family members of her immediate family and also that I had witnessed the clerk at the variety tiendas neatly wrapping gifts. Needless to say my presents-- a coloring book of cats and colored pencils, a necklace of died corn from chiapas, and a little book on ancient cultures of the world, were wrapped in reused wrapping paper and tied together with a piece of colored string. But that wasn't the only difference. Every other present with the exception of one other toy was modern clothing, which is significantly cheaper and shorter lived than the traditional clothing which the Maya girls also wear.
Jacqueline and also her mom Wilma,oohed over each item. I could only remember how I hated getting clothes as a child and wanted only books, office supplies and toys. Jacqueline unwrapped Tshirts of the Lion King, Barbie and Angry Birds. Two good warm winter coats and socks, some new and others from PACA. PACA is the pickup trucks of good quality used and even new clothes brought to Guatemala by the container, selling for as little as 65 cents and the patience to sift through the dizzying mound of clothes in the back of a pickup truck. But whether dressed in traditional clothing, traje, or in western wear, the Maya women value cleanliness and beauty and are never unadorned.
Jacqueline and also her mom Wilma,oohed over each item. I could only remember how I hated getting clothes as a child and wanted only books, office supplies and toys. Jacqueline unwrapped Tshirts of the Lion King, Barbie and Angry Birds. Two good warm winter coats and socks, some new and others from PACA. PACA is the pickup trucks of good quality used and even new clothes brought to Guatemala by the container, selling for as little as 65 cents and the patience to sift through the dizzying mound of clothes in the back of a pickup truck. But whether dressed in traditional clothing, traje, or in western wear, the Maya women value cleanliness and beauty and are never unadorned.
A piñata was also a part of the festivities. Each of the children was blindfolded and given a turn whacking the big bird. There was a rewarding trickle of candy when a foot was dislodged, but still the pinata was relatively whole after the kids. Who would be next I wondered and then Julio was beside me with the blindfold. Wow, those piñatas are tough to crack and I gave it some good whacks too. After all that effort there was the cake! One of the beautiful white cakes decorated with fruit that beckon from Guatemala's many pastelerias. Expertly cut into equally sized pieces.
I had been invited to stay overnight at Julio's. It was the first time I had stayed there rather than at Sara's western style house. It was a wonderful experience to be there after the party and have time just to be with the family. Of course there were a lot of balloons to play with! When the sun went down it was cold but I was toasty sitting next to the cooking fire, drinking coffee and eating tortillas as we all gathered in the semi-enclosed kitchen for the evening. And so fun to wake up and play with the last surviving balloons. Getting back to San Pedro was another matter as for some reason it's easy to get a bus from San Pedro all the way there, but getting back to San Pedro inevitably involves 2 buses and 1 minivan and the back of a pickup. Go figure.
It wasn't hard to say goodbye to Julio and his family because Julio, Wilma, Jacqueline and Sebastian were going to come to my house in San Pedro and stay the next weekend. So stay tuned and in my next blog I'll share some photos and talk about what we did!
I had been invited to stay overnight at Julio's. It was the first time I had stayed there rather than at Sara's western style house. It was a wonderful experience to be there after the party and have time just to be with the family. Of course there were a lot of balloons to play with! When the sun went down it was cold but I was toasty sitting next to the cooking fire, drinking coffee and eating tortillas as we all gathered in the semi-enclosed kitchen for the evening. And so fun to wake up and play with the last surviving balloons. Getting back to San Pedro was another matter as for some reason it's easy to get a bus from San Pedro all the way there, but getting back to San Pedro inevitably involves 2 buses and 1 minivan and the back of a pickup. Go figure.
It wasn't hard to say goodbye to Julio and his family because Julio, Wilma, Jacqueline and Sebastian were going to come to my house in San Pedro and stay the next weekend. So stay tuned and in my next blog I'll share some photos and talk about what we did!
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