Chichicastenango & Quetzaltenango

Our first week of traveling is coming to an end and the one word I can think of to sum up my experience thus far is “colorful.” Never in my life have I seen so many intoxicating colors while touring around a foreign country. The geography, the clothes, the food, the lights, the buildings, the flowers, and the people’s personalities are incredibly bright and beautiful. What this country lacks in museums and technology, it more than makes up for with its unparalleled offerings of nature and craftsmanship.

          Guatemala is so distinct from Spain (where I studied last year) it is simply impossible for me to compare the two. Spain is fast paced, full of energy, and never lacking in the department of art, music, recreation, architecture, night-life, and history. Guatemala holds tightly onto its Mayan traditions and embraces the ideas of family, religion, and nature. At first I found it odd that I was going to bed every night at ten instead of on my way out to a discoteca or bar with friends like we so frequently did in Madrid (For anyone who is familiar with the Rockwood Klan, we are a sociable kind and love to get our fiesta on). My reasons for abstaining from “la practica de festejar” (the practice of partying) are not that I’m jet lagged after spending a day in the Admiral’s Club of LGA and Miami’s Airport, or the fact that I’m getting older and too mature for wild nights on the town (my plan is to become cooler and more immature as I age :). But, after spending so much time in cities like New York, Madrid, Barcelona, and Austin, I’ve forgotten how to embrace the ideas of rural and tranquilo (calm).  I’m relearning what it’s like to move to a slower pace and enjoy the simpler things in life. Understanding Guatemala is not about learning history from tour guides and visiting museums, but about experiencing and witnessing a country’s way of life through daily interactions with its people and cities.

Cities we visited this week:

Chichicastenango was a beautiful market city which sold every type of hand made craft you could imagine. On the west side of town is a very colorful cemetery where Mayan rituals are performed. The pictures really speak more for themselves so I won’t write anymore. We also traveled to two beautiful agricultural towns outside of Quetzaltenango. Here we walked through farmlands surrounded by beautiful mountains, hot springs, the Santa Maria Volcano and also a beautiful produce market.

             Tomorrow we leave for Antingua to meet our home stay families. Starting Monday, classes will begin and will be held weekly until the end of the month. Most likely I will add more to the blog toward the end of my stay as we start to travel more throughout the country.