A Very Full Weekend
So, I woke up on the morning of my birthday to cake, a birthday song on repeat from the stereo, and many hugs from my host family. They even set off some fireworks in my honor right outside the house before I set off for school. They are so fab.
Then Megan sent me on the aforementioned scavenger hunt, Zil made me a cake, and finally the three of us ate ENORMOUS amounts of Indian food before retiring to a cafe for Mango Mojitos. It doesn´t get much better than that.
Except that on Saturday, it did. In the preceding weeks, all of the students at our school had bought hundreds of toys to give to children in a small pueblo about forty five minutes outside of Xela. Saturday was our day to play Santa. Our school´s director explained to us that these kids had probably never had toys before nor had they probably received presents for Christmas. And so, our little Santa Parade into the Pueblo would be much appreciated. And it was. When we arrived, literally hundreds of kids descended on our vans. We proceeded to break a few pinatas, play a few games of something similar to Simon Says, and pass out a seemingly endless stream of presents. Oh, and get sun burnt.
Although it was hard to top a morning like that, we managed to do it by attending a Guatemalan Futbol game. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. We had to get there two and a half hours before the game began in order to get seats. Sparklers were passed around the stands, as were giant Pepsi balloons, confetti, and intense amounts of team spirit. In the moments before the game, so many fireworks were going off that the entire stadium was filled with smoke, paper mache mocks up of the other teams players were burnt in effigy while fireworks flew out of their heads. Everyone chanted “Vamos Equipo” until their voices were completely gone.
We were smart, however, to leave a little bit early before Xela supporters started throwing rocks at the supporters of the other team and the riot police who had been standing watch throughout the game began to tear gas everyone. As I always say, it´s all fun and games until somebody gets tear gassed.
Anyway. All´s well these days. We´re finishing up our last few days of Spanish School before heading out on our travels again. I´ll definitely be sad to leave Xela. It has been very good to me. Oh, tear.
-Sarah
(To see a lot more pictures, click on the photo at the top of this post)
Tags: Football, Futbol, Guatemala, Language School, Photography, Travel, Xela
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Xela has been very very good to you.
I’ll be sad to see you leave also, but hope you will have happy trails ahead.
I’m also glad to know that you’ve listened well to your parents, who always advised leaving a good tear gas confrontation unless your gas mask was up to snuff.
Good times,
Dad
Wow — those photos of the game are amazing. And I’m glad you skedaddled in time. News from this side of the Gult of Mexico is fairly boring. Kate was sick for a week. The minute she got better she decided it was time that her students had a good old fashioned English tea. She has thirty students. She made enough: chocolate cake; cheese scones (which she cut out with a little star-shaped cookie cutter so they are STAR cheese scones); flapjacks (sorta like oatmeal brittle); cupcakes; cucumber sandwiches with dill cream cheese on homemade bread — FOR ALL OF THEM. This while I was out of the house and could not stop the madness. I returned last night to Katie lying on the sofa groaning, surrounded by the fruits of her labors. Piles of cupcakes, sandwiches, scones and flapjacks everywhere I turned, and in the middle of it all, two huge chocolate cakes and an exhausted and slightly terrified (of herself) Katie-Louise. I tucked her into bed, speaking slowly and softly as you do with slightly mad people, then cleaned the kitchen into the wee hours. This morning she was literally like “was that all a dream?” No, no it was not. But of course I’m writing this as I eat one of the most delicious cheese scones of my LIFE. So no complaints. I love your photos — the baloons, the crazy Petes with their kill, the misty ladies in the pool . . . so cool and amazing. BIG KISSES!
you are the most inspiring chiquitas … the pictures are incredible. I have SO many questions… what ARE those stairs Megan’s climging and where do they lead? what IS that red thing in sarah’s mouth? The misty ladies in the pool … are they real? The crazy smoky gassy game, the flags… the petes … wild n’ wakey times! My news: I had a huge hole in my house on sarah’s 24th birthday — freezing! But all to make room for a picture window, which is now in. It faces East, not South … so no views of Guatemala for me. Good thing there’s this blog! Where do you go next?
lots of love,
mom
I,too, love the photos AND the birthday weekend description. I’m sooo glad you left the game before the tear gas. My first experience of tear gas was in Washington DC, Oct 1969, because I didn’t know what the hell it was and, evidently neither did my parents because I don’t remember any type or kind of warning. All that to say, glad you made it home without burning eyes.
I am sad you are leaving Xela. I felt you were safe without compromising experience but I know there is more adventure out there for you. I trust you will continue to be safe.
Now, if someone would please pass the cheese scone, I’ll retire to bed a happy woman.
love you both,
Tulsa mom
I loved the pictures of the kids. How rich to be able to give like that. It must have felt wonderful. Love and Safe travels. We’ll all stay tuned.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the photos. if you want to see even more you can go to Zil’s blog. She’s got some links to pictures at the bottom of her latest post. Her blog is listed under “My Links” on the right hand side of this blog. It is called “Pausing Here and There.” Or you can copy and paste this: blogs.bootsnall.com/zil
I’ve got a bit of a head cold, so send some ginger ale and chicken soup thoughts my way.
-Sarah
Poor heady… all the more reason to avoid the tear gas this weekend.
Maybe you should retire to a volcanic lake for a respite…
Love,
Dad and Linda