It's been a VERY busy week! Yesterday was Guatemala's independence day and the entire week has been FULL of festivities! As I wrote, I think, in my last post, we also started spanish classes this week and whoa, my brain is exhausted! But it's been a good week and now I'm ready for the weekend.
Wednesday all town festivities began, lots of parades and performances all over... I went with La Union up into the mountains about 40 minutes to a town called Paramos. Here, we watched a parade with lots of cute children && then lit a torch - which, in Guatemala it's a huge thing for independence day to have groups of people light a torch and run the streets to different cities... - so little did we all know but, all us students were expected to run with this torch all the way back to Antigua! I got back on the bus with mi maestra but 2 of my roommates started running... almost 2 hours later we made it back to the city and there was fireworks and celebration outside the school for us.
Wednesday evening, a few of us from Spring Arbor joined some other students from La Union and traveled into Guatemala City to see the Guatemala Cremas play Mexico Monterey in soccer. This was also quite an experience with lots of excitement... Guat City is similar to Chicago and the traffic heading into town was CRAZY! Not to mention all sorts of people running the streets with torches toward the capital... but after almost 4 hours we arrived and enjoyed the game... Guatemala won!! :0)
Then yesterday again, all sorts of festivities! During class me and my teacher walked to central park for an almost 2 hour long parade through the city. It was awesome! and LOUD. Lots and lots of bands and dancing girls... Miss Antigua, etc.
Needless to say, I've taken lots of pictures and wanted to get some posted asap! I've been having a more difficult time this week with my internet connection but... hopefully this is a good update and... well tonight my house-mom, Marta, has her artwork on display at the ruins of the nuns in town, so we're going to see that and I'll take more pics then as well!
Hasta Luego for now! ....
[el 11 de septiembre]
oh, ps this first picture is from Sunday night, we went to dinner at la pena de sol latina, a very nice restaurant, and these guys played live music and were very good.... very talented!
[el 14 de septiembre]
this is the mayor lighting the torch i was telling you about...
me and Elsa, mi maestra at La Union
traffic in Guatemala City
Guat City vs. Mexico
We won!
[el 15 de septiembre]
Miss Antigua and her escort
a Quetzal bird float-type thing in the parade... the Quetzal is the national bird of GUA
I love these traditional dresses, there were tons of students in the portion of the parade and they danced!
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