Amoebas
A quick post today to report a couple of things. First off, I´m finally feeling better after a long week or so of dealing with a stomach illness caused by the ingestion of Amoebic Cysts, generally found on improperly washed vegetables. Now I know that Amoebas cause more than just the death of record stores. In my case, I´m guessing they came from some cabbage that I ate with some tacos last Thursday. Even though common sense dicatates otherwise, its hard to stay away from the street food, and somtimes this results in problems. As of now though, I´ve finished the Antibiotics course and all seems to be well.
Last Saturday I helped teach the computer class I mentioned in my previous post, and regardless of my illness had a good time demonstrating all the various computer parts in Spanish in a classroom setting. We also spent some time trying to explain a computer´s BIOS menu, which unfortunately is alwaws in English and quite hard to explain to a classroom of Spanish speakers. Teaching the class was great though and I look forward to others. The enthusiastic “students” (actually teachers from local schools) are really great to work with, and I like the thought that they are able to go back to their communities with their new knowledge and use it to provide computer access to their students. One student even invited us to a local wedding, which I attended yesterday, but more on that later.
After some rest on Saturday, I went with a friend on Sunday to San Pedro La Laguna, on Lake Atitlan, for what turned out to be…more rest and a reoccurence of stomach illness. No, it was a beautiful, if slightly difficult, trip. San Pedro is an interesting place, mixing indigenous living & culture with a sort of modern day hippie enclave. Its intersting coming from Santa Cruz, being quite used to the hippie culture, and reading about San Pedro on the net. Lots about dreadlocks, drums, pot smoking etc. Which really is all true, and is true about Santa Cruz to some extent, but San Pedro is a more intense version of these stereotypes. There is a certain lack of law there, at least in side of town frequented by travelers, and poeple seem to do as they please more or less. Pot smoking in restaurants and on the streets, lots of people showing the obvious effects of heavier drugs as well, with many of the town´s establishments set up to serve this crowd as well.
The businesses set up around lake are pretty much exclusively to serve Gringos, which serves as a stark contrsast to the locals walking past with heavy loads and crops, which they must carry up the hill to the indigenous areas. And all this, setup against the simply stunning, gorgeous backdrop of mountains, volcanoes and the lake itself. Peaceful and quiet, with indigenous fisherman in wooden canoes. Beautiful sunsets. The lake truly is beautiful, and even an ideal place to be sick, if one must choose one. I reccomend Hotel Almanecer to anyone looking for a nice, private room on the lake. Nice owner and nice gardens, with an amazing view.
After returning from the lake, antibiotics in tow, I spent the week in Xela, doing some volunteer work and seeing some friends, while doing far too much resting to try to cure the Amoebas. This time was broken by attending a Posada, which is a processing which takes place in the days before Christmas, where Joseph and Mary statues are carried between local houses, where they are given shelter for the night. The procession was in a town called Cantel, the house it took place in was the same place where Partners in Solidarity stores their computers. Interesting to see such a large group of locals, who gave a small service and a teenager spoke of some of the problems experienced by people his age. The family is great, espescially the kids, and we helped them serve 200 hundred hamburgers and cups of “coffee” (watered down nescafe with LOTS of sugar) to everybody.
Finally, yesterday attended the wedding in a town called Salcaja, a small place where many of the fabrics worn by indigenous women are made. The overpowering sense of the wedding was the noise, caused by 4 huge sets of peavey speakers placed side by side, right next to my head more or less. The wedding was quite Western/American in style, with champagne and modern dancing. I wished it was quieter so we could have talked and gotten to know people better, but the food was incredible and it was great to see a wedding here. I had a funny conversation with a guy who couldn´t understand 1) that I didn´t believe in Jesus and 2) that I wasn´t interested in sports. He figured nubmer 2 had to do with number one, asking me if sports were prohibited in my religion.
I´m loving my hostel/home in Xela right now, Hostal Don Diego, but am pondering how I will spend the holidays, with some traveling possibly to the lake and possible to San Cristobal in Mexico, before returning here for some more work in January.
Much love to all and please be in touch.
