Feliz Cumpleanos/Navidad/Ano Nuevo

I know I haven’t been the best about updating my blog lately, but it’s definitely not for lack of activity in my life here in Guatemala.

A Birthday to Remeber

Imagine waking up at 5:30am to the hushed whispers of your entire family outside your door on the morning of your birthday.  On the morning of December 14, that is exactly what I woke up to. My mom, Dora, her sisters, their husbands, and their children threw me an amazing surprise birthday party at 6 o’clock in the morning. The women in the family began the celebration by presenting me with a beautiful traditional outfit, which they helped me put on.  It might have been embarrassing to have them all see me in just my ropa interior (underwear), but after all of the embarrassing things I’ve said and done here, something as minor as having all of the women in my Guatemalan family see me basically naked didn’t even redden my cheeks.  Besides, I was too excited about my beautiful new outfit to be embarrassed! After I was all dressed everyone who was there (about 30 people) gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and wished me a Feliz Cumpleanos. After that, we all sat down to a delicious breakfast of my favorite Guatemalan dishes.  Of course, just when I felt like the belt cinched tightly around my waist might give way, they rolled out a huge cake.
My Guatemalan family knew that I would be feeling homesick on my birthday but they all also had to work that day, so they found a way to show me their love and unbelievable generosity by throwing me a birthday party I will never forget.    

13 Bak’tun

I’m sure many of you heard that a cycle of the Mayan calendar came to an end on December 21; however, it seems that there is some misinformation floating around about what the end of the cycle on the calendar actually signifies.  I am by no means an expert on Mayan spirituality, but I’ve had the privilege of speaking with a several people who are, so I thought I’d share a bit of their knowledge with you. J 
According to the Popol Vuh, the sacred text of theMayans, the cycle that ended on December 21, 2012 began on August 11, 3114 B.C.E. In other words, 5,125 years of the corn age were completed on December 21; ushering in a new era of renewal and change in human society. This new era, known as the 13 Bak’tun, is the era of peace, knowledge, reconciliation, and positive change; not the end of the world, just the end of a cycle. The 13 Bak’tun does not bring about the apocalypse, but the polar opposite. According to the Maya philosophy, we will come to be one with each other, one with the earth, and one with the universe in this new cycle of peace. Take that, Nostradamus.

Feliz Navidad

Picture your church on Christmas; it’s full, right? I didn’t even know what a full church really looked like until I came to Guatemala. Sure, my church boasts standing room only on Christmas and Easter, and its pews are relatively full on an average Sunday, but I never worry about having a seat. Here in Guatemala, the churches get so packed that people are literally standing outside the church doors, on an average Sunday. Many people even bring their own chairs in anticipation of a full house. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that every Sunday feels like Christmas in the Guat. 
During the month of December my family sells fireworks in Chimaltenango’s central park. For the past eight years, my mom, Dora, has spent morning, noon, and night with her firework booth during the month of December.  On Christmas Eve I decided to don my beautiful traditional outfit and spend the day in the park with my family. During the day hundreds of people passed by our booths to buy fireworks, but once it got dark, it seemed as though there were thousands milling about the park, in hopes of buying fireworks to set off at midnight. I guess I thought that we would take a break to go to Christmas Eve mass, but that would have been impossible. I arrived at the booth at about 2 in the afternoon, and we did not leave until well after 2 in the morning. At that point I was so tired I worried I might fall asleep in the bed of the pickup truck which drove about 25 members of my family to Dora’s house. No one really explained why we were all going to Dora’s, but I just planned on getting into bed and slipping into a coma.

 As I walked into the house and prepared to go directly to bed, I noticed the familiar smell of tamales and was inundated with hugs and kisses from my aunts, uncles, cousins, and mom, all wishing me a Feliz Navidad. Everyone was crying and talking about how thankful they were for all of the blessings God had bestowed upon them; Dora told me I was her greatest blessing. After everyone had been wished a Feliz Navidad we set out blankets on the floor in Dora’s room and ate tamales and drank Coke; keep in mind that it was about 3am at this point. The tamales were delicious and I’m always in the mood for Coke, but after the meal I felt sleepier than ever. As I thanked everyone for the meal and the beautiful day I could think of nothing but climbing into my bed in the next room. I got up to make my exit for the night, barely noticing that all of the kids followed me. I was beginning to pull back my blankets when they stared at me and asked me incredulously, “Que estas haciendo?” (What are you doing?) When I told them that I planned on sleeping, they all started to laugh. “iNo te puedes! Vamos a kemar nuestros cuetes!” (No you can’t! We’re going to set off our fireworks!) It is impossible for me to say no to one Guatemalan child, let alone twelve. We set off fireworks until the sun began to glimmer in the horizon and sleep finally claimed me at 6am on Christmas day.   

My life in the Guat is unpredictable to say the least, but one thing I can always look forward to here is adventure.  I’ve found happiness in the most unlikely places here and am falling in love with this crazy, funny, simple Guatemalan life. I can’t wait to tell you all about the Lee family’s visit to the Guat, but that will have to wait until next time because I can’t stare at this screen any longer. You are all in my thoughts and prayers! Thanks for reading!