I just got back from the market in Solola with Marquette, she is from the Oklahoma team but staying until saturday, everyone else left this morning.
We fumbl
ed our way through it fairly well. She was looking for clay candle holders that we finally found after much persistance. I was on the search for avacadoes so I can make us guacamole and pico de gallo.No problem finding the cilantro, onion, lime and jalepeno but the avacadoes were scarce. Not sure why for they are in season. It is amazing to see row after row of vendors selling produce, meat, spices, toiletries, pottery, seafood, and most anything you can think of. Fresh tortillas are being made everywhere so the aroma of the market is incredible.
The wind finally died down day before yesterday. A lady that lives on the mountainside below the orphanage came to the home yesterday because her tin roof had blown off during the high winds and her adobe wall had also cracked. She was concerned the crack would cause the entire wall of house to fall. A few of the OK team had been repairing a bridge at one of her neighbors so she walked up to Eagle's Nest to see if someone here could look at her wall and help her get it repaired. Pedro (full time missionary here with his wife Felis, who is the daughter of Larry and Claire Boggs who are founders of Eagles Nest) asked Marquette and I to go to home with him yesterday to see the damage.It is not far from Eagle's Nest, you take a very small dirt pathway up through the fields of potatoe's, radishes, and onions, and zig zag through brush and cross a few creeks with makeshift walkways, to finally arrive at her home. The tin roof that had blown off during the winds is being held down by big rocks now. Her back yard, which is really just dirt, is extremely small and she had chickens and baby chicks wondering around and a "pila" area, which is a outdoor sink area they use for cooking, cleaning, and I assume bathing. She showed us the crack in the adobe from the inside of her home. Her entire home is probably the size of one room in my house. The floors are dirt and the cooking area is similiar to what we know as a wood burning stove but much more rustic. It is located near the door which I assume is to eliminate some of the smoke in the house. After Pedro spoke with her he said a prayer for her and her family and we walked the very narrow, windy, path back to the car. I kept wondering how they walk this path when it is muddy and how difficult it would be to walk with one child on my back and two others in tow.
When we left her home we went next door into another home that was not much wider than a large hallway. Her home was immaculate and had a view of Lake Atitlan that was breathtaking. I did wonder what she does with the hole that serves as a window when it is rainy, windy, or cold. Assume she has something to put in that area to protect her from the elements. I wonder if they see the beauty of this place in the same way do?
Today is the last day of Vacation Bible School. They have had over 100 children everyday and everyone that helps put this on does an amazing job. Many children that come from the nearby village are extremely poor and it is humbling to watch the older children be moms and dads to one, two, three and sometimes four siblings.
It seems I could share so much about the sites, sounds and what all I have seen the past couple days but will close for now so I can go play with the children on break at vbs. I start Spanish at 4:30 with Amy block and am looking forward to being able to communicate better with the wonderful people of Guatemala!
Still not figured out the photo thing so hope you can take a look at facebook to see them.
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