Life is good

Life is good! Here are some rambling thoughts on our life in Guatemala...

Tina got through her Embassy appointment and is headed home on Monday. Thank you to those who were praying for her!

I am getting very anxious to be on US soil, but I know I will be leaving a part of my heart in Antigua. As our time in Guatemala nears an end, I find myself really reflecting on the experiences we’ve had here. I wonder what I’ll miss; what I wish I had purchased; what memory will be the strongest; how the last two months have forever changed our lives!

We are so very blessed to have had this time with AnnaMaria. She is quite social and clearly knows her family. She smiles when she sees Jeff, Ollie or Claire on the computer scene back home. Our webcams have been wonderful! I’m sure there will be bumps in the road, but I don’t expect any difficulty transitioning back home.

I’m starting to think of things in terms of “lasts”. We went to La Bodegona (grocery) today, probably for the last time. This evening we went to Café Sky where we have dined with other fostering families every single Friday night since we’ve been here. Sunday will be our last day at the church we have grown to love. The last time we were at church I was looking at the praise musicians and it occurred to me that they looked like the children’s song “Jesus Loves the Little Children”. The musicians were literally - red and yellow, black and white.

Antigua is very much a “small town”. We always run into someone we know or at least recognize when we are out and about.

Today we saw our Mayan friend, Clara, in the park. She has new eye glasses. She wasn’t very thrilled with them, but I think she is so very pretty even with glasses. She told me to give her my email address before we leave. Isn’t that a hoot…she can’t get postal mail, but she has email, eye glasses that darken and lighten with the sun, and a cell phone. I will miss her and her ever present smile!

We will miss Central Park! It is hard to explain, but time stands still there. I am typically a Type A, get busy and get something done sort of person, but I can sit in Central Park and do nothing forever. It is a beautiful place to enjoy the outdoors, ice cream or coffee and watch the world go by! We always see our friends, Clara and Flory in the park.

I have a suitcase full of coffee, but when that runs out, I will miss Guatemalan coffee. I’ve been fine with Folgers for years, but I am officially a coffee snob now. Guatemalan coffee is wonderful. Please shop for it and support our dear friends here.

We meet lots of missionaries here. Some build houses, some provide medical support; some share the word of God. I had no idea there was so much missionary work here. If you are led to go on a mission trip this would be an amazing place to visit. We notice that Thursday through the weekend seem to be big tourism days here with the tour and mission groups buying goods in town. That also supports the local economy.

I asked our Spanish teacher, Mirza, how the locals felt about missionaries. I have feared that the missionaries sometimes have a condescending nature. Mirza said that the local folks are very appreciative of the help. On one of our visit trips we met a US employee who was here working on economic development. As an Econ major in college and a business owner I love that! She said that the local people were so very grateful that they were here to help them “help themselves” as opposed to just giving them a handout. Julio, my driver, told me something similar to that also. These are intelligent, hardworking people; they just need a little help.

Traffic here is insane. I would not want to drive a car. The streets are extremely rough and tuk tuks, motorcycles and scooters pass on either side of the cars. No one ever seems to have road rage, but there is a lot of honking. Pedestrians have NO right of way! Walking is even difficult. The sidewalks are rough, uneven and narrow. I recently learned that the sidewalks painted red on the side are the handicapped routes. You should see them. They are a bit better than other sidewalks here, but old farm roads in the Midwest are smoother!

In some ways I think Antigua is like the US 50 years ago. Manners are very important. People are hard working, kind and considerate. Life is simple. Family is a priority. We have a lot to learn from this culture! I want to go home, move into my farm house and live like an Antiguan. Too bad we’ll have a mortgage! Lily’s says I might be able to strap AnnaMaria on my back and sell Mayan goods at Noble Park!

I learned a little about AnnaMaria’s birth mom’s village. Rosario is from Chicacao, which is near the coast. From what I understand, she returned there after AnnaMaria was born in Guatemala City. It is a very small village with lots of coffee farming. They do not have one specific ethnic group, but a mixture. I was in a shop which specializes in native clothing from various villages. They explained that the women of Chicacao wore very large pieces of fabric as skirts and tucked in the ends as opposed to some villages that wore belts. Until about 50 years ago, the women did not wear tops. This fact disgusted Lily! All of the clothing is square as it is woven on a loom and then the pieces are sewn together. During the coffee harvest season workers from the highlands come down to Chicacao for 3 months or so to work the fields. I have to wonder if one of those strong workers was AnnaMaria’s birthfather. Maybe someday we can visit the village.

Back to reality…I emailed the US Embassy today to ask that our appointment be moved to Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Prior to the appointment we will need to see the Embassy doctor. Assuming everything goes smoothly….after the appointment, we will pick the Visa up the next day at 3:30 and be free to leave the country. We have lots of logistics with airfare and hotels to work out when we hear from the Embassy. Hopefully, we’ll get an email back on Monday.

I’m sure that’s more than you ever wanted to know….have a nice weekend! Sharon