Back in the U.S.A

June 22- Peoria, Arizona  

LAX at 12:00am

Dan-We returned to the U.S. almost two weeks ago. We flew into LAX at midnight on June 10^th. Kim’s brother, Jon, picked us up and we spent a week at his new house on the “Grandparents Tour- Leg #1”. Kim’s mom, Veronica, took a week off work to hang out and play with us and we also got a lot of quality time with Jon, our sister in law Lisa and our niece Kayla. We made it to the (cold) beach, a couple of museums, a horse back ride, and shopping with Baba.

Kim's Mom, aka Baba at the Getty Musuem

            For me, the return to the U.S. has been as surreal as the departure. There are so many aspects of life here that feels foreign. A few things that I am sad about our return are: our one year trip coming to an end. It has been an amazing adventure with my family. At times it was extremely difficult, other times incredibly rewarding. This amount of time we have had together as a family may never happen again. I am sad to be leaving an area of the world that I really identify with. I am sad to be leaving communities that value time with friends and family over money and acquiring more material things. I am really missing the connection to nature that I had. In Roatan, life revolved around the stunning Caribbean Ocean. Almost everyday we made time to either be in or be near the water. I became attuned to the rhythms of the sea and the life around it. For the past year we have been surrounded by lush forests and landscapes. Predominant noises, smells, and bites were those of birds and insects. So much of this is lost in a modern society.

            Some items that I am really happy about being home include being close to family and friends. Relationships are such an important part of Kim and my life. We value the time spent with our families. We truly realized the value of our community at the Commons and other friends during our year away. Personal relationships and healthy interactions with other people was really lacking for us while away. I do not miss putting toilet paper in the trash can! I am happy to have potable water at my finger tips, but I do question the need for this given the ever increasing demand for clean water around the world. I do and don’t miss 90% humidity. I don’t miss mold on everything and food items going bad faster than you can eat them, yet I do miss the lushness of the land this brings and the softness of my skin :)). I am relieved to be back where everyday communication is easier. I loved being immersed in Spanish again in Guatemala, yet I now realize the extra effort that is needed for everyday interactions. Even on the Island, where English could be found in most places, day to day communication was more challenging because of cultural differences.   

            Grandparents Tour #2 is coming to a close early next week. We have had a great time (though hot) in Peoria, AZ with Kim’s dad and his wife. The next stop is in Colorado to see my parents and my sister and her family. Before we know it we will be back home in Santa Fe on July 1^st. We hope to see all of our family and friends, near and far, sooner rather than later. 

Malibu Beach

Endevor Shuttle museum

Farmers Market

Jon and Marino- Kung Fu Pandas

Full Family Fun

Life is....crowded in a chicken bus and at a market

chicken buses!

Lucia: On Saturday May 24, we went to a town that is by Lake Atitlan, the lake we are staying at. The town’s name is Chichicastenango, otherwise known as Chichi for short. We started by taking a boat to a town called Panajachel. From  there we got  a old school bus called a chicken bus. The bus was not too crowded. My dad and I sat in a seat together, while Marino and my mom sat in a seat together. We got off the chicken bus in a town called Sololá. We got on another chicken bus just as it was leaving.  That bus ride was not too long or crowded. That time we got off in a town called Los Encuentos. From there we got on another bus, and we thought it was going to be another chicken bus, but instead of that we had to get a mini van! Nooooo. Me and my dad were really squished in the very back of the van. Marin o was in the seat in front of us and my mom was squished in the front. We finally got to Chichi. Yeah, yeah, buy then it was about 3pm.

            It was the day before the market day. Market day is when a lot of Guatemalans come to the town of Chichi and sell their goods and things like that. I bought four wall hangings, two stuffed pigs for me and Phoebe, and two notebooks for me and Helen. We stayed in a hotel right by the market.

            The next day we left about 12:15pm. The first bus was a chicken bus and it was so crowded that I got separated from my parents. The next bus wasn’t crowded. The last bus wasn’t crowded either. We got back to the other town and took a boat back home.

Kim: Dan and I visited this market when we traveled through Guatemala 14 years ago – yikes! We had amazing memories of the night before the market, with vendors setting up, dinner at an outdoor comedor in the market and the Catholic and Mayan church service. The next day full of the craziness of market day! This time did not disappoint. It was quite an adventure with Marino and Lucia. We wandered in the rain, lit candles for loved ones in the church, woke up to flowers covering the steps leading up to the church, watched mayan shaman say prayers and swing incense, ate from big steaming pots in market comedors, and bargained for beautiful handmade goods to bring home. And to top it all off we rode in chicken buses! A colorful and beautiful weekend get-away.

new shoes

wares to market

wood for scaffolding

church step flowers

beautiful blusas

corn for tortillas

crowded market

mayan priests and copal

colorful embroidery

steaming pots with dinner

EPIC-ness on Lake Atitlan

Kim: We just completed an EPIC adventure on Lake Atitlan with our friend Carol and her daughter Zoe. 36 hours, a lot of fun, a dose of misery, a great deal of adventure, 3 kayaks, and 6 people! We set out Saturday morning for a 3 hour kayak trip on Lake Atitlan from the village of Santa Cruz across to Santiago Atitlan. The day was gorgeous and sunny as the paddlers set out surrounded by calm and tranquil waters. We swam a bit, collected pumice, and admired the stunning views. Lake Atitlan is an incredibly gorgeous place that constantly takes your breath away! Soon after crossing the half way point, the wind starting picking up a little bit and soon after that was blowing a good headwind into us. Moving forward in the kayaks took more and more effort and at times we felt as though no forward motion was happening! The three boats, as named by Lucia, were “slow and steady” (Dan & Lucia), “loud and fighting” (Kim & Marino), and “lost boat” (Carol & Zoe) due to the characteristics their occupants exhibited under stress. 

Setting off!

Marino & Zoe

In the middle of the lake, still calm

Lucia foot selfie

After becoming separated for a short period of time, we regrouped on the shore to eat chocolate and other snacks. At that time, we thought that the worst was behind us and a short paddle would bring us to our hotel with the HOT TUB (We were freezing by this point!). What awaited us was stronger winds, rain and thunder, and three more hours of exhausting paddling. The “lost boat” was left behind a bend as the other boats struggled forward and the next sighting of them was riding past us in a private lancha. We politely declined offers to join them, as the hotel was just “around the bend”. The “loud and fighting“ boat reached another high peak as the sight of the boat pulling away from us was simply too much to bear for one of the boat’s occupants. Helping hands, Zoe and Carol, and a hot tub welcomed us to land seven hours after we had initially set off!

half way there and warming up!

Gathering strength!

Getting warm and refreshed...

Kim's morning dip, the next day

Dan and Marino canoeing Sunday

            The remainder of the time before we took a private lancha home today (with kayaks perched inside) was spent swimming in the lake and pool, soaking in the hot tub, eating at the wonderful and cozy restaurant, playing games and visiting. Carol and Kim walked to Santiago to go to the market, wander around and shop a bit, only to find all two of the town’s ATMs out of service in one way or another. Tired and very sore tonight at home, it will be a trip to remember and laugh about! As Lucia said, “It was almost too epic!”. 

Carol and the local guys

the embroidered pants the men wear

market wears

afternoon rain and snow cone shaver

Life is...muy tranquilo at the lake

Kim: Our days have enough focus here to keep us busy, but we still have plenty of hanging out time too! Life at the beach and on Roatan seems very far away. We look at the photos and we wonder if that was really us living there. I am working and observing as a speech language pathologist/therapist at Centro Maya, a center for kids with disabilities, in the Mayan village of San Juan La Laguna. It is a short boat ride (launcha) from our village of San Marcos on Lake Atitlan. I am there a couple of days a week and have really enjoyed sharing experiences with another SLP named Ane, the Guatemalan speech therapist. We have compared therapies, education, job possibilities and spoken of future job/cultural exchanges. It has been rewarding, as I did not have a peer exchange at all when I was working as an SLP on Roatan. The center has a vocational component where some of the older special needs students bake bread, sew bags and other items and make jewelry for sale in the community. This is so inspiring to see and the center as whole is so much more developed than anything that exists on Roatan (yet!).

 

Workshop at Centro Maya

View from our roof

As Dan mentioned, our Spanish school has been amazing. Marino and Lucia are really enjoying the 3 hour private Spanish classes. They are each taught by a local Mayan woman they laugh with, go exploring in the pueblo with, visit their homes, and sing songs with. It has been a long process learning Spanish, but we are really enjoying the experience of this school, the family that owns it, and the teachers at the school. Taking a launcha to school, studying in open air classrooms in a coffee field and sampling the local brew at break time are only a few of the highlights.

Marino getting art lessons

Mini Marino - Benedicto Jr

Dan, el trabajador del campo

 

            Life in San Marcos and at Lake Atitlan is difficult to portray. It feels like life full of little vignettes, such as……buying freshly cut mangos sprinkled with salt and masa (pazul?) from a woman in the doorway to her home, eating tostadas on plastic stools at the plaza, playing in the old playground and seesaw in the centro, hearing broadcasts from the evangelical churches throughout the day, the bell of the trash truck, the dog poop that is always in the middle of the path, the dogs that have their own parallel dog village life, hearing the local Mayan languages of Tz'utujil and Kakchikel, hearing the sound of tortillas being handmade (slap, slap, slap),  and always the backdrop of the beautiful vast lake with towering volcanoes behind it. 

Old fashioned see saw

            It feels like we are in a tranquil waiting period for our USA re-entry. We study Spanish, talk and spend time with the family, Benedicto and Maria (and their 2 children) that own the Spanish school, wander around San Marcos, and pass quiet hours in our peaceful lovely garden oasis. What an adventure we have had. Life has continued without us back at home and at times this has been difficult. We have lost two good friends this year during our absence, but another has beat cancer. Marino and Lucia seem like they have grown up so much this year and I am sure we will really notice this when we return to our life in Santa Fe. We are questioning for ourselves how to not get completely back on the racetrack of an American style life. We want to preserve some of the slowness we have enjoyed this year.

Mother's Day