We accept our fate—learning gaining

Our current location is the small city of Cobán within the cloudforests of the Verapaces. Having left Xela at the break of dawn Friday morning, we have officially begun the long arduous journey back Home.

The past week went by as all the other weeks had, just with the inert realization in the back of our minds that it would be our last week as such: volunteering at trama, teaching the few students who decided to show up English. We ate our cupboards and fridge bare and turned to street food at week’s end, as all good weeks should end. (There really is nothing quite as good as a pupusa at night.) (mmm)

My last day at Trama was far more emotional than I was expecting—in a way though, they kind of became my pseudo-family here. They had a little farewell despedida for me on Thursday afternoon which included not just a pizza, but tostadas with delicious guacamole (made from 6 avocados!), refried black beans, and cheese; a hot chocolate drink, tamalitos, and pineapple. It was a really nice of everyone and I started breaking down a little and crying when it came time to say goodbye. Also the day before I’d finished setting up my second weaving, and was given a backstrap loom as a gift to take back home! I shall be a master weaver and make everyone scarves. Or at least a mediocre weaver who makes everyone pot holders.

Later at Best English, Marilu our boss gave Ryan and I parting gifts (which turned out to be a funny shirt for him that he might actually wear and a purse for me that I don’t think I’d use but might make a good gift for someone…) I said goodbye to Alicia who called the mix cd I’d made her “strange.” To finish off the evening we met up with two other teachers from the school and Ryan’s student Hiroshi. It was a good way to end our time in the city. Although, the place we went to was pretty cool and I was left feeling disappointed we’d only found it just when we were leaving, but that’s how it usually works. When we got back to our room at night I found a postcard on the floor from our housemate Sophie wishing us a “feliz viaje” Two nights before she had cooked us a scrumptious feast as a way to say goodbye… when we left we really realized how many interesting and good people we’d met in our time in Xela, which is a good feeling to have when you leave a place.

It was still time to go. We didn’t even tell the so-called landlord-like people that we were leaving, fed up from days of pots and pans being left uncleaned, waking up with what I can only assume are flea bites, and coming home to the sourpuss cleaning woman Lucinda Maria responding with “Buenas tardes…” like she was a robot with draining batteries as she absently stared at whatever mindless soap opera was flickering on the TV. We just left the key in the door and hopped in a taxi with our massive bags (despite shipping a box home and throwing stuff away) for the bus to Guate. The bus took 5 whole hours instead of the estimated 4, with all the road construction. But as we’d woken up at 5 am, I was able to sleep for most of the trip. I never wanted to return to the capital, but we had to, to arrive in Cobán easily. So we spent a whole 45 minutes or so within the sprawling cesspool of a city, calling a cab to take us to the next fancy bus terminal. (We’re takin’ mostly nice buses on our way back home as we have all our belongings with us.. something about a guy throwing my bag on top of an old schoolbus makes me uneasy, as I picture it rolling down the hillside on a sharp turn.) Fortunately the next bus to Cobán was leaving in 15 minutes so we didn’t have to wait around.

This was the nicest bus we’d been on since we’d arrived in Guatemala—with the nice reclining seats, a guy who came around to collect garbage, and a bathroom stop halfway through the trip. However, it started to get hot, hot, hot and that should be how it is for another few weeks really as we continue to the lowlying Caribbean coast, up through the jungles of the Petén and into Belize and the Yucatán peninsula. Eesh. Here’s to hoping I get used to it. Though the scenery was quite varied from the landscape we’ve seen thus far in the country—green, wooded, lush, and misty, our traveling time yesterday totaled a grand 10 hours, and in true form we were quite exhausted upon arrival. All we were able to manage was dragging ourselves minus burdensome bags to some nice street food which consisted of empanadas argentinas and papas fritas. Mmhmm. Oh yes.

Today we woke up refreshed from our sleep and decided to spend the day in the city. First we went to this coffee farm which was started in 1888 by a German family. (Cobán has had lots of strange influences including those from Germany: there were many Nazi sympathizers living here during WWII apparently. Also the women’s traje is different here than I’ve seen elsewhere in Guatemala with baggier, lighter white cloth and gathered skirts, somewhat inspired by this European influences.) So, we asked for the tour in Spanish, but because 3 more people showed up who understood little to no Spanish except for words like “Gracias” we took the tour in English too. The little farm was rather beautiful and fairly interesting and we got to sample various coffee beans and coffee. We also saw banana trees, avocado trees, pacaya, and sugar cane. We also saw cardamom and allspice. Very nice.



Afterwards we spoke to the New Zealanders and Denmarker. We are officially backpackers I guess, without the giant turtleshell backpacks. We accept our fate. Also we were handed a gorgeous little brochure about the farm which featured three old white people taking a picture of the same dull building on the cover and some botched English (“A maya-kekchi guide will invite you to wear the workers hat and to see the coffee plantation through their eyes, learning gaining from them technical knowledge and explanations.”)

Following the tour we headed down to a big park right in town which was also very scenic. We walked to a little laguna and through some woods where we marveled at the ants carrying leaves on their backs in a little line like tiny migrant workers.



Then we headed up to El Calvario on top of the hill and looked at the mist-soaked mountains and city in the distance as little Mayan altars were filled with offerings and burning candles and a wedding proceeded in the church on top.



Lunch was at a good little comedor and we discovered we can buy water in bags for only 50 cents in quetzals. Wow. New levels of cheapdom. And now we’re relaxing in the hostel. Tomorrow we’re probably catching a microbus up north to the town of Chisec supposedly an hour and half away from where you can get to the Lagunas de Sepalau which are supposed to be really beautiful and swimmable. I am quite looking forward to swimming in this heat. It’s funny how in Xela you really don’t realize you’re in Central America due to the altitude. In less than a week I should be out of this crazy country and in less than a month back in the US of A. Okay, I’m going to take a cold shower. (not like I have a choice in this hostel.)

Ryan’s addendum about the coffee tour:

The New Zealanders were quite the talkative pair, telling us about their current travel plans and about their homeland. The husband, Nick, even brought out a small picture book that he carried around in his large backpack. They told us about their travel plans, and after I realized that they planned to be in Lívingston (a town of only six thousand or so) around the same time we planned to be, I decided to pay more attention to them. They were on a two-and-a-half week trip that involved more or less incessant bussing and the occasional flight. When Nick told me that they had to catch a flight out of Mérida (which in his amusing Kiwi accent was MIH-ree-der; he also pronounced Maya as mayor) on May 4, I told him that I thought it remarkable that they would be so close to spending Cinco de Mayo in Mexico but managed to not join the party. He asked what it was and I told him how it was a big Mexican holiday celebrating an important military victory. He then, in all seriousness and with a straight face asked me when it was.


PUPPY