At the end of our first week of language school, Maureen and I were treated to a Mayan fashion show and some great Guatemalan eats during a fiesta at our school. This first week was tough on us rookie Spanish speakers and this was a great way to shut the books, put away the verb conjugations, forget the vocabulary (temporarily) and enjoy the vibrant culture of our new home country.

The Guatemalan Independence Day is September 15th and is a pretty big deal. They begin celebrating a week or two before and our school put on this fiesta for us as a part of this celebration. This week we have also heard bands practicing for multiple parades with their drum lines set for maximum volume. We’ve seen students running in preparation to run the torch next Wednesday. And the entire town of Antigua is beginning to be decked out in the white and blue of the Guatemalan flag.

I find myself enjoying the overflowing pride that Guatemalans have in their country and am already looking forward to having a day off of school next week! If the celebrations in Antigua make the world news, look for us, we’ll be the gringo family of 5 right in the middle of the crowd enjoying the celebration.

(Todd)