Tamales, Ponche, Pepian, cookies, more tamales and more ponche! So much food was consumed this past weekend during the Christmas festivities. I made the trek back by camioneta to my host family that I stayed with during training. When I had left to go to my site the whole last week every meal I sat down and ate with them they asked the question “When are you going to come back?” We had decided to meet up again for Christmas and spend the time together. I would like to visit them more often but here in PC Guatemala we have a rule of thumb of 3 hour radius when taking personal days so I was lucky to be granted to go to my past host family’s house for the two nights. We decorated their little fountain with lights, pine, and the nativity scene. All the lights here in the country are bought with a musical rendition of Jingle Bells-Santa is Coming to Town-We Wish You A Merry Christmas loop that has been playing since the second week in December. Many people have nativity scenes and some of they are done to maximal effort, throwing everything imaginable into the scene from star wars toys, Mr. PotatoHead, robots, bobble heads and just random things.
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| Camilla and the decorated fountain |
On Christmas Eve, we all hung out and passed out gifts to neighbors and had tamales and ponche. Ponche is the Guatemalan version of apple cider. It is made with pineapple, papaya, raisins, prunes, apples, coconut and all chops up finely. It is boiled with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a variety of other spices (still getting the recipes) but it is so delicious and reminded me of warming myself up back in the states with cider. So exchanging gifts and food and drink numerous times I was full. Then we rested and then drove to Jocotenango. This is a bigger town right outside of Antigua and is where my host mother’s family lives. We then talked and waited until midnight talking and just enjoying company and then when fireworks went off we all hugged and said Merry Christmas. There we tons of fireworks being lit off in the streets and celebrations. It had more of a New Years feel to me than a Christmas feel. Oh well, Ill get to do it all over again next weekend. Plan is to go back to Panajachel to visit with some other volunteers and ring in the New Year with them.
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| Christmas Portrait |
My host family was generous to invite me to the beach the following day as well. We went to the Pacific Coast where the beaches are all volcanic blacks sand. It was fun to get away from the temperate climate of my site and see the tropical Guatemala. We passed numerous mango trees with mangoes starting to grow. In a few months here in Guatemala the mangoes will be bountiful. I cant wait for them to be ready. Other than that we returned to eat more tamales and ponche.
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| Camilla her Giraffe and the black sand beach! |
The next morning I went into Antigua got a nice cup of coffee and then hit the road back here to Malacatancito where I have work this week. More like ill just be sitting at the office and watching other people sitting watching me watch them watching me.
Until then…..Happy New Year and 2011!!!!!
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| all the way! |
I am in the Peace Corps in the 8th best place to visit? Sweeeeeet!
Special thanks to my family and friends who sent tons of goodies to me these past few days. I blame you for the food coma I am in but I enjoy every minute of it! I opened up gifts from my family last night via skype and had a quasi christmas with them. Very fun! Much love to all!
Special thanks to my family and friends who sent tons of goodies to me these past few days. I blame you for the food coma I am in but I enjoy every minute of it! I opened up gifts from my family last night via skype and had a quasi christmas with them. Very fun! Much love to all!
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