April Showers

Things have been slowly moving along here at ANADESA. I now realize it´s hard to do much in a year and what once seemed like a long time feels like so little. One of the biggest successes is starting the process of legalization of the association. This has been in the plans for over a year now, and finally we have begun the process. I´m slowly starting to appreciate more and more the kids program and we have tried to implement certain themes like music, poems, environment, hygiene, and interfamily violence. I have really enjoyed getting to know the women of our association. I have been doing home visits and using Spanish and sometimes Tzutujil to communicate, as a lot of them don´t know Spanish! They each have a story to tell about their difficult lives here in Guatemala.

The week before Easter is called Semana Santa or ¨Holy Week¨ and was really something special. The beginning of the week I got to spend with Adam and Marisa in Nicaragua. I enjoyed getting to know their friends, church, and lives there. We also explored a little of Managua, Granada, Mirador de Catarina, and the beach. The time was short but packed with great food, fun people, and good conversation.

The second part of Semana Santa I spent here in Santiago and the other SALTer Anne came with me. I have never seen anything like these celebrations in my life. The streets were filled with a colorful rug made of flowers, other plants, and colored saw dust. On Good Friday there is a huge procession where they took Jesus down from the cross, put him in a brightly decorated casket, and marched him on the rugs through the town. They began marching at 3:30 and continued till sunrise, switching men every hour. Anne and I watched until about 10 at night. The town was filled with people trying to find a good place to stand as Jesus passed. The ambiance was something precious and beautiful that I will never forget. On Easter morning I climbed volcano San Pedro. A good 3 hours up and another 2 hours back down. As I climbed I tried to reflect on the new life that Jesus gave us.

After the holidays I am now jumping back into work, trying to complete some goals that I had for myself and the association. Along with that, I´m spending quality time with my friends and family here.