Our last week of classes was full of adventures that should have been made into three separate blog posts. However, with the week being full of adventures, there was not time to do the blog, so you get LOTS of pictures and MUCH longer than normal blog at the end of the week.
The first adventure was a birthday party for a friend of Josiah's from the school who is also studying Spanish. We had a pinata which the kids enjoyed breaking. Then it was off to icecream. A great birthday party that we all enjoyed!
Emma getting ready to attack the Pinata
Josiah was brutal with the Pinata
All the kids with their destroyed Pinata
The second adventure of the week was going to San Antonio (not Texas), which is mainly a Mayan village, where they showed us many of the traditional customs of the Mayan people. It was very entertaining - and we got married (more on that later!)
They demonstrated the complex sewing process they use
to make blankets, clothes, and other clothes
Emma gave it a try - much more difficult than it looks!
To help us learn about the traditional Mayan wedding they asked for volunteers to be the parents of the groom and then another pair to get married. Of course Tyler volunteered himself and Nicole to get married - so we had a traditional Mayan wedding! I guess that means I am now on my second marriage (to the same person?). Enjoy our wedding photos:
Tyler and Nicole in traditional wedding clothing
Incense to ward off the evil spirits (of the ex-girlfriends!)
The mother and father would drop flowers on the bride and groom
Did I mention we also had a baby?
Traditional Mayan baby wrap
Nicole would carry water to the house each day
While Tyler would work in the fields and only have coffee and tortillas for food
They also taught us how to make tortillas
Tyler tried... his teacher had to help
Josiah and Emma did great at making tortillas
They served us traditional wedding food
Which was made in the traditional kitchen
By a group of Mayan women
Later they taught us how to make coffee from the bean
Josiah attempted to roll the bean into a grain
Emma tried too...
And so did Tyler... it was harder than it looked!
Our third and final adventure in Guatemala was saying goodbye to everyone we have come to love in this wonderful country. We have had great teachers, great friends, a great host family, and great memories over the past six weeks. We will always hold these memories close and our teachers and friends very close to our hearts.
The entire family with our teachers
Josiah and Emma with their friend from our host family - Fatima.
The family with our host family
Tyler took one last picture of the arch and the volcano
(he is very proud of this picture!)
I believe this is how the blog started... four yellow bags packed full
It has been 6 full weeks. We have climbed volcanoes, visited beaches, done a zip line over the forest, seen ruins that were over 2000 years old, and taken a boat around a beautiful lake. We have learned a significant amount of Spanish, fallen in love with the culture, and are not ready to leave. But just as quickly as the trip came, it has now gone. Tomorrow morning we board a bus at 3am and start the two day trip home. One final post will come when we arrive in Moses Lake - ready to return back to real life. But our lives are forever changed as part of our hearts will always be found in Antigua Guatemala.
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