Guatemala 6/29/2019 - 7/13/2019 |
|
Monday, 7/1/2019 - Holding Down the FortI started work at 7 a.m. (we are two hours behind Eastern time here, so it means a very early start for the day). For breakfast we had cereal as well as cheese, black beans, tortillas, scrambled eggs with ham, and coffee.Today is a national holiday here in Guatemala, so everyone in the family had the day off. They wanted to return to the pools to try to swim today. They wanted to schedule it so that I could attend too, but my work schedule made it impossible. I insisted that they go and enjoy themselves. Craig opted to stay home with me. It is difficult for him to coordinate everything he needs for an excursion without me to help at runtime. The family left for the pools at around 10 a.m. Ian and Eddy took my camera to document their activities. Craig and I had a quiet day at home alone. At one point, we walked up to the roof deck to see the improvements that had been made. We enjoyed the view of the volcanoes which surround the lake. The family returned at around 5 p.m. after a wonderful day. They had gone to the Manantial pools first, and then had gone to Parma for nachos and ice cream. They had also stopped at San Lucas Toliman again. We looked through the photos that they had taken. Ever since Ian was sick with cytomegalovirus in his infancy, his doctors have encouraged him to eat yogurt. He loves his yogurt, and consumes several per day. He insists that Paulina opens the packaging for him. He will point to the words on the label and say (in Spanish) "It says only mom can open it!" He is very intentional with his yogurt; he will sit quietly and drink it, over a period of 10-15 minutes. It is the only time that he ever sits still! While he sat eating his yogurt, I asked Ian if he enjoyed swimming at the pools. He said yes. Humberto then said "You had fun at the pools?" and Ian rolled his eyes and said exasperatedly, "You know I did!" He didn't understand why dad was bothering to ask him; dad was there and knows very well that he had a good time. Sometimes this kid is 4 going on 35. Eddy told us that his cousin Rocio and her son Mael were next door at his aunt Juana's house. Rocio was like a sister to the kids when they were younger, and we spent lots of time with her during the first few years we had been visiting the family. We went out into the alley to say hello to them. Mael is just about to turn 2 years old. We had first met him when he was just a few weeks old. Last year I attended his first birthday party (Craig had Lyme disease and was stuck in bed unable to attend the party). We were excited to see both of them. Since last year, Rocio has moved to Guatemala City for work. But she comes back to Pana to visit her mother, and her husband Hector works in Pana. We were surprised when she started speaking to us in English. She has learned a lot and was eager to practice. Mael is absolutely adorable, with big, soulful eyes. It was obvious that Mael spends time with Aracely and Eddy whenever they are in the neighborhood. They are quite good at entertaining him. Rocio told us that he refuses to eat meat; he only eats fish and tofu! We enjoyed visiting with them, and took some pictures. Rocio told us that they would be celebrating Mael's birthday in a couple of days, and we would be invited. We said our farewells for now, and headed to the outdoor table for dinner. We had tortilla soup with beans, calabash seed sauce, and picante, followed by pasta with parmesan cheese, mushrooms, garlic, alfredo sauce, and onions. Humberto tried to nonchalantly slip into conversation that Ian Ivan will be baptized this upcoming weekend, and we will be his godparents. Wait, what? He laughed. "Surprise!" They have been wanting to have Ian baptized for the past couple of years, but timing hasn't cooperated. Their church here in town only holds baptisms the last weekend of each month, so that wasn't an option. When we had gone to the church in San Lucas Toliman, he and Paulina had noticed that they perform baptisms every weekend. So today they had stopped in during business hours and got all of the necessary information. This explained why they hadn't gone into the church with us yesterday, and instead had stood outside talking to one another. Humberto joked that this is totally in character, because they never plan anything in advance. Craig quipped that it was a good thing that we had brought some decent clothing. I laughed thinking back to when my Dad had asked me what the "occasion" was for our visit. I had told him that there wasn't one. As usual, we are the last to know anything! |
 Working remotely  The family (in age order) on an excursion  Steph, Rocio, Mael, and Craig See all photos from this day |
|
 |
|
 |
