- P7290600
Breakfast - P7290601
We gave the kids the gifts that we had bought for them in Russia. Aracely knows that I collect matryoshka nesting dolls, and she had asked if we could buy one for her. We had chosen a cheerful 3-piece set depicting a smiling rosy-cheeked girl carrying a bouquet of roses. - P7290610
Kevin helps Ian Ivan down the stairs - P7290616
We gave all of the kids matryoshka key chains. Here is Yoselin with hers. - P7290626
For Eddy, Craig had picked out a small Russian tank. (Craig also bought one for himself, as it reminded him of his brother Steve's prized possessions as a child). And we gave all of the kids matryoshka key chains. Eddy's matryoshka suddenly became a tank commander in a visual worthy of a Soviet propaganda poster. - P7290656
Eddy in his Tweety bird hat - P7290671
Steph's namesake store in San Jorge la Laguna - P7290678
Mayan Ajq'ij (Luis's father, Marcelo Alonso Felipe) For our last night in Guatemala with the Toler family, we had planned a very special experience: a protection / cleansing ceremony with a Mayan Ajq'ij. An Ajq'ij is a spiritual healer, sometimes referred to as a shaman, but that is a bit of a misnomer. The role dates back to pre-Columbian times, but these healers are still are still very much a part of the indigenous culture to this day. We had seen them in the Catholic churches in Chichicastenango and Santiago Atitlan, as well as in the Maximon shrine. Luis, who works in Humberto's office, has a father who is an Ajq'ij. They live in San Jorge la Laguna, and his father had agreed to perform the protection ceremony for us. They had planned for this ceremony to take place outside on the lakeshore. We were hoping that the rain would stop so that we could proceed as planned. But it just kept raining. By the time that Humberto returned from work and we were ready to go, it actually had stopped raining. But due to the intensity of the earlier downpours, everything was muddy and slippery. So they decided to do it indoors, at Luis' father's house in San Jorge. We all piled into Humberto's van: Paulina, Ian, Aracely, Eddy, the Tolers, and us. Along the way, we stopped to pick up Paola, who had recently returned from her day at nursing school in Solola. We drove a short distance to San Jorge. Luis and his wife and kids also live here, and we saw his wife and sons in the little tienda (store) that they own. We walked down some alleyways on the way to the house. We passed underneath a sign advertising a clothing boutique called Estefania, and we thought that having a namesake here was a good omen. When we reached the house, we entered a room which was dominated by an altar and multiple life-sized effigies of San Simon, the Spanish Catholic sanctioned version of Mayan folk saint Maximon. They were wearing sunglasses and had a cigarette in their pursed lips. We couldn't help but think that one of them resembled Bono. There was a small statue of the Blessed Virgin, as well as a small statue of Jesus carrying the cross. A framed portrait of Jesus and the Sacred Heart overlooked the altar. Prayer candles depicting San Simon sat next to cans of beer and soda. This is once again a syncretism of Catholic and Mayan beliefs. We met Luis' father, Marcelo Alonso Felipe. We sat in chairs and on benches on the perimeter of the room. First we all wrote down our names on a piece of paper so that he could pray for each of us to God and the spirits. - P7290697
Marcelo and his assistant Pedro Luis Alonso chanted in a mixture of Kaqchikel Mayan and Spanish, asking for safe journeys and good luck for all of us. As we have learned, Mayans believe that prayers only "count" when they are said aloud, and I guess that one needs to be specific about names as well. In the midst of their chanting, Marcelo's cell phone rang. He answered it and said that he was in the midst of a cleansing and that he could call the person back later. We all got a good chuckle from the intrusion of 21st century technology on an ancient ceremony. He quickly resumed the ceremony, asking us all to kneel. He lit copal incense which infused the room with a lovely fragrance. He handed us each a candle and bundles of plant matter (we believe that it was sage, an herb commonly associated with spiritual cleansing). He asked us to make a wish and to say a prayer of thanks. - P7290698
Marcelo cleanses Humberto He approached us one at a time, took the candle and sage bundle from us, and waved them over the altar in a circular motion. Then he waved them in circles above our heads while chanting, ran them along our bodies, amd blew two breaths of air onto our heads. He said "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (in Spanish) while having us kiss the sage bundle several times. He then placed sage bundles on the altar. - P7290701
Marcelo cleanses Eddy - P7290709
Once we had each had our turn, he lit our candles, melted the wax on the bottom, and stuck them to the floor. This was the conclusion of the first half of the ceremony. - P7290726
Next we headed outside and up onto the roof. It was now dusk, and we could see the volcanoes silhouetted against the remnants of the sunset behind us. It was an ethereal setting. - P7290727
Silhouettes against a backdrop of volcanoes in the twilight sky - P7290729
Marcelo, Pedro, and their helper Sabine arranged our sage bundles, as well as small candles, cigarettes, and eggs, into a circle, and lit it on fire. The circle represents the universe, and Marcelo marked the four cardinal directions.