We Are Family!
Uh HI, you said this was the
picture page, what's with all the chit-chat? Pics please!
We
were so excited that Kerri, Owen, Josh and Abby got to come visit during the
holidays! Spending time with family during Christmas was just what we
needed. They showed up on the 26th to spend a couple of days with our host
family in Cantel before heading out to see some of the hot spots in
Guatemala. They even brought goodies from the U.S., including a gift from
Keiko which she knitted to keep me from "freezing".
Our
stay in Cantel was cramped, but we loved every minute of it. Graciela
cooked for EVERYONE (including ALL of the young adult volunteers who came to visit),
and we all got the chance to ride a neighbors horse. Now, I have to
interject here and say, who gets on a chicken bus and rides for five hours just
to meet your family? Our awesome YAV friends, that's who! We all
camped out at Martin and Graciela's for two days straight, eating, chatting,
riding horses, visiting the pueblo of Cantel for church, accompanying the family
to vote in the run-off elections and to see the shop of
Graciela's sister-in-law... it was a really wonderful and special time for us.
The clash of cultures
was fun to experience. Though the kids couldn't speak each other's
languages, they got along like best buddies. Josh kept running over to
ask, "how do you say... in Spanish?" When I asked him what his
favorite thing at Martin's house, he described the patio and playing with the
boys. And, Abby said she missed
Marlon and Eduardo once our trip took us away from Cantel. She loved
riding the horse, even after she got a quick little kick (no harm done).
We
enjoyed our stay in Panajachel (Lake Atitlan), took chicken buses, haggled for
goodies, ate tons of food, the Brands had a chuj (a Mayan sauna for bathing),
walked to the lake to skip rocks, learned a new card game (canasta) and enjoyed
the New Year in Antigua, one of the more charming spots in Guatemala. We were sad to see
them leave and of course, couldn't get out of the airport without some tears, but
we were thrilled we spent the holidays with them.
We
miss you, family!
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