Glimpses of Guate

Life in Guatemala can be random. It so happens that these last three months I have had some free moments on my hands; which I feel opens up even more opportunity for randomness. I wish that I could recount to you all the random and often times hilarious events that I have witnessed or taken part of; well, okay I can try to recount a few. (Also, check out Nic's latest posting for another perfect example of random events, but then remember to come back to my blog: Nic in Guate) 

Due to protests in the street (this is what a protest looks like in Guatemala: piling about 8 tires across the road and igniting them) a recent regular bus route was detoured down a single dirt road threading through mountain villages. Very pleasant until...the transmission goes. We're midway between cities, about an hour from either one and our bus is done-for. Fortunately a pickup came to transport us to our destination. As we are traveling down this road, after Nic helps load some ladies' market cargo, Nic realizes he is standing on one of the women's market sacks, and further realizes there is a chicken inside that bag. He was standing on her chicken. As we talk to these ladies, they begin to ask me; "How do you say 40 in English?" I tell her. "45? 50? 55? 60? 65? 70? 75? 80?" and then something strange happens...she doesn't ask me how to say 85, but skips straight to 90. I don't know why. 

Or the guys who stopped by our house to sell us deer meat. To prove it really was deer meat, they pulled the deer head out of black plastic bag; tongue hanging out, just nubs for antlers. 

How about the microbus that had a decal that read "Star Wars" across the front windshield. 

Or like today, when I fell into my compost pit (yes, it is a pit and don't worry about the details).

Hendrick is always a source of randomness. Tonight, as we were preparing to play Uno I made him wash his hands as they were covered in cantaloupe juice. As he was drying them he looked up at me and said, "Katy, I ate melon because I am going to win!" 

Moving away from random events to just random topics. Here is a picture of Don Juan using this hand-cranked machine to degranulate corn. Don Juan just completed his 71st year of life; and didn't go to school past 2nd grade. I feel that he is warming up to me and this makes me very happy. He even watered my garden for me the other day.

A photo of a particularly stunning sunset, as seen from my front yard.

I don't think I've given too much mention to my guard chucho (street dog), Oso. Although in this photo he doesn't look like the happiest of chuchos, he's got the heart of a champ. He does a great job protecting my house from other neighborhood chuchos and the occasional salesman. Don Juan usually feeds him stale or moldy tortillas so I try to supplement his diet with the scraps that I have; ya know, to keep morale up. But for being a chucho and for living off of old tortillas, he's surprisingly particular. He wasn't into the pot of beans I put out, or the lentil curry but man will he go for some moldy cheese. 

Fairs and Free Clinics

Mi Recuerdo: My memory of the feria in Nic's site. We opted for the Guatemalan stone-cold face, although at the last second I started to crack. I also have the memory of the band in the neon green suites, the dancers with the strangest costumes yet (Roman soldier with silver eagle on his helmet; country bumpkin; medieval wizard...) and then of course the ferris wheel. Second time in Guate on one, and just as scary as it is fun. But this one was special in that it was foot clutch operated. Literally, a man sitting in a bucket seat with foot pedals and a stick shifter to his right. 

These kids kept looking back checking up on us. In the middle of the ride we got in acontest of sorts; who can make the weirdest noise while the ferris wheel is running. (Photo courtesy Nic Miller)

Monday to Wednesday we helped out at a free eye clinic from the states hosted by the local Lion's Club. Thousands of people attended and were shuffled through the maze of cardboard boxes from station to station. Here, a Mayan lady is pointing to the eye chart while a nurse records this student's visual acuity. 

Here retinas are checked by optometrists. In the slow times, the doctors showed me how to use the reader and I saw Nic's retina. It looked weird.

The funnest station was the last one, which I worked on the last day: dispensing. Here I fitted the glasses to the patient and talked with each one about how to use their glasses. This was a neat station because I was able to see the reaction when they received their new glasses. We all got a few hugs and kisses that day, and plenty of "God bless you"s. One young Mayan women came through whose prescription was -1200, -1400. A doctor told me this means she can't see any further than about 8 inches in front of her face. When she put on her glasses, she nearly started crying. This guy was another one of our many satisfied customers. (Photo courtesy Nic Miller)

This little guy did not like the feel of his glasses. As soon as I put them on his face he cringed like I had sprayed acid in his eyes. But, after a minute or two he was able to see clearer. (Photo courtesy Nic Miller) 

These students didn't get any daily glasses, but the clinic did have a few boxes of Ray Bans they were willing to share. (Photo courtesy Nic Miller)

Because the prescription glasses are donated used glasses, there wasn't always the best match of prescription, or style for that matter. For this guy, the only thing we had for him was a pair of early 90's pink frames. I told him he could take these or we could find a lesser prescription, but that he wouldn't see as well. He took the pink ones. (Photo courtesy Nic Miller)

Along with the young, a fair share of viejos passed through. This woman is 100 years old. The man, 110. We got them set up with some Ray Bans too.  

Waiting in the bleachers to be called up for a fitting, a Mayan lady is surrounded by shade-sporting boys.

Just one of the kids.