Independence Weekend

Hello again,

I thought that I would give you a small taste of what the weekend was like here in Xela. I have the easiest job at the school and I am not afraid to admit it. There are days though that are not the most fun. Last Thursday one of the middle school teachers was not feeling well so I was pulled aside in the morning and told that I would be at the middle school all day. I was told that there were tests during the day so it should not be too bad. Unfortunately none of the tests were printed off, so there I sat with middle school kids for an entire day and nothing planned. I was not amused.

After school I tutored a second grade student named Anibal Gonzales. He is the smartest little kid but not always the most well behaved. He reminds me of.....well... me! (maybe not the smart part though) I meet with him twice a week and we talk about behavior, manners, and how to stay out of trouble. It is actually really fun and I enjoy hanging out with him.

Thursday night we went to the fair here. It is pretty much like a county fair on steroids. I will explain the most ridiculous ride that I have ever seen. A bunch of the teachers step on this ride that is a big circular platform with benches around the outside. There are some bars that you can hold on to, but not not very comfortable. The ride spins around and then hydraulics will all of the sudden jerk you up and down. The guy who operates the ride has one goal in mind, see if he can get someone to fall off the ride. If he sees to start to lose grip of the bars he keeps jerking you until you fall off. Much to this mans delight he sees about 8 gringo's get on the ride and immediately we knew we were the target. I don't know how but we made it safely, but I cannot imagine the kind of lawsuits that would be filed if this ride existed in the states. After the rides we decided to stuff ourselves with the many different kinds of cuisine at the fair. I will say I was disappointed that we could not find any corn dogs, but a lot of really good food. When we were full of food we decided to call it a night.

Friday night there was a huge stage set up in town where the best bands in Guatemala come to play. In Guatemala they have no sense of personal space, and a lot of them have little or no moral fiber. We'll just say that Danielle had many experiences with wandering hands on her derriere. The concert was a lot of fun and there were many fireworks once it hit midnight. The people here in Guatemala do a lot of celebrating and it is exciting to be a part of that atmosphere.

The rest of the weekend involved a sufficient amount of sleeping, and also playing cards with some of our friends. Danielle and I buckled at church. We were there for an hour and a half, and the service might not have been half over. This week was time for members to share what was going on in their lives and what they are struggling with. It was good to be there, but when you only understand half of what it being said it is truly exhausting. Well sorry this got a little long, I will try to be more brief in the future.

Peace,
Tony & Danielle