Learning K'iche'

Here are some samples of the K'iche' we are trying to tackle:

Säb'laj käqaj wa atz'yaq re' chnüwäch.
I like this shirt a lot.

Tzël-la' xpe wi wa'.
It is from Sololá (a town in Guatemala).

Päqäl räjäl.
It is very expensive.

La k'o kaqasaj che.
Is there a discount?

Now, keep in mind that this dialect hasn't been written down yet, so our teacher is just trying to write it down as it sounds to her, and different people seem to use different vowel sounds.  Have fun!

Christmas with Teddy

Merry Christmas to everyone!  This year we dubbed the season "Christmas with Teddy" because we are dog-sitting a cute little white Maltese dog while his owners (John and Sharon Harvey, the founders of ASELSI) are in the States for Christmas.

Teddy is sweet with the children!

On Friday before Christmas, we went over to
Chrisi, Michael, and baby Hudson's house for a
Christmas party.  We made pizza, played games,
and really enjoyed our time with our hosts!

On Christmas morning, the older girls started
the day with a treasure hunt for their stockings
from "Santa-Mommy."  They found their
treasures (mostly filled with candy) in the car!

Veronica had fun with her stocking, too,
digging for baggies of chips and raisins!

We all enjoyed Veronica's enthusiasm, once
we convinced her it was okay to rip the paper! 
The rest of us had already opened our gifts
to each other while she was napping, or she
would have claimed them all as her own!

Merry Christmas
from the Montgomery's
in Guatemala!

Helping With Crafts

One of the Christian ministries here in Chichicastenango, called Health Talents International, led by Kemmel and Lisa Dunham, has several health clinics in the area where they offer medical services at very low cost.  One of their programs is called the ABC Program for Children where the children earn points throughout the year for various activities, like having their teeth cleaned and especially for attending school.  At the end of the year the ministry has a big party for the participating children and their families.  (Most families here have at least 5 or 6 children, and often more!)

This year the girls and I were invited to the party to help translate into Spanish for the craft teachers.  A team of 17 came from a church in Colorado Springs.  They brought costumes and set up different stations where the children learned about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  (I thought it was a GREAT idea to teach about why Jesus came while we are celebrating His birth!)  There were so many guests that they split the party into two days with about 500 people each day.

The party started with an assembly where
we sang worship songs in Spanish and K'iche'.

Prizes were awarded to the children with the
highest points: a bike for first place, dressers
for second place, and some smaller gifts for
third place winners.

The children were grouped by age and gender to do crafts while they were waiting to participate in the Resurrection Stations.  I helped translate for Meghan, the teacher of the 11 to 13-year-old girls group, which had about 20 girls each day.  Carrie and Elena helped Mary Jo, the teacher of the 14 to 18-year-old girls group, which had about 35 girls each day.  Andrea stayed home to help babysit Veronica, which was a big help, too.

Elena and Carrie helped hand out supplies, translate
instructions into Spanish, and gather leftover materials. 
The children all speak K'iche' as their primary language,
so even though they interacted with Carrie and Elena
in Spanish, they spoke to each other in K'iche'.

I (Heather/Erica) did the same things with my
group.  Their outfits are always beautiful!

Lunch was served for all the guests,
about 500 each day.  They served chicken,
pasta salad, and tortillas.

They also served kool-aid (made with bottled
water) from a huge pot.  You can see the
huge pots of chicken on the tables.

We enjoyed our time helping the children celebrate their accomplishments.  Thanks Kemmel and Lisa for inviting us!

Traditional Mayan Outfit for Veronica

Thank you to Zaida in Puerto Rico and everyone who donated to the schooling-fund for Don Victoriano's grandchildren.  They now have funding for their senior year of high school!  Pascuala and Claudio, along with their grandfather, came to our house last week to bring Veronica a traditional Mayan shirt, skirt, and belt that Pascuala stitched for her.  They are beautiful!  Veronica was very happy through the whole visit and liked being held by everyone!

Putting on the "güipil," the shirt.

Putting on the "corte," the skirt.

Putting on the woven belt, which tucks in
to hold up the skirt.

Veronica with Don Victoriano. 
She was pleased with her new outfit!

Hotel in Comitán

When we went to Mexico, we stayed at a nice hotel right in the crowded streets of downtown Comitán.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner in the "lobby."

The lobby was beautiful.

The parking lot was a block away,
so we made several trips carrying luggage.

Cute Veronica at 1 1/2 years old

Veronica is a very fun, busy girl!

I like watching TV in Spanish with my sisters.
They bundled me all up!

Here I am with our Pastor Don
and his 2-year-old daughter Olivia.
I call her "La La."

It was nice of Mommy to give me my own
personal reading corner and chair.

This exercise video is fun!

Let's stretch... upside-down V.

My sisters were outside playing, so Daddy
took over giving me a boat ride.

Oh no!  Goliath looks like he's upset...
he needs a blankie!

Ahhhh.... now he's feeling much better!

I enjoy taking walks in the neighborhood.

These are my new friends, Don Victoriano and
his granddaughter Pascuala.  Pascuala is going
to sew me a güipil, a traditional Mayan shirt.
(Mommy said she would post a photo later.)

I prefer sitting at the table, rather than in my
high chair!  Our maid Micaela is joining us
for Carrie's 12th birthday breakfast.  I call
  Micaela "Mimi" and get very excited when she comes!

I love it when Daddy holds me for a minute.
Keep praying for his back to get better!
Can you believe my mommy and sisters put
up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving?

My family thinks it's pretty funny that I
like to eat my bananas with a spoon. 
Seems normal to me!

Hurray!  My sisters are dancing with me!
Let's all screech and yell!

Babies on Backs

There are so many babies on backs here!  The roads and sidewalks are way too uneven for strollers.  These photos were taken at ASELSI's Christmas party.  Lots of people here carry all sorts of things in fabric...

The children of the family also help carry loads,
especially when the mom is carrying a baby.

The bundle on the left (with the orange stripe)
has a baby inside.  They usually cover up their
young babies completely.  The red bundle on the
right is something else... maybe food or jackets?

It is very common to see a mom with a
baby on her back and another young
child (or two) by the hand.

This mom is readjusting her child.
Notice the boy in the background on the
left with a bundle around his forehead.

Here is another boy (in front) with a bundle.

The baby on the right (in the purple fabric)
is being carried in front.  They seem to do this
when they are planning to nurse.

Sometimes, you might see a backpack.

This man's bundle is bulky, maybe
something they use for cooking.

When we first arrived in Chichicastenango, I bought some fabric and tried carrying Veronica.  She was so heavy (about 25 lbs then) that my shoulders and back burned after only a few minutes.  Plus, she kept slipping down in the fabric, so I had to hold her in.  I realized it is better to start with young babies and build up muscles!

Road Construction

There was some road construction in our neighborhood to pave the road behind our house.  Only the main highway coming and going from Chichicastenango is paved with asphalt.  The other roads are paved with paving bricks.  Still, most roads around the area are dirt, including the road to our house.  They are saying it will be paved next year, so we'll see.

The workers brought in paving bricks on a flatbed
truck, then they piled the bricks (by throwing and catching
them one by one) along the sides of the road.

About 20 workers laid the bricks.  It
took a couple of weeks, working rain or shine. 

However, they blocked off the road for more
than a month, even after finishing it.  They
were awaiting a "road-opening ceremony."

This is a view of the back of our house from
the new section of road, including the empty lot
behind us.

For an interesting video of workers carrying cement up to a third level in downtown Chichi, posted by one of the missionaries here, watch "Cement Work."

You can also watch a good video tour of  "Chichi Streets," traveling from the house in town owned by the ministry of Manos de Jesús to their property outside of town.  This is a very typical example of what our roads look like.

Manos de Jesús also has a video of traveling along the main highway, "9 minutes to Guatemala City," which is quite comical and typical.

Working, Guatemalan style

These people are digging dirt from the bank
on the side of the road to put in "sandbags."
At the time of this photo, it had been raining,
and there had been many mud slides.

This worker is plastering the side of a
new house by standing on scaffolding made of
a few boards nailed together.  I took this photo
from my upstairs kitchen window.

Who is responsible for replacing burned-out
streetlights?  Apparently, the closest residents are!
I went to the hardware store and bought a new bulb;
then our American landlord climbed a ladder to
change the bulb on the street outside our house. 
The old bulb broke in the socket, however,
so he asked us to hire someone else to change it.

We hired this guy for about $5.  He climbed
up with a couple of ropes and used pliers to extract
the old bulb... without disconnecting the power first.
I was praying for him the whole time!

This is our "trash truck," which comes every
Wednesday afternoon.  The guys ride in the back
of the truck with the pile of trash.  They carry the
trash to a cliff to dump it.