How to sneeze

Since we moved to Chichicastenango six years ago, we have noticed several differences between the Mayan people here and ourselves.  Of course there are obvious differences like their darker skin or our taller height.

But one interesting difference is in the way we sneeze!  When we sneeze, it sounds a lot like "a-choo!"; and we might even get our voice into it.  When Michael sneezes, for example, we can hear him from the other part of the house (which makes us all laugh).  But the people here make a small, quiet sound, more like "tch."  Yes, that's all... very little build-up to it and very little noise.

Imagine my surprise the other day when Veronica sneezed and made a little sound like "tch."  Ha ha ha!  What I figured must have been a difference in physical construction of their nasal passages was actually a learned behavior!  Veronica is around Mayan children in our dance practices, in Sunday School, and when we invite girls over to play at our house.  Veronica explained, "You simply close your mouth, don't use your voice, and hold it in as much as you can."  What a humorous cultural experience for us!

Michael's response:  "My sneeze is much more satisfying!"

Trucks and traffic

More and more 18-wheelers, flatbed trucks, delivery trucks, pick-up trucks, buses, tuk-tuks, SUVs, and regular cars are coming through Chichicastenango day by day.  The narrow road through our town forms part of one of the major highways through Guatemala.

We all have to pull over to let the big trucks by.

This decorated bus was waiting in line
behind me.  The guy seemed to find it funny
that I was taking photos of traffic!

Chichi's one small grocery store is to the
right.  Getting in and out of the parking
lot is difficult with so much traffic.

Visit from Puerto Rican pastor

We received a visit from our Puerto Rican pastor, Denis Rivera, and another brother from the church, Miguel!  They traveled to Guatemala City to attend a conference, and then they made a 3 1/2-hour trip (both there and back... 7 hours total) out to Chichicastenango to see us!  What a blessing for us!  We love you, Pastor Denis!

Pastor Denis is on the right, along with Miguel
in the center, and the Guatemalan couple on the
left drove them to and from Chichi. (Thank you!)

Dance

Our ¡Levántate! dance team presented a dance to the song "Tu amor por mí es más dulce que la miel,"  which means "Your love for me is sweeter than honey."