Quetzaltenango (Xela) - life in "Casa Argentina"

(Repost with pics updated!!!)

Continuing my stay in Guatemala, after my hitch-hiking adventure, I've decided to stay in Quetzaltenango, better known as Xela (Altitude: 2450m) to pursue my Spanish lessons. I was lucky enough to have met a fantastic Spanish teacher and the hostal that I stayed in were full of Argentinians, Hondureneans, Guatemalans and Spanish folks, couldn't have been a better place to learn the language! Given that I arrived during the raining season, it really was the perfect time to sink into the books as everything around me is soaked :)  (They are really not kidding about rain-season!!!)

When I first arrived at Casa Argentina, I knew right away it would be a place I can call home for several weeks. I was spending time with a group of 4 ppl (Argentinian, Mexican, Uruguayan, American) where everynight we would watch a movie (in Spanish of course!) projected on the wall of the dorm. Note to self: always travel with a projector! and we would often cook together as well. We had a convivial time together! For the amount of time I stayed there, I kept seeing groups come and go, but for the ones that stayed, we always hung out together. My semi-usual company were 2 Argentinians, a German, a Guatemalan, a Spanish and an American. Yes, they were all guys! Not that I had anything against girls, but for some reason, Casa Argentina had a very uneven ratio of men-women of 8-1? or was it 10-to-1! Needless to say that, I was being chatted up with the groups of guys that come to the Casa (especially the nomad artesanos) every time. This definitely was helpful to my Spanish learning, abeit a bit space-encroaching. Towards the end, albeit I had a room of my own, I felt suffocated, I needed my own space and I needed to get down to sea level, as the altitude, combined with the winter that was arriving was starting to give me headaches several times a week!!

My days in Xela consisted of Spanish lessons, regular visit to the coffee shop for my study, the traditional market for supply of produce as well as to chat up with the Taiwanese owner of a shop! I couldn't believe my eyes the day I saw the Taiwanese stand selling "動物蛋糕" (animal egg cake) in Xela! The owner, Mrs.Ko was a sweetheart and invited me over for lunch one day with the family. I was sooo thrilled to eat taiwanese food after months of tortillas, frijoles and pollo frito!! We ended up spending the rest of the day together at the local feria. Nothing like the meeting of Taiwanese counterparts high up in a mountain city of Guatemala! I also found my supply of soya milk, what a delight!!

*** Did I ever mention that Guatemalans have a national obsession with "pollo frito" (fried chicken)? On the weekends, one can see queues in front of Campero, the guatemalan version of KFC. ***

As part of my daily visit to the coffee shop, I befriended a barrista and encouraged him to make designs on my cappu. Within a month, he was able to produce the following design and told me that he is thinking of opening his own coffee shop instead of working for another! On the day of departure, I even received a souvenir pen from him :) Nothing better than a souvenir that I can use on a daily basis!

And then there's Maria! An indigenous lady, whom sells her woven products weekly at Casa Argentina. By buying from her, it can't get more "fair trade" than that! :) One night, it was raining hard and thundering and Maria, with all her missing teeth, wanted to buy some tortillas for dinner but was afraid to head out alone. I proposed to go with her and she kept on calling me "chula" (meaning pretty lady) and let out yelps of "Dios mios, chula", and performed the sign of the cross, everytime a car zooms past us. Maria, an adorable creature with an astonishing height of about 1,40m, typical of the mayans (tiny!!) And everytime I made a purchase from her, she blessed me over and over for helping her feed her family. When asked to take a picture of her, she scuttles away for over 10 min to arrange her hair, her belt, her clothes and put on her silver earrings for the picture session! A delight to watch her go to and about. From what I can gather, her usual meal consists of a pile of tortillas (usually 8), with salt or pepita (squash seed powder mixed with salt) and sometimes frijoles (beans) and cheese. Let me not get into the dietary dificiency of the Guatemalans... long story short, I was getting desperate to eat home food!!

During the time I was there, I have met a few groups of nomad artesanos. They have always fascinated me as I cannot imagine myself trying to undertake their style of living. Making and selling art in order to survive and to keep traveling. The hardest concept for me to grasp is not the little possessions one has, but rather the ability to live day by day, earning as you go, without a fix job or income. The idea of the so-called job security is so ingrained in my mind that living with so many unpredictable elements seems an intolerable thought. Most certainly it isn't the most economically sound way to live, but then again the fact that they can do it, show how little do we really need to live and be happy. Most of them are also musicians. Art and music, mingled with occasional MJ (about a tenth of the price from home!) is sufficient for them to subsist! One of them, went as far as living solely for the purpose of standing up against all things "Babylonean" (Definition of Babylon: a city devoted to materialism and sensual pleasure) and inciting folks to wake up from the control the Babylon has on all of us. He spoke with feverish passion and devotion to his cause. Talking to him helps one peel away the learned habits and so-called "normal" ways of living that one has adopted after years of living in this materialistic, capitalistic world. A real free-spirit, so pure that one can describe him as a niño (a child). He taught me, shared with me, his concept of life and how to watch the world with the eyes of a child. That is how one will not be fully sucked in by this mass engine of consumerism that we have undertaken.

All beings are a form of energy. Once born, this energy is then covered with the physiological shape given at birth, combined with education, cultural upbringing, etc. we begin pilling up with layers of learnt behaviours that we acquired whether to protect ourself from the dog-eat-dog world or simply as a natural adaptation to the society in which we live in. Memo, my tall Spanish friend, has an ability to sense and to see through that exterior layer when talking to you. Talking with him, feels like one is talking not man to man, rather energy to energy. Yes, this world is unfair, and he has given up all the priviledges that came from his birth country to live the life of a nomad artist, denying all comforts, all luxuries and take it upon himself to spread the awareness of that we need to rise against "Babylon". He has the gift of reaching deep within you and see the energy, that pure form within us and call upon it. As much as I tried to fight him, he managed to break through. However, I am not ready, I don't know what I am waiting for, or what I want yet, but nevertheless, the conversations we've had are not easily forgotten.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, Memo has professed his love to me, a love that is not physical but rather spiritual.  A love from one of the purest being I have met ever met, it was almost all too much too bear, for I am not used to open up so fast to another being, but yet I felt his energy, as strong as ever. What am I afraid of? Afraid that another soul will see through me? Afraid of myself? Afraid to give up all the comforts of my birth right as he has done in order to pursue a life free of guilt and luxury? Afraid to see the truth and having to give up what I own? I see myself facing the same fear that one is hesitant of giving up to understake a year-long journey such as the one I am doing. The same obstacle that I had once faced, but at a different level...

On another hand, I am rather flattered to be appreciated by such a pure soul, however, I cannot profess that I am as pure as him. What I really like to understand and feel, is what exactly is he able to sense. His keen sense of feeling, detecting the vibe of others, regardless of physical appearance! That gift of his, is beyond my understanding, yet fascinates me to no end because I cannot grasp it. He later told me, later confirmed with another guy friend of mine, that I emenate some kind of energy (not physical!) that men can sense, and thus explains the approaches of multiple men in my journey!?!? But then again, I thought all women whom travel alone are approached by latino men!! What do I emanate? I want to understand!! Can I turn it off so I get hassled a lot less? Or to avoid the kind of weird man who followed me one day, on the street of Xela, in broad daylight. He approached me and said that there was a guy doing something while watching me, and showed me the hand motion of "masturbation" with his hands. So he said he will accompany me in the meantime. I took very little notice to him as I was in a big hurry to get some errands done. He then kept talking and asked me if I understand what that hand motion mean. I was like er... yeah, and kept walking. Then he keep repeating "quieres conocer el p_____?" (Do you want to get to know the p_____?) I had no clue what that p word was, but guessed that it must have meant what I thought. And then he went on to describe, in Spanish of course, something about between the legs and where the milk comes out!! Qué barbaridad! (What an atrocious thing to say!)

On a happier note, one day I hiked to a nearby hill and met 2 girls playing outside their house: Maria and Ana, 7 and 9 years old respectively. I played played tag with the girls and they then invited me to see their dolls in their house, where I was told the parents weren't home. I hesitated for a moment, but took the chance. The girls showed their dolls, their toys and their room to me. We even played "salon de belleza" (beauty salon), to which the girls braided my hair. The moment the girl took my hair in their hands, I felt a warmth that was long forgotten. It brought me back to the moment when my mom did my hair every day before heading to school in front of the mirror. A glimpse of childhood brought upon by the pure curiosity and love of a child. My heart broke and I was so close to tears all of a sudden, completely overwhelemed by the sensation I felt. I felt such closeness, affetion without fear, without holding back anything at all. I did not want that moment to end! The feeling was stronger than me. Again and again, I am amazed at what children can do to me! Their love without bounderies and expectations is what touched me the most. The last time I felt as strongly was when I was sick in bed from vomiting throughout the night thanks to an infection. My mom woke up in the middle of the night to care for me with the kind of love and tenderness that only comes from a mother to her sick child. The love the children and that of mom's have completely broke all layers of defense I have ever built, with a single stroke. My heart was overjoyed, my soul touched and my defensive habits released its grip to savour the moments of love and playfullness. So long had I strived fo rindependance, searched for manners of doing everything on my own that, the unconditional love from a mother and the children, touched me like no other. Made me feel like, perhaps I should stop trying to do everything on my own because although we can go on solo, in the long run, we need to love and be loved. Perhaps I am so used to expect the worst and to protect myself from the world, that letting my heart open up, like that of a child or that of my dear friend Memo, is such a hard task to do. Something that should be natural from born was lost and found again, thanks to Maria, Ava, and my dear mom :)

Almost seven weeks later, goal achieved (which is to study Spanish) I was finally ready to say goodbye to Xela. This tops the most amount of time I've ever stayed in my trip thus far. Looking forward to leave Guatemala, although I was not able to see too much of the country for having sacrificed the time on the language, but then again, who said I want to follow the gringo trail to the dot? :D