Our Ecuadorian Godson's Baptism

Yupanqui

We traveled to Morochos, Ecuador for the baptism of our dear friend Aida's second child, Yupanqui. We are already godparents to his 5-year-old sister Sisa, and this was our first visit since April of 2012. The entire family traveled two hours to the new Quito airport to pick us up late at night on September 17. Our flight arrived after 11 p.m., and we needed to go through immigration, pick up checked luggage, etc. We emerged from the airport at around midnight, and the whole family was waiting for us: grandfather and family patriarch Antonio, step-grandmother Rosa, mother Aida, and her three kids: Sisa, Yupanqui, and baby Shina Tayanta. Sisa was dressed in traditional Otavalan clothes and greeted us with a big hug and kiss while squealing  "Achi Taita! Achi Mama!" ("Godfather" and "Godmother" in their native Kichwa language). She couldn't get enough hugs, and nearly bowled us over.  She was now the older sister of two younger siblings, and seems to have grown into the role quite well.

We weren't sure whether little Yupanqui, about to turn 3 in the next week, would recognize us after a year and a half. But the family had prepared him with photographs and he also ran right into our arms with no hesitation.

And then there was precious baby Shina Tayanta. Her name means "Warrior Princess." She is 14 months old, and had been completely blind for the first 6 months of her life due to congenital cataracts. At 6 months, she had surgery in Quito and is now able to see out of both eyes. Her eyes are a bit crossed and she needs to hold things very close to her face in order to see them clearly. She has a pair of glasses which she always pulls off. Antonio told us that when she is 2 or 3 years old, she will need an additional operation to replace the lenses in her eyes. It was wonderful to meet her for the first time. She is an adorable baby with a wonderfully sweet temperament. She crawls very fast and can stand up on her own. She walks when she can hold someone's hand or hold onto furniture. Much like Yupanqui on a previous visit, her only word is a very quiet "hola".

On previous visits, we had traveled to and from the airport in a small van which belonged to  a villager in Quiroga. This time, with an additional baby in the family,  we were in a very large comfortable van owned by Runa Tupari, the Otavalan tourism company that employs Antonio and family as guides and hosts for homestays.

Despite taking motion sickness medication before we arrived, Craig was feeling a little bit dizzy and nauseous as the van hurried through curvy mountainous roads.  In fact, even in the Boston and Houston airports Craig had felt a little "off", as if he was coming down with an ear infection which was affecting his balance. He had joked that he needed an alignment as he was "pulling to the right."

The house Antonio and his family built for us

Interior of our house

Interior of our house

Eucalyptus beams and bamboo ceiling

We arrived at their Morochos homestead at around 2 a.m. Antonio's mom (the kids' great-grandmother) and her dog Max met us in the street in front of the house to welcome us. Between April 2012 and now, the family has constructed a house just for us on their property, so that we can visit any time we like, or potentially even retire down there if and when the time is right. We were so humbled by their generosity. The house was gorgeous! A small brick building with a tile roof,  it was built with eucalyptus beam construction. The ceiling was made out of bamboo shoots split lengthwise and flattened. The bedroom was painted a cheerful green (my favorite color) and had two brand new comfortable beds (one single and one double). There was a nightstand between the beds, on top of which was a framed photo of Sisa's smiling face (Aida would later tell us that Sisa herself insisted that it be placed there). The floors were tiled, and we had our very own bathroom. There was even a gas water heater (the family doesn't even have one in their own house!) We were practically speechless. It was more than we ever could have imagined. We hugged the family goodnight and thanked them for the beautiful home. After our long journey, we settled in for a comfortable night's sleep by around 2:30.

When we woke up the next morning, Sisa had already left for school. She had just started kindergarten a few weeks before. Yupanqui and Tayanta were playing outside. We had a nice breakfast with the family and then played with the kids. They still had the ride-on car that had been Sisa's. Yupanqui rode on it and Tayanta pushed it from behind. It was a great way for her to practice walking. Tayanta gently touches our faces as a way to "see" us. Although she isn't walking on her own, when she wants to get someplace fast, she crawls at fast speed. She is very mobile. Maybe crawling is more comfortable because her eyes are closer to the ground and she can see obstacles more clearly. Yupanqui calls her "Mi nena", or "my baby". The family has picked this up as a nickname for her, and they call her "mi nena" almost as much as they call her Tayanta. When I started calling her "mi nena," they got a really big kick out of it.

Sisa showed up and greeted us with big hugs and kisses. It turned out hat she had left school and walked home all by herself, just to see us. She was wearing her traditional Otavalan clothes and a green sweater vest. Kids in the village wear modern casual clothes when they are very young, but once they start school they wear traditional clothing. We walked her back to school with Antonio and Yupanqui.

When we arrived, the kids were all on the playground. We figure that Sisa must have escaped during recess. Sisa played with her friends on the swings and some of the schoolchildren approached us and asked our names. We recognized Sisa's friend Natalie and said hello to her. Children were called inside by a bell that sounded eerily like an air raid siren. Sisa went into her classroom and sat at a table with one of her 10 classmates. She asked him to move so that Yupanqui could sit with her. The teacher passed out some papers for coloring. Yupanqui would be starting nursery school in a month. There was only about half an hour left in the (half) school day, so we left him there with Sisa to get used to the idea of school.

Yupanqui sitting in on Sisa's kindergarten class

We went back to the house and helped to shuck some beans in preparation for lunch. We were introduced to the large black female pig whom the family had recently bought for consumption at the baptism. She was tied to a stake in the front garden, and spent the day eating or wallowing in the dry dirt.

The fire shed that had previously been located where our house now stood had been relocated to the opposite side of the courtyard. Rosa was cooking chicha ( a fermented corn drink) in a huge pot on the fire.

Rosa cooking chicha in the fired shed

At 4:30, we headed into Cotacachi (took a car to Quiroga and then a cab the rest of the way) to meet with a deacon at the church for pre-sacrament counseling.  The church where Sisa's baptism had been performed (St. Francis) was not doing baptisms this upcoming weekend. So we would be going to Iglesia de la Matriz, the church where we had attended an outdoor Palm Sunday Mass in 2012, and in front of which Craig had danced for Inti Raymi in 2011.

We went into a room around the corner from the main church. The deacon spoke in Spanish with the attendees, some of whom were there for baptisms, some for weddings, some for First Communion, and some for Confirmation. Antonio passed in our paperwork. The kids were all really well behaved. Sisa fell asleep on Craig's lap. After the meeting we stopped into a store to buy some decorations for the baptism party. We then took the bus back to Morochos.

On Thursday, preparations for the baptism party began in earnest. Antonio, Rosa, and Aida assembled eucalyptus boards into a stage for the two bands that would be playing. They assembled it on top of the outdoor sink, which was right next to our house.

Craig was still a little unsteady on his feet, so he had to take it easy when trying to help. He had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three years ago, and we wondered if the balance problems he was having now might be related. We decided that we needed to explain his illness to the family. We had never done so before because he had never had any symptoms, and he was almost in denial that he even had the disease.

Antonio and Aida recommended against him accompanying them down to the river, as the trail was very steep.But they didn't have any qualms about him using a wheelbarrow on the dirt roads of the village. We went with Rosa and Yupanqui to a house near Sisa's school to purchase some potatoes. The woman who lived in the house opened her storeroom and extracted three 50-lb+  bags of potatoes. Craig put two bags in the wheelbarrow and wheeled them through the dusty dirt roads back to Antonio's house.

We made a second trip to get the final bag, and picked up Sisa at school at the same time. Sisa was looking all grown up with her friends, and when she saw us she broke into a run and gave us hugs and kisses. She was happy to see us and to show off her godparents to her friends. Craig took it slowly with the wheelbarrow and we made it back to the house.

We came home to find Rosa and Antonio's niece Delia and her adorable daughter Ashley. Ashley was the same age as Tayanta. The kids all played together and with an adorable kitten. Sisa brought me a potted plant with pink flowers. Aida said that Sisa had insisted that she buy it "for Achi Mama." It was very sweet.

Ashley

Yupanqui, Sisa, Tayanta

After lunch, we caught the 2:30 bus (which stops right in front of their house) to Quiroga. There we caught a second bus to Otavalo.  It is the godparents' responsibilty to provide the baptism clothes for the child, so we went to various stores in Otavalo to buy Yupanqui white pants, a white button-down shirt, and a gray hat. It was difficult to find a hat small enough for him. We would think there would be a lot of demand, as this was their traditional clothing. I also needed to buy a gold beaded necklace and coral bracelets for myself.

Once we had purchased all of the clothing and accessories, we went to a section of town where
there are lots of produce sellers. We bought a crate of tomatoes, which Antonio carried,  and a sack of onions which Craig carried. We then took all of our loot and walked to the bus station. We got onto the bus that would take us straight home to Morochos. We recognized some of the folks on the bus from previous trips. They greeted us with smiles and handshakes, and several said that they would see us on Saturday night at the party. When we got back to the house an almost full moon shone brightly through the clouds as Abuela tended the fire in the fire shed.

Abuela in the fire shed

The next day we continued with preparations for the party. In the front yard between the main house and the road, there is a garden where a bunch of felled eucalyptus trees forms a natural fence. We needed to untangle the boughs and then Craig needed to chop them with an axe or a machete so that they were suitable for firewood. The pig was tied to a stake in this garden. At one point, she went over to the "fence," chomped down on one of the trees, and dragged it out. We joked that she was a logging pig and that it was ironic that she was helping to collect the wood that she would eventually be cooked over.

Sisa

A couple of young men arrived in a truck and assembled a tent over the patio in case of rain. The climate had been very dry for the season, but Antonio didn't want to take chances. The tent had two layers and was waterproof.

Later in the morning, a village man arrived to dispatch with the pig. At Sisa's baptism, this had been taken care of off-premises. But today it was going to happen here. We wanted to witness the process. Although it is not pleasant to watch, we felt that as meat-eaters who would eventually partake of the pork, we needed to be realistic about the way that the pig was processed.

The pig was laying down and the man pulled on it by its tail which made it stand up.
The man tied each of the pigs' legs. It made blood-curdling screeches. Once the pig was tied, Rosa and her sister toppled it over onto its side and held it down. The man stabbed the pig in the aorta / heart and it bled out. Yupanqui watched the whole process quietly. Shina Tayanta, on Aida's back, started to cry.

They placed two wood planks on cinder blocks and put the pig's body on top of them. They placed a large rock in the pig's mouth. They plugged up the hole in the aorta with a corn cob. Next, the guy used a propane powered blow torch to burn the hair off of the pig. It was a long process, and the smell of burnt hair hung in the air. Next, the women took knives and scraped the burnt hair off of the skin. After turning the pig over to get at every angle, they laid the pig on its back and used a hammer and knife to split open its chest. Sisa arrived home from school during this process. They used a hose to run water through its internals. They accidentally punctured an organ,so they needed to clean it up quickly. They removed the internal organs and put them into a plastic tub. Women at the back water spigot processed these organs.

The pig

Craig and a local young man named Henry hung up streamers and ribbons from the tent. The wind made it challenging. They needed to actually sew them to the tent liner, which is not Craig's forte. Women were peeling potatoes over by the fire shed. More and more people arrived to help out. Rosita and her daughters Natalie and Eileen were there. Eileen was just an infant the last time we saw her. The kids all had fun playing together and posing for photos.

Rosita, Eileen, Delia, Ashley, Natalie

The pig emerged from the front yard laying on its stomach on a big iron skillet, balanced on top of a wheelbarrow. They parked the wheelbarrow over near the house to await further preparations. Tayanta was crawling around the patio. Every time she went near the wheelbarrow, I instinctively ran over to make sure she didn't somehow tip it onto herself. This pig weighed several hundred pounds and it was perched rather precariously on the wheelbarrow.

Craig and I were sitting on the patio playing with the little kitten. Sisa came over and picked up the kitten. The kitten ran away and stopped under the safety of the wheelbarrow. Sisa went to retrieve the kitten and while she was standing up, she steadied herself using the wheelbarrow. It happened in slow motion. The wheelbarrow tipped, and the pig flew through the air, crashing down on the cement patio and splattering blood in a 10-foot radius. Everything stopped as everyone assessed the situation. It was so lucky that the pig didn't fall on a child; it could probably have killed them. The kitten also escaped harm. Nervous laughter erupted once everyone realized nobody was hurt. Craig helped the women to heft up the pig and put it back on its perch. This time they leaned the wheelbarrow against the house. Henry got buckets of water to wash a huge puddle of blood off of the patio.

Later Delia and Rosa brought out knives and they stabbed the pig repeatedly. They then took a green vegetable mixture which looked like pesto sauce and slathered it over the pig's skin and stuffed it in the knife holes. They needed even more fire wood than we had cut from the eucalyptus pile out front. Craig used the wheelbarrow to shuttle wood from the back wood shed to the fire shed. Then he took a couple of wheelbarrows-full to a neighbor's house. Craig gave Yupanqui a ride home in the wheelbarrow.

Craig gives Yupanqui a ride home in the wheelbarrow

We picked tree tomato fruit and lemons from the trees on their property. It was always nice to consume produce that they grew themselves in their gardens. Neighbors and friends congregated in the fire shed, eating mote (boiled corn kernels) and potatoes and drinking chicha. Everyone who was helping with preparations was fed this hearty meal. Antonio told us that he had taken two American tourists on a hike around Lago Cuicocha today. One of the women was very interested in Kichwa culture, so he had invited her to the baptism and party. He said that she would be arriving at around 2 the next afternoon. We went to bed on the early side, as tomorrow would be a long day of partying.

At 2 a.m., Craig woke up very dizzy and vomiting. He could barely walk and he couldn't hold down food or water. He got a fitful sleep, and I got up at 7:30 and informed the family. They assumed that the chicha hadn't agreed with him. Aida immediately made him some medicinal teas to settle his stomach - one for vomiting and one for diarrhea. She gathered the ingredients from various plants on the property. Craig wasn't sure that it was something as simple as something he had eaten.. He felt that something much bigger was wrong with his vision and balance.

We were hoping that he would recover in time for the baptism. Antonio said that the baptsim was at 4 p.m. in Cotacachi, and that we would be leaving the house at around 3. I played with the kids a bit while Craig rested. He tried eating some bread and cookies, but he couldn't even keep water down.

I was trying not to panic, doing what needed to be done. I got both of our clothes ready to go. Soon it was 11 o'clock, and then noon. Antonio asked if we wanted to go to the hospital in Cotacachi. At first we thought that there was no way that we could possibly do that and still make it to the church on time. As time went on and his condition wasn't improving, he thought that he would at least give it a try; it would be his last ditch attempt. If it didn't work, then at least he would know that he had tried everything possible to get better.

I told Antonio we would like to go to the hospital, and he called a car. I helped Craig to get to the shower and he could hardly walk. Antonio came to tell us that the car was here, so I hurried Craig out of the shower. I packed a bag with Craig's MS medication, our passports, money to pay for the hospital, etc. We were becoming connoisseurs of foreign hospitals, having had to hospitalize Craig in Vietnam earlier in the year, so I knew just what to pack.

"We don't even have a translator this time!" Craig was obviously worried. "We'll get by somehow," I reassured him, though I was also worried myself. I had been stuudying up on Spanish, but it is always difficult to explain the nuances of MS in a country where it is not endemic (for some reason there is no MS in tropical latitudes) with my limited grammar and vocabulary.

I opened the door to our cottage and looked outside to see the car waiting for us in the driveway. Then I saw Felipe. He was our guide who originally came with us to Antonio's house 3 years ago, and he had come to Sisa's baptism as well. We knew that we would be seeing him at some point during the trip, but the fact that he arrived just now, when we needed a translator, was a miracle. Due to bureaucratic changes in cell phone laws in Ecuador, everyone's number now had an extra digit, and Antonio and Felipe had been unable to contact each other by phone. We had last corresponded with Felipe before we left home. Felipe and his lovely wife Maria Jose had driven 3 or 4 hours from their home without knowing the timing of the baptism.

When I saw Felipe I was so relieved that I started to tear up. Everything would be alright, and he would know what to do. He took one look at Craig and asked what was the matter. We explained the situation to him briefly and he helped Craig into his car. He and Maria Jose would take us to the hospital themselves. Antonio accompanied us as well. The tourist woman arrived at the house at about this time. I said a quick hello and explained what was happening as I hopped into the car.

When we got to the hospital, they brought Craig into a triage room and got him settled in a bed. They gave him an IV immediately. He started to vomit again. They said that he was on the verge of hypothermia, so Felipe covered him with his survival jacket  in addition to the hospital blankets.. Only one person was allowed to stay with him, so Felipe stayed to translate. I waited in the waiting area and Maria Jose waited in the car (expecting a baby, she wisely chose to avoid exposure to hospital germs). Antonio left to go to back to the house to get things set up for his band. He and Felipe made sure they had one another's updated phone numbers. Felipe filled out the paperwork for me. Then he suggested that he, Maria Jose, and I go out for lunch while Craig rehydrates.

Craig gets an IV in the Cotacachi public hospital

Felipe and Maria Jose at Restaurant El Leñador

We went to a restaurant where he often takes clients,  El Leñador. We had a nice light lunch and it was nice to get to catch up with them since we hadn't seen them in two years. It also helped to distract and de-stress my mind somewhat.

After lunch, Felipe and Maria Jose dropped me back at the hospital while they did some errands. They finished up Craig's second IV and then they discharged him. I asked what we owed for treatment, and they said nothing. It turns out that it was a public hospital. They gave him rehydration salts, prescribed bed rest, and sent us on our way.

We walked out to the waiting area. Craig almost fell over when trying to walk to a chair. Despite the fact that he was now hydrated, he still was not well.  Felipe and Maria Jose arrived and picked us up. It was now 3:30. We could go straight to the church (and arrange for someone to bring our special clothes) or we could drive back to the house and risk being very late.

Felipe's honest opinion was that Craig was in no shape to attend the baptism  (though he said that if Craig wanted to try he, he could drive him home if there was trouble). Craig was afraid that he baptism wouldn't be allowed to go forward if he was absent. Felipe said that it could still happen without him if I attended. As much as we didn't want to go forward without Craig, we needed to. We had come down here specifically for the baptism, and there was no way we could postpone it.

When we pulled up in front of the house at 3:50, Aida, Tayanta, and other family members were waiting at the road for a ride to town. The American tourist was with them as well, and  Rosa had lent her some of her traditional clothes to wear.

Felipe got Craig settled in bed. Craig got sick again, so we were glad he had opted not to go to the church. Meanwhile, I grabbed my clothes and ran into the house where Rosa and her friend dressed me. Yupanqui kept stealing my belt, bracelets, etc. to play with them. It is a complicated outfit. They wrapped me in the various layers of long wool skirts, securing them with two woven belts. Rosa had embroidered me a gorgeous white blouse. She had planned to do a final fitting earlier today, but I had been at the hospital. So she made her best guess. It was a bit big in the shoulders, but otherwise it fit fine. The detailed embroidered flowers were very bright and cheerful. Rosa had made a matching blouse for Sisa. They tied a sash over my shoulder. They wrapped my hair in a woven tie and put on my necklace. Then they wrapped my wrists in the coral bracelets. They tied a kerchief around my head, put my shoes on, and I was ready to go.

At 4 o'clock, Sisa, Yupanqui, Rosa, and I rode with Felipe and Maria Jose (Abuela and the other woman who dressed me sat in the back of Felipe's pickup). Rosa directed Felipe through some short cuts to get to the church quickly. Mass was already starting as we left the house. We came upon some kind of game being played in one of the streets, so we had to take a quick detour.

Steph, Rosa, Sisa, and Yupanqui

Sisa on the ride to church

Yupanqui changes clothes on the church steps

As we pulled up to Iglesia de la Matriz, we saw Antonio holding a plastic bag filled with Yupanqui's clothes. They stripped him down to his undies on the front steps of the church, and dressed him in his white pants, white button down shirt, and white shoes. They needed to do this last minute so that he wouldn't get them dirty. They put the small gray hat on his head. He looked like a little man! Aida came over and handed me a baptism candle and a rosary for me to hang around Yupanqui's neck.

We rushed into the church and we got settled near the front, off to the right side, behind a pole. I got a tear in my eye as I thought of Craig, who was missing this whole event. I gave my camera to Maria Jose, and she and Felipe stood off to the side taking pictures. We would at least see to it that Craig would be able to see it after the fact.

I sat between Aida and Antonio, with Yupanqui on my lap. He wouldn't wear his hat. I was holding the rosary and he fidgeted with it, making one end come apart. Aida somehow managed to put it back together, though it was now one bead shy. She was definitely a master at multitasking.

The Mass drew to a close, and the priest called up anyone who would be celebrating a sacrament. There were marriages, baptisms, first Communions, and Confirmations.  When it was our turn, I picked up Yupanqui and Aida and I stood before the priest at the baptismal font. The priest anointed Yupanqui with the sign of the cross. I held him over the font and the priest poured holy water on his forehead. Yupanqui cried, but quickly got over it. The priest also blessed the baptismal candle and Yupanqui's hat.

After everyone was done with their sacraments, each party got a chance to take photos in front of the altar. A woman took a sleeping baby off of her back. It turned out to be Tayanta, who was dressed in a tiny blouse and traditional skirts. The woman handed her to Aida.  The church was very beautiful. We took some photos with Aida, Rosa, Antonio, the kids, and myself. Then Antonio called Abuela and the American tourist into the picture. I couldn't help but wish that Craig was there with us.

Sisa had been extremely well behaved during the whole Mass and baptism. She blew off a little extra energy by rolling around on the red carpet behind the altar.  Barefooted great-grandmother Abuela then dropped to the rug and started rolling around with a huge smile on her face and a gleam in her eye. Craig would never believe this!

Antonio, Steph, and Yupanqui in church

Yupanqui is baptized

The priest blesses the baptism candle

Tayanta, Aida, Rosa, Sisa, Steph, Yupanqui, Antonio

Abuela, Tayanta, Aida, Rosa, Sisa, Steph, Yupanqui, Antonio, Gina

We exited the church and sat out front to wait for the bus that would take the guests to the party.  The American woman introduced herself as Gina. She and I started to chat. She used to live in Ecuador 23 years ago, and was now visiting again. When I got onto the bus, everyone waved me to the front. I tried to sit on the bulkhead, but they ushered me to a seat right next to the driver.  Antonio passed Yupanqui to me. They all directed Gina to sit in the front next to me. She and I started to chat. Natalie and some other little girls kept tapping me from behind and giggling.  Before I knew it, Yupanqui was fast asleep on my lap. The bus stopped in Quiroga for a few minutes. As we approached Morochos, the driver blared the horn to alert the people at the house that we had returned.

The whole family came in to our cottage to see Craig. Sisa and Yupanqui each gave him a bouquet of white and red carnations and gave him a big hug. The rest of the family gave him hugs, and we all remarked on how sorry we were that he was unable to attend the ceremony and the party. Aida wanted to rub the baptism candle along Craig's body. Since it had been blessed by the priest, Aida hoped that it could contribute to his healing.

Felipe and Maria Jose couldn't stay for the party; they had a multi-hour drive home. But they had arrived at the best possible time - to help us at the hospital, and to take photos at the church since I couldn't take any myself. They hated to leave with Craig still sick, but we were so grateful for everything they had done. We said our goodbyes.

Yupanqui sleeps on Steph's lap on the bus ride home

The kids give carnations to Achi Taita

The family went outside to host the party, and I stayed with Craig for a few more minutes.
I gave him a rundown of  everything that had happened so far. He was happy to hear that Gina was there, so I would have someone with whom I could speak English. He said he wanted to meet her, so I brought her into our little house. Craig introduced himself and asked her to be his surrogate at the party. She joked that we didn't have to be her friend just because she was the only other gringo there. We had a nice little chat, and then she and I went out to join the party.

Chasqui Ñan

There were amps placed around the yard, and Antonio's band, Chasqui Ñan, had set up their instruments right on the porch of our little house. Craig would certainly be able to enjoy the live music from his bed.

The dining room table was against the main house on the patio. Gina and I sat there and were surrounded by little girls. Sisa and her posse of friends were drawing pictures on napkins, dancing around, and just generally having a good time. People were sitting on white plastic chairs (rented specially for the occasion) eating fresh pork, mote, and potatoes. Antonio brought me corn soup. 

Chasqui Ñan played lively Andean traditional music. Gina danced with Natalie. I went in and out of  Craig's room to check on him and give him updates. Each time I had to squeeze past the musicians while not tripping on their electrical cords. The family had gotten me a plate of pork, mote, and potatoes. Gina told me that it had gotten cold while I was inside, and that the family had said that eating it cold wasn't healthy. So I brought it inside and zapped it in the microwave. The pork was so juicy and delicious - it was a shame that Craig's stomach was upset. He had been looking forward to this extremely fresh delicacy.

The little girls kept posing for photos. Men started circulating with alcohol. They each had a bottle and a plastic cup. Some had beer,  some had "passionfruit" (a spicy liquor served warm), and some had other liquors. They would come to each person and offer them a drink. The person may in turn ask them to take a drink too. And of course there was the obligatory splash on the ground, an offering for Pachamama.

Antonio and Gina

Party guests

Gina and Natalie dance to Chasqui Ñan

The kitchen crew

Generation Tropical

Sisa, Eileen, and Natalie

Party guests dancing to Generation Tropical

After Chasqui Ñan finished their set, the second band started. They were called Generation Tropical, and they played dance music with a Latin flair.  Each song was infinite. I would be so tired after dancing to one song that I would then go in and visit Craig for the duration of the next song. This meant that I went in to see him approximately every half hour.

Antonio, Sisa, and I danced together holding hands in a circle. Then Yupanqui and some of the other little kids stood in the middle as we danced encircling them. Everyone was enjoying drinking and dancing. The emcee seemed to think we were from New York City, as he randomly interjected the city's name throughout the course of the evening.

People were asking me how Craig was doing. They were all very kind. Gina was a very good companion, though she went to bed at around 11:30, leaving me on my own. Sisa, Yupanqui, and Tayanta all melted down at once, screaming and crying in their overtiredness. Rosa and Aida put them to bed.  Soon Antonio joined them.

The party was still going strong outside. I danced with various people, including Rosa's brother Juan.
By 2 o'clock in the morning, dancing consisted of holding your partner up so that they don't take a faceplant on the dance floor. I decided that it was time to go to bed. The music continued full volume  until around 5:45. There was a glorious 15 minutes of silence, followed by CD's. So suffice it to say, neither one of us got much sleep.

I was sad that Craig had missed out on the fun.  By this time Craig himself was totally at peace with the fact that he had missed the baptism and party. There was no way that he could have participated, feeling as badly as he still did. He was just happy that everything had been allowed to proceed without him, and that we were still Yupanqui's godparents.

I got up at around 10:30 a.m. and wandered outside. Gina had already left via cab an hour earlier. There were a hard-core few partiers who had never left. They were still drinking alcohol and eating leftover pork and mote. Antonio called to me - Felipe was on the phone. I talked to him and gave him the update on the party and Craig's condition. I got myself a plate of pork and sat outside to eat it.

There was no running water this morning. The rooftop water tank needed to be refilled. It was a casualty of the party.

We had brought three small wooden puzzles for the kids. They only had four pieces. I gave one to Tayanta to see if she liked it. It turned out that Yupanqui and Sisa were very interested, so I gave them each one. They were very excited.

Aida brought out some chicken soup for me and delivered some to Craig in his room. His stomach seemed to have settled down, and he devoured the delicious soup.

I decided to try to write up the baptism in my journal (I hadn't done it at 2 in the morning when I went to bed). Sisa was interested in what I was doing and went to get her diary. She got a pen and started drawing shapes. I realized that I was not paying enough attention to her, so I put the notebook away and we played together. Sisa went inside to get colored pencils. I traced the puzzle pieces and then colored in the drawings. Sisa looked at the picture of the parrot.  In Spanish, she said, "My parrot's dead. He's buried over there (points to the garden). The pig is dead too. He's in here (points to her stomach)." She cracked me up. Yupanqui came over to join us coloring.

Tayanta and Aida

Sisa and Tayanta play with puzzles

The kids came into our room to see Craig several times throughout the day. They held his hands and danced with him, and they brought the little gray kitten to him. We gave the kids a granola bar, and Yupanqui noticed the chocolate cookie bars we had gotten on the plane. I gave each kid half of my cookie bar. We told them that we had gotten it on the plane and they found that very exciting..

At 5 o'clock, I went with Aida to deliver leftovers to friends and relatives within the community. She carried two 3-liter bottles of soda on her back and 2 trays of eggs in her hands. I carried two bundles of pork. Sisa and Yupanqui came with us. We walked all the way up the hill and through a field to deliver the food to two houses. The late afternoon light was gorgeous, and the sunset on the volcanoes was breathtaking. As it got dark, Aida pointed out fire on the side of Imbabura volcano in the distance. It looked like orange lava and engulfed half of the volcano.

When we got back to the house, I loaded up the photos from the trip so far onto my netbook. Craig tried to look at them but he was getting dizzy. He hadn't been able to get up other than to go the bathroom all day. After a quick dinner (we brought his to the room for him), everyone crashed early tonight, as nobody had gotten a good night's sleep while the party was going on.

Yupanqu, Sisa, and Achi Taita

The next day was Yupanqui's third birthday. Craig was feeling a bit better and decided to venture out today. Running water had been restored, and Craig was able to shave. There had been a young man at the party who had been filming with a HandiCam all night. The family had borrowed the camera and  we were able to download the footage to our netbook. We sat at the dining room table and watched the footage with Aida, Rosa, and Yupanqui.

After breakfast, we sat outside and played with Yupanqui and Tayanta. When Sisa arrived home from school, her face lit up when she saw Craig outside. "Achi Taita, esta bien? (Godfather, are you well?)" she asked with delight. We gave her and Yupanqui coloring books and crayons, and they sat with us outside coloring.

Craig and Yupanqui

Sisa is happy that Achi Taita is feeling better

A group of guys in a truck came and disassembled the tent. We showed Sisa and Antonio videos of Sisa's baptism and our visit in 2010. When they saw airplane footage, the kids said that we must have gotten chocolate there. They forever would associate chocolate with airplanes because of the cookie bar that we gave them from our flight to Quito. It was so cute!

Craig was definitely well hydrated at this point, but he still wasn't feeling any better in terms of dizziness and balance. He was seeing double at times, which he knew is a symptom usually correlated with MS.


Aida had gotten Yupanqui a birthday cake today, but he fell asleep before dinner. Craig hadn't gotten sick since Saturday, and his appetite was now fully back. He was able to enjoy the long-awaited much-anticipated pork for dinner. The family still enjoyed the cake even though Yupanqui wasn't awake to see it.

Steph and Sisa

Steph and Tayanta

On our last day, we woke up at around 7 o'clock and joined the family for breakfast at 8 o'clock. Then we went back to our room to get packed up. Craig was feeling pretty dizzy, so he napped while I packed. We had hoped that his health would continue to improve, but today he was already feeling worse than yesterday. We wondered how we would ever get him home.

I helped Antonio and Aida clean the party chairs. Sisa arrived home at 11:45. She had cried at school because her Achi Taita was sick. They soon got out the remainder of Yupanqui's cake, put a candle shaped like a 3 on top, and lit the candle. Aida pushed Yupanqui's face down in the frosting.The kids basically stripped the cake of frosting.

Yupanqui's birthday cake

Craig had to eat his lunch in our room; he was too dizzy to get up. The kids kept coming into the room to play with Craig. Aida and Tayanta took the 2:30 bus. We didn't know where they were going, but we hoped they would be back before our van came at 6:30. Rosa took my new blouse, ripped out the seams, added a ribbon accent, and tailored it for me.

We were scheduled to fly on a red-eye tonight. Craig's condition had persisted long enough that we were now pretty sure it was an MS thing rather than a bad reaction to drinking chicha. We thought back to his unsteadiness at the airport before we had even left the United States. We had mistaken it for an ear problem, but it seemed to be more than that. Though Craig was diagnosed with MS 3 years ago, he has never suffered an actual "attack" until now. We knew that we needed to get him home to see his neurologist. But it was a long way home, and we didn't know how well his body would tolerate the trip.

Aida and Tayanta arrived home, and the whole family gathered at Craig's bedside. Antonio explained that Aida had gone all the way to Otavalo to pray for Craig in a specific church. The family was worried about him and wanted to do everything they could to try to make him well.

Just before 6:30, the van arrived. The family walked Craig to the car, holding him up. We got settled and took the 2 hour ride to the airport. Craig was afraid that he would get motion sickness, but he managed to keep it under control for the duration of the ride. When we arrived at the airport, I got a cart for our bags. We would be checking both big bags on the way home; there was no way that I could manage both of them with Craig out of commission.  Aida and Antonio got on either side of Craig and held him up, helping him walk inside the terminal. I asked someone for a wheelchair, and he said it would be about 5 minutes. The ticket counter was just opening for our flight, and when the wheelchair arrived, a man motioned for us to come up to the counter. Goodbyes are always too rushed at airports, and this was no exception. We could tell how worried the family was about Craig, and I'm sure that they were doubtful that we would make it all the way home, as he was still so sick.
I asked the guy at the counter whether I could pre-order wheelchairs to meet us in Houston and Boston. He entered it into the computer and gave me a receipt. If this actually worked like it was supposed to, it would be a major help.

A man was assigned to Craig's wheelchair, and he wheeled Craig through immigration and security, right to the gate. He even waited with us until the flight boarded, and he wheeled Craig to the bathroom, which was quite convenient. We were able to board early, and the man wheeled him down the gangway right to the door of the plane. Craig was able to walk to his seat by holding on to seats as he passed them.

Though he was uncomfortable, he managed to just relax for the duration of the flight. We waited until everyone had deplaned. When we got off the plane, there was a cheerful man with a wheelchair waiting for us. He brought us through immigration, baggage, and security. We re-checked our bags and then he brought us to the gate.  One more leg to go! Craig was allowed to board early again. We were amazed at how smoothly it had all worked.

When we arrived in Boston, another wheelchair was ready for us. The wheelchair attendant helped us to get our bags and then took us outside, where Steve picked us up. From door to door, our house in Ecuador to our house in Massachusetts,  18 hours had elapsed. Craig had never been so happy to sleep in his own bed.

As soon as we got home I called his neurologist and made an appointment for the next day. When his neurologist saw him, she was shocked that he was in a wheelchair. But after talking to him she said that this was a textbook MS presentation. She admitted him to the hospital for 5 days, followed by 8 days of rehab and physical therapy. The doctors expect a full recovery, and he has already made a lot of progress. But for now he is not able to work or drive until he gets steadier on his feet.

Rosa, Yupanqui, Sisa, Antonio, Aida (with Tayanta on her back)

4th of July in Guatemala

Steph and Aracely

We just returned from spending six wonderful days with Humberto and Paulina's family in Panajachel ,Guatemala. It had been a full year since our prior visit, which is far too long; the children grow quickly and we like to see them as often as possible.

The trip got off to an inauspicious start on the 4th of July. Our flight was at 8 am, and I meant to set our alarm for 3:45. But somehow I miscalculated in my head and set it for 4:45. We woke up and took our showers and got ready to go, only realizing that we were an hour late when it hit 5:45. I realized that we had meant to arrive at the airport by at least 6 o'clock. We immediately panicked and ran out the door. We were so flustered by this that Craig missed the exit on the drive to the airport. Luckily he was able to take the next one without losing much time. We arrived at Logan Airport at 6:30. Not too bad, considering. We had made up half an hour.

We had checked in and printed our boarding passes at home the previous night. But since we had a bag of presents for the kids that we needed to check, they made us re-check in at a kiosk. Craig was completely overheated due to the stressful morning, so much so that an airport employee suggested he go outside to get some air. As we were in the throes of a 6 day heat wave (over 90 degrees), we decided that wasn't the best idea.

There was a very short line at security and we made it through quickly. We had time to eat breakfast at the food court, and we got to our departure gate in plenty of time.

The flight was uneventful except for our seat mate, a pretty young woman from Germany who rested her bare toes on the top of my water bottle and then proceeded to spill a cup of Sprite on my lap. More bad luck.


We arrived in Miami and after a very short layover we were on our way to Guatemala City. When we landed, immigration went fairly quickly, but our checked bag seemed to be one of the last off the plane. Then we were delayed in a big customs line.


Luckily, after this point, things turned around for the better. Adrin, who had driven us several times before, was there to pick us up at the airport. The road was in good shape despite some intermittent rain, and we made it to Panajachel in under 3 hours.

When we arrived, it was just before 5 o'clock and it was pouring rain. Aracely was sitting in the office playing on the computer and she ran out to meet us. She greeted us with big hugs telling us how much she loved us and had missed us. At first glance it was remarkable how much she looked like Yoselin had at her age. Aracely was now almost 8 years old. She had grown taller and her hair was now a lot longer.  She also had a beautiful smile, showing off her adult teeth to us for the first time.

The kids' cousins Julisse, Andrik, and Neli came over with Eddy in tow. Eddy was such a little man! Humberto and Paulina arrived and we sat in the office chatting. Yoselin and Yasmin showed up, both looking much taller than they had last year. In fact they were almost as tall as Paulina now.The kids' cousin Rocio stopped in to say hello, and it was the first time we had seen her in about a year and a half.

Vanesa arrived in her uniform for tourism school, looking very professional and grown  up. Aracely was patiently waiting for gifts, and suggested several times to take our bags and go to our room to speed up the process.

Vanesa in her school uniform

When we did go to the room, we walked down the alleyway and passed through the bamboo gate. Humberto had installed paver stones leading to the house and guest rooms. Our room had an additional table and chair, and there were Mayan huipiles (embroidered blouses) being used as tablecloths. Each time we visit, Humberto and Paulina have always made more improvements to the property and the rooms. It is a very comfortable place to stay, and they now operate as a bed and breakfast with private en suites.

Yasmin and Yoselin had moved into one of the guest rooms since our last visit. Now only Aracely and Eddy slept in the main house with Paulina and Humberto. We got settled in and then headed over to the main house. The kids were gathered around the dining room table watching TV. The orange color of the walls had been changed to cream in the dining room. Paola got home from school and then all 6 kids were home together.

We had a very tasty dinner of chicken in a salsa sauce with rice, carrots, and squash. Aracely wrote us notes in Spanish and passed them to us across the table. Eddy even wrote "ABC" on a note, and he was very cuddly. He had just finished a year of English immersion preschool at Atitlan Multicultural Academy, where Aracely had just finished first grade. Humberto and Paulina told us that since finishing the school year, Eddy had not wanted to get up or eat at normal times, saying he was on his "vacaciones."

Humberto and Eddy

The older girls were still in school (their school year runs from January to October), so we needed to let them get to bed. Humberto told us that he and Paulina would be taking us, Aracely, and Eddy to Quetzaltenango tomorrow to visit an animal market.

The next morning, Adrin arrived in the van to pick us up at 6 am. We drove for two hours to San Francisco el Alto, a town on the outskirts of Quetzaltenango. Paulina and Humberto had come here by chicken bus before, but this was the first time for us and the kids.

We walked up a hill to a market area where people were selling cows, chickens, baby chicks, turkeys, pigs, cats, goats, dogs, and rabbits. Eddy and Aracely really enjoyed seeing the animals. We asked Aracely which she liked best and she said the dogs. We knew she had been wanting one since their lovable dog Terry had passed away last year. Aracely and Eddy got to feed some grass to a cow, and Eddy held on to a kitten on a leash.

Eddy, Humberto, Craig, Aracely, and Paulina at the animal market

Eddy and Aracely feeding a calf

We walked through the crowded alleyways of the market, being pushed and pulled by the throngs of locals in traditional dress. We always try not to be in the way, but here it was inevitable. We had to push our way through at the risk of being pushed over and trampled by the mobs.

We were pretty much the only gringos in the entire market. We know that thievery and pick-pocketing are common in these conditions, and we had tried to do our best defensively to prevent it.  I had two extra rechargeable camera batteries in a cargo pocket in my pants that buttoned securely. Craig had his backpack, but all that was in there was sunscreen, bottled water, and light jackets. Still, he carried it on his front when in the crowded areas.

Eddy with a puppy

Humberto bought us each a piece of cornbread cooked in corn husks, similarly to how tamales are cooked. It was very tasty. We then stopped at a little stand that was selling breakfast. We sat on wooden benches with locals at a table. We were served barley tea and black beans, rice, and tortillas. The locals smiled at us and wished us buen provecho.

After breakfast, we went into the San Francisco church.  San Francisco is the patron saint of many towns here; it seems that every town has a San Francisco church. This church was gorgeous and had nice silver work on the altar. There were  many carved religious icons which looked antique. While sitting in the pew admiring the architecture,  I realized that my cargo pocket was unbuttoned. My extra batteries were gone. It wasn't the end of the world, as I had more back at the house. I hoped that the one currently in my camera would last for the remainder of today's excursion.

I suppose it was possible that the batteries had fallen out somehow, but it didn't seem likely. The pocket had been securely buttoned. I thought back to some of the locals who had pushed against me in the narrow aisles of the market and wondered if someone had pick-pocketed me. At least we didn't have something far more important stolen. I felt disappointed. In all of our  trips to Guatemala (of which this was the 10th), we had never been robbed, though we had witnessed some pickpocketing at Easter time, and know full well that it goes on.

We went out into the church courtyard, which was quite nicely landscaped. We climbed up a set of narrow concrete spiral stairs up to the roof of the church. There was a beautiful view of the surrounding area, as well as a bell structure. We could see nearby Santa Maria volcano, and we could see the city of Quetzaltenango down below. We enjoyed the view, and then climbed back down the spiral stairs.

Craig and Aracely

Craig on the roof of Iglesia San Francisco

As we stood in front of the church, Eddy decided that he wanted to have his shoes shined. He stood with one foot at a time up on the shoe shiners' wooden box and got his shoes buffed a shiny black. Little man indeed!

We walked back out through the crowded market streets. An elderly woman in traditional dress brazenly reached right into Craig's empty pants pocket! He noticed and looked at her sternly. She proceeded to then try to open the zippers on his backpack as she retreated. Really?? We were now pretty much sure that the batteries hadn't just fallen out.

It wasn't the loss of batteries that bothered me. They were easy enough to replace at home. What bothered me was the resulting loss of innocence. We have such respect for the Mayans and their culture, and we try to travel in a sustainable manner. Yet poverty drives people to desperation and we are reminded that we need to be even more careful than we already try to be.

Adrin picked us up and drove us a short distance to Quetzaltenango, known locally as Xela (Shell-ah). Adrin dropped us off at the main square, which contained a beautiful park and some stunning colonial architecture. Humberto told us that Xela is a center of learning in Guatemala. It has universities and a laid-back feel, and was much safer than Guatemala City. The  park had Greek columns and a rotunda, and there had been a roof for shade before it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1902. We spent half an hour in the park and Eddy chased the pigeons.

Quetzaltenango

Paulina, Aracely, Craig, Humberto, and Eddy in Quetzaltenango

Adrin needed to be back in Pana by 2:30, so he picked us up after half an hour. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today. We were in the highlands and the family felt chilly, but it was refreshingly cool for Craig and myself. Most of us slept on the ride back to Pana.

Once we got back to the house, Yoselin and Yasmin were home from school, and Vanesa and Paola had recently left for school. Paulina offered us lunch but we were too full from the market. We ate an orange instead, while the kids ate. We gave the kids a Crayola activity book with markers. Aracely and Yoselin played with it, and they were quite concerned with doing it "right" (i.e. copying the colors exacty from teh packaging rather than trying to be creative about it. ) Part of the activity required them to draw something from their imaginations, and they faithfully did those parts last.

Their cousin Josue came over and played with Eddy. Aracely asked if I had brought my little netbook computer this time. I went to get it and they were looking at some photos and videos. Josue asked for "the one where Vanesa says hola". I knew exactly what he was talking about, I couldn't believe it. It had been over a year since he had even seen that video on my computer. He was talking about "Wiggles, a video compilations I had made from footage of the kids a few years ago. The kids watched it and were amused seeing their younger selves.

Humberto told us that they had to go to Vanesa's tourism school to pick up her report card. They invited us to go, and he, Paulina, Eddy, Aracely, Craig and I piled into a tuk-tuk. It was so crowded that Humberto called it a "chicken tuk-tuk" as a play on the ubiquitous and always overcrowded Central American chicken bus.

Chicken tuk-tuk: Aracely, Paulina, Eddy, Steph, Craig  Not pictured: Humberto and driver

Unlike the elementary school, Vanesa's school was not especially close to the house. The tuk-tuk drove us upstream and over the bridge to an area where we had never been before.
It dropped us off in front of the school gate. Humberto knocked on the door and we were let into the courtyard. Vanesa was standing on a balcony with some friends, and she waved to us.

The principal gave Vanesa's report card to Humberto and Paulina.  Vanesa came down to say hello. We didn't want to embarrass her in front of her peers, but she came over on her own accord and hugged us, which was very nice.  We said goodbye to Vanesa and left her to finish her day.

We walked all the way home, over the bridge and towards the market. Humberto pointed out the middle school that Paola attends, and we peeked into its darkened courtyard. The students had all gone home.

We almost didn't recognize the market at this time of day. We usually go with Paulina in the morning when it is full of sellers and shoppers. Now there were few stalls open. We stopped at one and Humberto and Paulina ordered us a warm chocolate rice drink (it tasted and had the texture of rice krispies which had been sitting in milk for a long time.) It was good - chocolatey, warm, and hearty. It seemed particularly Mayan to us.

They also ordered us each a tostada (hard tortilla covered with half guacamole and half salsa, with grated cheese on top) and we also shared a pupusa (soft tortilla with cheese inside, topped with cabbage). Each was purchased from a different stall. Aracely got fries from a chicken vendor. As is Guatemalan tradition, she slathered them in ketchup and mayo. She let us each try one and they were quite good.

Steph, Aracely, Eddy, Paulina, Craig

Snacks at the market

We walked back to the house, where Yasmin was coloring in the Crayola book. When she was done Humberto looked at it with Eddy and asked him questions about the pictures. He was able to identify objects in English, even knowing the word tractor when Humberto couldn't come up with it. Her named the colors and also identified a fish. Aracely played on the computer and they watched Wiggles , Take Care of All of My Children,  and New Years 2012, videos we had compiled from footage from past visits. It was bittersweet to see images of the kids' grandmother, who had passed away last August, and David, their young cousin who passed away last July.

We heard noise in the kitchen and realized that what we had eaten at the market was not dinner; it had been a snack. "We eat all the time," Humberto joked. But it's true. Luckily dinner was a bowl of homemade chicken soup which we were able to finish despite our earlier "snack". The family watched some TV and we went to bed at 10:30.

Steph and Eddy

On Saturday, Humberto was taking some clients out on a Mayan village tour. We were able to see him before he left for the day. Paulina made us scrambled eggs with black beans and cheese, along with coffee, for breakfast with Aracely and Eddy. As usual, it was delicious. The other girls eventually woke up and Josue came over and looked at pictures on the computer.

At 10:30, we headed to the market with Paulina, Paola, Aracely, and Eddy. We stopped at a barber shop to get Eddy's hair cut. Though he can be a very intense and energetic kid, he sat perfectly still for his haircut with clippers and a straight razor. After that we headed to the market and bought fresh fruits, vegetables, and supplies for a dinner party tonight with Humberto's neighbor nephews and their families.

Eddy's  haircut

Buying veggies at the market

When we got back to the house we sat outside and ate some pitaya. It was incredibly juicy and delicious.We had a nice lunch of salad with fresh avocado and cheese, with fresh pineapple juice to drink. Craig and I took showers so that we would be ready for the evening. Aracely colored in the Crayola book. Paulina got out a folder of homework papers that Eddy had been given to practice over the summer. He colored for over an hour, doing a nice neat job.

Paola and Humberto

Paola and Julisse were all dressed up to go to a school fundraising block party on the next street over. Humberto wanted to take Aracely and Eddy for ice cream. Ice cream? Wasn't it almost time for the dinner party? "Not for a couple hours," said Humberto. We swung by the block party but there was a curtain over the entrance to the park so you couldn't really see what was going on. But you could hear  a band churning out some live music.

 We followed Calle 14 de Febrero down to Santander and popped out at Sarita, the ice cream shop where we usually go with the family. Humberto said there was another newer location further down the street that he liked better. So we walked down to it. Craig and I didn't want much because we didn't want to spoiul our dinner, so we shared a single scoop of mora (blackberry) frozen ogurt. Aracely, Eddy, and Humberto each got small sundaes, and each kid gave each of us a bite.

Ice cream at Sarita: Aracely, Craig, Steph, Eddy

We walked back home and met up with Paola and Julisse in the street. I asked how the party was and they said that it had been boring. All the kids were home now so we took the opportunity to give them the presents we had bought them in Vietnam. We got each of the girls a small porcelain doll dressed in various ethnic minority outfits. They were wrapped in bubble wrap, which, as expected, almost caused more enjoyment than the gift itself. We gave Eddy a small metal bicycle with a chain that really turned the back tire. Vanesa hung her doll from her purse. Aracely sat hers in the basket of Eddy's small bike and took it for a ride. It was just the right size.

Yolanda, Fatima, Juan Carlos, Craig, Steph, Victor, Rosa, Paulina

Neli and Fatima

Humberto's nephew Victor came over with his wife Rosa and their kids Andrik, Julisse, and Neli. Junior, now looking all grown up at age 12,  came with them as well. Junior's parents Yolanda and Juan Carlos and little sister Fatima shortly arrived as well. There was a wooden table for the adults in the garden area, and a similar table for the kids on the concrete in front of the house. Still other kids ate inside the house at the dining room table. We had a very nice dinner of chicken in mushroom sauce with mixed veggies and rice.

El Aleph Disco Bar

They were drinking  Brahva beer, but Juan Carlos had thoughtfully brought some rum and 7Up for me, since I can't drink beer. For dessert there was a cake to celebrate my and Humberto's birthdays, which had each occurred in the past couple of weeks.

At around 10 o'clock, the four couples along with Victor and Rosa's eldest son Alex walked up Santander Street to El Aleph Disco Bar. This was somewhere that they had been coming together for the past few weekends, to do some drinking and dancing.

The place was hopping and "Gangnam Style" was playing when we entered. Lasers and lights were flashing. The white on our clothing glowed in the black light.  They staked out a table and ordered beer for them and vodka and orange juice for me. Alex stayed with the table and the four couples proceeded to the dance floor.It was really hot in there and after dancing for almost an hour, we were overheated and we sat down to take a rest.  Couples rotated in and out, taking breaks to have a few sips of their drinks before getting back into the sweaty mob.  Craig saw a familiar face over by the bar. It was Pablo whom we had met last year. He came over a couple of times to say hello.

Humberto danced with me for a couple of songs, and also adeptly handled a drunk guy before he could become a little too friendly. We were pleasantly surprised that there was no smoking in this disco. So although the air felt tropical and sticky, we could at least breathe. Any smoke seen was a result of a fog machine.

It was a lot of fun. at 1 o'clock, the place closed and we walked home. We said goodnight to everyone and we all went to our respective houses to sleep at 1:30.

The docks in Panajachel

Our swimming spot at Cerro de Oro

Vanesa

Yasmin and Paola

Yasmin and Yoselin

Picnic: Paola, Craig, Yoselin, Yasmin, Neli, Eddy, Humberto, Paulina, Aracely

On Sunday morning we slept in. Breakfast was a mixture of dinner party leftovers and scrambled eggs. As a drink we had warm ponche, a fresh fruit cider. All the kids were together, sitting side by side at thet able, and we were struck by how much they had all grown. They don't all play the way they used to; they have matured and our relationship with them starts to change as well.

At around 12:15, the whole family and Neli headed down to the docks on Lake Atitlan. It looked like many of the docks had been replaced since last year. You could walk on them without fearing that you would fall right through.   We boarded a lancha (small motorized boat) called the Linda Palopo, and crossed the lake to Cerro de Oro. The scenery was gorgeous, with volcanoes and mountains ringing the crater lake. There was a nice grassy area here next to the remains of a house that was never finished. There was a shallow place that the little kids could swim, and a deeper place near some large rocks where the adults could jump in. The water was quite cold at first but was very refreshing. We enjoyed swimming around. After a while my core was actually cold and I needed to get out. This was a rarity; I am usually hot and sweaty all the time in Guatemala.

Paulina, Humberto, Vanesa, Paola, Yasmin, Yoselin, Eddy, Neli, Aracely

Aracely at Igelsia San Francisco at Cerro de Oro

Aracely and Neli collected some snail shells for us and also picked us flowers. When everyone was out of the water and had started to dry off, we had lunch. It was a picnic consisting of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas, peaches, and strawberries.  It was always so nice to eat local, fresh food when we come to Guatemala.

After lunch we packed up and hiked through some corn fields up to the road. The area was very pretty and there were some nice houses there. The kids stopped for a few minutes at a playground with a metal slide and monkeybars.

We walked up a hill to San Francisco church. Father Stanley Francisco Rother, a priest originally from Oklahoma City, was killed during the Gutemalan genocide in 1981. He was beloved by his parishioners and was viewed as a martyr after trying to help them. There is a shrine to him at his church in Santiago Atitlan. But he also had a parish here in Cerro de Oro. So we saw a shrtine for him here too. The church building itself seemed large compared to the size of the community. Maybe the people here are particularly pious, given when they underwent during the genocide.

We took some group photos in front of the church;  they had a nice view of the lake in the background. The girls bought frozen chocolate covered bananas at one of the little nearby stores. These were refreshing in teh afternoon heat  Paola boosted Vanesa up to pick a pitaya fruit from the cactus vine. The first one she grabbed was too overripe, and would up disintegrating in her hand. She threw it to the ground and then got a second, which she cut into wedges so that everyone could have a taste. Talk about fresh!

We walked past some very pretty areas which have been choked with water lilies. The reflection of the white puffy clouds on the water with the white flowers and green leaves was beautiful.We walked to the Cerro de Oro docks and took the Linda Paolopo lancha back to Pana.

Lillies on the lake

Humberto, Yasmin, and Paola on the boat back to Pana

We came home and took showers (unfortunately the lake is polluted, so it is always a good idea to shower after a swim). Just as we were getting ready to emerge from our room, there was a knock at the door. It was Rocio! We had not been able to be there for her quinceañera in April, so we had brought her some gifts now. It was really great to see her as we hadn't seen her in a year and a half. She is growing into a lovely young lady. She told us that on Friday she had come in second in a regional science olympiad  even competing against a college student! We asked how her mom Juana was, and she told us that she was home, would we like to say hello? Of course we would!

Rocio and Juana had previously lived in a  house with Humberto and Juana's mother, who had passed away almost a year ago. Since then they had moved across the alley. It was our first time into this house, which shares the exact footprint of Humberto's house. Aracely went with us and helped to translate, and Josue joined us as well. We gave Rocio two blouses and we also delivered a small gift from a dear friend of ours who happens to share her birthday. It has been a rough year for them, suffering the losses of three separate people who were quite close to them, and it was nice to see them smiling. Rocio gave me a stuffed teddy bear with a heart and she gave Craig a stuffed bulldog. What a sweetie!

Steph, Rocio, Craig

When we got back to the house, Humberto and Paulina were watching some of our Ecuador videos on my computer. They asked us some questions about Antonio and his family, our compadres in Ecuador. This led us to think that it would be fun to some day get Antonio's family and Humberto's families together to meet one another. We think they would enjoy learning from one another.'s cultures.

After 8 o'clock we headed right around the corner to Paulina's sister Isabela's restaurant on Rancho Grande. All six kids, along with Humberto, Paulina, Craig, and myself. Isabela's restaurant had been in this location for just over a year and was doing a good business. There were two other tables of people dining, and a couple of people at the bar. We had loved Isabela's tacos the last time we were here, so we wanted more of the same. A lot of the kids ordered hamburgers, a novelty for them that they don't always get a chance to have.

Isabela was alone in the kitchen so Paola went back to help her. Craig, paulina, and Humberto shared some large bottles of Gallo beer. The girls had strawberry smoothies. The tacos were delicious, just as we remembered them. Chicken tacos with carmelized onions, picante, and all the fixins. We stole a couple of fries from the kids' burger plates and they were excellent as well. It wouldn't have been a proper night out if Yoselin hadn't fallen asleep in her chair. After rousing her, we walked back to the house at 10:30 with full bellies.

Isabela's restaurant

Isabela

Paola helps to serve food at Isabela's restaurant

On Monday morning we had breakfast and then went with Paulina, Humberto, Eddy, and Aracely to Atitlan Multicultural Academy,.Aracely and Eddy's English-immersion school. The school is in the process of moving locations, and until this morning it was still yet to be announced which of two properties they would choose.


We went to the current location and met Alyssa, who is the new director. She said they had just decided on a new property and she took us to see it. It was only a short walk from the previous location, so it was still within fairly easy walking distance to the house.  They would be renting a space which had formerly been used as a gallery and art space. It was a gorgeous colonial building with high ceilings and wood beam construction. It had a lot of character, and had a beautiful private yard where the kids could play in the shade of many trees and plants. We walked out the front gate of the property (which had an adult-sized door and a child-sized door which looked like the entrance to a hobbit hole) and went next door, to a property which is currently used as a house. They will adjoin the two yards and the house will be used as school space for the younger grades, including Aracely and Eddy.

Alyssa sat with us outside and as hummingbirds passed by and fiesty Scottish terriers played with the kids, she outlined her vision for the school. She studied economic development in Latin American countries, and previously worked at Kiva. For the past few years she has been the director of Hiptypico, a company which fairly trades with local artisans. She works with the community and the artisans provide higher quality wares than the cheap stuff usually sold in tourist markets, so they are able to be sold at high-end prices. She is starting a nonprofit which will also benefit the sc hool., She wants to encourage microgiving, giving $5 or $10 via the website, to receive a small handmade gift and to know that they are helping an indigenous child to get a world-class education. Alyssa's enthusiasm is infectious, and we wish her nothing but the best. We are looking forward to the launch of the school's new website which will encourage online donations.

Alyssa was very generous with her time and we were thrilled to get the inside scoop on some of the changes within the school. We are thrilled by the progress that Aracely and Eddy have made at school, and we know they are excited to be the first kids to have seen the new space!

Alyssa, Eddy, Aracely, Paulina, and Humberto in front of the new AMA property

One of the new AMA buildings

Aracely, Eddy, and Alyssa

We went back to the house and had a nice lengthy chat with Humberto. Paulina made us a nice spaghetti and meat sauce for lunch which we ate outside.  We gave the kids a game called Suspend where you need to hang and balance metal pieces based of rolls of a dice. It was a lot of fun and we had fun playing all afternoon. Josue and his young niece Brittany came over. When he was little his big brother Luis used to bring hij over and take care of him, and now he was assuming that role with Brittany. He had matured so much at the ripe old age of 8. He was very patient with her and helped her to place pieces.

Paulina and Humberto showed us Aracely and Eddy's report cards from school. They were excellent. We were so proud of the progress that they have been making. The school has been a wonderful opportunity for them.

Yoselin, Yasmin, and Aracely playing Suspend

Brittany and Josue

Then we went around the corner and up an alley to Paulina's family's land. Yoselin, Aracely, and Eddy went with Humberto, Paulina, Craig, and me. The kids' young cousin Alison Margarita greeted us with a hug as soon as we entered the property. Loren was with her, and had grown quite tall in the past year.

We  sat in the courtyard with Paulina's sister Olga and chatted. Paulina's other sister Estela emerged from the house with baby Michele in her arms. She handed her to me and Michele was quite content. She had been so tiny a year ago, and now she was walking. Estela's older girls, Laisa and Yesmy, were in and out of the house. Olga's older daughters Odilia and Pamela were around, and young Juan Isidro now goes by the nickname "Chilo." Paulina's brother Carlos also came out to say hello.

Alison Margarita and Loren

Yoselin and Michele

Craig and his buddy Alison Margarita

Yoselin, Steph, Eddy, Aracely

The cousins enjoyed playing with one another. Alison Margarita came over to sit on Craig's lap. Just like last time we visited, she paid very close attention to everything he said, nodding seriously, but also at times giving him big smiles. Loren brought us each a plastic baggie filled with peach juice. It was very tasty.

Olga has taken over her late father's business: she sells fresh juice on Santander Street from a cart. Eddy went over to the juice cart and tried to push it. As the adults told him to stop, the cart seemed to fall over in slow motion. Luckily, none of the glasses broke. The only casualties were five eggs which were now cracked. This prompted Olga to invite us to stay for dinner. She and Paulina prepared huevos rancheros with black beans.

We went back to the house where the other three girls were watching TV and playing on the computer.We said our goodnights and the girls promised that they would see us in the morning before we left.

The next morning we woke up early and went up onto the roof terrace to have a look around the neighborhood. Humberto wants to put a small kitchen and a dining table up here to serve breakfast to clients who rent the guest rooms. You can see a glimpse of the lake and the volcanoes from up there, and it is a very pretty spot. He plans to put some sort of canopy to provide shade as well. We are sure that it will turn out beautifully.

Though a couple of the kids had wanted to drive to the airport with us, there was a free dental clinic in town today, and all six kids needed dental checkups. Everyone woke up to say goodbye to us. We all ate cereal together and then walked down the alley to the office, where Adrin was waiting in the van. We hugged and kissed everyone, saying goodbye for now, but that we would be back before they knew it in 6 months. Craig and I got into the van and took a picture of the whole family from the van window. They waved and clapped as we pulled away, and I wiped a small tear from the corner of my eye.

It took about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to the airport in Guatemala City. Once we had checked in at the American kiosk, we ate lunch at Pollo Campero. The chicken and fries weren't as fresh and hot as they usually are, but they were still tasty. We saw signs advertising their new hamburgers. Perhaps they should stick to what they know: chicken!

Our flight to Miami took off on time at 2:15. When we arrived in Miami we went through a new customs area. The line was long but moved swiftly. However, you still end up getting into individual queues at the very end, which means you can still end up in a slow line (which we did). When we got to the immigration agent, he mispronounced Guatemala, called us Yankees, and asked why our godchildren were in Guatemala to begin with, instead of here. "Um, because they're Guatemalan citizens?" I said, biting my tongue so that I didn't say the rest of what I was thinking.

We were able to go through a very short security line because we had no checked baggage. We got to our gate and got sandwiches at Cafe Versailles. The same sandwiches as on our flight down: chicken salad croissant and jerk chicken wrap.

The flight home was not full, and I was able to convince our seatmate to move across the aisle to give all of us more room. We departed on time at 9:15 p.m., landing in Boston at around 12:25 a.m.

Vanesa, Paola, Yasmin, Yoselin, Paulina, Aracely, Eddy, Humberto

P.S. Thank you so much, Yoselin, for the letter, picture, and going-away surprise that you had for us!