Djanisha Philippe - Night Activities
Hey guys,
It's Djanisha again - some of you may be wondering what happens at
the Sevilla School at night. Well, here is your step-by-step guide.
When the moon hits the sky and the clock ticks 8:00 - that's when the
fun really begins. From firework displays to traditional
uses of corn, we dive deeper into the history and culture of Guatemala.
Night 1: We were welcomed by Carlos Aguilar - a local and the
director of the Sevilla School. We were then partnered up with our
Spanish teachers. We introduced ourselves and chatted briefly. We then
regrouped and heard Mr. Martinez remind us of the do's
and don'ts as far as behavioral expectations while in Guatemala.
Night 2: Our second evening commenced with us writing in our
journals. We sat in a circle at the Sevilla School and wrote about our
day. Weiner recalled a memory of telling a local seller that he had no
money to buy stuff while he stuffed dollar bills
into his wallet. You just had to be there! We also had an intense
mini-soccer game. We also played cards. We played a sort of Dare-Uno
which was interrupted when Ketia caught a spiderweb on her sweater. She
desperately tried to rub it off on someone while we
all ran away. I don't think I ever laughed so hard. Again, you just had
to be there.
Night 3: Night #3 was greeted by a ceremony of Mayan traditions.
The school was decorated with glorious displays. Our Spanish teachers
put on a skit that demonstrated the ins and outs of each tradition. The
really funny part happened with the skit about
Maximon and the Mayan shaman or healer. This was something where they
used leaves and herbs and incense and brushed or smacked them on a
person to cleanse them of their past and bad spirits and bring in good fortune. Mr.Simons
was
then given the job of being the person with the palm leaves/herbs and he
did a cleansing on Gabe. I felt a bit bad for Gabe as he was
continuously being smacked with the leaves.
Night 4: Salsa. Salsa. Salsa! We had a dance teacher come to the
Sevilla School and teach us how to dance like pros. We partnered up and
danced furiously into the night. It was hot, but that did not stop us
from dancing. We also peeped Mr.Simons
dancing!
/WEEKEND/
Night 5: This night was mostly about corn. And corn festivities. We
learned about how to make tortillas and ate a lot of corn based things.
Some of them were really good while others were just not setting off
any bombas. I am regretting not making
any corny corn based jokes but you get the gist; it was just about corn.
Night 6: ¡BOMBAS! This night started off with learning about
Guatemalan traditions. Our Spanish teachers dressed up in costumes and
danced wildly as they recreated the traditional combite. It was amazing. We noticed someone was missing from
the crowd. It was Mr.Simons.
He dressed up in a silly Dory (fish) costume and danced his shoulders
off. We then watched a display labeled the burning of the devil. A devil
piñata surrounded with fireworks was set off.
The fireworks were a bit scary because they were just so loud and I was
not expecting it. Traditionally, the devil is burned to welcome in the
good New Year. They then had fireworks set off on a steel and wooden
bull frame as someone wore it and danced. This
is known as el torito. It was quite mesmerizing.
Night 7: We started last night, with the Guatemalan national dish, pepian.
It was chicken and rice so it was good. I'm used to it. I basically
only have chicken and rice for dinner at my house. Now I am thinking
about how much I miss my mom's cooking.
Back to the topic we also met these ladies from San Antonio Aguas
Calientes who shared their tradition of weaving. We saw a simulation of a
traditional wedding take place between Clivens and Kassanie. It was
hilarious. We also learned about the struggles of
being a woman in San Antonio and rural Guatemala in general. They have
at least one child every year and they have to carry a 50 lb jug of
water on their head while holding a baby on their back. It was just
crazy.
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