Visiting Other Pueblos, Prenatal Visits and General 'Likes' and 'Dislikes'

This week Eulalia and I went to a pueblo near Antigua for lunch at her daughter Sara's house. She served us big bowls of soup, with chicken legs, peppers and wiskil. Wiskil is a vegetable that we eat at most meals and I don't think we have it in the states. It tastes sort of like squash, is green and spiky, and very tasty. One of Eulalia's grand daughters is having her first baby in March, and I listened for the baby's heart beat and felt for the head, both are getting easier for me to find. While waiting for the bus I took a picture of this pick-up truck carrying three caskets--everything compliments everything else in the Guatemalan color palette.

Since being here some things have been easy to adjust to;
-I love tortillas, which is a good thing because it is what I eat at every meal. I am so fond of them that I don't want to imagine life after Guatemala without them.

-I read all of the time, whatever used books I can find in english in Antigua. I just finished 'I, Rigoberta Menchi', and 'Ironweed.' And will try and buy a couple others while I am in town today.

-I am ready to sleep as soon as it becomes dark outside and fall asleep by 9:30 pm every night.

-I drink tea twice a day and play with the baby Karen Estelle, and even though I can tell she thinks  I speak funny and look strange, she isn't scared of me and just seems amused.

Other things have been harder to get used to;
-I wake up to the sound of rats wresting and squeaking on the ceiling beams above my bed and sometimes find the pieces of corn they had been fighting over in my bed the next morning.

-My feet are always dirty, no matter what.

-There is garbage everywhere.

-There is dust on everything.

But, I am adapting and don't mind any of those things much at all. Just so long as the rats stay out of my bed, I will be happy.

We have around six births this month. Only one thus far, so this will be a busy month. I am ready to get up in the middle of the night and have a small bag hanging from a nail next to my bed with everything  I will need to take with me;
-Gloves
-Headlamp
-Wipes
-Water
-Snack
-Camera

Virgenia separating the corn from the cobs.

The kids built a fort.

Riding in the back of the truck, on our way to prenatal visits.

Dona Eulalia carrying an old stalk of corn, to scare away the mean dog that lives on this street.

Eating cookies in Dona Eulalia's kitchen.

Odelia's house on NYE