3/20/09-3/22/09

As I have mentioned before, safety isn't always a main concern in Guatemala. It becomes more evident each day. In the states, you would get put in jail if you left your kids in a car. Here, it is common place. Kids stay home by themselves...nobody wears seatbelts....you cross in the middle of the street....etc. I am really struggling to find a balance between how I was raised and how people here were raised. I don't want to come across as overbearing and paranoid but at the same time, I AM!!! It has been drilled into my brain to always watch and protect my kids and always do everything in my power to keep them safe. I have the constant battle of should I relax or do the kids need extra protection here.

My newest experience was going to the market for the first time. Lily took me and Morgan to one of the local markets on Saturday morning. It was one of the craziest experiences (but haven't they all been!!). I seriously felt like I was in a cattle prod. I was being shoved around from all angles. At one point, I moved my arm back to adjust my bag and elbowed a lady right in the forehead! (That tells you how short she was!!) I felt bad but she just kept on pushing through the crowd. It is a good thing that Morgan and I were both taller than everybody and had brighter hair so I could keep an eye on her and her on me!! I could not believe the number of people there! Especially since it is a daily market!! It was fun to get to spend some time with Morgan and to watch her reaction to things! She really is growing into a young lady!
We found TONS of fresh produce as well as some pottery, baskets, and lots of resale items. At one stand the lady started talking to Lily who translated for me that they thought I looked like a mannequin. They thought it was really funny when I posed like one!
When all was said and done, I got the biggest pineapple I've ever seen, 1# tomatoes, a coconut with the husk removed, 1/2# blackberries, a cucumber, a big bunch of broccoli, and 12 bananas for about $3.50!! Next time I am going to try some other things. They have really cheap potatoes, carrots, peas, etc but I didn't need any. I think that whenever we go back to the states, buying produce will be painfully expensive!
After the market we stopped at the zoo/park and met Chris and the rest of the kids there. Lily's kids and mine had a great time on the huge slides.
That afternoon, Lily invited the kids and I over with a couple other ladies from church to make cookies. The other ladies didn't speak any English but they taught me some new works. Chop= picar. Short = cortocircuito. One of the ladies (can't remember her name) is really short and wears the traditional dress. She told us that her grandfather was discriminated against for speaking his native language (ki cha) so he told his children not to teach it to his grandchildren. There are over 20 native languages here. It is so amazing to see all of the culture here and to be part of it and to learn from the people here!