I can’t begin to tell you how much apprehension I had coming back to Quetzaltenango (Xela) to visit with Rolando and his family. So much has happened in his life since Kara and I were there- both his wife and his 33 year old daughter have since passed away. Rolando was fortunate enough to be granted permission to come to the USA legally to visit with Wendy for the last 6 months of her life, and I was fortunate enough to spend Christmas of that same period with them.
But when I saw him in California, I had Wendy and Gustavo to translate. Three years not being around Spanish everyday like in Watsonville, and a couple trips to Asia with different languages infiltrating my brain’s Spanish file made me shy and Spanish words swam around my mouth awkwardly. Having Wendy and Gustavo around to translate made me lazy. I’m glad I had a week of semi-practice with Eva in Livingston and Honduras before I saw Rolando, and particularly glad that I was with someone who knew less than I did during that time, as it forced me to step up and go for it.
The driver of the shuttle from Antigua to Xela, Felipe, was a riot. He had lived in Oklahoma for a while so he knew some English. I sat in the front seat and we talked the entire twisty, unpaved 6 hours. They are paving the entire Highway, and boy is it a mess. The scenery, however, was absolutely gorgeous. We bent and turned through the dense fog in the pine forest, occasionally catching glimpses of waterfalls. We also climbed the highest peak in all of Central America which is appropriately named Alaska. We stopped once to drop the two other passengers at Lake Atitlan, which was a treat for me. I have been here twice before, and it is stunning, a deep blue lake in a cirque, surrounded by three active volcanoes, surrounded by tiny Mayan villages accessible mostly only by boat.
On the way back up the mountain towards Xela, our journey came to a halt. The road had closed for repair for what they told us would be 30 minutes. Our shuttle was nestled between two chicken busses, and everyone from all of the busses and all of the cars stepped outside into the cold, and life went on as usual on the muddy mountain road. People sold juice and water and fried chicken, and some even continued to sell cell phone cards (TIGO is everywhere in Guatemala. You can be driving a tiny mountain barely-paved road with only Mayans walking around in their traditional clothing, carrying baskets of vegetables on their head, and talking on their cell phones).
Once Felipe dropped me directly at Rolando’s, I knew everything would be fine. His street looked different, as there were many more stores than 6 years ago, but his house looked the same. You have to walk beside another, much poorer home occupied by a traditional Mayan family before you get to his quarters. Once in the gate, you are standing in an atrium, with a walkway on three sides. There is the main house on one side with a bedroom, living room, and kitchen. Along the rest of the walls are 5 more bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. One bedroom is his (he hasn’t slept in the main house since his wife Aida died), one is his 18 year old son, Kendall’s, one is Heidi and her daughter Nyeli’s when they come to visit, one is rented to a med student, and one is empty (other than the main house), which became my quarters for the week.
Not being in Spanish school made Xela a less interesting place to be, as really, this is the main reason for foreigners to be here. Guatemala is a great place to learn Spanish, because they speak very slowly in comparison to Mexico, as well as use less slang, and generally, Guatemalans enunciate each syllable. People come from all over the world for this purpose, and Xela is a great choice in the country, as it is a small city that sees fewer tourists than Antigua, so it is true immersion. My lessons remained out of the classroom for the week, as Rolando, Kendall and I explored the area, focusing on hot water sources, as it was bitter cold! I also made a trip to San Francisco del Alto, the largest market in the country, where people sell everything from Levi’s to pigs, watch parts to dried shrimp. In the evenings, Kendall would get bad American movies with Spanish subtitles, and we would all pile on the couch under a load of blankets, listening to the rain, and passing time. Heidi and Nyeli visited while I was there, and it was nice to finally meet them. Nyeli looks exactly like Wendy’s daughter Gabby. It was unreal.
The week ended quickly, and it was sad to say goodbye. Rolando thanked me profusely for lifting his spirits, and reiterated how his home was my home. I think I’ve been to Guatemala enough, but I know that on some other adventure that brings me to or through the region, I will take him up on that, as the probability of him being allowed to travel to the US again is very slim. My Spanish improved drastically, and I was ready for something new and exciting- CHIAPAS!!!!!!
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