6 Month Mark

Well folks, this Friday I celebrate the 6 month anniversary of living in my town! If my site were a boy we’d probably be going out for a nice dinner or something. However, since my town is, well…a town, I shall celebrate instead by telling you the many things that I find fun, hilarious, or otherwise noteworthy about it…

· Sunday and Wednesday market days! It’s huge and the selection is pretty fabulous. However, it’s also notoriously dangerous, or maybe adventurous is a better word. Everyone pushes and shoves to make sure they get the freshest tomatoes. True story: One day a little old Mayan lady literally planted her hands on my butt and pushed until she succeeded in moving me out of her way!
· Saturday night Tamales with Doña Mary and Family- So fun. So delicious. Come here and we’ll go visit her.
· Hearing Mam- Though it can be frustrating to not understand my neighbors or people in my office when they are speaking the local Mayan language, Mam, I love that my town still has a thriving Mayan culture and language.
· Kids on the basketball court- Which is located in front of my office. There is always something going on and it’s usually pretty hysterical. In vogue lately is learning to walk on your hands.
· The mountains- I love them! Though arriving at any of the villages where I work is a bit of a feat, the beauty is well worth it.
· Hospitality- It is impossible to go for a walk in my town and not be invited for coffee or conversation.
· Street food- Now that the weather has warmed up a little there’s lots of people hanging out in the street and therefore street vendors! This provides not only fun (and only slight sketchy) new foods to try but also good conversation.
· The Traje- The traditional clothing of the women. It’s incredibly beautiful and colorful. I could write a whole post just about that. Maybe I will…I’ll try to post some pictures soon.
· Friends- This is absolutely my favorite thing about my town. People know who I am and greet me by name, which feels like a huge accomplishment. I no longer have evenings where my options for activity are a book or a movie; there always seems to be someone to visit or something to do.