This past month has been exciting and different in that long
time friend and fellow Overlake Owl of class of ’08, Nicole Allen, joined us
all in Pana for about a month. She is volunteering at an orphanage run by an
AMA family and has jumped right into the Pana social circle. She has been sure
to keep me busy, heading out on adventures every weekend it was possible, and
seeing sites I’ve been meaning to visit.
The first weekend she was here, we took a trip to Xela, a
bigger city than Pana complete with McDonald’s! Lucky us, we found some locals
to show us to one of the most sacred lakes in Guatemala. Laguna Chikibal is a
crater lake that was formed in the crater of Volcán Chikibal. The crater opened up to a
Mayan religious display, with stopping point reserved for a Nawal of the Mayan
calendar. It was both a time to be in nature, while experiencing a spiritual
Saturday afternoon service with the local Mayan people.
the truck ride up to the trailhead
Will, Jorge, Nicole and Joe
Laguna Chikibal
A well earned lunch after a great hike
A few photos from our time spend in Xela:
loving new street foods
The next weekend, Nicole dragged me up San Pedro Volcano again, with
some of our Pana friends. I can feel myself dwindling out of shape, as the hike
in October with my dad was much more manageable than this past one…too much
pollo, pan y café (chicken, bread and coffee). But it’s been truly special
sharing these Guatemalan experiences with a friend from my past life!
Pin, Nicole, Austin, Alejandro
Are we there yet….
Don't make me go annnny further!!!! Estoy muy cansado!
success!
wore him out
Overlake Class of '08!!
Cousinly love
While these Overlake Owl adventures were incredible, I was
most grateful for the fellow Seattlite presence on Sunday February 2nd. Want to talk about epic international
experiences, try being 1 of 2 Hawk fans among a sea of Guatemalan and visiting
Broncos fans huddled together around a small, single television, in the lobby
of a church gathering space. For some reason all of the American Football fans
in Pana are hardcore 49er fans....so with the Hawks being the reason their
favored team was not playing in the Superbowl, let’s just say we didn’t feel
very welcomed. Not to mention, everyone in the room was translating Seahawks to pajaritos (little birds)….just to make us feel that much better. Ya we were set up for success… the little birds vs. the broncos. But nachos, after burrito, after limondada, we shoved our mouths
in anticipation for the game to begin. Well, as most of your know, it wasn’t
much of a game at all, and once that became apparent, the fans slowly started
dispersing…they had better things to do than watch American football with a
pair of overly excited, white girls cheering on their home town! But Nicole and
I held our own, and have been on a Seattle high since then, strutting the main
street of Pana with pride…where our defeat means absolutely nothing.
12th man spotted on Lake Atitlan
I brought a Seahawks shirt back from the states for Don
Alejandro, the guard of our school, and while he had never even heard of the Seattle
Seahaws, as instructed by me the Friday before the Superbowl, he wore his shirt
with pride. He rocked that green and blue with pride…like a champ, strolling
the school occasionally throwing his arms in the air, declaring “Champion!”
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