yet another reality

Up in the highlands almost everyone are farmers, pretty poor and Mayan. Many of the poorest people doesn't even speak Spanish, but instead one of 23 Mayan-languages. In and around Cobán, Quek'chi is the most common language. One woman told me that in many Mayan families Spanish is considered "the language of the ladinos" (the ones with some Spanish blood in their veins...) and therefore many parents don't want their kids to learn it. Unfortunately Spanish is also the language of power here, and if you can't speak Spanish you'll get problems as soon as you want to study, needs to go to the hospital and so on.

Today I've been surrounded of the Quek'chi language. And a lot of smiling, laughing women pointing at me saying things I couldn't understand at all. I was invited to join a small group of students up to a highland-community to teach the women there how to make alternative handicrafts, so that they will be able to sell more. Well, I didn't teach anyone anything, but I was the centre of attraction (again...), that's for sure. It was a great trip, and I'll let the pictures tell you the rest. Enjoy!

the girls waiting for the bus to arrive. Number two in the row is my host-mother Noelia.
On our way. The girls with my host-mother Noelia as number two in the row...


going up in the mountains with a pick-up-truck. Is there any better? (Unpaved roads and wind in your hair.)
Going up in the mountains with a pick-up-truck. Is there anything better? (Unpaved roads, wind in your hair and beautiful landscapes.)


Alegría!

Well, the roads are not really made for more than one bus/car/truck at the same time...
Not to big roads... (that's by the way a chickenbus, the most common way of travel in Guatemala...)

House.
House. Home. Casa.

Cows.
Cows. Vacas.

Dog.
Dog. Perrrrrrrrrrro...

The girls explaining.
The girls explaining.

The women listening carefully...
Listening carefully...

Feet...
Feet. Pies (in spanish...).

(Did you notice that they all wear the same kind of plastic sandal, just in different colours? That's the cheapest sandal you can find here, that's why. When I came back to Sweden from Guatemala four years ago the same kind of plastic sandal was "THE thing" to wear, just a bit more expensive...)


On our way home again, this time in 'micro'.


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