After a frenzied few weeks it is as quiet as it ever gets in Antigua this Christmas morning. The locals party most of the night and the local, very Guatemalan, grocery store closes its doors for the only day in the year. Earlier in the month we made the annual trek to the Christmas tree farm and, apparently, this year's tree was a bit too big for the stand as it fell over twice. It is now tied to a wall mounted light fixture. I went to dinner with a friend the evening that we brought it home and Diego phoned me at the restaurant to tell me "the tree fell down again but we put it back up."
And then there was a day of baking cookies. They seem to enjoy the process as much as the product.
There was a birthday party for Joaquin, a friend of Cristofer's on the 21st. Next to Diego is his girl friend of over a year now, Mia. Her mom and I keep pretty close tabs on the two.
A Christmas party found Cristofet in charge of the children in the basement. We moved the microwave down there and gave him a Costco-sized box of popcorn, guacamole, chips and Christmas flavored movies.
And then, at last, the big day.
Liam, son of Jackie, aged 5 1/2
Beyker, son of Astrid, aged 2 1/2
Cristofer, 12 in January
Late in the day of Christmas Eve I delivered all of them to their homes for their family celebrations. Less than an hour after arriving at a dinner party Diego phoned and pleaded with me to come and pick him up on my way home as "there is no one my age here." There was no one in my house his age either. I guessed that, after spending much of his time at my house, that he couldn't make it back over the cultural divide. I collected him and he went with a group of elders to see the Christmas lights in central Antigua and look in on a couple of Christmas masses.
All seems fairly well at the moment. Astrid will graduate from the International School in June and plans to enter medical school at the public university in Guatemala City. She expects to be there for ten years emerging as a pediatrician. Diego and Cristofer can't wait for school to start again in January. Under new direction their school with its focus on green, sustainable, project-based learning is a pretty exciting place to spend their days. Mishell is going through some pre-teen angst no doubt compounded by pressure from her mother who may be leaning on her last child and only daughter to stick around and take care of her. She tells Estela my housekeeper that Diego has abandoned their mother which may, in fact, be the other way around. I don't ask questions as I don't think they have the answers. Everyone, except Denis, returns to school on the seventh of January. Jackie as a teacher for the Montessori pre-kinder program.
Best wishes for a prosperous, peaceful and, hopefully, sane 2019!
Beyker, Astrid, Denis, Cristofer, Mishell, Jackie, Liam and Diego
I have been reminded that I have been delinquent about staying up to date with this blog. I just re-read my last post and realized that I was a year off on the ages of both Denis and Jackie. Jackie is twenty-two now and Denis is twenty-one. Jackie's son, Liam, will be five later this month and Astrid is eighteen and her son, Beyker, was two in June. Diego is still fifteen and Cris and Mishell, eleven and ten respectively.
Now that everyone's age has been established I am pleased to say that there is nothing dramatic to report. No one is pregnant. Alex is still in jail and there is very little news of him, gladly. I suspect that Marielos, who does not do much else, still pays him the occasional visit. Why remains a mystery to me and to her family as well.
Cristofer engrossed in the World Cup, Uno not so much.
Earlier this year a family knocked on my door and asked if I would consider selling them my other house. I indicated that I could be. They asked the price which I immediately increased by $10K. They asked me for a discount as all good Guatemalans would do and I dropped the price by $10K. They shook my hand and the deal was done. So, I only have one house to maintain which is a bit of a relief. The resulting cash has allowed me to become an investor in the school that five of the kids now attend, the Antigua Green School. Cash was needed to hire a new director and to upgrade the facilities and materials. As I believe that education is key to everything else why not?
Astrid will soon start her senior year at the Antigua International School (not to be confused with the Antigua Green School). She remains steadfast in her determination to become a pediatrician and has a list of schools she plans to apply to in the fall both here in Guatemala, in Canada and Spain. I have reminded her that a scholarship will be required as there is a limit on the bank of Tía Joan. Unlike in the U.S. it is possible for her to enter directly into medical school in other countries.
Beyker, 2, son of Astrid. Loves school.
Jackie is caught up in the changes at the Antigua Green School. I think she will probably survive the upcoming management change as she was heard to say that she welcomed a new director "who would listen to my ideas." I have been pleasantly surprised at how she has matured and learned to think for herself. Perhaps, becoming a mother at seventeen had something to do with that.
Liam, Jackie's son, will be five this month. He loves school too.
Denis remains at loose ends not for a lack of applying for jobs. He recently worked at a fancy hotel for a wedding and brought me a large bouquet of flowers that were left over. I would like him to have some goals and take charge of his life but I think that needs to happen from within and not from my counsel at this point. He is very good with both of his nephews who refer to him as "papa." At least they have a father figure who is a kind, good person.
Diego remains a delightful kid but he too needs a kick in the pants now and then. When school is not in session he more or less lives at Casa de Tía Joan which gives him easy access to his friends who are also his classmates. He has a mountain bike and rides in races with a couple of friends and their fathers. The other families are all very good to him and often I don't see him for days but get a stream of text messages telling me where he is and who he is with.
A week or so ago Diego rode in a very hard race. He had a flat tire and didn't have a spare tube. A friend inadvertently went off with his helmet and more. He saw a man who appeared to not be well. He was walking slowly, stumbling even, along side of his bicycle. Diego went over to the man and offered him a bottle of an electrolyte drink that he had which the man gladly accepted. Diego managed both bikes and walked with the man to the finish line. They talked and the man asked Diego what he wanted to do when he finished school. Diego told him that he wanted to be a software engineer. Before they parted the man gave Diego his name and phone number. He told him to call when he finished school and that he would give him a job. Well done, Diego. Now, would you please do the presentation for your entrepreneurship class?
Diego (right) and his pal, Sebastian.
Cristofer has suddenly experienced an educational spurt. His English has improved vastly and he loves the idea of having homework. He has become computer literate and, most afternoons, will ask if he can use the computer to do some research. Most recently it was the flags of Europe. Did you know that there are fifty-one countries in Europe (not to be confused with the European Union)?
Mishell is experiencing both an early puberty and an early adolescence which I am not entirely sure I want to deal with again. The thought of yet another pregnant teenager leaves me quite cold. I am trying everything to keep her distracted. She has an English tutor, classes in piano, hip hop and gymnastics but the jury is still out on whether any of that can overcome the influence of her mother. My hope is that she will surprise me one day soon.
Beyker, Mishell and Astrid. Phone time.
The biggest news during the first half of 2018 was the volcanic eruption just a few miles down the road on June 3rd, an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon. Hundreds if not thousands are dead or missing. Thousands are living in shelters and now temporary housing. Two months later funerals are still going on with entire families being buried in a single grave, eight, nine, ten coffins many of them small. Bodies of family members are still being found in their homes under ten feet of lava. A former gardener of mine at the other house was one of the first casualties. Several years ago he qualified to become a volunteer bombero or fireman. He and his partner were the very first responders and, to date, their ambulance has not even been found under tons and tons of volcanic material. What once was the highway to the coast is now impassable. There is a new river in the middle of a vast lava field. Just down what once was the road an entire community was buried alive. This video was made by a journalist friend. It shows the highway about ten miles down the road towards the coast.
So, el volcán Fuego, which once was exciting to see during its increasingly frequent eruptions is now looked at in a much different light. There is a new crater on the south side where the pyroclastic material exploded out with little warning covering the village of San Miguel Los Lotes. Adjacent to Los Lotes was a very elegant golf course and luxurious residential community. It had some of the most stunning views in the world but many wondered why anyone would live there as the elders all knew that lava had once covered the area. Lava is once again covering most of the area and has destroyed the common areas, the elegant clubhouse and restaurant that overlooked the golf course with views to the Pacific. The tenth hole has gone down the newly created river of lava. The multi-million dollar homes are undamaged but without basic services and the area has been deemed uninhabitable by the government. Not surprisingly the insurance companies are denying responsibility. I heard yesterday of one woman who had just completed construction three weeks before the eruption. Two million US dollars. Not only will the insurance company not pay but she is being required to continue to pay her maintenance fees despite there being no water, sewer, electricity or access. However, these people were all evacuated hours before the eruption and the authorities seemed to have forgotten about the poor in the adjacent village.
After two weeks of digging through ten feet of lava this family found the remains of their loved ones
Here where one expects nothing from the government people were in the streets hours after the eruption soliciting donations. Chef José Andrés was in Antigua within days and set up his World Central Kitchen in two locations. His group has been supplying thousands of meals daily and also installed a commercial gas range in an isolated village high up on the offending volcano so that the women can cook for the community. Slowly, land is being purchased by good samaritans such as singer Ricardo Arjona and NGOs and houses are being built for some three thousand people left homeless.
Thousands of meals every day courtesy of the World Central Kitchen
One of the reasons I like living in Guatemala is because the people are so friendly and accommodating. Everyone, gringo and local, pitched in and made sandwiches, cut vegetables for the World Central Kitchen. Students helped out at the shelters where some 3500 people have been living. They wandered the streets with donation boxes.
The van driver who takes Cris and Mishell to school gladly helps Cris load up his bicycle on the days when he needs it. In exchange Mishell gives him home baked cookies. Teachers at the school give Diego a ride home when his bicycle has a flat tire. Another teacher just helped Diego decide between two pairs of shoes. Some much of what goes on here would be against the law in other countries. It is very refreshing. People just giving each other a hand.
