My family in Antigua, Guatemala is amazing! From day one, I have felt like this is my home away from home. William is the father and Lolita the mother and their son Willy lives with them and will be a lawyer come April of next year. Maria, who works within the home for the family, is also an angel. She and Lolita make the best food and I am fed well here! Food consists of rice, black bean paste, very fresh fruit: pineapples, oranges, bananas, papaya, mango, watermelon, etc. We also eat tortillas, beef, chicken, soups, sweet bread which is a staple, and the cooking is done with many different spices. I like my food spicy now apparently and use a sauce called picante and many things! More about the family, Don William is a retired banker and Lolita a retired school teacher and principal. I speak a lot with both of them in Spanish and we make each other laugh. Don William is always dancing or making funny comments about us or Lolita that make everyone laugh. I will really miss my family when I leave and also miss my roommate Fiona from Ireland. She has been a true inspiration for me and will remain a friend forever. The family celebrated my birthday on December 15th. The celebration was complete with a wonderful birthday cake and of course, Guatemalan rum! We had a very fun night and my friends from GVI also bought me a Gallo shirt (the Guatemalan beer), ice cream and made me cards for my birthday! They are all very supportive and it has been an amazing time with them in Guatemala. For Christmas, I printed off some of the pictures I took of the family and Antigua for my host family as a gift. Don William and the family really loved the pictures and hung the pictures I had framed in the house immediately. I also bought them some chocolates and bought Maria some chocolates as well! A small thanks for everything they have done for me. Christmas eve was a huge celebration with the family. We ate a traditional dinner of tamales and ponche (fruit punch with the fruit boiled in the punch) at 6:00p.m. and then Fiona and I attended mass at La Merced. Then, we returned home in time for fireworks and another dinner at midnight. While Lolita was praying in front of the altar Willy had made in the home, Don William set off fireworks in the front of the house on the street. He reminded me of a little boy and had a huge smile on his face. He motioned for me to come outside and I hesitantly left the prayer and he set off another round of deafening fireworks. Then, Don William told me to follow him and he burst upstairs to the top of the roof. I have never seen him move this fast. Right at midnight, the entire city of Antigua and surrounding cities erupted with huge fireworks. Don William and I watched in wonder as the skies lit up in a circle around us. It was if the show was for us and it was a very special moment that I will always remembering sharing with Don William. The pride he has in his country and faith is amazing! We even saw fireworks go off in Santa Maria in the distance and it was very nice to think the kids I helped teach were enjoying the same fireworks that I was seeing! After the fireworks we feasted on turkey, a potato dish, fruit salad, and champagne. It was a great night and a Christmas I will always remember. We went to bed at 2:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. I have included some pictures of the festivities and of my family!
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