The Grim Girls Do Guatemala

Lunch with the women in Tzibal

"I don't think this is the right way," I tell my mom and sister Emma moments before a pack of a dozen barking, snapping wild dogs bound around the corner and head straight for us.

This was our third and last night at Lake Atitlan, where we were happily passing our days shopping in Panajachel, enjoying family-style dinners at la Iguana Perdida backpackers' lodge, and lounging poolside in Jaibalito. 

Walking around Antigua

This last day we had spent the day doing the latter, wading in Ven Aca's infinity pool, sipping Rosa de Jamaica Mojitos.  Not too shabby for the Peace Corps.  About an hour after we arrived at the restaurant/bar in lumbered Balto, the Iguana Perdida's huge Akita mix.  Apparently he had followed us from the hotel on our 3km hike to Jaibalito. 

Enjoying volcano-cooked S'mores

Worried that he might not find his way back alone, Mom, Emma and I decided to hike back with him, while Aunt Cass took the ferry boat back.  After we gobbled down the last trozos of our fantastic fish tacos, we headed up through the village of Jaibalito to find the hiking path back to our lodge in Santa Cruz.  We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere in the village proper because soon enough we were standing, frozen in fear, with a dozen wild dogs charging towards us and our new canine companion.  In my 15 months living here in Guatemala I have never been chased down by dogs like this.  Maybe it was Balto's foreign dog scent that threw them off, or maybe it was us, but these Jaibalito chuchos went crazy. 

Learning how to make Pachas, potato tamales

All I can remember thinking was "Oh my God, my mom and sister came all the way here to see me, and I'm going to get them attacked by wild dogs."  I quickly picked up some hefty rocks and started chucking them at the pack of chuchos, while instructing mom and Emma to turn around and walk quickly away.  Soon enough, the dogs scattered and backed off, and we were amazingly safe.  With the sound of dozens of dogs barking still ringing in our ears, we backtracked and soon found the (chucholess) path, down which an unfazed Balto led us safely back to the lodge.  Yet another Gdalman Girl Adventure to put in the books.  I'm just happy we're all still rabies-free.

Bottle school training

Rock-Paper-Scissors with Juan

The last two days of our trip I brought the girls into my village, where they were welcomed with open arms.  The women in Tzibal prepared the typical dish (Kak'ik, a traditional soup) for them, fresh tortillas and all.  They saw a bottle-school training session in which we put up the very first bottle-wall.  Down in Campur, my Segundo Basico students put on a 45-minute show during which they performed traditional Mayan dances, the traditional Mayan courtship ceremony (in which the family of a boy asks the family of a girl for her hand in marriage), and then had dinner with all of the teachers and the school director, Nelyda.  My village really pulled out all the stops for my family visitors, it really touched me to see how much they wanted to impress them and make them feel at home. 

Hanging out with the women's group

Nine days later I'm exhausted, but sad to see my family go.  Mom, Cass, and Emma--I can't thank you enough for your wonderful visit, your flexibility, and your patience on all the very long bus rides.  Also, of course, for my wonderful life-supply of protein bars, my bed-bug mattress protector and all the beautiful new rip-free, stain-free, un-sunbleached clothes.  I hope you will all look back on your Guatemalan adventure and remember the wonderful people of my village, and not that time when I almost got you mauled by rabid dogs.