Easter Week

Last week was the largest celebration of Holy Week our family has ever seen. Rightly so, as Antigua, Guatemala hosts the largest Holy Week in the world!

We celebrated Easter with a lovely combination of American traditions mixed with new-to-us Guatemalan traditions. Take a peek at our fun week!

Thursday, April 21

We decided to host an American-style Easter party here at our house.

There is no such thing as buying Easter baskets (or plastic eggs) in Antigua. As a matter of fact, when I asked for "huevos plasticos" at a few different stores, I got very weird looks. So what do you do when you can't buy it? You make it! We kicked off the party with a basket-making craft.

Ruth really designed her own basket. Also, when you don't have Easter grass, you make that, too. For part of the craft, the kids ripped up pieces of tissue paper as grass to line their baskets.


Almost ready for the egg hunt! Left to right is Ruth, Eva and her mom, Sam, Josh, and Elizabeth. Not pictured are two other friends that came, Daniel and Jonah.






A party for our family is not complete without Rice Krispy treats. Too bad you can't buy Rice Krispies in Guatemala, either. Sometimes it feels like the only cereal they sell here is Corn Flakes. So what do you do? You make Corn Flake treats and dye them all different colors and then make them look like Easter eggs! I wasn't too crazy about them, but the kids didn't seem to notice the difference.

Friday, April 22

Good Friday is the day with the most processionals and carpets in Antigua, Guatemala. (If you checked out one of my recent, previous blog, you know a little bit about this.) We were able to participate and make a carpet of our own. See for yourself!

Working hard! The week before, the kids did a carpet of their own. This week, the adults got to design the "alfombra" and participate, too.

Can you tell what we designed?? Lots of people couldn't, but it created some interesting conversations.


Walking by our carpet. The only people that walk over the carpet are the ones carrying the Jesus float. If you look in the left hand side of this pictures, you can see another blob of a carpet. The kids decided to create another one of their own! The adults didn't mind, because after a while, sticking to the design was tough with little helping hands.


Here they go!

The best seat in the house! Stephen's office was literally right above our carpet. We got to watch the whole parade from the window of his office instead of on the crowded, incense-strong streets.

There they go! Crazy, huh?

And what's left after they march by? Not much! But we still thought it looked kind of cool.


I had to include this picture, too. Behind the Jesus float always comes a Mary float and the women are in charge of carrying it. Just look at the expressions on their face!

Saturday, April 23
We spent the morning at a birthday party celebrating the 3rd birthday of our new friend at church. The afternoon was spent dying Easter egg's at our good friend Tina's home.

Ruth makes a party hat look good! Our friend (whose son turned 3) sent us some pictures that she took and doctored with Photoshop. She's such an artist!

I'm glad my new friend, Hannah, passed these photos along because my camera was stolen the day before during all the maddness of the Good Friday processionals. She was also kind enough to lend me a camera until we get a new one of our own, so I didn't miss a thing on Easter Sunday!


That afternoon, we dyed Easter eggs at Tina's house. I think Ruth looks so grown up in this pic!

Sam takes his egg dying seriously.

Sunday, April 24 - Happy Easter!


We had such a lovely Easter Sunday. That morning we had brunch at the top of a famous lookout here in Antigua and then attended Easter service. That afternoon, we Americans celebrated an English-style Easter in Guatemala. How's that for international! My friend Tina's husband is from England. We spent the afternoon with her family and Tina cooked an English Easter feast complete with rack of lamb and roasted potatoes. YUM! And of course, the kids got to hunt for Easter eggs.


We had brunch at Cerro del Santo Domingo with several friends. This is my good friend, Maritza. We also dined with our new friends Hannah and Jordan and their children Solomon and Grace.

It's hard not to feel close to God with views like this! Praise God. He is risen, indeed!

And when you don't really have an Easter basket, a bucket will do just fine! What a wonderful Easter, 2011!

I'm Sorry, Sam

Sam comes home most days with about two pages (or ten minutes worth) of “homework.” Mostly, it’s more practice with what he learned that particular day. We’ve traced lots of letters and numbers. We’ve counted pictures. We’ve cut out pictures that start with a particular letter’s sound.
Earlier this week, Sam was sitting down to do his homework and noticed that his teacher had given him a smiley face (instead of a star) for the previous day’s assignment.
“Why did Miss Mirna give me a frowny face? What did I do wrong?” he asks.
“Nothing, honey. That’s a smiley face,” I assured him. (Although the eyes and nose were drawn kinda weird, I do give him that.)
The discussion continues and Sam is not convinced. He ends up getting so bothered by the supposed frowny face that he starts to cry. And at that moment, at age four, for the first time, his perfectionist, want-to-be-the-best student personality is revealed. And I am completely to blame. I’m so sorry, Sam.
The next morning, Stephen asked Miss Mirna to explain to Sam that he did not get a frowny face on his assignment. She told him that, of course, it was a smiley face. She also said, however, that a star was better than a smiley face and perhaps Sam was aware that the faces she draws are the symbol for good work, but the best work earns a star.
So how do I help my “star” student relax a little and just enjoy the learning? Maybe I should just ask my parents…they will know!

Pretty Ruth!

Ruth on Easter Sunday morning.

Ruth at a birthday party the day before Easter.

Painting Easter eggs the day before Easter.

Posing for the camera Easter morning.

So Much to Say, So Much to Say...

Only a few weeks have passed since I last blogged, and yet so much has happened. I’ve decided to break down the information into separate entries so that you can feel free to scroll down, click on, and read what seems interesting to you at your own pace. :) Here’s a preview of the coming titles:

1) A Little Baby Chapin
2) Semana Santa
3) Sam’s First Field Trip
4) Ruth’s First Haircut
5) Maria, Maria – A Story of Poverty

Semana Santa

Antigua, Guatemala hosts the largest Holy Week celebrations in the entire world. In. The. Entire. World.

Since the beginning of Lent, our little city of 25,000 inhabitants has exploded. Every week there are processionals, activities, vendors, activities, the list goes on. Last Sunday was probably the busiest we’ve seen the city with 150,000 reported visitors. Our seatbelts are securely fastened because the real events of Holy Week start today on Palm Sunday.

Each week leading up to Holy Week and Easter, you will find multiple processions. As far as I’ve observed, the processionals have a simple four-step process:

1) Close off the streets
2) Decorate the streets with “carpets.” This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. People create large carpets on the cobblestone roads with all natural ingredients. This includes colored sawdust, flowers, plants, vegetables, and fruit. Each carpet is unique and amazing.
3) Start the processional. Men dressed in purple robes carry large floats with statues of Jesus and/or Mary atop and process over the carpets. Bands play. People march.
4) Buy stuff. Vendors follow behind and the party continues. People buy food, toys, memorabilia, balloons, and then in the beautiful Latin way I love and admire, they simply hang out.

Recently we had the opportunity to participate hands-on. My good friend Tina lives on a main street in town and her apartment building annually joins in the festivities by creating a carpet.

The children did the work (almost) entirely on their own on Día de Los Niños, in which the children carry the floats and march in the procession. Look at the pictures below and I’ll walk you through the process.

First, you have to dye the sawdust and collect the flowers or other natural material you are going to use. We did this the Saturday before the procession. This is the one part the adults helped most. This is also the one part Ruth helped least. :) On the day of the procession, the kids decorated the street with their sawdust and flowers...all by themselves! Below, the kids are showing off their finished product. Didn't they do a great job?? The two other children are Elizabeth (Tina's daughter) and their friend from school, Andrew.

After all the hard work, you have to get a good seat for the parade! Ruthie is ready for the show.

And then the procession begins!

Check out the video for the full effect! Remember that it was Dia del Nino, so all those purple robes you see carrying the float are children!

Maria, Maria - A Story of Poverty

Maria is about 35 years old and lives as a squatter in Guatemala City. She lives with no electricity, which, of course, means no lights, no television, no electric stove or oven, no heat, no air. Maria is currently recovering from a very traumatic miscarriage. This is the first baby she has ever lost to miscarriage, but she has lost three other children to starvation and illness at older ages. If you count the baby she recently miscarried, she has been pregnant ten times. She lives with her husband, her 18 year old daughter, that daughter’s 10 month old daughter, her 10 year old daughter, and her 6, 5 year and 8 month old sons. If you happened to be following the math with all of that, there is still once child I have not mentioned. Maria also has given one of her children up for adoption, a daughter that is now 8 years old.

Last Monday I was hired as a translator for the first meeting between the American family who adopted Maria’s child and Maria and her family. Before meeting the families and knowing their stories, I was cautious of the whole situation. All I could think of was the 8 year old American Guatemalan (we’ll call her Abby) that was going to have one of the biggest days of her life. I didn’t think about the layers of stories that weave hers together and the importance of all of the “minor” characters meeting.

There are a few things I took away from the experience.
• I strongly believe that Abby would have been one of Maria’s children that would have eventually been victim to hunger and poverty. After hearing the story of her adoption, I literally think the adoption saved Abby’s life.
• I saw poverty in Maria’s life and in her story like I’ve never seen before. This may sound weird, but I feel like I’ve seen painful poverty before – especially after our time serving at the clinic in Mexico, but Maria’s poverty hit me hard. The reality is the majority of the world lives more like Maria than like you and me.
• It’s hard to walk away from such a story without trying to put it all in perspective of my own faith. In the book of Luke, Jesus announces his ministry with these words, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…” Not to save us of our sins, not to make our hearts clean, not to help us understand God better (although he obviously did all of those things)…the first time he says explicitly what he’s doing here on this earth, it’s to bring good news to the poor.
• Then it all begs the question, so what do I do? I have googled and wikied so many depressing poverty statistics in the past week (for example, the gap between rich and poor has more than doubled in the past thirty years), that it’s easy for me to feel like the forest really is too big to see that it’s really made of trees. But I must to something. Everyday.

Sam's First Field Trip

Last Friday, April 8th, Sam got on a big school bus and took his very first field trip. Mommy can’t be left out of these kids of things, you know, so of course I went along.

Sam and his class traveled to Guatemala City, about an hours drive from Antigua, to visit the Children’s Museum. It was a spectacular museum that could easily rival any children’s museum in the US. I hope we get to go back soon as a family and let sister experience it with us. When we lived in Austin, we had annual passes to the children’s museum and went very regularly. It’s one of the many things I’ve missed since living here, so it was so fun to be able to share that experience with Sam again.

Besides the fun of the activities at the museum, it’s always fun for me to observe Sam in a setting outside of the home. Sometimes I smile and sometimes I cringe because I see so many of my own personality traits in my little man. Sam is a “leader.” He is large and in charge and not afraid of anyone or any new opportunity…especially now that he has essentially mastered the Spanish language. Sam was the first to volunteer for any demonstration. Sam made sure, on his own, that he didn’t miss out on anything and that he got the full experience. Sam was always the first in line, even when he wasn’t always the first to arrive in line. You see, sometimes I smile and sometimes I cringe. He is so special, though, and I’m confident that he will continue to live a life in which he seizes the day and takes hold of all opportunities before him. I pray that we can continue to expose him to the amazing myriad of opportunities this world really holds. I love Sam madly.

Playing a giant version of Operation. Sam was always right beside the museum employee.

Here was was pretending to be a police officer in the outdoor city. He decided he needed to close the road. I thought that was especially hilarious since there are literally road closures every week in Antigua.

Sam in a giant bubble. Doesn't get much more fun than that!

Sam volunteering for the static electricity demonstration. His hair always atracts attention.

Sam and his good friend, Elizabeth. Elizabeth's mom, Tina, is one of my best friends here in Guatemala.

Ruth's First Haircut

Ruth is 20 months old with a head full of beautiful, baby fine hair. Her fine hair is one piece of evidence that she’s mine…everything else is pure Stephen! I’ve been hesitant to cut it, because it’s so pretty, but in the past few weeks it’s simply gotten too wild and unruly. I’m insistent that she doesn’t have bangs, which means a lot of hair constantly in her eyes and/or a lot of baretts that get pulled out during the day. Monday we took her to my beloved hairdresser, Melissa, who was able to “style” my sweet, little girl’s hair. Ruth is too pretty for words and did a great job! No tears, no resisting…just lots of self-admiring in the mirror.

A Little Baby Chapin

Big news! I’m pregnant with Baby Dove #3! You’re surprised? You have questions? Let’s see if I can answer them.

• Yes, current plans are to have the baby right here in Guatemala.

• Yes, that will mean that the baby will have dual citizenship. At least until he or she is 18, as far as we understand. And then he/she will have to decide his/her loyalty. The local term for “Guatemalan” is “Chapin,” hence the title “A Little Baby Chapin.”

• Yes, I’ve had two appointments now with the doctor and we’ve toured the private hospital where I will most likely deliver. It will all be okay. As a matter of fact, the doctor we are using did his residency in the US. Stephen and I feel confident and safe about the decision. We also have found a great pediatrician that we have used these past nine months, whom I trust to take care of Baby Chapin the moment he/she arrives.

• Yes, it was semi-planned. We had tried conceiving for several months, touting reasons like: 1) it’ll be way cheaper to have #3 here, 2) I’ll have a full-time nanny to help, 3) our current Guatemalan lifestyle is more “tranquilo” and more conducive to handling the stress of an infant. Then one day I woke up and decided that was all crazy. Stephen and I went out to dinner and talked and decided to stop trying and wait. I realized that I wanted to wait and deliver in the comfort of my own country, that I wanted to have access to all my pretty baby things back home, that waiting until we had consistent income with Stephen’s future job would be better, etc., etc. And then…the two pink lines.

• Yes, thank you so much for asking. The first nine weeks of this pregnancy have been terribly hard. I have been very sick and super exhausted every day. The second trimester can’t get here fast enough. Mark my word; this is the last of our children that will come out of my body.

• Yes, Sam and Ruth both know. Sam is excited and amazingly supportive in his four-year old way. He likes to think of new names for baby on a regular basis, but he has two that he sticks to quite regularly…so much so we are actually considering his suggestions! :) Lately, he also pretends that he, too, has a baby in his tummy. He often puts his stuffed animals under his shirt and says things like, “My baby is coming in August, when is your baby due?” I’m not quite sure how much Ruth Noel understands, but when you ask her where they baby is, she knows the right answer is to point to my tummy.

• Yes, we appreciate your prayers. Pray for my endurance, especially through this first trimester. Pray for our family’s unity and peace during a life of continual change.

Introducing our Little Baby Chapin...