Southern Sensibility - Part 1

Every morning our walk to school begins on this lovely path 

next to the ruins of Santa Rosa Cathedral.

Several weeks ago I wrote about the process of Culture Shock (see Lost that Loving Feeling post). Here are more thoughts on the cultural differences we experience on a regular basis. Recently, there have been several things that really bother me. I have had a hard time naming exactly what it is that drives me crazy ... then one day I realized that not only does this culture rub my "American" skin the wrong way; my southern sensibilities are often offended as well.

For example, in the South we are generally considered to be polite, warm and hospitable. We like our tea sweet and our vowels wide. We love our country, our family and our church. We really love food and gatherings built entirely around food - we invented "comfort food." In the South, we go out of our way to show kindness and respect for one another. It's just the way we are, it's in the soil, our roots soak it up and we become Southern. With the exception of sweet tea and wide vowels, Guatemala is very similar. The people are warm and hospitable, they love family and food as well. Yet, there are some major clashes with my southern heritage.

Generally speaking, in the South drivers give a wide berth to cyclists and pedestrians on the street or in parking lots. It's bad form to hit people with your car. You also don't want to scare them or in anyway give the impressions that you might run them over. This is definitely not the case in Guatemala.

Walking in Guatemala can be very dangerous for a number of reasons. The first being - respiratory health. The streets are full of diesel and gasoline fumes. I don't think the Commission for Emissions Control has ever heard of Guatemala. The second danger is the sidewalks themselves. They tend to be narrow, many places you cannot walk two abreast - single file only. The sidewalks are crumbly, they have varying elevations or open holes - perfect for breaking an ankle. In addition, one must always be on the lookout for dog poo. Completely foreign concepts - Walk your dog on a leash and clean up after your dog. The dogs don't look well fed, but the sidewalk has evidence that proves otherwise. One thing I love about Antigua - the amazingly beautiful window boxes - until you whack your head on one. They make the sidewalk even more narrow and they are the perfect height for causing brain injuries to even the most observant of pedestrians.

Watch your step - it's a big drop!

Window box - perfect height for bashing your brains out!

So far, I have only covered the dangers of walking on the sidewalk. You can see why we frequently end up walking on the edge of the sidewalk or in the street. Here is where the cars, tuk-tuks and motorcycles become really dangerous. At times it seems as if they want you think they are going to run you over. The street can be wide open, no traffic and a tuk-tuk or motorcycle will ride right up next to you, within inches of your body. It's one thing to do this to me or Lee but I really get bent out of shape when they do it to my children! I keep thinking  "Really, you have to drive right here? REALLY? You can't make a little room for pedestrians?"It's infuriating.

Sometimes the sidewalk is there, sometimes it's just dirt.

We pass this hole in the sidewalk everyday on our way to school.

That's a broken ankle and a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Pedestrians beware!

So how do I reconcile this new culture with my Southern sensibilities? I can't decide - "Is it me? or is it them?" Well, there's more to it than just getting used to the insanity of walking and driving in a foreign country. I keep looking deeper at what this behavior says about our new culture. What does it say about me? More thoughts to come....

Despite the dangers, the vistas are truly amazing!

Our first visitor from home...

This past week, we had our first visitor from home - Mimi! Lee's mom arrived on Monday afternoon. She had three suitcases full of gifts and goodies. (She only need half of one for her clothes - the rest was LOOT!) The kids thought it was Christmas in October!

We had treats like M&Ms, decaf tea, movies, new games, flip flops and much, much more.

We took her on a tour of Antigua - we drove up to the Cross on the hill which overlooks the city of Antigua. We took a tour of Jades SA - which is a shop that mines and cuts Jade into jewelry. We took her to see some ruins, some cathedrals and of course the market! Apparently, she can shop in any language. She loved all the beautiful textiles in the market.

View from Cerro de la Cruz (Antigua and Vulcan Agua)

Wednesday was my birthday. Mimi had some special gifts from friends and family. What a treat to open fun and thoughtful gifts from home. That evening, Patty was able to meet several of our new friends. Lee organized a birthday party at the home of our friends, The Ericksons. (Our place is too small, so Maureen was so kind to host for us.) We had so much fun laughing and telling fun stories about life in our new country.  Too much FUN!

Erickson family, Radfords, Amy & Andy, Joy & Jared (photo by Katey Erickson)

So many great new friends!!

On Thursday, we drove her to Pana. She was amazed by the sights and sounds of the Guatemalan countryside and terrified by the driving down here. We were able to see the house we will be renting in December. She really enjoyed seeing where we will live for a while. It was good for me to see it again too. I can start planning how to set up our next home. (This nomadic life is very different for me - I have to make a plan - I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-f-my-pants kind of girl!) We ate a really fabulous dinner at the Posada Don Rodrigo and the kids swam in their pool. We took Patty shopping on Calle Santander (market street).

View of Lake Atitlan from Sunset Cafe

On Friday morning, (we did some more quick shopping) then we went up to Eagle's Nest and took the grand tour. We had a delicious lunch with some of the EN staff. Then we drove back to Antigua. It was fun to show her all the places and people who will be part of our new life in Pana.

The week seemed to fly by; good times always do! On Saturday, she flew home to Atlanta. What a blessing it is that friends and family can come to visit! (It's cheap and only 3 hour flight from ATL - you know you want to come see us!) Who's next???

Retiro de Mujeres

Last weekend, I had the privilege of teaching at a retiro de mujeres (Ladies Retreat) which was hosted by Eagle's Nest. We had almost 100 ladies from the western regions of Guatemala join us for food, fellowship and fun.

We had four North American missionaries who were teaching on various aspects of prayer life. We each taught a workshop four times as the ladies rotated through in group of 20-25. We each had a craft or activity to help reinforce the teaching time.

Getting the ladies registered for the retreat and assigned to room.

(Notice the lady with traditional Mayan dress and her beautiful braids with ribbon)

This was a new experience for me, as I have neither taught at a retreat nor have I taught with a translator before. The first workshop felt a little stilted, not very natural. As we went through the weekend, each time was a little easier and more natural. It really helped to have a great translator. A wonderful missionary named Tammy was my translator. I really enjoyed getting to know her between sessions and playing with her sweet baby Jenette. (Tammy is not only a fabulous translator, but a wonderful mother of seven.)

Together we taught from Matthew 6. Jesus was teaching about prayer in secret - private prayer. He warns against the proud and arrogant prayers of men who like to hear their own voices. The emphasis is on seeking Him in private - when we are humble and honest before Him. We pray because we want to be in relationship with God, because we love him - not because we want to be seen a certain way in the eyes of men. "Prayer doesn't change God, it changes me."- C.S. Lewis

The ladies in my class made secret prayer pillows from fleece blankets. They wrote little prayers on a piece of paper which they inserted in the pillow. When the Lord answers that prayer, they can insert a new prayer. The pillow is meant to remind us to seek Him in prayer for all our needs.

This was my classroom. 

Working on pillows.

I have learned many things about women in Guatemala. Most get up about 4:45 every morning. They start the day by preparing food for breakfast, lunch and snack time (Guatemalans have a mid-morning snack at 10 am because it is a long time from 5:30am to 1:00 pm) Lunch is the large meal of the day, so there is much work to do. Some women have to gather firewood or get water from outside sources for cooking meals. They have children to care for, husbands to send out to the fields, and an endless list of chores like laundry and shopping in the market. Many of them also try to earn an income for the family through small businesses like handicrafts, jewelry making, domestic cleaning or running a tienda (corner shop) I have always wondered if a Proverbs 31 woman really exists. I am realizing they exist all over the world, just not in the US. Women here rarely have time to relax or time alone - forget about time with girlfriends. It simply doesn't exist here.  As North American women we are so spoiled. It was a special treat to see these ladies spending time with one another. They were given an opportunity that most of us not only take for granted but often feel entitled to - uninterrupted time with girlfriends.

What a privilege to serve these ladies and their families. May the Lord bless and keep them, make his face to shine upon them!

Adventures of Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley goes to Guatemala - by Parker & Anna Kate

Who is Flat Stanley you may be wondering....well, Flat is the main character in a very popular series of children's chapter books. Flat can travel the world easily because he simply mails himself everywhere. Anna Kate has been enjoying this fun collection of books. A young friend from Marietta named Kelly is also reading through the book with her class. Her dad asked if they could send Flat to us and we could show him around Guatemala. Well, he arrived by First Class Priority Mail last week. The following is a brief history of Flat's adventures in Guatemala with the Radford family.

This is a picture of Flat Stanley watching passion 2011 live in our kitchen. We loved singing along with Chris Tomlin.

Our family took a quick trip to Panajachel on the shore of Lake Atitlan. We were lounging by the lake. We had a lovely view of the lake and a volcano. We watched boats traveling across the lake.

This is a picture of Flat Stanley in some flowers at Los Buenas Nuevas (The Good News) on our one week vacation from language school. Guatemala has many tropical plants.

While we were in Panajachel, we climbed trees. This is a limon (lime) tree. We also saw orange trees, mango trees, avocado trees and banana trees. We watched some pretty orange and black birds catching breakfast in these trees.

This is Flat, Anna Kate and me (Parker) on a wall on lake Atitlan. This is a view of Vulcan Toliman. There are many small villages all around the edge of the lake.

While we were sitting by the lake, Flat decided to climb the volcano. Don't worry, this is an inactive volcano. (Picture by Parker)   

We walked up the main street of Panajachel called Calle Santander. Many locals come to the market area and sell their goods. We saw colorful fabrics, jewelry and souvenirs.

This is Flat wearing my bracelet that we bought from the vender. Flat loved all the colorful bracelets and fabrics.

While we were wondering around Pana, we stopped at Crossroads cafe for a cup of hot chocolate and some coffee. Mr. Mike was very happy to see Flat Stanley in his shop. Mr. Mike made a smiley face from foamy milk in my hot chocolate. The coffee and hot chocolate are really yummy!!

DANGER - Gringos driving in Guate

This is a mudslide just above Panajachel. (200+ ft. high)

As many of you know, we took a break from Spanish school this week. We went to a missionary retreat center in Panajachel called Los Buenas Nuevas (LBN). The drive to Pana was nerve-racking because it was rainy and foggy. Guatemala has had more rain this season than they have had for about 60 years. The rain has caused lots of mudslides. The higher in the mountains we drove the more mud, dirt, trees and rocks were in the road. The main highway is supposed to be four lanes (two in each direction). Since many places are covered with mud, the lanes switch back and forth and often go down to one lane each way or 1 1/2 lanes for both directions. It makes for some very tense travel.

We made it to Pana on Tuesday a little after noon. We enjoyed some quiet days of reading and resting. Although, we did take some Spanish to study - we didn't do it. We will probably pay for it on Monday. Anyway, we walked around Pana, had coffee at Crossroads, met some friends for dinner one night. The kids played outside and loved on the neighbor kitty. It was nice to read and relax by the lake. It rained alot on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday evening you could have confused the Rancho Grande Avenida for the Pana River. It had 3-4 inches of water running down the street toward the lake. With so much rain, another mudslide covered the road out of Pana. It was closed all day yesterday and didn't look like it would be open today either.

Thus we had to take an "alternate" route in order to be back in Antigua today. It started out pretty good, but we saw some serious mudslides and had one very tricky crossing. Several places looked like we were driving upstream in a river instead of driving on a paved (semi-paved) road. As we came over the top of one mountain we saw this enormous mudslide across the valley on another mountain. It was probably 100 yards across at the top and 50 yards tall. As we got a better view of it, we decided to try and photograph it. We soon realized the road we were traveling was headed right to it. We ended up driving at the base of the mudslide. As we continued, we came around another bend where traffic was backed up, mud every where, trees in the road, chicken buses coming in the opposite direction....total insanity. We had to drive off-road - towards the CLIFF - in order to pass the mud, which was piled higher than the window of our Landcruiser. THEN, it started to rain again.

This is the small mudslide.

This was the BIG mudslide.

This was the SCARY off-road mudslide. 

(I was too scared to take a picture up the hill)

Did I mentioned the road signs? We very frequently see tree branches or rocks used as Bob's barricade signs. Sometimes, they have a large sign with a big arrow. This indicates that you should change lanes and you will be sharing with the oncoming traffic. This is all fine except, the arrow is usually about 3 feet from the space where you change lanes. If you pay close attention, you usually know when you are supposed to start the lane change, but you don't always know when it ends. In addition, if the traffic in the opposite direction shifts to your side, you don't always have warning until there is a chicken bus headed right at you on your side of the road.

Here is the really crazy thing - it took three hours to get from Panajachel to Antigua. It's only 60 miles. The good news is - the Lord was with us, we made it home safely and we are SOOO happy that we bought a 4-wheel drive vehicle. So those of you who drive up and down 75/85/285 - remember your friends in Guatemala and thank the Lord for an orderly method and good signage of road construction and repair.

This is a waterfall and mudslide that buried the road to Solola. 

This caused us to take the "alternate" route out of town.