Kab'lajuj Ey Kaqchikel Maya Language School Clausura

 

After the two weeks of classes, we had our clausura to conclude the course and celebrate the success of Kab'lajuj Ey. It is always an emotional time because you form really strong bonds with everyone, so it is difficult to say good-bye to people who have managed to profoundly touch your heart in such a short amount of time.

For the clausura, the students get to make mini-presentations, so I sang "Jun ti sanik" (There is one ant), which is a children's song in Kaqchikel. I also sang "Velha infancia" with Clarice in Portuguese. Some of the other talents were singing the Kansas alma mater, polka dancing, and having an English lesson for the teachers. It was hilarious teaching the teachers about vocabulary in English related to exercising (lifting weights, jumping jacks, etc.). It is always fun to turn the tables on the teachers and let them be students for a little bit. hehe

Finally, we all wrote a Matyoxinïk (a thank-you) for all of the teachers to thank them for all that they did for us. I am a schmuck for that sort of thing, so I was in tears the whole time I was trying to give mine. It was such a beautiful experience, so I really wanted my Matyoxinïk to communicate my gratitude and let the teachers know how much they each had touched my heart.

Since it was such a special occasion, I asked one of the teachers if she would mind lending me one of her trajes, so I felt so special walking around for the day in my po't and skirt!

Wuqu' Kawoq Clinic

The last day of the Kab'lajuj Ey course, there was also a clinic being held in the Wuqu' Kawoq. Throughout the week, as we walked through the town, we were constantly being stopped by lots of random people in the streets asking about when "Ma Pedro" (the primary doctor for Wuqu' Kawoq) would arrive. I guess word had spread because there were tons of people that showed up that Friday to receive medical attention from the doctor. While Peter was seeing patients, we had class in the kitchen. It must have been quite a spectacle for everyone to hear us gringos trying our best at Kaqchikel because there were lots of people peeking in the kitchen door to check out what was going on in our class!

Jun Key (A Horse) ....

One of my favorite things about the rural areas of Guatemala is the horses that are randomly standing on the sides of the roads. In many places, people use horses as their primary mode of transportation, aside from walking. This was a horse that we stumbled upon as we were walking to Wicha's house to have lunch....

Museo Santiago

At the Museo Santiago, there is a lot of information on the barrilete (kite-making) tradition there. Every year for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), there is a huge festival in Santiago in which hundreds of kites are released to take their first flight. Because they are so huge (often several meters in diameter), they take months to prepare. Even though we aren't going to be able to witness this spectacle, it was really interesting to tour the museum.

On another note, since we are a Kaqchikel class, we asked the museum director to give us the tour in Kaqchikel. However, because Spanish is more predominant than Kaqchikel, the poor woman had extreme difficulties in expressing herself in the indigenous language. That just goes to show that just because someone wears traje (traditional Mayan clothing), it does not necessarily mean that s/he speaks a Mayan language.

Gullywasher!

One of the beauties of living in Guatemala during the summer is that you don't miss out on the rainy season. When I was preparing to come here, everyone warned me to come prepared to deal with wet weather, but I had no idea what I was in store for! The house in Santiago is made of a tin roof, so even when it was just slightly raining, it sounded like it was coming a downpour from inside. One night, however, what we heard inside was pretty much what was going on outside - what can be considered for all intents and purposes as a good old fashioned gullywasher.

Yojb'iyin kik'in ri tijonela' (Walking with the Teachers)

As another cultural event, we all visited the Museo Regional de Santiago Sacatepéquez one afternoon. As we were walking there, Emily took a picture of us all making our way through the streets....

Yojkemon rik'in Ixkamey (We weave with Ixkamey)

Another real treat of the Kab'lajuj Ey course was that one of the teachers, Ixkamey, is a renowned weaver. For our cultural event, one day she brought some of her weaving supplies and taught us how to weave.

In Mayan numerology, the number 20 is fundamental, because that is the number of fingers and toes that each human being has. In weaving, the strings are counted off in twenties, so Ixkamey showed us how to count the correct number of threads to make the pattern consistent.

Since it takes a great deal of strength to be able to support a loom, women generally strap themselves to their loom, which is then secured to anything sturdy (a wall, a door frame, etc.).

I was absolutely terrified when I first started because I was really afraid that I was going to mess it up, but after I while I began to really enjoy it. Each of the threads that we used was an astonishingly beautiful hue, and I thanked Ixkamey profusely for teaching us how to weave. She is not only an extremely talented Kaqchikel teacher, but she is also a superb weaving instructor. Ütz rusamaj, Ixkamey!