Mi cumpleaños, San Pedro de Laguna, el 28 de noviembre, 2016

So now I'm 55!  Freedom 55, isn't that what they say?  Well, I had a good day, but everyday seems good - lucky me!

Last night coming home the Catholics were having another procession, making their way to the only Catholic Church in town-

Men carry the float, shuffling along.  It's lit up with big spotlights that are powered by a generator that is pulled along too.  Traffic is backed up but no one seems to mind; it's just part of life in Guatemala!

Today, being the big day that it is, I met Mynor, mi profesor at school and we went out for breakfast.  I had a very fresh croissant stuffed with bacon (my first since leaving home), eggs, tomato and avocado!  It was excellent!  

I started learning the past tense this morning.  It's going to take awhile!

After class, I helped Maria make tamales.  The potatoes were already cooked and mashed and the carne was soaking in a tasty sauce-

First, we put potatoes on the leaves-

Then carne on top-

And then a slice of pepper and 3 raisins-

Then we folded up the leaves-

I don't like tamales with corn mash, but with potatoes they're much better.  They are usually tied up with string, then heated.  They are super popular everywhere I've been in Guatemala.  

I also prepared a piña, manzanas and a papaya for a special frutas drink that was cooked on the wood stove-

After helping, I walked to San Juan, a local pueblo-

back to my favorite restaurant for wine-

On the way are numerous murals depicting Maya history-

This one reminded me of Jane and Nico!  

San Juan is a textile town and this image depicts the loom and dying pots-

Coffee and other crops are important-

After an earthquake and mudslide, complete with coffins for the dead-

The San Juan Católica Church has an interesting exterior but is still in typical Spanish style-

The interior is interesting-

Returning home for supper, I picked up my cake-

Mi familia-

Mynor, a friend who's been eating with us the past week, me, Theresa - Maria's mother , Brenda and Maria.

A Guatemalico tradition is to take a bite out of the cake-

Maria and Elenita enjoying tamales and cake-

Tomorrow afternoon, I hope to go to Santiago, another nearby pueblo.