Antics in Antigua!

Hey everyone and Happy Día de los Padres! Hope everything is going well back home. Today was a fun, cultural day spent in the old Guatemalan capital of Antigua. On the hour long drive from Guatemala City, we witnessed a Fast and Furious-esque race between 30 motorcycles that were weaving through traffic (obviously to get good seats at mass). Nevertheless, our driver, Juan Carlos, stayed strong and got us to Antigua with extra time to see the Tenedor de Cerro, a tall, mountainous sightseeing area with some fantastic art. Next on the schedule was mass in one of the oldest cathedrals in the Western Hemisphere. Luckily, we found seats as the church was packed to capacity with some standing but everyone in their "Sunday Best." What made the mass so special and memorable was that it was completely in Spanish. Even though all of us struggled to understand exactly what was being said, we were all blessed to have that experience. Some of the Spanish students were able to chime in during the Our Father, which made them feel really cool about themselves. Leaving the cathedral, we headed straight to the bank to exchange our dollars for the Guatemalan Quetzales. The exchange rate for all of us was 7.7 Quetzales for the dollar. This took forever because Sachin somehow managed to crash the system, probably because he wanted a million dollar exchange and refused to say no. Andres took us to a great restaurant that offered delicious authentic Guatemalan cuisine. Although the markets were next and we were all excited to barter, this little girl lured in the Brother L, Eddingfields and Gramza while we ate. Before the markets, the team swooped by the Jade Factory/Museum where we recieved a nice history lesson about jade and its role in the Mayan culture. After this, we are are convinced that the world will end on December 21, 2012.While at the markets,everyone was searching feverishly for soccer jerseys, especially Mack. Mike Eddingfield and Nick Gramza bartered someone down to the point where they were asked to leave. In the end, everyone was happy with their purchases and, do not worry family and friends, there are "regalos" for you too (and not all the money was blown in one day). One little controversy which we all discussed was that we feel bad trying to barter with these people who are selling these goods for a living and might not be in the best economic circumstances. We then concluded that both sides enjoy the bartering and that it is a part of the marketplace activity.In between, we visited the old Jesuit residence and now Spanish embassy, which Br. L enjoyed. After returning to the Retreat House and eating dinner, we came to the disappointing realization that it was too dark to play soccer. Looking back on the day, it was awesome to observe the culture and get souvenirs, but we all recognize that the real focus is on tomorrow and the rest of the week when the work begins. Again, we hope everyone is doing well and having a good break from their sons! -SJJ Guatemala Team (Written by Samin Rai and Nick Gramza)