Saying Farewell to Xela

My 7 1/2 weeks in Xela were absolutely wonderful, and I give most of the credit for this to the fantastic people with whom I shared my time. While I was sad to leave, in some ways it was a perfect time to leave as many students I had come to call my friends in Xela were also moving on to other places. Our graduation at Celas Maya consisted of cocktail hour with live music. It was a festive event providing the perfect closing to our weeks of study. There were lots of thanks given out to our the teachers and staff of Celas Maya -- all well-deserved. Jim collected photos from anyone interested in contributing and put together a fine farewell photo slideshow.

In the Gutierrez home (well, that's my host mother's name anyway), there was merriment mixed with tears. My host sister Ana Maria told me she would not be saying good-bye to me on Saturday when I left. Without a doubt there have been too many good-byes in this house with students coming and going sometimes weekly. Most host mother did tell me that sometimes she prefers that a student only stays a week or two because it is easier to watch them go. Ana Maria (my host mother) got up early Saturday morning and made me breakfast before I left on a 7:00 am shuttle. I told her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted she was already going to be up at that time to see my host father off to work. I couldn't get her to return to bed after my breakfast was made either, instead she puttered around the house until the shuttle took me away.

Now that I am at Lago Atitlan, it is difficult to imagine I will not be returning to Xela at the end of this mini-vacation. But alas it is almost time for me to return Stateside once again. I hope to return to Guatemala sooner than later. It has captured my heart in a way only closely echoed in my short stay in Mali, West Africa. Thankfully, Guatemala is much closer and fiscally easier to imagine a return.