Patzun is where Pedro & Ana live, and I'll be living with them for my remaining time in Guatemala. Which is flying by faster than I thought possible (and faster than my ability to blog; apologies about that!)
Leaving Tecpan meant saying goodbye to my host family. Which was sad - look at how much cuteness I left behind!
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| Left to right: Sofia, Diego, Ixchel, Andrea |
It also meant the end of Kabjajuj Ey Kaqchikel languages classes! After a final delicious lunch (estufado - a barbecue-flavored stew of every possible meat. From rabbit to beef,) we got our certificates of completion and had a small and sweet goodbye ceremony.
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| Grace gets her certificate from Ixim |
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| The teachers and students of Kablajuj Ey 2015! Left to right: Iximnik'te, Grace, me, Ana, Pedro |
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| Just the teachers. And cows. |
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| Grace & I with Ixim - this should be rotated. It isn't. |
I learned a lot in class - a lot about Kaqchikel, Spanish and Guatemalan culture! Thanks to Ixim, Ana, and Pedro's capable teaching, of course. Ixim's breadth and depth of knowledge, combined with Ana's familiarity with English, plus Pedro's linguistics background and perspective made for an excellent experience. I hope I will be able to make use of what I learn as I construct my research and prepare to find out more about Kaqchikel.
Ana & Pedro have a wonderful home and have been extremely welcoming to me. Their house is in one of the highest places of Patzun and has a breathtaking 360 degree view. I'm excited for the vistas these next weeks are sure to bring - Guatemala's beauty continues to astound me!
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| Taken from the house's roof |
Kaqchikel word of the day: wakx (WAKSH) - cow or cows. The etymology is interesting here - it comes for the Spanish for cows, vacas. Somehow, the plural Spanish form came to represent both the singular and plural in Kaqchikel.
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