I Know Why People Die

Thursdays and Saturdays are market days here in Antigua. In the mornings, the whole town comes out to buy their food for the coming days. There is a giant tent/building in which everyone sets up "shop" to sell their goods. One area for fruits and vegetables, one for clothing, one for shoes, one for cds, and one for meats. As you walk through the cramped "hallways," the smell is absolutely overpowering. Rotting fruit covered in garbage bags combined with raw meat that has been sitting out for hours, and lots and lots of people in a small space. My heart breaks, knowing that for many people here, this food will be their dinner.
My friend commented today that there are lots of medical centers in Antigua. I know why.

At the same time, if you can get past the initial smell, the market is a wonderful place. There are so many different crafts and things to look at. I, a non-craftsy person myself, have always marveled at the creativity and craftsmanship of artists. The clothing and fabric shops especially, are so much fun to see. It's like walking through a rainbow; so many brillant colors!!!

Everyday, I meet someone new. Yesterday, while walking home I meet a shoeshiner, named Luis (see photo on right), who works on the street I walk everyday. He is learning to read Spanish as well as to speak a little English. So now, whenever I see him, we practice his few English words and he recites Genesis to me in Spanish. Speaking of Luis, he's reading children's books here in the same coffee shop I'm in.

This weekend, Amy, Megan (the 2 girls here with CAM also), Mackenzie (my housemate), and I are taking a trip to Monterico, the Pacific beach an 1 1/2 hour away from Antigua. It is know for it's beaches reserved for the many sea turtles that come to lay their eggs. Many of the companies there rescue the turtle eggs from poachers and then release them into the sea when they are old enough. Even so, only 1 out of every 100 baby turtles survives. Que triste!!

This afternoon we had a change of pace from the usual 5 hours of class. After studying por vs. para and comparison sentences in the morning, a group of 10 students and teachers left to play soccer in a nearby field. When we arrived, there was a girls' school group dancing in on the basketball court, where we had planned to play. We watched for almost an hour as they danced to Avrile Lavine, Shakira, and other English songs. I wonder if they know what they mean... Many people (especially the middle school boys of the community) turned out to watch the girls dance. It was obviously a dance that they had learned together. At they ended in a big, cheerleader-like pyramid. Go team!!!

Our soccer on the other hand... We played against some local kids. They play soccer in their sleep. But we held our own, and scored a few goals while we were at it!!!

Tonight we plan on searching for a TV to watch the presidential debates. Wish us luck!!