Feliz Año Nuevo

(written by my friend Jessica Fyles. We spent the holidays together) I knew Christmas was here when I went to buy vegetables at the open air market (a series of vendors lined on the street). It was no longer the market I knew. The market had exploded into what felt like a minature tent city. I was blinded by the glistening sparkle of tinsel draping the vendor stalls and mesmerized by the flashing Christmas lights for sale. Everyone was out selling something....cookies, candies, music, shoes, clothes, apples, fireworks, more cookies...seriously. whatever you could possibly want to eat, wear, look at- it was there....at very reasonable prices. Walking into the market that day (and more importantly, finding my way out) was a test of my sense of direction....which I am proud to say I have. No, bright and shining green exit signs above doors here. Although I was able to find my way in and out, if I had more trouble it wouldn´t have been so bad. Reggaeton, Bachata, Salsa, Norteno (add in the accent above the second n) music snaked it´s way down each and every corridor of the market. Being lost sucks....but being lost to a beat, well I figure that ain´t so bad.

One of the greatest parts about Christmas and New Years here is fireworks and firecrackers. There are stalls and stalls and stalls of people selling crazy fireworks. These are illegal in San Francisco. Therefore, it was only natural that I felt compelled to buy many of them. I set mine off at around 10:30pm on the street in front of my hostel, without fear of police interference. I was pretty tired, so I went to lay down at 11:45pm. As I began to doze I heard a loud thunderous crack and felt a reverberation through my chest that shot my eyes open. Then, I heard more rapid cracks and through the window I could see the sky light up green, yellow, blue, red....Was it the apocalypse? No. It was the birth of Christ. Yes, at midnight, the tradition in Guatemala is that everyone sets off fireworks in front of there house to bring in Christmas Day. Á whole city lighting up the sky and awakening the night for like an hour. We are talking loud firecrackers, fireworks that shoot into the sky, sparklers....everything. It was awesome.

I had heard word that New Years Eve would be similar. That at midnight, the sky would light up a second time. My friends and i headed to a club around 11pm thinking that we would be ¨late.¨ We show up, and there is no one (and I mean no one) except the dj and security guard in this joint. At 10 min to midnight there was no one. Turns out that part of the tradition in Guatemala is that people spend midnight with their family. After midnight is when people go out to the club. (I think this is a great tradition....it seems like you get best of both worlds family and then friends. I think this kind of tradition might have saved me (and probably many other teenagers out there) a lot of unnecessary confrontation with the parents.) Anyhow, at midnight there was no official countdown, people were still sober, and we realized that we had just experienced one of those subtle cultural differences between the US and Guatemala. So, we went to the Parque Central and did our own countdown. There were lots of families and kids in the park too. And then like clockwork, at midnight, the sky lit up, the boom of firecrackers shook the ground. It was beautiful, and kicked the ass of watching a ball drop in Times Square on TV and probably in person. Absorbed in the moment, we spotted a vendor out selling her last firecrackers-works. So, of course, we bought some and got in on the action. Afterwards we went to go shake it in a club....everyone seemed to be out. We were sardines in a can. The club closed at 7am, but I only made it to 4am....We then ate cheese steak sandwiches and walked home satisfied.

Random Thoughts:

This is really dumb but true. i actually miss..of all things.... big fat sidewalks. 3ft wide minimum, with no obstructions, long, good old San Francisco sidewalks. The kind of sidewalk where you can (more or less) confidently look ahead and space out a little, with the moderate glance down to avoid the really nasty stuff, and be surprised when you trip over something. In Xela (city in Guatemala), there are some really nice (but more narrow) sidewalks. However, sometimes the sidewalk takes a bit more attention- wholes appear or street light posts are blocking your way and you gotta step into the busy narrow street, sometimes there is a 1 to 2 ft step to get to the street. i can be a klutz, so all i can say is that it´s good i have strong ankles. anyhow, it made me realize what a lazy walker San Francisco had made me. I had to teach my feet and legs how to adapt, be responsive and be more versatile. They used to be less aware of their surroundings. I guess I actually don´t miss the sidewalks, i guess i just want to indulge in the privilege of walking without thinking so hard. I suppose in the end, I´m in gratitude for this experience because I´ve become a better skilled walker.,,when i get back to the States taking a stroll will probably seem way too easy. Anyhow, next time you step out of the house, take a step for me..