The man in the red suit...

Christmas has been in the air here in Guatemala for weeks. The local beer company, Gallo, put up decorations on the streets (including their name as sponsor)and a ginormous tree at the intersection of Avenida de las Americas and Avenida Reforma and the stores are full of all things Christmas. We have been singing carols at church since the beginning of November. So you would think it not surprising to see local vendors selling the man in the red suit. But wait...





A typo???? SATANS for sale? (Just scramble the letters and SANTA becomes SATAN.) No, our jolly guy in the red suit is indeed Satan-and the #7 on his suit is for Dec. 7.

Every year, in the midst of the Christmas season, Guatemalans give the devil his due. According to tradition, all year long, the devil hides in the corners and dark places of a house, worming his way into old papers, garbage, and dust. This brings bad luck (and bugs, allergies, etc..)

So,every Dec. 7, Guatemalans clean every nook and cranny in their houses, gathering up junk, old newspapers...even dust, and build a giant, highly combustible pile in front of their houses.

The man in the red suit, a "Prince of Darkness" pinata, is added to the pile and at exactly 6 pm, the entire unholy heap is set ablaze. (Thank heavens all the houses are constructed from cement. I don't think our bomberos (firemen) could handle an inferno...)

The bonfires, along with the firecrackers and fireworks that freaked out the doggies, is how we here in Guatemala celebrate "La Quema del Diablo"--the Burning of the Devil. Satan is swept from the homes and sent straight back to He**.

Now we can concentrate on the other guy in the red suit...

La cucharacha

I know they have cockroaches in Guatemala, but I haven't seen one since we got here. On my way to class yesterday I saw my first--he was about 2 inches long. Normally, I will step on and squash one if I see it, but not this guy. Reminded me of the roaches in Houston that crawled all over the wall outside once the sun went down. (Speaking of crawling...my skin is right now just thinking about it.) Those guys were aggressive and would fly right at you if you squirted them with Raid. SICK. Yesterday I just walked on by...

Rain, rain, go away, come again another...month? year?

I love rainy days--usually, but I am getting really sick of this rainy season. It's been raining since April and I don't think it has completely dried out since. I am tired of mud, aborted walks, umbrella in the car during a downpour, having the car washed and clean for hours before it's dirty again.

On the other hand, we enjoyed the storm yesterday afternoon, complete with lightening and claps of thunder that started all the car alarms down the road honking. Our car was safe and dry under the building, and we were tucked inside with a great view from our bedroom window.

And this morning we awoke to the sun peeking through the clouds--until the downpour began. Aborted walk, dirty car, mud, umbrella in the car...

Turn about...

I've written about our Friday breakfasts with the Chapinas that work with Marlan. On Wednesday at work, Marlan told me the "girls" wanted to make breakfast for us. They have been so grateful, almost to the point of embarrassment, so I felt a twinge of nervousness at the prospect.


Well...this morning at 8:00, M and I arrived at the embassy. There weren't too many of the girls around, but then, it's Friday. About 8:30, we headed...downstairs????


Seems our amigas went ALL OUT for our little breakfast. We entered the auditorium, and they were all bustling around--a huge Feliz Cumpleanos sign on the wall, tables with real tablecloths, centerpieces, bright little dots and squiggles (M called them sperm) all over the tables and the most delicious breakfast you can imagine! They served the yummiest tamales, Guatemalan style, wrapped in banana leaves, black beans (the beans here are the best you've ever tasted, although the presentation kind of looks like a pile...oh forget it. They are wonderful!) Pan dulce (sweet bread), rolls. It was unbelievable. All the girls wished me happy birthday and sang to me--I was really very touched. To top things off, they presented me with a beautiful box with a Quetzal bird on it (actually a tea box--I filled it with herbals) to always remind me of Guatemala.


My task now is to learn all their names. I used to be so good at remembering names, but as I've gotten older, it's gotten harder. FYI--I do still remember our phone number in Studio City when I was young: PO6-1341.


One of the things that bugs the heck out of me at the embassy is the "us-them" attitude. For instance, in the health unit, we are not authorized to treat any FSN (foreign service national--the Guatemalans that work at the embassy.) We can give them ibuprofen or Pepto, and a flu shot, but nothing else. They are employed by the US Govt but are considered "them". So stupid, and whereas I am usually one that tows the line, I'm cutting the cord on this one. I will be quiet about it, but in my mind, they are "us" too.

I just returned home from a wonderful trip to the US. I got to see all the grandkids and spent 2 weeks getting to know little Caleb and playing with the princesses. We had a nightly slumber party in their room, I watched Hercules at least 10 times, and am now well acquainted with Barbie DVDs.

I honor of my little princesses, I took the "Which Disney Princess Are You?" test.


You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

!Buen Provecho!

Marlan started a weekly tradition in his section at the Embassy--breakfast on Friday for the FSNs, foreign service nationals, who are the Guatemaltecos that help with visas. At first it was store bought goodies--bagels or cakes, then he got a bit more creative. While I was away in the US, he made a pitcher full of batter, brought butter,syrup, plates, napkins, and forks, and lugged my nice Kitchenaid waffle maker to the Embassy (after he dumped out my Christmas container to carry it all in.) After a number of weeks of sweeter things, when he asked the gals what they would like, they told him they would like something "salada"--less sweet. I told him I would come up with something, thus starting my quest for interesting breakfast dishes.

I am not a big breakfast person. I like pancakes, waffles, and French toast, but I really don't like eggs. This cuts out probably 80% of the items on a breakfast menu. But I took this as a challenge, and I must admit, I've been having fun looking for interesting breakfast recipes.

The first dish I made was my ham and cheese souffle (normally I use sausage, but the only sausage I found here was very scary looking--no Jimmy Dean.) It was a big hit! I've become very adept at making scrambled eggs with all the add-ins that we serve with the delicous corn tortillas they make here. I made a mushroom frittata, and last week, I made vegetable quiche. They were really pretty--until I bumped the pan they were on and dumped one on the floor of the car :( I don't think I'll do quiche again. I am going to try eggs benedict this week; I found a make ahead recipe that sounds interesting and pretty easy.

I am really enjoying this project and the FSNs have been so appreciative--to the point of embarrassing me. So, if any of you have good breakfast recipes, I would love to try them. Please send them to me!

Here are a couple recipes I've tried:

Baked French Toast Casserole

Paula Deen

1 loaf French bread (13-16 ounces)

8 large eggs

2 c. half-and-half

1 c. milk

2 T. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

dash salt

Praline topping

Maple syrup

Slice bread into 20 slices, 1-in each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 baking dish, in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. Combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla,cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread praline topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping

1/2 # (2 sticks) butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. chopped pecans

2 T. light corn syrup

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and blend well. (I made 2 pans of the French toast and used 1/2 of the praline topping on each. It was more than sweet enough. It really doesn't need any syrup either.) DELICIOUS!!

Hadn't made this muffin recipe for a long time, but it is so easy for a quick, healthy snack.

Bran Muffins

7 c. raisin bran

5 c. flour

1 c. sugar

5 T. baking soda

2 t. salt

4 c. milk

2 T. vinegar

1 c. oil

1/2 c. molasses

4 eggs

Combine cereal, flour, sugar, soda, and salt. Add liquid ingredients and mix well. Store covered in refrigerator for 6 weeks. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

We made it!

I snapped a few shots on our descent into Guatemala City.

Drivers from the Embassy picked us up and handled all the paperwork for immigration and customs. We relaxed while they located the dogs and our luggage.

Our three friends were great travellers. Not a trace of p, p, or p (poop, pee, puke) in their kennels. They did seem to be very happy to be on terra firma again.

Tagged Revisited...

Since my "quirky" entry, I have been thinking more about oddities in my nature. I've come up with a couple other quirks:

• I will not serve watermelon with seeds in it. Not only do I have to remove all the seeds, but I have to cut up the watermelon into chunks. No slices or seeds at my table.
• I hate the subscription and sample cards that are stuck throughout magazines that make it impossible to flip casually through the issue. I won't even look through a magazine without first tearing out all these cards. If you haven't noticed, there are at least 5-10/magazine. I wonder if anyone actually fills out these cards...

Tagged

Staci tagged me, so I have to confess to 6 quirks. Here goes:

1. I like to rub my feet together when I'm in bed.
2. I hate the sound of fans--bathroom, kitchen, you name it. They drive me CRAZY. I'm not one for white noise either.
3. I have all the shirts in my closet hanging in color order. I like M's clothes in similar order--dress shirts together, casual shirts together, suits in one spot, pants in another. NO mixing. Unfortunately, M doesn't share the same desire. Mishmash doesn't bother him.
4. I like to eat white bread/roll dough, cookie dough, cake batter and dry cake mix--and I haven't gotten salmonella from raw eggs yet.
5. Like Staci, I l liked being pregnant. I felt really good all 9 months, not a day of morning sickness, I had easy labors--all natural without epidurals/spinals, except Greg who was breech which required Csection--the longest, being 4 hours. Corny as it sounds, I felt so alive when I was pg; very sexy and pretty.
6. I like colons--they are interesting. Actually I like all aspects of GI nursing and poop, barf, and blood don't bother me. Phlegm--that's another story.

I don't know too many "older" bloggers, so I tag Buddy, Sally, and Christian.

Off to Guatemala--maybe...

This is what overnight accommodations at LAX with 3 dogs, 3 kennels, 4 large suitcases and carryons, after a cancelled flight, looks like. We looked like a homeless couple pushing around all our belongings. But this is only part of the story.


I had a 4 pm flight from Washington DC to LA, with the doggies, where we were going to meet Marlan for an 11 pm flight to Guatemala City. When I got to the airport (with 3 dogs on leashes in tow), I found out my flight was cancelled. Yikes. I was rescheduled. I was informed that my dog kennels didn't meet FDA standards because there were no air holes in the back (?) But, United just happened to have the right kind of kennels that they would sell me--cash only. And each doggie needed his own space so Shadow and Missy couldn't travel together. (Another FDA rule.) All in all, things went pretty smoothly in spite of the problems. I finally arrived in LA about 10 pm and met Marlan (who had been in LA working with Homeland Security ), made our way to the gate...another cancelled flight!

After getting rerouted, we spent about a hour trying to track down our pups. At midnight, no one in the cargo dept was answering the phone and we had NO idea where our friends were. Luckily we were in terminal 7 (United) at LAX, so the area to be covered was much less than if we had been in terminal 1 or, heaven forbid, the international terminal. We finally found them, resting quietly in their crates--until they saw us. Then we hunkered down for the night on some extremelly uncomfortable plastic/metal chairs, with arms that didn't move for lying down. We popped a Foyle's War DVD in my computer and watched a movie, with our dogs, our luggage and kennels surrounding us. It was really fun to try to find a place for the doggies to piddle near our makeshift hotel. What a night! I was glad when 5 am rolled around and we could finally check in. And I must say Missy, Copper and Shadow were good little pups.

At least we got $150 each in travel coupons with United for our trouble. Oh, and United doesn't fly to Guatemala anymore.

Sugar anyone?

Can you guess which cannister holds the sugar? Hint: see the remnants of US sugar in the bottom. That's powdered sugar on the left and Bisquick on the right. You are thinking, "why is that sugar brown?" I don't really know. The sugar here in Guate is much coarser than C&H and the govt fortifies it with Vit A. It seems to work just the same, but is looks a bit dirty...

For the most part, we can get the food items we're used to, with a few exceptions I've found so far:

• diced green chilis in the can--I diced some jalapenos and it worked just fine.
• buttermilk--how do I make German choc cake and Staci's pancakes without this? I have asked about it in the market, but it's hard to describe...and after I try in my limited Spanish to describe it, they still don't have it. I'm down to 1 packet of dried buttermilk and I KNOW they don't sell that.
• rice chex--haven't found a suitable substitute to make puppy chow. Suggestions?

Here comes the sun!

We have officially been in the rainy season for the last 2+ months--and have we seen rain! Normally (I'm told) the sun will shine in the morning and around 2 pm, the clouds will roll in, it will dump rain, and will clear up. Not this year. It has been raining and raining-at all times of the day and usually when all three of our umbrellas are in the car. So we have been pleasantly surprised this week to wake up and see this from our window.


The upside of all the rain we've been having is that everything is green and lush. The downside is that the doggies don't always get their walk, having been caught a few too many times when the sky opens up and we're far from home.

Volcan Aqua in the background shrouded with clouds.

Flag day

After all the research, discussion, waiting and nerves, Flag day arrived in mid August. The next 2 years of our lives rested on the announcement made this afternoon and I was not just a little nervous. Marlan is the nomad in our family; I am the tree that wants to send down a giant tap root and stay put. We have lived in many places and I have enjoyed them all. It just takes a little nudging to get me over the change hump--and this was going to be a really BIG change!





Each post was represented by it's country flag, all arranged together in front of the group. As each flag was raised and the country was shouted out by the group, the officer assigned to that post was announced. There were cheers, clapping hands, a few gasps, but no discernable sobs or wailing. I suspect there weren't too many surprises. I do know that one of the women in Marlan's class really wanted to go to Guate and was assigned to Africa. Yikes.
Glad it wasn't us!



Marlan with his Guatemalan flag and a BIG smile!

Bid list

About 2 weeks after Marlan started his training, he received the bid list for his class, listing all the available places to which we could be posted. I spent a fair amount of time researching where in the world some of the places are, and another fair amount of time trying to figure out why in the world someone would want to go there. Each officer has to bid on every post--high, medium, or low interest. Lots of things have to be taken into consideration, including family needs, pets (a big one for us), and of course, and probably most important, places you do/do not want to go. This is the front page of our bid list...

The bid list has lots of info, complete with all those govt acronyms I so love: Bur (area of the world), post, TED (when job becomes vacant and new officer arrives at post), language with required speaking and reading levels, diff (hardship %), danger %, and post size. As you can see, Guate is circled--our dream post.

Can it be 6 months?

We've been on our Guatemalan adventure for 6 months on the 23rd! It's about time I started to chronicle the journey that led us to this beautiful country. Turn the clock back one year...

July 8, 2007, Marlan began training at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA. He is in the 135th A-100 class--don't know what the A-100 stands for, but I've learned that the US Govt LOVES acronyms--this must be one, and whatever it is, it's the 135th. I stayed behind in Santa Clara, UT because the airlines have a "heat embargo" and pets can't travel as baggage/cargo from May 15-Sept 15.