A WEEK IN THE LIFE

Last week I was told that Jean-Marie Simon, human rights activist, renowned photographer and good friend of writer Francisco Goldman, would be in Guatemala presenting on the upcoming re-print of her book (in Spanish), titled Guatemala, Eternal Spring, Eternal Tyranny. The title being a play on the old slogan Guatemala "Land of the Eternal Spring."

She was presenting at Sophos, the best bookstore nowadays in the country, so dragging my long-suffering spouse, off we went. (see photo above)

A review from Library Journal states that "This unusual work presents striking photographs and an almost poetic text on Guatemala, where a large percentage of Central American human rights abuses have been committed. Using quotations from victims, relatives, witnesses, and others, the author, a photographer and consultant to Americas Watch, details the "disappearances" and torture, the hypocrisy and collusion of Guatemalan government officials, and the insensitivity of U.S. officials."

I haven't seen her book yet, so I will have to rely on her presentation (which was awesome) and reviews. Nevertheless, it pretty much jives with what has been increasingly found in the Historical Police Archives I visited and commented about last time.

Photographic and documented evidence growing, as well as testimonies, it will be interesting to see where this goes. I know I can't wait to start going there to do some serious digging.

The majority of people at Simon's presentation--and the place was packed--were non-Guatemalan, though that does not mean that there were no Guatemalans present. There was a Mayan congresswoman, Guatemalan university students, middle class people and others.

In general, however, Guatemalans seem to have the same fright of dealing with the realities of the dirty war in Guatemala that we have in the US about dealing with the (increasingly well-documented) likelihood of US war crimes in Vietnam.

I think that nobody likes to look at a mirror that shows an ugly reflection, especially when people feel impotent to do anything about it. But young Guatemalans in the audience, most of whom had not been born during those years, were definitely much more interested. It is easier if one doesn't feel implicated by having been alive and present during that time.

Anyhow, there are many in Guatemala who deny, to this day, that there ever was "such a thing as a war" and human rights abuses even in the face of evidence. Pretty much like those that deny the Holocaust, despite the evidence. Willful ignorance, alive and well, you all.

Moving on.

I was glad to have some friends come in from the New York and stay with us at the inn, and that night we all went out with other guests to an opening party for a really cool bar called Grand Hotel. The next day I helped them get on their way to the Panajachel, etc., and they left with new friends from the hotel. People make friends very quickly here!

But back to the Grand Hotel bar.

The bar is in the stunningly lovely lobby of a Fin de Siécle style hotel which opened in the 1840s and closed down in 1960. Art Noveau murals and all. Place was packed but tons of fun. More and more really cool places opening up in the historic center here! The band was playing old rock and country classics too, and the guys were all dressed like, I don't know, sort of like Nashville country singers.

Try to visualize it: Art Noveau place with elaborate curvy staircases (see below for sample), very elegant and glitzy, with a band of Willie Nelson look-alikes rocking the house.

But most in our group, most being academics from abroad and historians or such, were very appreciative of the place. Moreover, in Guatemala, one makes friends pretty soon and keeps bumping into them everywhere, so it was a very friendly event.

As for work.

We've been having full house or close-to-full-house almost every week at the inn and that has been pretty tiring, especially because our cook quit with 3-days notice! Not unusual, but she is hard-working and reliable, so it is a great loss. Potential new cooks don't arrive when they are supposed to, but looks like tomorrow we'll have a new one, this time a guy. Since the majority of our staff is female, this might make for an interesting addition.

Then the guy who provides our painting mixtures was supposed to bring in a pale lemony green mix for the lobby and hallway walls ... today, several weeks after the date he was supposed to, he brings in a green that I can only describe as "G.I. Joe Green." (sigh) Oh what the hell, it makes life interesting. Frustrating as all hell, but never boring, I guess.

On the other hand, we've been going out almost every single night to some restaurant or pub with friends, or some nice café at least, so there is some relaxation thrown in there (if not rest). I am getting too old for this, yet I prevail ... after years of working on dissertation, it's almost a must.

www.QualityGuate.com

Hotel - Lofts - Parking
In the Historic Center of Guatemala