tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22063632603747376772012-01-21T17:18:14.756-08:00A U.S.A. expat living and working off-and-on in the Historic Center of Guatemala City.Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.comBlogger1091100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-43845146000808188642011-12-01T18:09:00.000-08:002011-12-02T12:44:29.065-08:00

Xela's CathedralWeather: Lovely and sunny, but too damn cold at times.Among the highlights of the past week is our trip to Xela. That is the city of Xelaju in Quetzaltenango, a 3.5 hour drive from Guatemala City.However. Before I get into that, y'all have got to check this out. Just today I went to Fontabella, a shopping center in Zona 10 where Sophos abides--the best bookstore in town--and

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-61305705358252915362011-11-07T14:14:00.000-08:002011-11-07T18:40:50.973-08:00

Fiambre. Weather: Simply gorgeous. Alternating sunny and cloudy, but in the mild 70s during the day and a nice, chilly low 60s at night. Amazing sunsets with views of volcanoes.I will get to the political news presently, but first some of the more cultural happenings around here.So the Day of the Dead came and went. People flock to the cemeteries, most businesses close, and everybody eats en

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-85854149904869339872011-10-05T19:10:00.000-07:002011-10-06T12:03:45.417-07:00

View of Antigua GuatemalaWeather in the Capital City: Mostly rainy and in the 70s. It gets chillier in the evening. Lots of earth tremors and small earthquakes lately, typical of the season.In this post I won't comment at length on the elections. The campaigns have become a boring telenovela and I am soooo over it I don't even bother reading about it anymore. The saturation of campaign

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-53294895671923638932011-09-10T20:20:00.000-07:002011-09-13T20:10:35.679-07:00

Marina Pez Vela on the Pacific CoastElections came and went and now the two leading candidates are off to a second round. These are very similar to the primaries in the United States, where the Republican and Democrat parties select their leading candidates from among all the contenders. After which, those two leading candidates go off to the final one-on-one presidential election.For some reason

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-46900911080489382392011-08-05T08:28:00.000-07:002011-08-06T05:44:58.288-07:00

Live Statue, 14th Festival of the Historic Center, 2011 Weather: Rainy season. Sunny-warmish alternating with mostly rain, and cold evenings.Well, it's been a while, as the Staind song goes. Been in the US, mostly, but back in Guatemala.We are enjoying these days the cool weather, and the yearly Historic Center Festival, a week-long event full of arts and performances, traditional, contemporary

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-52150141934235521062011-04-24T11:25:00.000-07:002011-04-24T21:36:43.571-07:00

Holy Week Processional Carpet (still unfinished) Weather these days: Warm, alternating sunny and rainy, with a high chance of suckiness.Well, I have been gone for a while. Just returned from balmy Florida where I went to present at a conference and spend Passover with family. Upon returning walked straight into the delicious smells, sounds and hordes of people of Holy Week pageantry in the

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-88499217091716096102011-02-12T07:00:00.000-08:002011-02-13T05:22:23.584-08:00

Weather these days in Guate City: A bit insane. Veering wildly from the low 50s to the high 70s (F), sunny or cloudy, and almost always windy.Just thought that this (really pretty neat!) series of film animation narrations on the Popol Vuh would be something many of you might enjoy, so I am posting the 7-part series for your entertainment and delight. It is a fun and pleasant way of learning

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-16582393783964992372011-01-31T16:15:00.000-08:002011-02-01T19:42:13.290-08:00

Hallway, Historic National Police ArchivesAs usual, life too busy. I am in over my head with all the projects I am involved in right now. There seems to be some inner compulsion driving my desire to sign up for everything that I have wanted to do all my life: Art school, for example. I also registered in cheesemaking classes. Always curious about cheesemaking, so why not?Mostly, I love digging

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-65517469718947163952010-12-29T16:05:00.000-08:002010-12-29T19:17:11.328-08:00

Christmas Eve Fireworks (note the streets hazy with smoke) Weather these days: Sunny, windy and dry. Lows in the low 50s, highs in the low 70s.So, I don't know. Christmas here is quite over the top, to say the least. It starts with an endless carousel of partying and such for days ahead. All that imported wine, aged cheeses from the Netherlands, smoked meats from Spain, local tamales, turkey,

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-45349595044060720742010-12-13T12:49:00.000-08:002010-12-13T21:45:01.056-08:00

A friendly canine--he is huge--enjoying the weather, Historic Center, Guatemala (his owner was right by!) Weather: Very chilly, windy and sunny. High in the low 70s, low in the high 40s. There is no central heating in most places, so bring chunky sweaters & socks!Topic: Today I will talk about teaching in Guatemala, mostly--lots of tips and information--the Feast of Guadalupe and other

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-21466774606581872022010-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:002010-12-01T06:31:17.981-08:00

Shopping Center in Guatemala CityWeather: Sunny and breezy, in the 70s (F'heit). Lows in the 50s.Today's topic: How to ship stuff and cars to Guatemala from the USA ... and visiting the Gators locker rooms.I recently spent Thanksgiving in Northern Florida; Gainesville's whereabouts, to be precise. In attendance were people from Indiana, Australia, Canada, Guatemala, and Louisiana. Food was the

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-47965331291075987042010-11-11T14:08:00.000-08:002010-11-15T20:24:56.333-08:00

Photo: mikehenneke.comWe recently had a guest who was very antsy, because he arrived with wads of cash and was nervous about where to safeguard it. When we asked him why he didn't just bring a debit card and credit cards, his reply was that he wasn't aware that he could be using his USA debit cards here! Carrying all this cash on you when you travel isn't really safe. He is not the first to

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-22397803858188253182010-10-28T20:04:00.000-07:002010-11-03T14:53:16.274-07:00

Weather: Windy, sunny, blue skies. Chilly evenings.Possible impediments: roads to highland environs blocked due to mudslides.Anybody needing to renew a USA passport needs to visit the US Embassy, an imperious bunker-like building on Avenida La Reforma. I would post a picture, but I could not find any online and I am told the US Embassy does not allow them, for security reasons.I had heard

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-23603537600186446472010-10-15T15:53:00.000-07:002010-10-17T02:19:30.311-07:00

Dome of San Francisco Church seen from The Old Police Building, Historic Center, Guatemala.Weather these days: Simply perfect! (t-shirt by day, light jacket by night)Well, news from the academic war front tells me that I won't be defending my dissertation this semester either, because a committee member has issues with the dissertation. Warning of mayor "overhaul" revisions now, even though my

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-27599583153005244462010-10-07T09:44:00.000-07:002010-10-07T21:19:24.125-07:00

View from the Inn, with the plaza and Cathedral at the endWeather: Cold and nippy, yet sunny. Invigorating.Local news have been running on the discovery that the US had been using Guatemalans as guinea pigs in the Mengelian 1940s. There is more to that than has been published to date in the US media, but the deeper and longer tentacles of this news will slowly come afloat in the coming weeks.

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-67596865039088900512010-08-15T13:09:00.000-07:002010-08-15T20:58:56.802-07:00

Dancers at the Cumbia DancehallWeather: Occasional rains, sunny mornings, cool and invigorating evenings. Nothing heavier than a denim jacket required.Today's Objective: Well, today I will endeavor to provide some information about the working situation for expats in Guate, academic/research information and what to do for some serious fun in the Historic Center. Serious not as in solemnly

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-61993421588632953752010-07-27T14:22:00.000-07:002010-07-28T10:00:53.041-07:00

View from Plaza Mayor (Main Plaza) of the Historic Center Weather: Spring-like with lots of rain.Keeping up with this blog has been difficult, due to the fact that I have accepted to work on several projects. I accepted, all around the same time, to turn in a long, in-depth article on the recovery and renewal of the historic center of Guatemala for a local major newspaper. I also had to turn in

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-32456633343480940962010-07-12T18:18:00.000-07:002010-07-12T20:11:38.816-07:00

View of historic house 5a Avenida Weather: Mostly rainy and gray. Makes you want to curl up with a good book and just hibernate away. That kind of weather.When Ugly is LovelyAlthough recovery and renewal works are ongoing throughout the Historic Center, there are still spots which have fallen into serious decay and are mostly abandoned. Nevertheless, the architecture is beautiful--sometimes

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-77197098791802905812010-07-02T18:39:00.000-07:002010-07-02T21:09:06.424-07:00

Ice cream vendor cart, Plaza Central, Guatemala CityWeather: Absolutely chaotic. Some cool rainy days, some sunny and warm. Occasional earth tremors.Dissertation status: Has been sent to the rest of the committee, and am set to go back home and defend in Fall. Yay!So. Done with the final draft of the dissertation and done with the summer course I was teaching. Done, as well, with the

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-16570169212198171892010-06-04T18:30:00.000-07:002010-06-05T10:37:48.237-07:00

Fiery Pacaya VolcanoWeather these days: Either muggy hot or cool and rainy.Dissertation news from my committee chair: None. Yet.When we walked out of Tacontento, we realized that the falling rain wasn't water, but gritty, tarry sand. The drive home was slow and hellish. The sand was pelting so hard the wipers were useless, so we had to stop often to get out and wipe off the sand, which--we

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-32396480578704895752010-05-20T18:20:00.000-07:002010-05-23T10:05:13.682-07:00

Chapel RL University Weather these days: Sticky hot, warm breeze, occasional thunderstorms. New Job and Volunteering I made the last changes and turned in my dissertation a couple weeks ago and it is supposed to go to the other members of my committee. I haven't heard anything from my chair, though, except that he got it. *sigh* Well, it is out of my hands for now. Nothing I can do about

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-5516008227295713262010-05-06T12:05:00.000-07:002010-05-07T13:47:35.910-07:00

A ruddy-faced Maximon smoking his pipeWeather: Sweltering to the nth degree. Truly the lobby of hell.I haven't written lately, not due to lack of material. Quite the contrary, busy as a coked-up hamster on a wheel. And with the same feeling of being on the fast--fast!--track to nowhere. But that's okay because it never stops being interesting.So, turned in the dissertation--yes! finally!--and

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-53390721827665498762010-04-20T11:19:00.000-07:002010-04-21T07:19:24.595-07:00

As promised, I am sharing here photos of the Holy Week celebrations. There are many impressive in-church celebrations. As a general rule, I avoid most religious services of any kind--I am the type that goes to services for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana and that's about it--but I am told these church celebrations are quite the spectacle. The photographs here, then, are of all the outdoor

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-17279171657575151962010-04-13T12:00:00.000-07:002010-04-13T22:21:40.471-07:00

Photo exhibit by Eny Roland and Mikkel Rebsdorfat Café Leon, in the Historic CenterWeather today: Very hot. Big hail & thunder storm in the evening.We have artists and filmmakers coming from all around the world during the whole month! I'm in heaven. This month, my turf here will feel to me like the center of the world, instead of the margins.BTW, the photo above is from a very cool photo

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-72661243841046566412010-03-25T14:40:00.000-07:002010-04-01T17:12:21.393-07:00

This may be kind of gruesome, but I was walking through downtown Guatemala, which is dotted everywhere with brass plaques commemorating one or another martyr of a myriad revolutions and targeted killings, when I came across this particular one, which reads "I only wanted to be a child, but they didn't let me."Well, turns out it commemorates a child, one of these poor street-living children, who

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-57534557757078850892010-03-23T18:59:00.000-07:002010-03-24T07:58:22.683-07:00

Holy Week flower arrangements on windows Historic Center, Guatemala City Well, I ended up being interviewed as a guest on Inside Guatemala in the Antigua Channel, a national cable TV channel owned by some big local media mahers. Interviewed alongside moi was Architect R. Rodriguez, the Director of the Historic Center Office of the City of Guatemala.The topic was the Historic Center today and

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-46800104617511223642010-03-12T10:45:00.000-08:002010-03-12T11:01:30.688-08:00

This is a video which is definitely worth watching, produced by Guatemalans Ivan Castro, a very talented photographer and Ranferí Aguilar, a musician of worldwide renown since he used to form part of the iconic rock band Alux Nahual decades ago. Some may not remember, but Alux Nahual used to sell out stadiums and concert venues all over the world, including the USA. Both Castro and Aguilar are

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-28021880259353862612010-03-09T23:53:00.000-08:002010-03-10T01:28:25.965-08:00

Facade of Museum of Modern Art This weekend we went to check out the International Festival of Sculpture taking place in the gardens of the Carlos Merida Museum of Modern Art. I have kept away from newspapers and dire news and immersed myself in art. My blood pressure has benefited from this.So, on to the festival.Twelve famous sculptors from around the world were invited and taken to a marble

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-19971567838350047892010-03-06T23:44:00.000-08:002010-03-07T02:56:55.836-08:00

Hiking the giant ruins of a monastery Well, my daughter the athlete came to visit from the US bringing with her those treasured goodies I cannot find here, among those my preferred shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and such. Also brown sugar, which cannot really be found here except in molasses form.Hallway of Biblioce in Antigua I'm really into Aveda and Redken and while a limited array of

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-71093984635715264512010-02-28T12:17:00.000-08:002010-02-28T14:32:18.515-08:00

Holy Week procession seen from roof of the hotelFor good and for bad, Guatemala is a happening place, y'all.Guatemala has been selected as the site for the World Coffee Conference 2010, with over 77 countries participating in this event. This one is a biggie.Also in town these days, a traveling exhibit of a collection of Picasso portrait drawings. I haven't yet seen it, but will this week, when

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-28018865168959725952010-02-24T16:03:00.000-08:002010-02-24T18:57:10.862-08:00

Me with "darkened brow" No, this will have nothing to do with the ash-on-forehead Wednesday recently past.These days have been very hectic. Today, had to drive to Universidad San Carlos to register for a first aid course I want to take at the medical school--and turns out the whole periférico highway loop, which takes me directly there, was closed due to thousands of protesting teachers demanding

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-76262998566690136532010-02-19T09:16:00.000-08:002010-02-19T12:57:22.509-08:00

"pan dulce" - typical Guatemalan bread Carrying a fever and sore throat. Plus ear ache. Can't concentrate much on my work because of the nagging headache. Find myself impatient with others. In short, I get cranky and full of bitchfulness.View of Historic Center StreetDecided, in my feverish fog, to read blogs and some interesting discussions in Guatemalan expats blogs on different topics. One of

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-32129754544272688752010-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:002010-02-18T16:34:21.060-08:00

Leeks, Mercado CentralOkay, so this is a sad admission to make, but I am becoming a Martha Stewart type. Even sadder, I suck at it. Really suck. As in, big time.Cabbages the size of basketballs Mercado CentralIt all started with my fascination with Mercado Central, a sprawling 3-story complex where they sell pretty much everything. Antiques, arts and crafts, textiles, machetes, all sorts of

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-77074412819099776362010-02-11T14:27:00.000-08:002010-02-12T09:58:31.738-08:00

Jesus statue in shop windowI know that this is going to sound weird, but whenever I go for walks, if I don't carry my iPod with me--and trust me, in the streets of Guatemala I don't carry my iPod with me--I always have a "playlist" going on in my head. This has been a fact way before such things as iPods were but a gleam in Apple's eye. And driving by myself without music feels like a fate worse

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-30590550464749937132010-02-08T12:45:00.000-08:002010-02-08T15:38:35.923-08:00

Churrasco Well. After many a day of unseasonable heat--though breezy, thank goodness--we have a full frontal blast of gray and chill. It is, however, survivable with a sweater and thick socks. My nose is always cold, though. Still. After enduring the humid heat of Louisiana, Texas and Florida for decades--not specifying how many decades--I, for one, am enjoying this weather.In my eternal quest

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-35175997421004532432010-01-27T17:11:00.000-08:002010-01-27T22:07:34.000-08:00

Ruins of XVII Century Monastery, Antigua Guatemala The political scene in this country is a never-ending telenovela, y'all.First, the famous Rosenberg case, in which an upper-class lawyer was gunned down, having left a video behind with himself in it, stating that if the video was aired, it meant he had been murdered by order of the president and some of his cabinet members.Became big cause

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-49451030920357702632010-01-19T14:30:00.001-08:002010-01-20T10:49:40.229-08:00

Pacaya volcano smoking as seen from ruins of monasteryI have talked before of the unequaled gems of research libraries and archives in the Historic Center of Guatemala City, and today I will expound a bit on the ones available in Antigua. There is a shuttle that goes from the Historic Center to Antigua on a daily basis, and regular buses depart several times daily from El Trébol. Plenty

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-10784416108867335052010-01-14T12:57:00.000-08:002010-01-15T22:54:04.217-08:00

Lake AtitlánVery busy lately. Have had to work on dissertation (reading some painfully dense stuff sent by my committee chair), work on the consulting job I have with the Historic District of the City of Guatemala (meetings and lots of writing/editing for a historic neighborhood recovery project funded by the E.U.) and have been doing other work projects as well.Some of my daily activities are

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-37985609504377710472010-01-11T12:20:00.000-08:002010-01-12T22:47:52.647-08:00

Lake Atitlán The day after arriving at Panajachel (Pana), we decided to explore the surrounding roads and took the road less traveled--in the words of Robert Frost (had to learn that one in high school)--and went by several villages and hamlets which seemed to be embedded into the mountains. Lovely and scary (some bridges are sort of rickety and the week after we were there, one actually imploded

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-29629963740186460922010-01-04T06:41:00.000-08:002010-01-04T17:29:03.518-08:00

Lake AtitlanSince the end of the year is dead in the capital city--except for parties--and everything slows down, we decided to take a road trip to the highlands, using the town of Panajachel--Pana--as our headquarters. The idea was to spend several days wandering aimlessly around.Highway to the highlandsMost of the way there is extremely curvy, but the roads are wide and spacious. Photo above

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-4357693308680494072009-12-17T07:41:00.000-08:002009-12-18T07:52:53.621-08:00

Worshippers at the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Guatemala (Photo from Prensa Libre)Well, I have been away from the blog for a while, due mostly to spending my time by my mother's side in the last weeks of her final illness.My mom--Mami, to me--was raised in Mississippi and went to college and lived in New Orleans, supported the civil rights movement, integration, was a dyed-in-the-wool

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-53181213431526848202009-11-10T10:15:00.000-08:002009-11-10T20:15:48.963-08:00

Shady street historic downtown of Guatemala Well, it looks like moi et other expats have been running into "convites" here in Guatemala, which are sort of like very friendly parades with people, acrobats, puppeteers and street performers wearing all sorts of costumes. An old tradition. I don't know--yet--what they're supposed to be doing or why, but they are fun to watch and local people like

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-63350465233841583292009-10-29T17:17:00.000-07:002009-10-30T08:20:10.041-07:00

Arc of Centro Cultural Metropolitano I just read a post on the interesting blog  Mother Guilt, which I really identified with.  The author writes that she has had to stop listening to NPR because the news make her feel terrible about the plight of others, helpless and hopeless as well. This happens to me as an expat, because in order to "not miss out" with what is happening "out there," I

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-63334247163330294562009-10-15T21:38:00.000-07:002009-10-17T19:05:29.485-07:00

Art student, Cerrito Art SchoolI started this post 2 days ago and can't manage to finish it! Between work, art classes and many concerts downtown, it's hard to do anything else. Today we're going to go see a series of rock bands in concert, including one which plays "original Mayan rock," and which I'm very curious to check out. How cool is that? Traditional Mayan music fusioned with rock!Monday

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-91544180617892257152009-10-12T14:21:00.000-07:002009-10-12T18:32:27.453-07:00

View of misty valley, mountaintop, ChimaltenangoOn weekends we join friends at pubs or restaurants, especially those with entertainment. So, did that on Friday. Went to a pub which recently opened in a very old house in the historic center--the kind with no sign where you have to knock on the door--for a great spoken word performance by a locally famous poet and actor. Way cool.Saturday,

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-141426069079246352009-10-07T17:13:00.001-07:002009-10-07T20:10:45.301-07:00

Detail, graffiti muralI posted the photo above, which is part of a graffiti mural, because I like the clever way in which the artist used the crumbling bricks to create the cob of corn.Corn is such an important staple here in Guatemala. I love to buy it coal-roasted from street vendors. I will probably end up with cholera morbus one of these days for eating street fare, but hasn't happened yet.

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-71367280378777737682009-10-01T07:44:00.000-07:002009-10-01T09:15:48.865-07:00

Lava, Pacaya VolcanoI know this is going to sound soooo "let them eat cake!" but I just love the calming sound of the cleaning woman mopping the floors and, most especially, of her ironing clothes, with that soft hiss of the steam and back-and-forth slosh of the water inside the iron. It's just so soothing.I also like to be able to order "room service" from the garden-cafe of the inn to my

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-81527666559764138102009-09-20T14:58:00.000-07:002009-09-20T16:34:23.485-07:00

Alex with Mayan children in a rural schoolhouse Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Drew and Alex, two young men from the US, who stayed with us at the hotel after traveling all over the most isolated outposts of rural Guatemala in search of communities to help via the Gospel of Soccer--or, as it is known in Spanish, fútbol.As Alex explained to me, in these communities, the lives of children

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-20814336169581490162009-09-10T13:05:00.000-07:002009-09-10T20:03:47.761-07:00

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

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-67508469857559897772009-09-02T10:40:00.001-07:002009-09-03T08:16:03.966-07:00

It is always a pleasant surprise to find, in the midst of noisy downtown Guatemala, quaint and quiet enclaves of "Old Europe," most dating to Fin de Siécle France (1890s). The autocrats of that era in Guatemala were ardent francophiles, and while striving to impose Liberal (as in free market) policies in the 19th Century, they combined it with lots of pretty Frenchified urban planning.They also

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-11979871186117318422009-09-01T14:41:00.000-07:002009-09-02T10:28:44.539-07:00

The photo above is what the documents in the Historical Archives of the National Police of Guatemala look like before the archivists take care of them. You simply cannot imagine the height of this mound of paper! You have to see it to actually grasp the immensity of it all. It is rooms and rooms and rooms of just unbelievable stacks of mildewing documents!All the documents in the archive stacked

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-78349387136502856522009-08-24T11:15:00.000-07:002009-08-24T18:20:28.659-07:00

The green roof project stalled because a) the greenhouse where I buy all my plants closed and b) my son came to visit from the States and most everything in my life stalled at that point.The greenhouse thing is not mere capriciousness, though. I have visited several in Guatemala--garden and plant shops are ubiquitous, to say the least--and I had finally settled on that one because it was lovely,

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-68774513895326107832009-08-17T15:29:00.000-07:002009-08-17T17:04:28.855-07:00

Photo: La Cuevita de los Urquizú I don't know if you've seen these before (below), but I hadn't, and I spend a lot of time in Guatemala.These are Jesus chairs and from what I understand, the idea is that you ... well, you sit on Jesus. I'm neither Catholic nor religious, but the idea still seems a bit disrespectful to me! Like sitting on Daddy's lap?Reminds me of a guest of ours who insisted he

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-12915250140004412752009-08-10T07:45:00.000-07:002009-08-11T17:18:48.168-07:00

Today I attended the inaugural session of the 3-day conference titled 8th International Congress of Philosophy at Universidad Rafael Landivar (the Jesuit university), the topic being contemporary concepts of corporality (or embodiment).In Guatemala institutions of higher learning don't do a good job of promoting their conferences, so there was nothing on the university's website--that I could

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-75103509889087479032009-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:002009-08-06T19:54:06.376-07:00

Well. Turns out that there was a big international conference on migration, and Guatemala City was its seat. It was kept it under wraps until right before the conference (Why? Inquiring minds would like to know). From what I understand, two days before the conference started the government gave a press announcement, as inconspicuous as they could keep it. Said conference was the 14th Regional

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-82558619316360463292009-08-04T11:03:00.000-07:002009-08-04T15:03:07.850-07:00

Lately I've had lots to do, but still went to the International Bookfair--FILGUA--and attended one of its events, the conversatorio between the famous Francisco Goldman (writer for The New Yorker, Harper's, The New York Times and author of several internationally acclaimed novels based in Guatemala) and Dante Liano (left on photo below), a beloved Guatemalan author who is not as famous as Goldman

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-35179425047235844622009-07-30T17:11:00.000-07:002009-08-05T16:24:02.747-07:00

Latin America is not directly my field of scholarship, for sure, but a) I'm enthralled by history, b) I'm a book whore; hence, I promiscuously read everything, c) I've spent a good many years in Guatemala and, d) I did my undergrad senior project on contemporary Guatemalan history. Thus, the topic of Guatemala is of interest and I'm slowly gathering information to write an article on Guatemala,

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-18692797828332199572009-07-28T20:14:00.000-07:002009-07-28T21:37:39.368-07:00

There is this institution in Guatemala, INTECAP, an alliance between Microsoft, the Guatemalan private sector and the government. It is a pretty great organization, the purpose of which is to train workers in order to gain more skills and/or train small business owners and tradespeople.Hence, they have a cutting-edge computer and digital training institution, all brand new, and bread-making,

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-27765046273277956772009-07-23T15:41:00.000-07:002009-07-23T16:17:23.082-07:00

Today I was finally able to walk to the Old Archbishopry (above) to process access to their magnificent historical archives. Because we're gearing up for another bout of renovation works at the inn--and we have to toe the Historic Center directives, as they are very strict--things have been more hectic than I am used to and my research projects have suffered.Not that I mind so much, as shopping

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-58786809034877260842009-07-20T13:36:00.000-07:002009-07-20T14:54:57.023-07:00

Stephen Webre, Ph.D., professor of the Department of History of Louisiana Tech University, will present fascinating historical research findings Wednesday, July 29, at 6:00 pm, in the auditorium of the prestigious Academia de Geografia e Historia (located in the Historic Center of Guatemala), an institution to which he belongs as an academic member. This research institution happens to be half a

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-16603072824068636442009-07-14T14:01:00.000-07:002009-07-14T15:15:58.009-07:00

We were invited to the opening of the bi-annual exhibit of the Municipal School of Sculpture teachers and advanced students, which this year took place at the Popol Vuh Museum of Archaeology. The latter, by the way, is very much worth a visit.Because the museum is in the most expensive university of the country, there was a good influx of more upper class visitors, but in general, there was a

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-87570604779390045722009-07-09T16:39:00.000-07:002009-07-09T17:28:20.937-07:00

In general, I am not big on photographing flowers and as for myself, prefer very green yards with a kitchen garden. However, there is this "secret garden" here in Guatemala. In a blighted area full of abandoned maquilas, the guardian of a warehouse--a poor man, with missing teeth and half-illiterate--cultivates a garden that is absolutely unbelievable. And this is the thing: Nobody sees it!

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-11530044115029525682009-07-07T19:26:00.000-07:002009-07-07T19:53:52.638-07:00

The following are rooftop views from the Historic Center of Guatemala City. I do this thing where I try to get on building rooftops to get to see what the city looks like from there.The following are not all a rooftop view, but just a view that shows--I believe--that even urban blight can have its own kind of beauty and charm. www.QualityGuate.comHotel - Lofts - ParkingIn the Historic Center of

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-91998207253239316502009-07-05T16:50:00.000-07:002009-07-05T18:40:40.850-07:00

I know the photos in this post have nothing whatsoever to do with academic affairs, technically speaking, but I just happened to like them so I took their picture. Very á la Bansky, one of them. I collect graffiti photos from around the world; just one of my ephemeral pastimes.The 23rd Symposium of Archaeological and Ethnological Research is coming up, to take place July 13 to July 17th. Entry

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-29433142768646397912009-06-30T10:23:00.000-07:002009-06-30T12:51:00.473-07:00

Meeting scholars from around the world here is so cool! We all help each other out when needed. I once found, for a researcher from LSU staying with us, a book he'd been looking for. And it was the very last copy available! At Sophos Bookstore. Life would not be worth living in Guatemala without Sophos Bookstore. I was so happy to be able to help him! (And I'm not being paid to plug Sophos

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-57654951937892383122009-06-24T16:32:00.000-07:002009-06-24T21:59:32.386-07:00

Starting a business in Guatemala--or most of Central America, for that matter--is not even a tenth of efficient as it is in the USA. The easiest way around the Kafkaesque rigmarole of paperwork and nonsensical bureaucracy (plus the official penchant for subtly and not-so-subtly soliciting one for bribery)--is to purchase an already existing business and do with it what you will (which is how we

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-88806272001993317952009-06-15T18:41:00.000-07:002009-06-16T18:45:32.399-07:00

Haven't written in a while because the inn has been in "full house" mode for many days. Lots of catering too! Thank goodness, but the loads of work are seemingly never-ending.Above is the entrance to the art school where I go for classes, in the old "Palacio de Correos" (Post Office Palace) and it truly is a palace, built--over 70 years ago--by one of the megalomaniac tyrants who made the history

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-61143953858829670442009-06-08T14:08:00.000-07:002009-06-08T16:25:13.600-07:00

The hotel has been noisily full of students since last week. A non-profit organization that works in collaboration with Chapel Hill University, the Guatemalan Student Support Group, brought 45 students and 3 teachers to stay with us. A couple are college students but the rest are all high school kids.Talk about noise! Yet it's a happy noise. This program is too wonderful for words. It provides

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-16966019427323102012009-06-04T17:03:00.000-07:002009-06-04T20:49:49.717-07:00

The way this story goes, I went to the historic cemetery (Cementerio General), found some bones and in the end, brought them home. I did not dig for bones nor desecrated a mausoleum or anything, it was more in the line of a rescue. I'll post the picture and you all decide, but methinks they're human and that they'll end up in the local medical school.The cemetery is an amazing repository of

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-5022318568961717082009-05-30T18:48:00.000-07:002009-05-30T20:29:23.869-07:00

In general, I don't like malls, and I can go a whole year without visiting one. In the US I buy my clothes from stores that are either not encased in malls or not in a traditional mall--no, I don't shop at Wal-mart, y'all (I kind of like Nordstrom, but have been known to buy basic wear like t-shirts from Target)--and I do A LOT of internet shopping from stores that are at the malls. I appreciate

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-20913434593537070062009-05-25T20:46:00.000-07:002009-05-27T11:34:28.216-07:00

My latest scholarly project has taken me to the hallowed abode of the Academy of History and Geography of Guatemala's private library. The academy is an excellent institution with ties to U.N. and other international research centers, and has a highly respected yearly publication, it's Annales. They hold, among many treasures, the amazing collection created at tremendous financial expense by the

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-53594737154620141252009-05-24T13:04:00.000-07:002009-05-24T16:44:41.286-07:00

David Brooks, the avowedly conservative columnist of the New York Times, wrote a very interesting editorial on the Cheney situation, in which he basically argues that Dick Cheney's current tour in limelight circuit trying to defend his position on security (read Gitmo and torture), is not really attacking the Obama administration as much as it is the Bush administration. To wit, Mr. Bush's policy

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-80048315390664600852009-05-16T22:53:00.000-07:002009-05-17T01:08:02.954-07:00

Having finished and mailed my dissertation draft to my academic home in the USA, I started reading 2 biographies of painter Francisco Goya at the same time (because I am a nerd like that), threw a party where a lot of liquor was consumed (because I am an intellectual), and then, proceeded to spend the next day traipsing helplessly and lost, with my husband, in thick Guatemalan forest. Like Hansel

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-67142712372132823552009-05-14T22:38:00.000-07:002009-05-15T11:06:15.908-07:00

It so happens--in case you don't know yet--after bus drivers and others keep getting killed in marginal areas for months, with hardly ever a killer caught, the nation finally erupted over a postmortem videotaped accusation against the president, his wife, and 3 of their closest associates by a lawyer gunned down while riding his bike, R. Rosenberg. I don't understand the details, but it's all got

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-43119914394704108272009-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:002009-05-08T20:43:50.771-07:00

I really like what my friend Aury did with the colors at her restaurant, the legendary La Hacienda de los Sánchez Steakhouse. We used to go there a lot over 20 years ago because of their excellent food and nice ambience. Me, to be honest, I was going there by inertia. Before being a steakhouse, the place housed the original Beer Garten. Beer Garten was a huge--like--well, a big beer garden. My

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-91924493339999894752009-05-06T13:13:00.000-07:002009-05-07T00:46:10.972-07:00

Mornings here are very sunny, balmy, breezy, with bright splashing colors everywhere. The whole city is on a mesa on the mountains, so it never get broiling hot as it does in all the cities I've lived in the U.S. of A. However, as predicted by the experts, thanks to global warming the rainy season started earlier and will be longer, harsher and wetter than usual. And the rainy season here is

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-3734360093950308502009-05-02T21:36:00.000-07:002009-05-03T09:20:13.321-07:00

Shelter Porn is a term coined by Ariel Kaminer, I believe, and it is described thusly: "The author feels the erotic charge of square footage." Granted, this is humorous, albeit only to a certain extent. Magazines such as Martha Stewart Living, Victoria, or Dwell thrive on this type of porn, with their luscious photographs of the perfect abode where it is all made out of cleverly redone rotting

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-24598140036357637152009-04-25T12:40:00.000-07:002009-04-25T13:53:24.595-07:00

The image above is El Portalito, a nearby bar that is, from what I gather, way over 100 years old. I do know that my great-grandfather Cottone, recently arrived from Italy, used to go there. So, in order to stick to family tradition, so do I. The carved bar in the picture is a truly historic beauty as is the whole place, and worth a visit. Or many. Their mixed beer is famous, by the way.I have

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-87677116620739382192009-04-15T15:56:00.000-07:002009-04-15T16:46:34.793-07:00

This is one of my favorite places to have a coffee in the historic center of Guatemala: El Cafetalito. It is a very cool 2-story café (see below) that fills up with artists, art students, musicians, and government staff and lawyers from government institutions around, such as Congress. Of course, activists also come by. It is right across the street from the beautiful Centro Cultural

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-4210431003379432402009-04-14T21:45:00.000-07:002009-04-14T21:49:07.047-07:00

FILM OF HOLY WEEK IMAGERY BY ROBERTO URREA. HISTORIC CENTER OF GUATEMALA.www.qualityguate.com

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-49710979535967519402009-04-12T01:09:00.000-07:002009-04-12T02:17:16.656-07:00

The mural in front of the National Library in the Historic Center is really intriguing (first picture).Embedded in all of its concrete folds are hidden cryptic messages, as in the images that follow, which maybe you can decipher? It reads Yo pienso en (I think of) and that's it. And a little further and below, reads nada (nothing). Probably connecting the sentence. Or is it?In the very last

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-42121991233473019662009-04-06T17:38:00.000-07:002009-04-06T21:27:06.839-07:00

They came in droves, students as well as public. The parade was contextual, in the sense of protesting the crisis of violence and poverty; yet, it wasn't opportunistic or driven by a crisis. The "Huelga de Dolores" (Strike of Pain/Grief), is a yearly satirical parade and this year was its 111th anniversary. The university from which its students hail, Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, is over

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-83410920073496352832009-04-02T22:13:00.000-07:002009-04-02T23:36:21.170-07:00

I am always on a quest for knowledge (as well as for the perfect trenchcoat) (that inexplicable combination of the highest echelons of intellect and the lowest levels of shallowness). Hence, in the aforementioned eternal quest for knowledge (like Dr. Faustus! I want to be like the angels!) we went to an invitation-only beer-tasting at the museum of the local brewery, La Cerveceria Nacional,

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-18220905458930187192009-03-29T15:37:00.000-07:002009-03-29T16:50:16.085-07:00

Since we decided to spend time here for the next couple of years--about 50% of my time living here, the rest at home in the USA--I signed up for art school. I am working on a dissertation, I have been teaching college for almost 10 years. Tired of theory, I want to work with my hands!The City government has art schools here, one is the School of Plastic Arts--in which one gets the equivalent of

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-34060594345371228162009-03-24T14:40:00.000-07:002009-03-24T15:21:21.357-07:00

I can't claim that my life is a tsunami of busy-ness--no rat race for me, thanks!--but I do keep busy enough. There is always work to do, between the inn, dissertation, articles I am committed to write, art classes, friends and family to hang with, etc. However, there is one thing that never fails to make me stop and enjoy it--I never take it for granted---and that is the awesome sunrises and

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-62151602492183851802009-03-20T21:49:00.000-07:002009-03-20T22:55:11.932-07:00

And so it was that we walked for a coffee and after that, went to a música sacra concert, titled Crucifixus, which was held at the City's Metropolitan Cathedral.The whole premise made me think of Anne Rice novels and those years of my life when I was held in thrall to her vampire books. I am so into all that stuff. That's what happens when one grows up in New Orleans.So, we got there as the sun

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-53221697347694262232009-03-16T18:13:00.000-07:002009-03-16T19:30:13.293-07:00

Something that kind of gets me here in Latin America--especially Guatemala and Mexico--is that, I swear, they have a quite a thing for angels. The word obsession comes to mind.The preferred angels here are specifically, very Baroque angels, with Baroque to the nth degree. The kind that have masses of reddish curls and convolutedly draping clothes that churn to the sounds of Bach's hallelujahs.

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-22796348824892438492009-03-13T18:13:00.000-07:002009-03-13T19:52:51.292-07:00

This week I went with my husband, who is in international real estate, to look at a property in which some of his clients are interested. It's located in a rural industrial warehouse area ... now, try to break that down so that you can imagine how dismal the area is: in a small developing country, in the backwoods, an industrial warehouse area. It was dusty the warehouses, which used to be

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-54824633608282462312009-03-10T14:17:00.000-07:002009-03-10T16:08:32.598-07:00

One of the best things to living and spending time in the historic center is the Central Market (Mercado Central), a huge 3-story behemoth of arts and crafts, ceramics, fruits and vegetables, basketry, jade, silver and costume jewelry, fish, flowers, candles and artisanal dairy, etc. It has a wide parking lot where you can get your car washed for around $3 while you shop and its own security

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-59366620847273216562009-02-28T14:43:00.000-08:002009-02-28T15:24:00.383-08:00

Soit turns out that this past week had to deal with labor problems. One of the reasons I went into academia was, precisely, because I wanted to avoid dealing with staff and the 9-to-5 world. But God, who has a warped sense of humor, then sent me students!Anyway, on labor issues. Being good US-conditioned workers, we came here and made the work system easier for the staff, more comfortable, more

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-75210536837244257472009-02-19T10:55:00.000-08:002009-02-20T15:52:23.843-08:00

This is the great thing about having an inn.I talked to two women from the National Library of Cuba, both of them with degrees in Library Sciences, who are staying at our inn www.qualityguate.com . They told me they are here to conduct a workshop with the blind on how to use the local library resources. They had an incredible turnout!It so happens that Guatemala has the most

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-13351558043147266032009-02-15T18:08:00.000-08:002009-02-16T07:57:07.267-08:00

There are several types of traditional bread in Guatemala, most of them dating from Spanish Colonial times. The most typical sweet breads are known as pan dulce or pan de manteca. My husband and I have different favorites. Mine are round buns with a cool little crown and sesame seed on top. Fit for a queen, after all. His are the champurradas and hojaldras (see picture). I also like hojaldras,

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-42556463411521875032009-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:002009-02-16T07:34:15.105-08:00

So, okay, there is no dreadful sound of rattling chains or anything like that, but the housekeeping and maintenance staff, long-term employees all, swear the place is haunted. Mind you, it IS an old building. Not one to disparage the experiences of others--although I am very much not a believer in ghosts---I asked them what were the "signs" (or whatever) of haunting. They said metallic clanging

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-26669323468624700722009-02-09T08:40:00.000-08:002009-02-09T09:14:11.063-08:00

People, this . IS . RELIGION. This is a breakfast fit for the gods, this is THE way to start your morning and this is how death should catch you, blissfully having my granola with yogurt and exotic fruits.First, let me briefly start with the granola. I finally got the gist of it here in Guatemala, since I am used to cooking in coastal lowlands such as New Orleans, Houston and South Florida.

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-5736017607664258492009-02-06T18:24:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:08:36.445-08:00

The art and textile artifacts of Guatemala are most definitely some of the biggest benefits of spending time here. The picture above is a fine example of the more sophisticated type of "naive" art to be found, this one featuring the market of Chichicastenango. The painting featured below shows a more commonplace example of the style called here "birds' eye view," typically depicting a plaza or

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-50632942343703189722009-02-03T17:26:00.000-08:002009-02-03T18:14:09.944-08:00

One has gotta love it! Don't you like it too? This sign's in the Historic District, by the Centro Cultural, housed in the old Postal Office, a Leviathan of a historic building that is breathtaking in its architectonic detail, inside and outside, and its overall beauty. Considered by Travelocity as one of the best tourist attractions in that zone. It is nowadays an art school for children and

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-32874875266128892562009-01-30T11:33:00.000-08:002009-01-30T12:04:25.721-08:00

There are many small open markets all around the historic center, all within walking distance and, of course, the huge 3-story Central Market (Mercado Central) with its own police force, radio station and bank agency. Pretty safe. But the fruits in Guatemala give a whole new meaning to the whole concept and understanding of fruit. The colors, flavors and textures are so sensual and varied and

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-14807167278926474792009-01-25T16:10:00.000-08:002009-01-25T19:26:40.972-08:00

I learned, this weekend, that dessert and marihuana are great for back pain. I admit this is not 100% proven true according to any scientific standards, but I will go by with what I know.I came to this knowledge somewhat circuitously, as I have been laid low for a whole week with an excruciatingly painful back problem, which kept me prone, unable even to check my email and my Facebook (the horror

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-57163113461357626332009-01-17T16:03:00.000-08:002009-01-17T16:47:38.789-08:00

It was a crazy busy week for us at the inn, with the first half of the week a contingent of farm worker leaders occupying our hotel and the second half, a busload of pilgrims from Southern Mexico on their way back home from the shrine of the Christ of Esquipulas, better known as The Black Christ of Esquipulas, because centuries of candle smoke have darkened the statue to a beautiful ebony hue.

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2206363260374737677.post-90345913496127757522009-01-15T17:47:00.000-08:002009-01-15T18:13:35.302-08:00

Peter Schjeldahl recently wrote, "A funny thing about chairs: to use them is to lose sight of them." I saw the picture of these chairs in The New York Times and am really enamored of the stringy one. It seems very easy to make, as well, just buy lots of red, stringy yarn and loop it all over some old chair. I got to try it soon. When I finally clear all the boxes of books, CDs and paintings that

Miss Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00441545812710273964noreply@blogger.com1