Realtors for Ventura | Oxnard | Camarillo

Being from California, Leslie and I have experienced our share of earthquakes.  We’ve also experienced small quakes here because of the nearby volcanoes.

But at 1:30 am Tuesday night (why are earthquakes “always” at night?!!) we were jolted awake with the biggest earthquake yet.  Immediately the power went off, we heard a loud bang (our just filled 5 gallon water jug falling down) and other various sounds.  Without lights we grabbed our flashlights (always prepared for emergencies!) and gathered our bearings.

Our little cocina (kitchen) was flooded, but surprisingly only one glass jar with some utensils crashed down.

Everybody else in our apartment building started calling out and everyone was okay.  So we started mopping up our water and about an hour later the electricity came back on.  With nothing else to do we went back to bed – but anticipating aftershocks (none came).

The next morning I walked around town but didn’t see significant damage.  Most of the recent construction here is concrete columns and beams infilled with hollow block, so these buildings came through fine.

This is from our rooftop looking south toward volcanos Santa Maria and Santiaguito (which erupts in smoke and ash from time to time).

This is the view from our rooftop looking west. You can see most of the construction is the column and beam concrete construction, but the old tile roof on the bottom left is an example of an old adobe constructed home. These tend to suffer the damage from earthquakes.

The buildings that sustained damage were the old adobe buildings (some hundreds of years old).

A number of people in Guatemala were killed as a result of this quake.

Last Saturday, while we were waiting for the bus, we noticed many Mayan women waiting on the steps of the local church nearby. We figured something was going to go on – a funeral, a wedding, or a church service. But to our surprise, a box truck pulled up, the side door opened up, a step ladder dropped down and all these people started to climb in!

A woman standing next to us explained that these women lived up in the mountains beyond the bus route and this was their transportation.  We were curious if they’d drive away in darkness with the door closed, but they left it open!

We catch our bus from this spot, but on Sundays the area is packed with flower vendors selling gorgeous varieties – primarily to the families paying their respects to those who are buried in the adjacent cemetery. This particular cemetery is absolutely huge, perhaps a mile long!

Walking around Xela is always an adventure! Ancient cobble stoned side streets, uneven (or non-existant) “sidewalks” that vary in height, width and quality make for interesting trips! But other things that you might encounter are:

Little “herds” of goats are a common sight. They provide on the spot goats milk.

Stray dogs are everywhere you walk. There are 10 strays in this photo, and some of them are absolutely beautiful. Tourists who are dog lovers will have a hard time seeing a scene like this. Generally, the dogs are more afraid of you than you are of them, but I always give them a wide berth.

Unfortunately, this too is a not too uncommon sight. Guatemala faces significant challenges and for some, alcohol is the only way out.

My good friend Eddie has been selling me 2 pounds of strawberries every few days for the past 2 years from his little stand (literally) on the street.

But since Leslie and I have been invited to serve here in Guatemala with the Peace Corps later this year, I’ve been reflecting on the rapid changes that are happening in our city of Xela and the impact it’s having on the culture and fabric of this society, and especially to people like Eddie and his little business.

His street is filled with other vendors selling fruits and vegetables, all mixed in with cars, motorcycles, pedestrians and big (former US) school buses (“chicken buses”).

I buy pineapples, mangos and other fruit from along this street to mix (with yogurt) into smoothies.

Many of the women vendors still wear their traditional Mayan clothes of vibrant fabric while they carry their little ones wrapped on their backs.

But exactly one block over, a new mall is being built with 4 stories of underground parking plus a 12 story new hotel.

Our town, deep in the mountains of Central America, has all the latest “stuff” you can get in the US.

HDTVs, the newest iPhones or Samsung cellphones, computers – you name it, you can buy it here. Plus, the new theater that’s going in here will have all the first run movies you see in the States.

How will all these rapid changes affect Eddie and all the other vendors one street over? It’s not unusual to see an older Mayan women, sitting cross-legged at her spot on the street, chatting on her smart phone. The ancient culture of this city is rapidly being assulted with technology and “progress”.

And so I reflect about what our roles will be in adding to that mix.

You can stay here when you come to visit us!

Eddie, Leslie and Don

Wednesday mornings before 8:00 is garbage day on our street.  People put their garbage bags out on the street and a dump truck comes along later and men throw the bags into the back.

But poverty here is endemic. When we bring out our garbage every Wednesday morning, these young kids are regulars and they’re waiting to sort through the garbage from our little apartment complex. Some mornings it’s cold and they bundle up best as they can and huddle together in the early morning sun.

But today I thought I’d have a little fun with them.  I brought out my cell phone and showed them how to take pictures. Kids love it!  But before I took their picture, I made lots of feo (ugly) faces to get them laughing and they quickly got in the game.

The thing that amazed me was how fast they learned how to shoot, preview their shots, laugh and do it again. A lot of these indigenous kids don’t really speak Spanish, but rather the ancient Maya Quiche language.

But no matter the language or culture, kids are kids!