Karen Learns K'iché

This is Almolonga; 4.6 kilometers down the road from Xela. My teacher and I took a field trip there today. We were originally supposed to go to another town so that I could participate in a class of teachers learning how to teach K'iché to children. The idea was that I would benefit from the group learning environment. But, the teachers went on strike and the classes got cancelled. So instead, teach offered up this trip to Almolonga. Tuesdays are market day in Almolonga and thus are a lot like Sundays.  Much like Zunil, Almolonga is another farming town. You can see many of the fields in the first pic. Here, we are headed through little doorway in the bushes entering a field of cauliflower bordered by a field of watercress.  This is a group of farmers bundling up all the onions they picked. About half of the produce from this community is consumed within Guatemala. The other half is exported to El Salvador and Honduras. The idea was to go to market ...

This is Lake Atitlan; the most magical place in Guatemala. I spent five days here with MomentOm Collective, "a community  for those who embrace the circus and yogic lifestyle and value meaningful human connection through travel." They had everything; meditation, yoga, aerials, poles, fire-spinners, cuddle-puddles, a cacao ceremony, a full moon party, and even a PUPPY ! It's hard to explain what exactly Momentom Collective is. It's a group of people who are into yoga, circus arts, flow arts, travel, photography and/or entrepreneurship. MC provides a retreat for people with any/all of those interests to work on their skills.  The founders are from Montreal and Sydney, thus many attendees were also from those two locations. I met so many fun, skilled, awesome folks.  This is the yoga deck where we did meditation, yoga and community authentic relating. This was my cabin. Well, this was the cabin I stayed in after I requested to be moved out of ...