We attended Matins service in the morning at 7:00am. (Tuesday began the regular school week again for the kids.) We ate breakfast and then waited for Jorge. Today was the day of our field trip out of the orphanage to the monastery and Antigua. The orphanage owns some land outside of Guatemala City and they are currently building a new facility there. In about a year and a half, all the children will move out to the countryside and enjoy a more quiet and peaceful life outside the city. Once we toured the church and the grounds, Jorge, our escort, would take us to Antigua for some sight seeing.
We were very excited to see more of the city during the day. Of course, Guatemala City is crowded, polluted and, in some areas, not very clean. There was a lot of traffic going into and out of the city. We saw numerous McDonalds, Pizza Huts and Pollo Campero’s all complete with drive thru’s and playlands. The roads were very bumpy and not well maintained. Many of the cars and trucks ran on diesel fuel which caused lots of exhaust fumes in the air. Our excitement then turned to the beautiful countryside as we left the city.
The monastery was very beautiful. The newly constructed church has a beautiful backdrop of the countryside with mountains full of green trees and a large lake in the valley. Just the view gives you a very peaceful feeling. The church is white stucco with spires in the Russian tradition. It was recently consecrated last year and the iconography is still in progress. Mother Inez, the head abbess, met us in the church and gave us a tour of the grounds.
The new orphanage buildings are being built just below the church on the hillside. Construction on the boys quarters is about half way through. The foundation for the girls quarters and administrative offices has been laid, but will wait until the boys quarters are finished.
The grounds contain half a dozen fish ponds where Tilapia are grown. Also, the monastery breeds rabbits and worms. The tilapia and rabbits are consumed at the orphanage and the worms are used as food for the fish. The nuns also grow and sell their own coffee as well as chocolate made of 100% cacao beans.
We stayed and talked with Mother Inez and Mother Maria for awhile. They served us coffee and treats in this beautiful multi-purpose room below the church. They talked about the construction of the orphanage and how the children are not happy about moving to the country. I have not had a prolonged conversation with any nuns before, but these women were very worldly and sensible. I suppose that caring for 85 children will make you more sensible about life’s challenges. The orphanage would not be what it is today without their extreme devotion to the children’s well being.
From the monastery, Jorge drove us to the city of Antigua. Antigua was the first city built in Guatemala by the Spanish. The center of the city has a wonderful fountain and park area with a cathedral on one side and colonnade walkways with shops on the other sides. The houses have very detailed entranceways and large, heavy wooden doors and the streets are still made of cobblestone. I would assume that the appearance of the city has not changed much in 200 years.
Our first stop was a jade museum. Unbeknownst to me, Guatemala has large deposits of jade and is known for its jade creations. The Mayans used a lot of jade when making religious masks, jewelry and everyday items. Once the tour of the museum was over, we were conveniently dropped off in the gift shop.
The next stop was lunch. Father Costa specifically requested Pollo Campero. If you have never heard of this place before, it is a chain of fried chicken restaurants that originated in Guatemala. These restaurants can also be found in the northern VA area as well. Jorge humored us and away we went to the closest Pollo Campero. We all had, of course, the fried chicken, original recipe.
After lunch, Jorge dropped us off at a tourist market so we could buy souvenirs. The market was guarded by two men holding rifles who pleasantly smiled and said, “Buenos Dias”. We were given one hour to shop and were told not to wander away from the market. I spent the hour wandering and buying t-shirts for the family. Since the mission team had already visited the gift shop at the orphanage, I had already gotten my real souvenirs.
Jorge picked us up and we went to the cathedral for the patron saint of Guatemala, Hermano Pedro. He is the only saint from Guatemala in the Catholic church and the orphanage does recognize the saint and has a large icon in the back of the church. A church service was beginning while we were there and we listened to about ten minutes. Many of the congregation responses were the same as the Orthodox service at the orphanage.
Our last stop was the city center. We walked around the shops and the park. Since the city is a tourist area, there are many police walking around.
Jorge again picked us up and we headed back towards Guatemala City.
In Guatemala City, Jorge took us to a beautiful restaurant with excellent traditional Guatemalan food. We ordered the local beer and cocktails. I got a steak with a mushroom sauce which is considered a Guatemalan delicacy. The others ordered steak and seafood. The food was excellent and all entrees came with a side of beans. For dessert, we had flan. It was definitely nice to have a full dining experience.
Jorge picked the perfect place. Jorge even managed to let us stay out after 7:30. The rule at the orphanage was that the front gate would not open after dark. Since Jorge is Sister Ivonne’s brother, he worked his magic and we stayed out until 9:00pm. Not late by American standards, but safety is a concern. When Jorge drove us back to the orphanage, he asked us to close all the windows. As we approached the orphanage, Jorge called ahead so that the gate would open right as we drove up. The van must have driven through the gate at 30 miles an hour and then the guard quickly closed it one second afterwards. The gate was probably open a total of ten seconds. We thanked Jorge for his hospitality and went to our rooms. It was a busy and exciting day.
