The Scorpion King

Monday, June 30, 2008

I awoke this morning knowing that I would have only a few minutes to myself at any given point during the day. We spent three hours this afternoon with our host families, while still attending a morning and evening class, in addition to a Maya Tsikbal Kaab, or spelling bee, and of course the ever torturous dancing. Class seems to be slowing down as we begin the final chapter in our textbook, marking the completion of six chapters and over three hundred pages of material in only five weeks. After class, Miguel drove us to our host families, since two of the homes are a thirty-minute walk from the Flycatcher. Leah and I are paired with Don Alfredo and Donna Francisca, the parents of Estella, who cooks all of the wonderful meals at the Chac Mol Restaurant. Their grandson is chan Miguel, our seventeen year old, sterner than stone, dance instructor. Don Alfredo and Donna Francisca own a small store that is attached to their house. They have a kitchen with a large table, tiled sink, and gas stove, a living room, bathroom, another room that serves as a pantry of sorts, and a typical Maya hut in the backyard that contains their stone hearth for cooking, cages for their turkey, rooster, and several chickens.

We spent the afternoon with Donna Francisca sitting at the wooden table in her kitchen reading the bible in Maya to perfect our pronunciation. I thought that it would feel awkward to sit in a complete strangers house, eating their food, and trying to converse to them in Maya, but Donna Francisca and her husband are extremely warm and gracious. Only minutes after we arrived they told us that while we were in Santa Elena we were a part of their family and that their home was our home. As I write this entry I have finished my stay in Santa Elena and already miss the wonderful hours spent with my family. It brings tears to my eyes, and I cannot imagine never seeing them again. It certainly makes me want to participate in level two of the program just to see Don Alfredo and Donna Francisca again. For our first day together Donna Francisca made chochinita piibil with black beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. She even put Leah and I to work in the kitchen making tortillas for the very first time. We laughed all afternoon as we stood at the worn kitchen table spinning our tortillas around on the surface and trying to make them as thin as possible. Donna Francisca amazed us with her skill, as Leah turned out extremely thin tortillas that looked as if they had been chewed on the sides, and I the smallest tortillas with the prettiest, smoothest edges. Donna Francisca pointed with her tan finger and said, “jach jats’uts, chan waaj,” meaning “very beautiful, small tortilla.” Then she pointed to Leah’s and said “k’aas,” or “ugly.” We laughed until our sides hurt. Donna Francisca gave us each a beer, which she squeezed a whole lime into both and coated the top of the can with salt. Yum. Leah and I were stuffed from the most wonderful meal we have had since our arrival. It was truly an amazing experience and we could not wait to return the following day.

The beginning of our afternoon class brought my first encounter with a real live, scary, horrifying, spine-tingling scorpion perched above the door to our room. It was three inches of midnight black that made my heart sink. For the rest of the day the scorpion, no name, sat above the door like an unwanted visitor. Even as I unlocked the door after dinner and dancing its presence was felt. I still don’t know what was worse, knowing it was outside the room all night, or praying that it wasn’t in the room in the morning. Both scenarios caused much anxiety.

Before dinner, the level one and level two students participated in a tsikbal kaab, or Maya spelling bee. Students dropped out left and right as glottal stops and high accents were misplaced or missing altogether. Soon we moved from the one hundred words we had studied to the harder words we had not. Every time I approached the board my heart stopped. I listened, pushing my hearing and comprehension of the words to the max, and each time I managed to find the answer somewhere in my overworked brain. Soon it came to Grant, a level two student, Christa and myself. Sadly I misspelled the verb “to get drunk.” Well, since I don’t drink much, I guess I never thought the word was too terribly important. Third out of nine is not bad though, of course second would have been better. I’m horribly competitive.

After dinner we continued to master the three dances that we will perform on Wednesday in traditional costume before returning to my room, and waving good night to the scorpion.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Once again Donna Francisca had us practice our pronunciation from her bible while she prepared lunch. Today we enjoyed the traditional lime soup with a side plate of fresh bananas and melon. The soup was absolutely delicious – nothing can compare to the home cooked version of this Yucatecan dish, whole slices of lime floating across the surface with crispy tortillas piled atop each lime like passengers on a majestic vessel setting off to sea. Right before lunch Leah rose to wash her hands, the weight of her bag hanging on the chair toppling like a domino into a glass front cabinet. She was absolutely mortified when she turned around and saw that the glass was shattered in a million little pieces. My mouth hung open in astonishment, while Donna Francisca, who had a look of pure shock on her face, tried to calm Leah. “Accidento,” she said over and over and over. I felt so bad for Leah, and yet I was so glad that it had not been me. Donna Francisca was very compassionate and told Leah not to worry about something that was not intentional.

After dance practice, chan Miguel gave each of us our huipils for tomorrow night’s performance. While my pink and white terno was a marvel of delicate embroidery I found my skirt slipping off my waist, bunching around my ankles, and my top cut so large that certain parts that should not be displayed in public were generously accentuated.

Later I would discover that my huipil was the largest of the bunch. I am not sure what I will do for tomorrow nights performance, but one thing is clear – I cannot wear this huipil since my poor partner will see clear to my belly button when I bow, rotate under the ribbons, and spin around in circles.

I had a huge cramp in my upper leg during practice tonight and was forced to sit out of the last dance, which sadly means that I will be lost tomorrow for the final performance. I keep going over the steps in my head and now as I fall asleep the melody for our third dance keeps repeating in my mind like a broken record. I am actually nervous for tomorrow and hope that chan Miguel comes to visit his grandmother tomorrow afternoon as usual so that I may discuss my huipil malfunction with him.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Classes continued as usual with the twelve o’clock hour bringing our last trip to Donna Francisca and Don Alfredo’s cozy home. It took thirty minutes in the hottest part of the day to walk to the main plaza before turning left and walking another three blocks. Leah and I could tell at once that something unusual was occurring at our host family’s house. Everyday dozens of family members come and go, while today, family members, neighbors, and friends had gathered to prepare a feast. As we approached the house, the heavy wooden doors to the tienda were closed tight, sealing everything in except the amazing smell of something cooking. We walked through the parking space to the right of their home and into the backyard where Donna Francisca, several of her daughters, including Estella, and her closest friends were rushing around a central fire with a huge pot in the middle. The aromas were delicious as fresh ingredients were incorporated into the boiling pot. Hundreds of banana leaves waited patiently on the table behind us, piled high in glossy stacks of green foliage.

We spent the afternoon learning how to make tamales, and watching the hustle and bustle of our hosts all dressed in gorgeously bright huipils. As we retired to the kitchen for lunch, chan Miguel arrived and placed a plate of food beside us, the four of us eating, laughing, and talking about nothing and everything all at once. Much of our conversation focused on the excitement that was clearly felt throughout the town in preparation for the evening’s festivities. Fortunately I had the opportunity to discuss my terno complications with Miguel, when Donna Francisca’s daughter offered to lend me one of her huipils. Though I will be the only one wearing a huipil, I could tell at once that it was significantly smaller than all of the others. I was so grateful for her generosity, and could not wait to prepare for the event so that I could show off her gorgeous huipil with pride. One of the girls from the Flycatcher offered me a skirt to go with the huipil, and I cannot help but feel grateful for everyone’s contribution. Certainly, huipils are generally huge, but I just could not see how I was going to dance with a skirt down around my ankles and top falling from my shoulders and showcasing certain body parts.

Leah and I had prepared a letter to our family as a thank you, which Leah also included a few pesos to compensate for the damage to the cabinet. As soon as she handed the letter to Donna Francisca she spoke, “taak’in!” or “money.” She did not want to take it, but Leah pleaded with her, saying it would make her feel better. Donna Francisca gave us each a hug, handed her Maya bibles over to us and promised to see us dance at the evening gala. I could not stand leaving my family and now I feel a certain uneasiness about my Xocen family. They have large shoes to fill.

Our afternoon class brought us to a traditional Maya hut where the owner spoke to us in Maya about its construction, the various kinds of fruit and vegetables growing in the yard, and gave us a demonstration on how to make rope. As we tromped around the yard, our shoes were quickly covered in red mud, making me ever so glad for my Old Navy flip flops, which will take a bath in the shower and look good as new. After class, preparations began for our evening celebration. The light outside began to fade as I pinned my hair in a bun, added copious amounts of huge red flowers with the help of Leah, and put on my huipil for the first time. I was shocked when I looked in the mirror following the fiasco with my terno, but the red and orange embroidery went well with my skin tone and actually looked rather good. The embroidery was heavier than I thought it would be, but I felt girlie and festive for the first time on this trip. I decided to wear my silver filigree earrings, necklace, and ring, which added to the overall feel of a Maya princess.

We were served Pina Coladas when we arrived at the Chac Mol, which did wonders for my nerves. Sadly it would have taken many more to make my grand entrance as a dancer less stressful. I did not think that I would be nervous about performing, but as the minutes ticked by my appetite faded and my heart pounded quicker and quicker. I was so pleased to see all of the girls in their huipils and even more entertained by the guys in their white shirts and white linen pants. It was a wonderful sight to see the local girls that have been dancing with us arrive with the same red flower pattern on their terno’s. After a delicious dinner of tamales, everyone retired to the courtyard where the first notes began to play and the dancing begun. Seconds passed and my nerves calmed. We spun around the maypole praying that our memories would not fail. After completing our first rotation and the unweaving of the ribbons, it was obvious that things had not gone as planned. Still, we kept dancing, trying to avoid the tangle of ribbons still adorning the pole. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the music stopped and the crowd clapped. Our final two dances were performed to perfection, as we were spun by our partners across the floor. Afterward, everyone selected someone from the audience to dance with in a freestyle jarana. Don Umberto agreed to be my partner, and it was the funniest thing to see him dancing like a pro and spinning me around in circles on the floor. He seemed like a Gene Kelley of Yucatec dancing and had the happiest grin on his face.

Tomorrow we will depart for Valladolid and our free weekend. I cannot wait to see the faces of my parents, tour several more sites, and share all of my experiences with them.