Dover, Ohio is starting to get a large Guatemalan population. In fact in the last several years my Mother has had the opportunity to teach several young Guatemalan children to speak and read English. So I have had the unique experience of spending some time with this fascinating culture.
Exactly one year ago Veronica gave birth to a little baby girl named Katelyn. Katelyn is beautiful. She spends most of her days with Veronica's younger sisters, (Sonya and Brigida). In their culture the younger children take care of the babies while the adults work or take care of the home. I am so glad that this was not the case for my family! I can't image what it would be like if I had to carry my sister around all day!!! It is hard enough with a mini dachshund fighting for my lap.
Anyway..... Katelyn really enjoyed her party. We started off with a prayer and blessing for the one year old and the new parents. I really didn't understand much as I do not speak their native dialect or Spanish. (Half the inhabitants of Guatemala are native India
ns, most of them Mayas. They are however, completely under the rule of the Spanish speaking, the Ladinos. There are 21 Maya languages in Guatemala. So many Guatemalans will learn Spanish when they come to the United States because it is close to their native tongue and an easier transition than to English.)After the prayer it was time for the party to begin. Women in the kitchen served plates stacked high of shrimp, tortillas, chicken, steak and radish salads. I couldn't believe the amount of food they had. The Ceviche was my favorite. Ceviche is shrimp or fish marinated in a citrus-based mixture, with lemons and limes being the most commonly used. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or "cooks" the fish without heat. Needless
to say it is awesome.I sat down with Sonya at a table full of young Guatemalan men who didn't speak English. At first it was a bit awkward. Sonya speaks English, so she was able to provide some conversation. However, Sonya is 9 years old. I realized I was completely relying on her to help me fit in. With my plate piled high of salads, beans, and one huge chunk of marinated steak, I eagerly began the tasting. It was when I went to eat my steak that I noticed I was only armed with a spoon! I felt my face turning red. The younger children were starting to laugh at me. I soon realized that no one was using a fork, or knife. Sonya burst into laughter and shrieked...."use your hands silly!" WOW I felt awkward. So, I picked up my piece of steak and bit in. I do not think I would be able to get used to eating with my hands. It was a strange experience.
After dinner, the men started playing instruments in the living room. As far as I could tell there were two large wooden xylophones, drums, and electric guitar. The music was really good. At first I thought they were playing a CD. It was a bit odd that no one but my family danced. But they seem to enjoy our enthusiasm.
Overall the party was a ton of fun and I am so glad that it turned out to be everything that Veronica wanted it to be. She was quite the hostess.
Also, the video below was shot by Sonya. I have another version that I took that was much more steady.... I just couldn't resist using this one. She was so excited to take her first Video. I think she did a fantastic job. (Jill- I left your face off of here because of the Carrollton thing... )
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Every time you mention Carrollton, you add street cred to your blog!