Vienes con bolsitas (You come with bags)

I just recently moved out of my apartment where I lived for two months (a great view but still not quite right) to house sit for a friend  for the month of December.  I call it the Hacienda.  I live in a little casita with a livingroom, bedroom and bathroom and use the kitchen and dining room in the main house.  I also take care of 2 cats and 2 dogs.  Her house is about a 15 minute ride outside of Antigua.  And by the way, I have use of her car and am driving for the first time in Guatemala.

Today, I walked into Antigua, which is a 50 minute walk.  I wanted to see what the walk was like and get my exercise.  I went to the grocery store and returned by bus to the entrance into the houseing complex.  As I was walking to the house (about a 7 minute walk from the main road) a woman stopped her car and said to me "vienes con bolsitas".  I said, "si de la bodegona".  And she said, "no de el pueblo.  Vives lejos"?  I said, "no estoy muy cerca".  She told me 'yo puedo llevarla' but I told her," no estoy cerca". 

This woman, stopped because she saw me carrying groceries and wanted to know if I lived far away, in the housing community, and offered to take me to the house.  She thought that I'd walked from the local town, rather than having come in from Antigua via the bus and been dropped off at the main road.  The town is about a 15 minute walk.  This complete stranger, stopped to see if I needed a ride to my house because she thought that I'd walked a distance with really two small plastic bags.  It seems that no matter where you go in Guatemala, you are in one small community and there is no end to the neighborliness.

La Uva - Ninos del Lago's unveils its first cabin


November 13th, was a huge day for Ninos del Lago when the first cabin was unveiled and dedicated to the children of Guatemala from the Capgemini employees and Coca-Cola Enterprises.  Present was Capgemini management, responsible for selecting and tirelessly supporting Ninos del Lago as their charity for the Americas; Coca Cola Enterprises a Capgemini client and NDL Donor; Capgemini top performing employees; and of course, future Ninos del Lago children from Esperanza Juvenil, one of the organizations whose children will attend the camp.  Click Pictures to see all those smiling faces and the fun that we had.

The best part:  Kids running through the cabins all excited, asking all about where they'd sleep, what they'd do and when they would get to come to Camp Ninos del Lago.

p.s. I can't seem to make the 'tilde' over the n since my computer was ugraded.  I've already spent hours trying to make it work to no avail.  I'm not giving up though...