LAVA ROASTING!

So... if you just read my previous post, you may wonder, "why, katharine, did you purchase marshmellows in a bag the size of a small child?"  Well, for all you inquisitive friends of mine, let me tell you! 

On Independence Day (explanation coming in the next post), Tina, Eva, Tina's boyfriend Chris, and I celebrated by going on a trip to Pacaya, one of the 3 active volcanoes in Guatemala that blew in May. 

The hike up was really fun - we were a part of a group of about 16 (all of whom fit in a tourist van not meant for that many people, but that just gave me more points on the "count how many things you would get arrested for in the US" game).  Out of the 16 of us, we had 6 or 7 countries represented.  We got to know a guy from the US, a girl from Australia, and another guy from Israel decently well - it's fun to talk to people from all around the world and who have been all around the world.  Their lives and stories are fascinating. 

The hike was phenomenal - we had gorgeous views including seeing the mountain we live on (Volcano Agua) and it's friendly neighbor who is active (Volcano Fuego).  I even got a picture with Fuego letting off steam.

 Our guide was fascinating.  On our hike back down, I got to talk to him a fair amount about the volcano explosion.  As you can tell from the picture at the top, the volcano is still very much active... it's smoking all the time!  The man lives just down the valley from the Volcano and was talking about the destruction the volcano caused - his pueblo wasn't hit the worse and they lost 7 people and 37 horses.  He also spoke to the psychological trauma that the kids experienced.  When we were meeting people at CEDEPCA (the organization Marcia works for), one of the social workers was showing us the photos that kids had drawn when they were asked to remember the volcano.  The pictures drawn in watercolor of a mountain exploding, people running, and houses burning were foremost in my mind as this man talked about how his family of twin 5 year old boys and a 2 year old girl have been living in a school as they save up money to repair their house.  FEMA, home owners insurance, and the red cross dropping off doughnuts to displaced people doesn't exist here.  The picture on the left is of his town...

When we got to the top of the volcano, I got a cross-cultural sugar experience.  We walked on a trail through the lava (probably another point in the "things you'd get arrested for in the US" game) to a place where it was really, really hot.  That place is here:

Inside this hole, if you and the sun were at agreeable angles, you could see the red lava.  That stuff is really warm!

But, warmth leads to excellent heat for marshmellow cooking, and cooking we did!

Due to my excess of marshmellows and chocosittas (read former post), I began sharing with everyone up there.  After some strange looks, we had successfully introduced people from Australia, Denmark, France, Chile, Israel (including three Israeli girls who were deaf), and Mexico to the joy of S'mores.  Evidently, S'mores are not a universal delicacy, however, after Wednesday, we're one step closer!