PICTURES FROM GUATEMALA


Photos of our trip with Maria
We stayed at the Westin in Guatemala City and got to see Maria for 5 days there. Most of these photos are from the hotel room, pool, and restaurants in and near the Westin.

Photos of Maria from the foster family
We had given the foster family some disposable cameras a year ago. Thankfully, they took some great pictures and gave the cameras back to us. You can see the pictures they took here.

Panajachel
After giving Maria back to the foster family, we went to a city called Panajachel. This is on a lake (Lago de Atitlan), which is the caldera of an old volcano, which is in turn ringed by 3 volcanoes. Our room opened right onto the lake. The town is somewhat touristy, but it attracts as many Central and South Americans as it does North Americans.

Chichicastenango
From Panajachel, we took a day trip to Chichicastenango (which everyone just calls "Chichi"). This is a market town, not just for tourists but for locals in the surrounding area. So we got to see vendors selling fish, turkeys, eggs, as well as the local textiles and other tourist items. This is also a center of Mayan worship. The church does double duty as both a Catholic and Mayan church, and we climbed a nearby hill to watch a Mayan shaman perform a ceremony to aid some of the local families. We were never clear if he was doing one to cure them of alcoholism or to increase their prosperity.

Antigua
Since Panajachel was a 3-4 hour bus ride from the airport, we decided to spend our last night in Antigua, instead of having to wake up early and do that ride in the morning. Antigua is the Spanish Colonial capital of Guatemala, and is very picturesque. It's almost impossible to walk a block without seeing something worth taking a picture of. The week leading up to Easter is full of celebrations across Guatemala, and especially in Antigua. So we got to see some of the preparations and decorations, which you see in the purple sashes draped on doors and windows.

THE HEARING- Update

Well, we're back from Guatemala, but there was another hearing on Tuesday while we were there.

At first we thought that we might be at the hearing, but our lawyer thought differently about it, as he wasn't quite sure what the judge might ask us, or what we might say.

We had to hand Maria over to the foster parents, and they had to take her to the hearing, so we didn't get to play with her much that day. Instead we went to a Mayan Textile Museum and ate lunch at a Mexican taco restaurant, where they slice pork (al pastor) off a rotisserie like a gyro.

At the end of the day, we found that the judge had agreed to allow pursuit of the abandonment proceedings. He also ruled that Maria could stay with the foster family. Allowing the abandonment means that the lawyers will use this process to separate the birth mother from her parental rights, and that those will transfer over to the state. And then, after that is done, we will begin adoption proceedings. Apparently allowing Maria to stay with the foster family is precedent setting, as children in the process usually are placed in state orphanages. So we are very happy with both of these rulings. We're looking into hiring a special abandonment lawyer to (somewhat) expedite this first process.

Don't know what this means for getting all this done, but it could be later summer or even in the fall. So we're happy that there is a more clearly defined path, but wish we can make it go faster.