Happy Carnival (Fat Tuesday) from Guatemala!

Confetti everywhere

Carnival isn't quite celebrated here like it is in Brazil with the sparkling bikinis, elaborate headdresses, and parades. The culture here is a little too conservative for that (the bikini part). This has really changed me. I no longer feel comfortable wearing shorts even in touristy areas such as Antigua or Panajachel and would never think of wearing them in Xela or close to my site.

Guatemala does however have a more vibrant celebration of Carnival than I have ever seen in the U.S.A., especially in the elementary schools. From what I have seen it is counted as an in-school holiday. Kids and teachers come in, but there aren't classes. The tradition here is to wear masks and throw confetti and colored hallowed-out egg shells at one another until everyone is thoroughly coated.

Above is my new sitemate. He will be continuing the Healthy Schools Project after I leave. Part of my job in my last couple of months is to facilitate his integration into the community and project. When telling him about Carnival I told him that kids throw confetti and gave him two packets of glitter. I thought that the epic confetti/glitter battle that goes on would be better left as a surprise. I was not adequately warned on my first Carnival and showed up without anything to throw back. It's a shame you can't really see it in this picture, but besides the confetti on his shirt he is covered in glitter. 

I did not take other pictures today, but HERE is the link to my blog post about Carnival in a school last year.