Hispanic heritage

I noticed on Grace's school calendar that September 15 began Hispanic Heritage Month so I asked her teacher if she had anything planned to do with the kids. Knowing Grace was born in Guatemala, she replied, "Do you have any ideas?" so I suggested that I could bring in the few things I brought back from Guatemala - a doll, a toy clown (her first Gotcha Day present from Nana), and a couple of books. I also agreed to bring a snack - just a simple chocolate eclair from a recipe I found on the internet. The kids are two, so whatever they did was fine. I told the teacher that Grace would be learning along with the others. Miss Diana and Miss Jessie outdid themselves, though! When I picked Grace up from school I was thrilled to see that they took a bunch of photos of the teachers sharing the books, Grace showing off her doll, and the kids eating the dessert. The teachers also color-copied the cover and some pages from one of the books about weaving and the kids did their own version of "weaving" with colored strips of paper. Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE this school?

Grace's weaving is the one on the bottom left corner.

Grace and some friends showing off their artwork.

(That little boy is wearing a doll's dress as a hat!)

Grace wore this Guatemalan jumper to school today. It is made from the same heavy woven fabric that the workers use in the fields. I commented to the person selling it that the threads made a white line down the side that seemed imperfect, like it was a mistake. And he replied (all in Spanish, by the way) that since it is fabric used for everyday work, things like that didn't matter. As long as it was durable, it was acceptable. I remember when I bought the dress that I thought Grace would be in kindergarten before she was big enough to to fit into it. But just look at my big girl!I haven't begun to talk to Grace about her birth country and adoption. I suppose, though, that when I do and she wants to learn about Guatemala I will start with simple things like the flag, the colorful textiles that stand out in my mind as being so integral to the Guatemalan culture, and maybe, the "Queztal".The Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala. It is illegal to have it in captivity and actually virtually impossible since it would die if not free. According to the legend, the Quetzal used to be all green. It proudly gave its long green feathers to adorn the head pieces of the Mayan rulers and warriors. When the Spanish came they took the land from the Mayans by force and deceit. The Mayans, although brave and strong, could not withstand the the men on horses with guns. Tecún Umán, known as the strongest Mayan warrior, was the last one to fall. When Tecún Umán was lying dead on the ground the Quetzal came down and rested on his body and its chest got tinted forever with his blood.

And since yesterday happened to be Guatemala's Independence Day, I thought I would share this photo from AntiguaDailyPhoto.com of the independence torch (middle of the photo).Other torches were lit from this central one and then carried in marathons throughout the country. Representatives from every city, town, and neighborhood ran the relay so that the "fire of independence" was brought to all corners of Guatemala in time for the celebration on September 15th.

There are hundreds of photos on the internet of the different independence day festivals, concerts, parades, and fireworks displays, but I kept coming back to this one photo.I can't help but see my Grace in the face of the little girl on the left.