Day 7 – Wednesday December 7, 2011

5am – Pack Tobler’s suitcases in Smith’s jeep. 7am – wash clothes and move to apartment 202 across the hall por dia… =$ am – to temple (witness couple) 12:30 – Rotary at Hotel Camino Real – present $1,000 check to Mentors International representatives (Gloria De Castellanos and Alejandra Moraga-member from La Florida who knows the people we met at Z-7 chapel and is a member of that ward…Florida/San Martin…Brigada, Florida, Paraiso, Brisas, San Francisco…she is the taller of the wo. 3:00 home 4:30 depart for Roberto Colmenares’ (Rotarian- orthodontist) home. 5:00 walk to nearby park for “Quema del Diablo” celebration which began at 6:00 p.m., then walk back to Roberto’s home for dinner.

from Rotarian Roberto Colmenares re: Quema del Diablo The celebration is very simple. Is the beggining of the Holiday season in Guatemala. People in the city, get together for a burning of the bad things that happende on the year and take a clean start to whats about to happen at the end of the year. People get together as a community to have traditional foods and drinks, to burn "the devil" (The celebration is called quema del diablo) and to burn firecrackers. Is the only time (at least in my neighborhood) that people meet people and celebrate a tradition. This year I will also invite Rudy and Pay for this event. It will take place at 6:00 in the afternoon, in the park near my house, that is about 15 minutes from the center of the city. There you will have the posibility to drink hot cocoa, atol de elote, horchata and jamaica drinks, and try the tamal, tostadas, chuchitos and other national foods and drinks. I am sure it will be a different and enjoyable occasion. See you on the 7th at our lunch.