They Dye Baby Chicks Here?

Yes, be confused by the title of this post.

Every now and then in this country I pass cages of chicks for sale. The thing is though -- they've been died bright neon colors. It's the weirdest thing ever.

Yesterday during family project with some of the kiddos here, Nicole and I and the kids ran across some of these neon chicks peeping around the park in Parramos. Naturally, we stopped to play. I got some cute pics, but still no explanation as to why the heck they do this.

Saber.

Concha and Alan couldn't stop picking them up or giving them kisses haha.

We Popped Popcorn for 3 Straight Hours

Welcome to my Saturday afternoon.

Yesterday we had Kermes (carnival), and we decided the snack for this Kermes was going to be popcorn (a.k.a. poporopos)! That meant we had to buy enough popcorn to feed 250 or so kids. And that meant someone would be popping all those popcorn kernels for a long long time. And now you have my Saturday afternoon.

Leti and I flared up the gas stove, broke out all the potholders we could find in the house, turned on some tunes (the Latin version of K'naan's World Cup song was on repeat for a while), and popped popcorn until we thought we would die.

We popped 12 pounds of popcorn. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, 12 pounds of popcorn fills approximately: 2 giant garbage bags plus a huge wicker basket in which I probably could have slept comfortably. We are talking A LOT of poporopos.

Considering this was the first time I'd popped popcorn the real way haha -- in oil over the stove while constantly shaking the pot around (hey, I don't claim to be very domestic) -- I only managed to burn a few batches and only cover the stove, myself, Leti, and the entire kitchen table in oil. I'd say you can write this off as a success!

The poporopos were a big hit at Kermes! No matter that the house still smells like popcorn or that I woke up yesterday with super sore shoulders (standing over a stove shaking an oil-filled pot for three hours will do that to you). We can now proudly say we are popcorn-popping pros. :)

Antigua from the Second Floor

This Saturday I spent alllll day in Antigua. Don't ask, it's a long story, but I was seriously there for about 16 hours. Good thing I can easily amuse myself, hah.

One of those 16 hours was spent doing something pretty cool. I discovered you can tour the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales and even stroll through the second-level balcony for a bird's-eye view of the park -- all FOR FREE!

And I do love free. :)

Funny Photo of the Day

Pretty Photo of the Day

The church in Antigua's central park never ceases to impress me when it's all lit up at night. Sam and I have spent quite a bit of time (approaching ridiculously too much time) in Antigua this past week hanging with new South African friends we met in Semuc Champey, so we've been lucky enough to see the gorgeous church on many an Antigua night. I love it. :)

May's Magazine!

Our new NPH magazine, X-PRES-ARTE, is back for month two. Hot off the presses just today, here it is!

Revista Mayo 2010

Watch the Kentucky Derby: Check.

I told you all I'd be stalking bars on Saturday to let me watch the Derby. Well, mission accomplished.

Hi, Churchill Downs!

Thank goodness for Monoloco -- a sports bar in Antigua that, the moment you enter the building (and pass an internet café, gift shop, and beauty salon all on your way to the actual restaurant), feels like you've just stepped into a Las Vegas T.G.I. Friday's...or something similarly non-Guatemalan.

When Katie, Leeah, and I first stopped at Monoloco, we arrived right in the middle of a Barcelona soccer game. Right. Fat chance that I'd be able to convince those couple hundred futbol-loving Latinos to change the channel to a horse race in Kentucky. Bummed, we headed off to another café for smoothies and desserts.

BUT, we decided to give Monoloco one more shot, just minutes before the Derby was set to start. It worked! The soccer game had just ended, and Katie saw a T.V. over in the corner that was tuned to NBC and showing Churchill Downs!

Woohoo!

Since I had (embarrassingly) done zero Derby research prior to this weekend, I told the girls to "Hurry up and pick a number! That's the horse you're betting on."

I picked 4.

I won. Hehehe.

I picked a good one.

So thank you, Monoloco, for letting me watch this year's greatest two minutes in sports. :)