No victory for Xelaju

I arrived in Guatemala at an historic movement. For the first time in years the two futbol teams in the finals for the championship did not include a team from the capital. Quetzaltenango´s team ¨Xelaju¨went up against the team from San Marcos last night...and lost. I fell asleep during the game but there was no avoiding the news this morning. Xelaju will have a second chance on Saturday night but I will be sans television.
We arrived in Xela (Quetzaltenango) at 8 p.m. last night after 6 hours of driving from Guate city. Hurricane Stan wiped out much of the highway between the cities and repairs are not yet completed. Immediately after Stan the trip from Guate to Xela took over 8 hours so there has been significant improvement since then.
A wise friend of mine sent me the follwing G.K.Chesteron quote just before I left:
"the whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country and know it as a foreign land." True. There are many things about Guatemala, specifically Xela, that make this land feel less foreign than my own country. Hospitality is an art and a way of life here. When I was in Chile my Chilean friends used to joke about the U.S. version of hospitality...the offer of a glass of water, if you´re lucky. I am fortunate to have grown up in a home that emphasized hospitality but still there is much to learn.
Back to exploring the streets of Xela. The flowers are beautiful here and the rains haven´t even arrived yet. I am about to take a walk to my living quarters in Iglesia Emanuel in Zona 2. The map my friend Aury drew is based on city landmarks: MacDonalds, Dominoes, Pizza Hut. Some things are the same everywhere...I just wish they tasted better.