I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke

I've been reflecting on our trip to help me decide on just one semana santa moment to share here. This proved really difficult for me as I have ten days worth of wonderful moments from which to choose! One moment that is particularly vivid for me is when Emily C., Dr. Bolin, and I were on our way back to Casa after a brief trip to the tienda around the corner for some Cokes. It was already dark and we were still waiting for the procession to pass through and erase our alfombra. We walked past a little kid, around two or three years old, sitting in an open doorway with light flooding all around him. He sat near his father and the boy was drinking Coke too. Only he was drinking straight out of a two-liter bottle that was nearly empty. This huge bottle was about half the size of his little body and he was so adorable sitting there trying to get to the last drop. Emily motioned towards him and his jumbo sized drink and we all laughed at the silliness of the situation. It was cute that he was surely up way past his bedtime in order to spend time with his family waiting to see the processions. The fact that we all connected in that moment and laughed together without even saying a word really made it memorable for me. It also illustrated that we all enjoy the little things in life, regardless of where we are from.

Lake Atitlan

My "Semana Santa moment" didn't actually have anything to do with Holy Week at all. The moment when the emotion of the whole week hit me was when we were riding on the boat on Lake Atitlan. Antigua is a beautiful city but I definitely was not expecting to see such an incredibly breathtaking landscape when we visited Lake Atitlan on Saturday. It was such a beautiful sunny day, the water was glassy, there were mountains and volcanoes surrounding us, and I was in the company of great people. Sitting on the boat and taking all of those separate things completed my trip perfectly. I had been filled by religious spirituality as well as emotions and positive energy by so many separate pieces coming together so well throughout the entire week.

My Semana Santa Moment (Sara Tess)

Our week in Antigua was filled with so many amazing moments for me: making our alfombra and watching the procession walk over it, hearing the music of the bands reverberate inside La Merced as the andas were brought back into the church at the end of the procession on Friday morning, seeing all of the people making their own alfombras and watching the multiple processions, and our trip out of the city to Lake Atitlan. But my Semana Santa moment was a small, quiet moment. On Easter Sunday morning, Rene drove us up in groups to Cerro de la Cruz, a park on a hill overlooking the city. Up there in the quiet morning, the sky was clear so we could see all of Antigua and all three volcanoes around the city. That beautiful site was the perfect time to reflect back on all of the activities of the past week and what an unforgettable experience we had just had. It was the perfect quiet culmination of our week of amazing opportunities.

Cerro de la Cruz: Easter Morning from Sara Tess Neumann on Vimeo.

Emily W's Semana Santa Moment

My Semana Santa moment was when I first heard the funeral processional music that followed the anda. For some reason even as a visual artist sound cues have a more powerful grasp on me. I saw those men and women struggling to carry this massive anda which intrigued and touched me but it was only when I heard the music that I really started to understand why they were all here and why we were here in Antigua. I am willing to admit that with the crash of the cymbal my heart stopped and I teared up a little. The horns radiated the sound of pain and mourning and I thought not only of the dead Christ that was being carried and mourned by the whole city but also of all my loved ones whom I have lost. I will always remember the slow and rhythmic drums along with blast of the horns and hopefully I will be able to experience them again in the future.

My Semana Santa moment

My Semana Santa moment occurred in our second day in the city. It was Palm Sunday and we were walking around the streets looking at alfombras before the procession came through. The men's procession passed by and I found myself looking more at the men carrying the anda than the anda itself. When it came time for the women's procession with the Virgin Mary, I don't think I looked up at the anda at all. I was captivated by the women carrying the anda. They were doing this because they chose to. They wanted to. Most of the women, to me, appeared to be young girls in their teens. Years younger than me. They were carrying and maneuvering this through the streets. You could see some had their eyes closed, while others were focusing on a unknown spot ahead of them. I was captivated by them. After they passed I was speechless. Not only was this an event for these young girls, it was their heritage. Then I realized we weren't just coming to Antigua to make an alfombra. We were coming to be a part of this city's Holy Week ceremonies. It was an experience I will never forget.

Dr. Bolin's "Semana Santa Moment"

My Semana Santa moment occurred when we all gathered around to take the photographs of the alfombra we had just completed. For me, it was the culmination of not just 7 hours of work on the cobblestone street in front of the Casa, but the focus of nearly 10 months planning this incredible trip. I loved every minute of it. I knew that in a few hours the alfombra would be just traces of sawdust in the street, as the evening procession would come by soon and the tangible presence of our work would be gone. But that was OK, because giving our work away to the community, both in making the alfombra and letting it go, was an essential part of the process. This was a surprising lesson I learned through this adventure. Our time around the alfombra was also a fabulous moment for me because I was experiencing it with some amazing young people who have left an indelible mark on my life.