Yaax Mango u yotoch Donna Francisca

June 22nd, 2009

Our first breakfast at the Sacbe was served in an outside cabana with a palm thatch roof by the French woman that owns the small seven bungalow establishment. We had a simple egg and chaya omelet, whole wheat toast with strawberry jelly, mango juice, and your choice of tea or coffee. Our daily schedule for the next two weeks in Santa Elena will consist of a two and a half hour class starting at nine o’clock, time with the host family from twelve thirty until three, and class again from five o’clock to seven.

Class with John proved to be much more enjoyable than with Ismael, partially because he teaches in English, and partially because his teaching style is such that even after one class I feel that I have learned more than the three weeks combined with Ismael. John is very good at explaining grammatical components of the language that have been lacking from all three of my Level I and Level II professors combined. After class we were assigned our host families for our stay in Santa Elena and I was thrilled to both be paired with Chris and to be assigned with Donna Francisca and Don Alberto, my same family from last year.

The walk to Donna Francisca’s was every bit as long as I remembered and equally as hot. Upon our arrival Donna Francisca and her husband embraced me as if we had not parted for a year and welcomed us back into their home. We sat at the kitchen table while she prepared lunch. She remembered xLeah breaking the cabinet, and she remembered teaching me to make tortillas. She still has difficulty saying my name and has taken to calling me Flor since it means flower in Spanish.

Before lunch was served her daughter Ruby brought us each a mango, which I politely declined since they are not particularly a favorite of mine, which prompted a discussion on what I do not like about mangos. Before long everyone was laughing, and Ruby was preparing two dishes of yaax mango, meaning green, or not ripe. The first dish was thin slices of mango sprinkled with salt, and the second dish was thin slices of mango, lime juice, and chili flakes. Both were personal favorites of Ruby since she too does not prefer ripe mangos, and they have become two of my favorite little snacks from my host family.

Of course lunch was delicious, as expected, consisting of chicken, rice, peppers, avocadoes, bean, and Donna Francisca’s fresh made tortillas. I had forgotten how amazing a fresh corn tortilla can be, and was delighted to enjoy them once again. It took thirty minutes to return to the Sacbe with an hour to relax before the evening class. Don Humberto and Andres are teaching in the afternoon, focusing mainly on vocabulary. Today we discussed weather, plants, and animals.

After panuchos at the Chac Mool, the rest of the evening was spent trying to stay cool before drifting off the sleep. We only had a few beetles or moths in the room, and certainly nothing unmanageable for now.