After picking up my friend Jessica from the airport on Wednesday, I'm playing tour guide for the next few days. Can't complain its giving me the chance to go to some of my favorite places like Demo Market.
Wednesday afternoon, I spent some time snapping frames around the Nuevos Horizontes Women's Shelter. I've pull away from just shooting portraits and started shooting environmental shots of some of the bedrooms and common areas. Shooting in the shelter is much different from my last project at the hospital in San Lucas. Both situations had privacy issues, but shooting at the shelter has a security element involved adding to the challenge of shooting.
Thursday afternoon the teenagers and women of the shelter had a chance to get some pampering, getting their nails painted, having avocado facial masks and dancing in the lunchroom. Activities like these bring a sense of normality to the lives of the teenagers and women in the shelter.
The coordinators at Nuevos Horizontes and I have been talking about putting together a gallery show sometime later this year. Which I'm pretty excited about. I won't be here to see it go up, but my hope is that it helps the shelter raise some more money or at least attract more volunteers.
May is my last month here in Guatemala and I have found myself working on a portrait project of sorts. I have begun to photograph inside a women's shelter here in Xela. Because of security concerns I am not allowed to show any of the women's faces. But since so much of the human emotion is brought forth through the face, it is presenting me with a challenge that I did not anticipate.
Today was my first day of shooting and, as with many things in life, it did not go according to plan. But I think that might have helped me discover a better way to shoot these "portraits". The women at the shelter seem to be receptive to my presence. They all have terrible stories as to why they are at the shelter; most have children, and some of the children are products of incestuous molestation and rape. The shelter provides a safe place for them to live and heal.
You can feel the sense of community as you walk in. Everyone is lending a hand cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children in the shelter. The shelter is a nondescript building which resides in a secret location in Xela. Nuevo Horizonte, the association that runs the shelter, is in the process of putting the finishing touches on a new larger shelter in Xela's outskirts. But in the meantime, the women still live in this smaller safe haven where I will be working the next few weeks.
With one day under my belt, I'm pretty excited to see where the work takes me. I have the feeling it will not be what I expect.
(photo shot in Quixayá, Sololá ) This week if all goes well I will be the start of a portrait project here in Xela. should be be a good week or two of creating some challenging portraits. More on that later.
Went back to the Clinic in San Lucas this past week. I reminded myself to pull back and soak in the environment of the community and not just let myself get sucked into the activity directly at the clinic. Sometimes you really have to return to basics and remember to cover everything possible that can help a story along. Great trip I'm happy with my take. Now back to editing the story together.
Got up and headed to Almolonga this morning for what I heard was going to be a very different kind of procession than what I had been shooting this past week here in Xela. Well turns out I was mislead and the processions in this small farming town were on Thursday and Friday. Since I was out there I wandered around the town which here in Guate is know as the "Garden of the Americas." Much of the produce grown here is on small family plots with vegetables growing year around, which is sold and eaten all over Central America.
As I was wandering to the outer edges of Almolonga I ended up on a small dirt path between farm plots. Walking along this path I heard someone behind me calling to me. I turned around and found a farmer asking me to take his photo, after a few minutes of awkwardly navigating the field he was working in I introduced myself to Bartholmu or as he said "Bartholmu de Almolonga." We chat for bit, I snapped a few portraits after which he continued to tend his crop.
One one hand I missed some cool and different processions, but on the other I was able to explore this interesting town for the morning. All in all I think todays little misadventure was a good one. And hey not only did I meet a few very cool people but I found out how much it would have cost to use the baño's at the market, something thats always good to know.
As incense burns around the Processional floats Tuesday night, crowds gathered in Quetzaltenago's central park to observe the Procession of Jesus De La Paciencia. The procession is one of many that will take place during Semana Santa or Holy Week in Guatemala, which runs from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday.
Had to jump over the line and head into Mexico again for a Guate visa extension. Camera gear wise I went light camera body and a 35mm lens. A good time was had!
This time of the year in Xela, processions are all over the place. I'm sure Semana Santa will be fun!
Friday was my final day at the Clinic. During Dr. Tuns normal consult hours a knock came at the door from a nurse explaining a man had been struck by a vehicle while he was on his bike and the police had brought him into the ER. It took all of the staff to keep this man down on the gurney as they stabilized him so they could transport him to the hospital in Sololá. His face was badly injured and he was only slightly responsive as Tun tried to talk to him. To help keep the man calm Clara a nurse at the Clinic held his hand, which seemed to do the trick. Goes to show Human contact can really do wonders.
This patient waited quietly as Dr. Tun examined her x-rays and other paper work. She has what Tun thinking is a thyroid problem causing a growth in her neck. In the afternoon a man calmly walked into the ER leaving a trail of blood from the front gate to the ER doors, after he cut his hand open with a machete while he was working. He laid a gurney saying nothing unless he was asked to answer a question, but never making a sound when the nurses cleaned the wound.
Sunday marked the first procession of the lenten season here in Xela. The Procession of Jesus de Nazareno (Jesus of Nazareth) started at 4 pm and ended around 8 sunday night. The city seemed to come to a complete halt for this procession. It was impressive to see the different groups of Cucuruchos (carriers) hold up this massive float and every few blocks change bearers and continue to snake their way through the city. The Cucuruchos were made up of the different religious brotherhoods here in Xela. Each group representing different saints like Saint Nichols and San Juan de Dios. To read more about this tradition check out the Casa Xelaju website.
Friday was a long tough day at the San Lucas Clinic. Starting with a woman being admitted the night before with mysterious abdominal pains. Doctor Tun ordered blood work to look for problems in the pancreas and the staff got to work trying to look for some answers. After which the staff started looking to an elderly woman who had signs of Peripheral edema, which they have been keeping an eye on the past few days. Having the patient walk a little each day. Friday Morning also brought the birth of twins and so much needed rest for that mother, along with paperwork that needed to be read over by Tun from the Health Ministry of Guatemala.
