This weekend we´ve been at the beach in Monterrico. Life is good here. Laying on the beach, dipping in the Pacific, sleeping in hammocks, eating good, cheap food, playing Scrabble in Spanish with our Italian friend, Adriana. Life feels simple and peaceful here.
Yesterday we attended a “turtle liberation” on the beach. There is a turtle hatchery here, and during the summer they release them into the sea to be set free. Guatemalan, European, and American alike gathered at sunset to wish the baby turtles well. Children pay 10Q for the opportunity to carry a tiny turtle to it´s place of departure. Then the turtle, about the size of a chestnut, faces the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean and awaits its big moment: when the tide will come up and pull it into its new home.
I am told that these little guys are very good, fast swimmers and that they will grow very large, but I can´t help but feel a little nervous for them. They sit there with no idea of what is to come, and then with one splash of a wave, they are carried off to sea. And we all cheer them on as they begin their journey.
-Jessie, Sunday, February 25th, 2007
