New Years!!

Hey yall! The following post is from lovely Nicole Pineda :-)

On Dec.31, 2009 We all arrived at the beautiful city of Antigua and it was our appointed day off. By its name, one could easily comprehend that this city has had a lot of history since in Spanish it means ancient. We were told by Tony, one of the staff members of Impacto that the city was older than three hundred years old. When we got off the bus, the first thing I noticed was the stone streets. Then, as we continued walking toward our hotel , El Carmen, I noticed how colorful the city was. It kind of looked like a bag of skittles exploded all over the city. Can anyone say, “Taste, taste the rainbow!” Once the team was settled in, our fearless leader, Juandi, reminded us that we could not eat any of the food the street vendors were offering. What a bummer because that food looked delicious! So, we set off on our journey to explore the city. We went down to the city square and saw so many people. It was interesting to see such a clash of people. There were many tourists that looked European, many locals, and a large amount of natives dressed in very colorful apparel. As we walked around we saw many stores, gift shops and things of the like. Suddenly in the street we saw and heard drums being played. It was a group of people dressed as the colonials would have been in their time. These people were announcing all the different folkloric activities that were going to be held for New Years around the city. We eventually split into two different groups and continued walking around. I was amazed at how quickly I recognized God’s presence in that city. Some many people greet you with a smile and are so humble. It was comforting to be welcomed when you are so far away from home. Along the way down the street and as we went into the stores I learned many things. First of all, there are many different Indian dialects spoken by the people. Second, the word Nim Pot means big store and third, the head wrap the women use on their heads is a covering for their hair. I was amazed at how much information could be had, and as it says in Proverbs 1:5 “let the wise listen and add to their learning”.

Once we were done checking out the shops we went back to the hotel. We spent a couple of hours getting some rest and headed back out during the night. We experienced so much of the culture it was ridiculous. We heard so many different kinds of music and even danced in the square as a group. The night ended when we went to the hotel to watch the fireworks. It was amazing to spend that time on the roof as a team. I was in awe at how comfortable we were around each other. We are and were just like a big crazy family. The night ended with a bang, or better yet with several. By the time 12 o’clock came around we were encompassed by light. For what seemed like an eternity we watched the sky light up. We were all flabbergasted and overjoyed.