Today I ended up shopping on market day, which should sound like fun but I usually try to avoid it. This might sound strange, but I've always not really liked market days, not even in Concepcion. Might be the tons of people and the gawking at the gringa. But in Antigua there is much less gawking (unless you are tattooed and pregnant and a foreigner). Anyway, today I ended up smack dab in the middle of market day looking for my veggies. It's also kinda like not doing things in your hometown, not that Antigua is my hometown, but like how many people from Seattle have actually been up the space needle? You know, how we tend to not do "touristy" things where we live. At this point I'm never really amused by touristy things in Antigua (although I'm excited about Semana Santa which I have never seen here! - so nevermind I'm a contradiction) but the market was pretty crazy. It's like people coming at you with products, not aggressively selling but just like getting in your way yelling monotone their product "calcitineeeeees" - well then we went to La Bodegona, the grocery store, and there were no more lockers with keys so Andres waited while I braved the mob and grocery shopped. I'm spoiled because normally Andres holds the basket and I just walk through the store tossing stuff behind me into the basket. Today, basket on my arm, I had to push and shove then walk really really slow just like everyone else managing my own darn basket. At one point there was this man blocking the aisle just staring at me. Taking it all in (there's a lot more to take in these days) and just standing there in my way until I finally said, uuuh con permiso. Then he moved.

And there's lots of visitors on weekends, not just foreigners but city folk from Guatemala City, too. It's been nice to slow down and really see Antigua, be able to spend time sitting on the park benches and walking side streets. I like seeing old Americans around, like the ex-pat types. They are funny.