This morning began with more Spanish lessons. Today went by a little faster because we were encouraged to go into the city with our tutors and have some more practical conversations. Andrea and I ventured to the Parque Central and walked into the Cathedral that I posted a picture of the other day. The country is preparing for Holy Week, so every window is clad with purple curtains and the cathedrals are full of flower and crop offerings. Myra told us that in Guatemala there is a heavier focus on the burial of Christ than on the resurrection. Apparently there is so much Mayan tradition interwoven with the already heavily traditionalized Catholic Church that Catholicism in Guatemala doesn't even resemble Christianity. This made for interesting conversation with the 12 verbs I know in Spanish and "Jesus Cristo."
Andrea also took me to the market in town to look at the bags where I learned the words for pillow and various articles of jewelry. Currently, all I can remember is ateres for earrings. We still have two days left of Spanish lessons, thank goodness.
After Spanish, Myra brought Little Caesar's to the hotel for our lunch. I can attest to the fact that crazy bread is just as delicious in Guatemala as it is in Dallas. Interestingly, there are more Amerian chains here in Antigua than I've ever seen in Europe, but on the outside they blend in with the typical shops and storefronts. I learned later in the day that because Antigua is a UNESCO world heritage site, the outsides of buildings cannot be materially altered. So, Little Caesar's looks a little different than it does on Coit Road, but tastes more or less the same.
After lunch we were again divided into two groups to conduct our afternoon business visits. One group went to visit a marketplace and talk to the vendors about their processes and strategies, and I was in the group that visited two small businesses in the city. The first was a family advertising business. We spent probably close to an hour asking the owner about her approach to marketing, what her profit margins look like, how she wants to grow, what problems she is facing. She and her husband are both accountants and therefore had a much larger grasp on their financials than most business owners, according to Myra's assessment.
The owner of Yoan with her mission statement to serve small businesses by helping them get started.
Our next stop was a panerria, aka bakery, aka they make a lot of bread and the whole place needs to be bottled into a Yankee candle scent. It is a family run business that has been around since 1992. The son who gave us our tour has a dream of getting their products into US grocery stores, so keep an eye out for Unipan and remember you heard it here first ;) He showed us the bakery facilities and let us have a little sample while he answered our questions about their operations and business strategy. Both of these businesses showed much interest in the potential of having a team of business consultants, so I hope that our research on this trip allows such doors to open with future Baylor teams.
Hair nets and business casual, what else
Bread *so many heart eyes*
Marvin, the grandson of the original founder of Unipan and a literal wall of bread
Our last stop of the evening was salsa lessons which were, in a word, hilarious. Many videos were captured and I will have to get my hands on some to share.
WHOO all caught up. Spanish lessons will come bright and early again at 8am tomorrow so I am off to la cama. That means bed.
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