13 B'ak'tun (or 'The Apocalypse is Off')

I have not felt like blogging lately.  Oops.  I guess it's cuz I know I'll be back in the states soon, and I'll see you all.  And I'm a little sad about it, just cuz I don't want to leave Xela and my friends and stuff (I got offered a real job today, painting buildings.  I could make enough to live off of.)

But...I feel like I can't let December 21st, 2012 pass by without some explanation.  This, of course, is easier said than done, as Mayan calendars and astrology and stuff are SUPER complicated and I don't really get it all.  But, I've been doing my research, hitting up museums and books and Mayans and stuff.  I hate to admit it, but XelaWho magazine kind of had the clearest explanation I found:

The Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar uses a linear method to track time forward from a mythical creation date, generally agreed to be on the 11th of August, 3114 BC. This day marked the creation of the fourth world, or age: the world in which us human beings were placed by the Gods. Each world in the Mayan calendar consists of 13 b´ak´tuns and the completion of the next thirteen b´ak´tuns falls dead on the 21st of December, 2012 – effectively bringing us into the fifth age. For those wondering what the hell a b´ak´tun is, it´s easiest to think of the Mayan calendar like a tally system that goes up in counts of 20: starting at a k´in(1 day), going to a winal (20 days), to a tun (18 winals), to a k´atun (20 tuns) and then onto a b´ak´tun (20 k´atuns, or 144,000 days). So another 12.19.19.17.19 occurs on the 20th of December, and the 21st marks the start of the 14th b´ak´tun, 13.0.0.0.0, and the beginning of the next age. Phew.

So it is kind of the end of a world, but not the end of the world.  What does this mean?  For the Mayans, it is an exciting time of change.  It is something spiritual and energetic, but not at all apocalyptic.  There are big, exciting ceremonies happening all over Guatemala tomorrow.  (In the Xela's Parque Central, there will also be a chocolate event tomorrow with chocolate from all different parts of the country.  Thought Grandma Nore would appreciate that.)  Tourists and crunchier Guatemaltecos have been flocking up to El Petén, where the cool pyramids and ruins are. 

To some Guatemalans, however, it is just another day.  When I asked my boss if we still had classes on Friday, she said, "Of course!  I'm not crazy!  I don't believe in that stuff!"  My student cancelled anyway, and when I asked her about her 13 B'ak'tun plans, she told me, "I don't know.  Watch lots of movies, probably.  I like Red Dawn.  Have you seen Red Dawn?"  

So that's the "Mayan Apocalypse" for you.  The dude at the free Mayan astrology museum slash expensive jade jewelry shop in Antigua said that some Spanish guys were the ones who started the whole apocalypse thing.  They found some Mayan prophecies on stone or something.  They couldn't read all of what it said (or necessarily understand any of it)...and they decided the world was going to end on December 21st, 2012.  That's how rumors get started. 

For me, December 21st, 2012 is the day that my English student won't be coming in, so I'm going to be working all day in Henry's mom's comedor in the parque central. All the cool festivities in Xela will happen in the central park anyhow.  Henry will be playing at a wedding with one of his bands, so he can't work.  And my relative bilingual-ness has proven very useful with the tourist crowd.  Plus, Henry's mom is an amazing cook, and I'm hoping it might rub off on me.

Saturday will be my last day of work at the English school.  My boss told me I need to find a replacement, but we'll see...  But yeah.  I plan to do a trek with Quetzaltrekkers on the 26th.  I could write a whole post about Quetzaltrekkers, but briefly they're an organization that takes tourists on "treks" and runs/finances a school for street kids.  It's cool because they go through complete staff turnover a couple times a year (it's a 3-month commitment), yet they somehow continue to function quite well.  Their office is in Casa Argentina (AKA my house).  They tend to have a bad reputation, and I honestly couldn't stand them a few months ago.  The nice thing about the rapid staff turnover, however, is that bad groups are quickly replaced with better groups.  Right now I don't mind them at all.  And my friends have all been leaving Casa Argentina, heading to El Petén for the end of the world or home for Christmas.  So my only choice for trekking companions seems to be the Quetzaltrekkers.  I'm gunna do this trek.

After my trek, I plan to leave most of my crap in Xela (there's too much of it and my room's cheap), and hit up El Petén.  Then I either want to see Belize or Honduras.  Then I plan to run back to Xela and say goodbye to everyone and maybe have a party.  Then I have to leave.  I don't want to talk about it.