Primero de Mayo

Now there’s a day for you!

Primero de Mayo: Día de los Trabajadores... May 1st: Labor Day.

Also known as “long-march-under-the-sweltering-sun-while-taking-photographs” day.

I can’t remember a 1º de Mayo en Guatemala where I didn’t end up sweaty, spent, and slightly sunburnt.

Today, however, was different. Yes, I still ended up sweaty, spent, and slightly sunburnt. But my photograph-taking was seriously reduced compared to years past. So what happened?

 Was I out of practice?

 Did I experience technical difficulties?

 Did I simply forget to pack my camera?

No, no, and (sheesh) no. The thing is, it’s difficult to concentrate on taking photos when you’re busy celebrating a hundred and one reunions. By the end of the two-hour march not only were my feet tired, but so were my arms... from nonstop hugging. I think that all the constant kissing kept my cheeks from becoming too sunburnt!

From labor unions and student organizations to political parties and campesino movements, I reconnected with a sea of friends today. It’s good to be back.

And if that weren’t enough... after the march I joined my Incidencia Democratica co-workers at Dania’s home to celebrate the second anniversary of I-dem. The fiesta included ceviche (shrimp cocktail, Guatemalan-style), carne adobada (barbecue, Guatemalan style), a joke-telling marathon (entertainment, Guatemalan-style) and a guitar sing-a-long with every kind of music imaginable... from drunken cantina ballads to heart-thumping revolutionary hymns (celebrating life, Guatemala-style.)

¡Que viva el Primero de Mayo!