An anniversary of sorts slipped by unnoticed on September 14th; not the kind that is accompanied by flowers, chocolates and a romantic night out, but nonetheless a very important one for me. It was the sixth month anniversary of my first blog.

Six months ago I took the plunge, and with a lot of encouragement and help from my friend and fellow blogger Sandra posted my first blog. Always a big talker but rarely one to write things down, blogging was a new challenge in my life. It has been extremely rewarding.

But I don’t want this blog to be about me, but rather about you, my readers.... more

Tomorrow, September 15th, Guatemala and all the other Central American countries except for Belize and Panama celebrate Independence Day. In 1821 Guatemala gained its Independence from Spain after being a Spanish Colony for nearly 300 years. Shortly after, Guatemala became part of the Mexican Empire for a brief period. Later Guatemala joined the United Provinces of Central America. A Civil War between the countries of this group ensued and at its conclusion Guatemala became an independent nation.

Independence... more

If you look closely at the photo, you’ll see that Ella is holding a white strainer. She posed several times with it, but this is the best shot we got. And why am I taking photos of Ella with a strainer in her hand.

Well, it is one of her favorite toys and probably the cheapest as well. This is how it came to be.

When Ella started crawling, she discovered the cupboard that had the bowls and a couple strainers. She would toss everything out, but somehow the strainers caught her eye. There are two and they are almost identical except that one is slightly larger... more

Tonight is the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. In the Jewish tradition we begin the celebration on the eve of the holiday after sundown. Unfortunately our Jewish Adoption blogger is no longer blogging as I’m sure she’d do a fine job of explaining this holiday and its traditions.

Rosh Hashanah literally means the “head of the year” or the “first of the year.” Unlike the American New Year, it is a holy day of introspection spent reviewing the mistakes of the last year, planning the next year and making resolutions. It is also traditional to blow the “Shofar” or ram’s... more

A week ago Ella developed a round white spot on her upper left arm. It was a little dry to the touch so I treated it with lots of cream several times a day. The spot still hasn’t gone away.

A few days ago I noticed that Ella now had a similar white spot on her left cheek as well as several small ones on her back. I posted a query on our adoption agency’s post adoption web group about these spots and got several responses. Some of the diagnoses they had received for their children’s spots were: a type of fungus, eczema, or an allergy to milk and milk... more

Businessman Alvaro Colom led the elections yesterday with 28% of the votes, winning majorities in 16% of Guatemala’s departments (states). Retired general Otto Perez Molina received 24% of the votes, with a strong showing of support from Guatemala City. Rigoberta Menchu the only woman and indigenous candidate, finished sixth with 3% of the vote. I commend her for running and hope she has opened the door for more women and indigenous candidates in the future. There... more

It is 10 am in my part of the world, and I’ve yet to find any information about the elections in Guatemala yesterday, in English at least, and I can't read Spanish. I’ve even turned on my TV to CNN (a last resort in my case) so I may have an update as I’m writing this blog.

It is not as if these elections will have an immediate and earth shaking effect on adoptions, but being the eternal optimist, I’m hoping for a more pro-adoption government. It is almost certain that there will be run a off election in November, because neither Colom nor Molina will have 50% majority... more

This week the agency we used for Ella’s adoption announced that they were no longer accepting applications for Guatemalan adoptions. Not the first agency to make this decision, and most certainly not the last, it is nonetheless depressing.

So much has transpired since we started our adoption in 2005, but I remember well my first telephone conversation with our agency’s Guatemalan program director, and everything he told me about adopting from Guatemala. I also remember feeling completely overwhelmed when I received the dossier instructions, realizing just how much there... more

The violence surrounding the Guatemalan elections has been horrific. Over fifty people (although some report as many as seventy) have been murdered in election related violence. By far the most violent campaign in Guatemalan history, candidates and their families have been the targets. The election is in two days (Sunday); let's hope that will end this bloody political campaign.

Just two days ago, two candidates from Rigoberta Menchu’s party were shot dead. These two young victims,... more

Have you thought about traveling to Guatemala with your family to learn Spanish? Well you aren’t alone. It is a great way to introduce your child to the country of their birth and immerse them in a foreign language.

But before I provide you with a first hand recommendation of a language school in Guatemala, let me tell you a little about the languages of Guatemala. Although Spanish is the official language, there are over twenty-one Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala.These languages are... more