Themes That Rocked the Challenge - Karen in Guatemala!

Today we welcome author Karen Jones Gowen and her rocking theme of life in Guatemala!

Your theme was living in Guatemala – which you do! What prompted you to select that theme?

We had recently moved and at the time, it was the most interesting topic I could think of! It also gave me an opportunity to take lots of photos with a purpose.

Which letter and topic was your favorite?

Probably "W" for women, because I find the Mayan women so fascinating. They work extremely hard, are quiet and family-centered, and they dress simply and modestly in their native clothing that has particular meaning to them. I admire the women I see around me in this community a great deal and I could have done an entire month on just that theme. Maybe I will!

Which letter was the most difficult?

I don't think there was a difficult letter because I had so much to say about my new environment there were usually numerous topics for each day. The hardest thing was narrowing it down to just one! Even X was easy because many items in the Mayan language begin with X-- it has the "sh" sound-- and we'd just been to visit the city of Xela.

What would surprise people the most about Guatemala?

There are a lot of misconceptions in the U.S. about it, I think, and one of the most common is that it's a dangerous place with crime and bandits everywhere. I'm sure there are places you wouldn't want to go alone at night in the cities, but so far I've found a feeling a safety and neighborhood in the town of Panajachel, where we live. People watch out for each other and children, families, everyone are out on the streets day and night. I feel safe everywhere I go.

What was the biggest adjustment when you moved there?

Termites in the house! Apparently termites are part of living in Guatemala and they are everywhere outdoors, often finding a home inside as well. Our rented home has wood beams in the ceiling and I quickly learned the habits of these invaders. Finally, we moved out for a couple months while parts of the ceiling were being replaced, and although it's still a problem, it's not as bad. (I can't believe I'm even saying "not as bad." Guess I've adjusted a little!)

What is a tuk tuk?

It's a little car/scooter that holds 2 or 3 people plus the driver and functions as a taxi. For a small fee, they will drive you anywhere in town. And they are everywhere on the roads so it's easy to flag one down.

What’s the most unusual vegetable in Guatemala? And have you encountered anything you won’t eat?

So far I've been sticking to the ones I can recognize, like onions, carrots, squash and peppers. I used to like chicharones, or in English "pork rinds"-- they were a snack I enjoyed occasionally in the U.S., but the way they prepare them in Guatemala is a lot different. The first time I tasted them was the last. My dog loves them though!

Have you thought of a theme for next year’s Challenge?

I haven't yet decided, but it will somehow be themed around Guatemala. People really seem to enjoy learning about it and seeing the photos, and it helps me to appreciate the beautiful and interesting land where I now live.


Co-host Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh is the author of Amazon Best-sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm, and his blog can be found HERE

#atozchallenge #roadtrip - Stormy is napping on the job!

 Hi!

It's ME!

Stormy the Weather Gnome!

We're changing things up a bit so you don't get bored.

Don't worry, we're still on the road to nowhere, still can't drive 55, AND still running against the wind.

I'm a little nap-ish today (too much Halloween partying) so I'm going to introduce some friends and their A to Z Challenge themes!

Zalka Csenge Virág / A Tarkabarka Hölgy - The Multicolored Diary

We call her Csenge! And awesome. Her amazing theme?

Tales With Colors - posting about folktales, myths and legends that have something to do with a certain color of the day.

E is for Ebony. M is for Mint and Love in the Underworld. Red is for Red and not just Riding Hood. X is for Xanadu, the color not the movie.

You've got to check these posts out! Beautiful and informative.

Susan Gourley/Kelley - Susan Says

Susan writes fantasy, romance and science fiction. Her theme for the A to Z Challenge?

World Building - Susan asks some really important questions about the worlds we create in our stories for each letter of the alphabet.

From Art and Architecture to Kinship to Politics to Race to Vocations. Going more in depth on any of these subjects is a great way to make a story richer and more believable.

How is your road trip going?

We Built This City, But Not On Rock And Roll

We Built This City: According to the US and World Census Population Clocks, there are well over 7 billion people in the world today, with about 320 million in the U.S (the third most populated country). Here in North America, there is one birth every eight seconds, one death every twelve seconds, and one new migrant every 38 seconds. The world population is expected to reach 8 billion people in 2024. Reference 

How are so many people to find adequate housing, food, clothing, healthcare, etc on a planet with limited resources? Let’s face it. Major cities around the globe were not designed to handle the demands of 21st century life and the mass influx of more people, let alone what the surprises the next 100 years holds. 

What To Do? There are lots of amazing ideas on Cities Of The Future that I’ll be posting right here on Thursday November 20th. But here is one idea that is brilliant in its simplicity. 

Artist's Version of City of Lusail

Example: Qatar (part of the oil rich United Arab Emirates) is planning on building a city from the ground up. Cost? A mere 45 billion dollars. 

The planned city, called Lusail, will cover about 30 square miles along the Persian Gulf and accommodate 250,000 people. It’s been referred to a very large five star hotel. Lusail will include marinas, residential areas, island resorts, commercial districts, luxury shopping and leisure facilities, including two golf courses, an all giraffe zoo and an entertainment district. 

Lusail Stadium to Host 2022 FIFA World Cup

As the venue for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid, the Lusail Iconic Stadium will provide a world-class football facility for 86,250 spectators during the opening ceremony, group games and final. Reflecting Doha’s culture and heritage, the stadium is designed to be highly energy efficient and capable of performing in extreme summer climatic conditions. (Folks, this is a complete city built from scratch!!!)

Reference 

Reference 

Can We Do It? Of course we can. The politicians of California are trying to raise money for a High Speed Rail system that would be expected to easily exceed $45B. So money really isn’t the issue here. 

No Caption Needed for the Renaissance City

Problem: Once a city like this is built, it has to be maintained. That means, the citizens cannot let it go to hell or riot and burn it down. In Qatar, known for its gross human rights violations, they will simply make trouble makers disappear. In Japan, their citizens desire to build a progressive city where the citizens can thrive and continue building for the future, such as what they did with Hiroshima after it was nuked at the end of World War II. 

However: here in the United States things are different. Even if we raze existing entire sections of a major city and build from scratch, would we as a civilization be able to maintain, or would they simply crumble back into what we now see in many sections of our inner cities? 

Question: Should countries, states, and communities raise money to build new cities from scratch to replace what clearly needs to be replaced? 

I’ll leave you with some really cool pics of Hiroshima today to give you a bit of vision. 

Stephen Tremp, author of the BREAKTHROUGH series, is finishing his fourth book titled Murcat Manor. You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs.