Storyteller Adventures
Storytelling is one of our most fundamental communication methods. Who doesn’t love hearing a good story? The fact is, we spend much of our daily lives hearing and telling stories! It’s our way of sharing information and living vicariously through the experiences of others.
During our first half-century, we have been fortunate enough to have some pretty incredible experiences and we fancy sharing our tales. We’ve called this blog, “Storyteller Adventures,” because we wanted to share some of our incidents of travel as well as to document our journey of how Vista Tranquila Publishers came into existence and how it continues. So, what does our blog include and what can you expect to find? For sure, we’ll touch on topics relevant to bilingual life, our travels around the world, the exotic foods we try, and the intriguing people we encounter. We have astonishing adventures every day though, even when we don’t go anywhere. We’ll share our mundane observations and some truly unique encounters.
Vista Tranquila Publishers is our creation but, it’s so much more than a book publishing company. We seek to tell stories that will inspire interest, promote cross-cultural understanding, and be entertaining at the same time. Our basic premise for our business is in favor of creating shared experiences and opposed to the collection of garage sale fodder. We want to make our books and our products come alive. Once you become a part of the story, the books and the handicrafts we sell become part of our shared encounter, a type of trophy you story in your memory. Everything we post on our website will tell a story. We hope you like what we’re doing, and we look forward to reading your comments!
Day at the zoo
Market Day in Livingston, Guatemala
Market Day in Livingston, Guatemala
Map of Livingston, Guatemala
Livingston is a municipality in the department of Izabal in northeastern Guatemala, bordering Belize. The seaport of Livingston is located at the mouth of the Río Dulce (Sweet River) which empties into the Gulf of Honduras, part of the Caribbean Sea. It might seem odd that there is a town in Guatemala which has an “English-sounding” name. It’s named after Edward Livingston (1764-1836), an American politician who served in the U.S. Congress and as U.S. Secretary of State from 1831 to 1833. He was the principal author of the Livingston Codes, a set of penal reform laws which were originally written for Louisiana in the 1920s, but later translated into Spanish and adopted by Guatemala in 1836. They didn’t last long as Guatemala abolished them about a year later.
Livingston is a remarkable place, especially notable for unusual mix of Garifuna, Afro-Caribbean, Maya, and Ladino people and culture. A number of languages are spoken including Spanish, Garifuna, Mayan Q’eqchi’, and English.
The artwork for the puzzle “Market Day in Livingston, Guatemala” was created Rebecca Barrera. She is a Guatemalan artist whose grandfather was born in Livingston. In the artwork, you can see the iconic port of Livingston in the background. It is not uncommon to see large pods of dolphins and an occasional manatee in these waters. The characters reflect the Afro-Caribbean traits of the people who live in this part of Guatemala. Also, the grandmother is shown in dressed in clothing common among the Garifuna. Livingston’s history is closely linked to fruit production, especially bananas and Rebecca’s painting includes bananas, strawberries, and pineapples, all important Guatemalan exports.
We asked Rebecca to write a statement about herself to share on our blog and this is what she said:
“Born in Guatemala, I have stars in my eyes, wild hair, the universe on my mind. and magic in my hands. My talent for communicating through drawing began when I was 3 years old and I haven't stopped since. I love books, outdoor spaces, the ocean, and art in general, I see beauty even where others don't see anything. Living through my imagination and my artistic talent is my greatest aspiration. I always carry a pencil and my notebook with me.”
Twenty-year-old Rebecca speaks proficient English. She is quick to share that she has deep bilateral deafness and hears using a cochlear implant. She was not born deaf, but slowly lost her hearing over time. Now, she a vibrant college student with plans to continue her dream to live as an artist. You can see more of her artwork by following her on Instagram.