Let’s Face It, Lifesize Dolls Are Creepy
Last week there was an activity through the school to head to a nearby town called Zunil and visit a local saint there named San Simon.
What was about to happen to me was one of the most creepy moments ever.
First a little bit about San Simon. San Simon is a local saint in Zunil and for a period of time San Simon lives with a certain family. For people who want to visit San Simon they often ask for money or offerings of cigarettes or alcohol. Many times they ask for money if you want to take pictures of him. Many people come to San Simon to pray about something. This something could be good, or this something could be bad. But many times the end result of the family that houses San Simon for a certain period of time is that they turn into alcoholics because usually during the day they drink all of the alcohol from the offerings of people.
We rode to Zunil a la chicken bus and Zunil was a city built mostly upon very steep hills. We walked through the city but Kristin (the activities coordinator) did not know where they had moved San Simon. So we talked to a little boy who was more than happy to take us to him. Little did we know that when we arrived he asked us for five Quetzales each (75 cents).
So we arrived in the area where San Simon was located and I walked in. As I walked in I noticed a mannequin in all his glory sitting on a throne with shades and a cowboy hat on. He (the mannequin) was smoking a cigarette and was surrounded by 30 to 40 candles on the floor.
This made my brain flash into scenes of movies such as Ghoulies, Child’s Play, and even the black guy from Mannequin. It reminded me of a combination of christianity + paganism + jingle bells + commercialization + pa rum pa pum pum. Creepy, creepy, creepy.
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I gave a little bit of an offering to San Simon so that I could take a couple of pictures. We didn’t stay too long and it was a good thing cause I was pretty wigged out.
Oh and by the way, this one is for my Mom, but I walked by a store and shot the picture to the right. Apparently even here in Guatemala, they enjoy the liquid refreshment known as Tang. It’s not just for astronauts anymore.
3 Responses to “Let’s Face It, Lifesize Dolls Are Creepy”
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January 8th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
[…] Heidi Chronicles wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt […]
January 8th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Was the Mayonnaise sandwich shop next door?
January 12th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
That’s a new doll from when I was there. I don’t know what to believe in anymore. If I can’t count on San Simon, what can I?