Despedidas

Well as they say, it’s better late than never! It’s taken me a while to get to this post because I knew it was going to be hard to write. I had so many incredible moments during my last few weeks in Santiago and it’s going to be really difficult putting everything into words, especially my emotions during the time. I was incredibly sad but at the same time I felt so happy and blessed for my experience and all the amazing things the schools did to say goodbye to me. The weeks were filled with bittersweet moments and time flew by as fast as the colibri for which I am nicknamed.  I left with a heavy bag (67 pounds, oops!) and heart, knowing that sooner rather than later I would return to the beautiful country which had been home to such an absolutely amazing part of my life.

My last week of school was one that I will never, ever forget. Liz and David were in Santiago for a visit, which was really cool because when I first arrived in Santiago they were there with me. I felt like I had really come full circle and it was nice seeing them again. My despedidas (goodbyes) started on Monday. I was told by the principal of Panul, Lucia, that the kids had prepared a little something for me. When I left school the Thursday before, she handed me a program. I could hardly believe it!! A program?!?! There were songs, dances and poems listed that would be performed by all the grades. There was even a slot for me to do a speech, which made me quite nervous. I couldn’t think of anything more amazing, it was like a ton of Acto Civicos all just for me- a dream come true!! When I arrived on Monday, they had exceeded every expectation I had. They had created a big poster with my name on it and there were tons of people chanting my name and clapping. Lucia started with a really beautiful speech thanking me for my work and then the kids’ presentations started. The 2^nd and 3^rd/4^th grades sang adorable songs about friendship that were then followed by a little boy in kindergarten who did a Michael Jackson dance that stole the show. I had tears streaming down my face because it was so cute!! Here's a clip :) 

First grade did a dance to a ranchero and 4^th grade did a traditional dance in pairs. Later, 4^th and 5^th grade did an acrostic poem with my name and it was so pretty and kind. They gave me a copy of it at the end and it will be something that I hold near and dear forever. Another boy, Cesar, did a Michael Jackson dance that was amazing as well! At the end, each grade gave me a gift and of course, I shed a few tears. It was all too kind! Never in my life had anyone done something so amazing for me and I didn’t know how I could ever thank them. I did my speech and in true Guatemalan fashion, it was a tad bit long and I had a lot to say. They were all so special to me and I wanted them to know it. It was a beautiful day…

At Chu’ul, it was an incredible week. All the teachers took me out to a surprise lunch in town and gave me a beautiful embroidered wall hanging. It was so nice of them to go out of their way to do something special for me and again, I was left feeling so blessed and amazed by their kindness. At school, the sixth graders planned a whole special event for me with a gorgeous cake and many beautiful gifts. All the students beaded jewelry for me and my arms were about covered to my elbows with all of them! The sixth grade teacher Micaela even embroidered a huipil for me which was such a surprise and so thoughtful! One student Jose painted a beautiful scenery and some of the girls wrote me really thoughtful letters which brought me to tears. One of the most surprising and special moments of the day was when Rebeca’s mom came in and gave me a scarf she wove. I knew how much time and effort it took to make it and it was absolutely stunning. She was so sweet and said so many kind things to me that I was left speechless. I had never even met her and she was so generous. It was a really special moment that I will never forget and a testament to the kindness of Guatemalans. They are such welcoming, thankful and thoughtful people.

The second graders. Too cute!

The second, fourth and fifth graders gave me really pretty presents as well and sang songs and showered me in hugs. I couldn’t stop thinking of how lucky I was to have gotten to know all of them. To thank them and say my goodbye, we had ice cream parties at Panul and Chu’ul on my last day. The kids were really excited and it was a great last way to get together. I gave each and every one of my students big hugs and told them how much they meant to me. That night, I got to say goodbye to a lot of my friends at a restaurant in town and one of my friends even gave me an incredible sketch he drew of me! I took off early in the morning. It was a spectacular, blazing blue-sky day and I couldn’t stop thinking of how beautiful of a place it was.

Daniel the ice cream man and the kids at Panul

There are so many things I love about Guatemala. Among about 547 other things, I miss all the beautiful textiles and how colorful everyday life is. I miss buying muffins for 15 cents, bags of piping hot handmade tortillas and the mountains of avocados that fill the central square in the morning. I miss how businesses paint right on their buildings and how amazingly they can replicate any logo. I miss the view of the city from Panul and how the colorful buildings of Santiago are built right into the lush hills. I miss hearing reggaeton in the market and 80s hits on chicken buses. I miss the winding, narrow streets and how there is barely a straight road in the entire country. I miss seeing women carrying things on their heads and the liberal use of hair gel of Santiago’s male population. I miss seeing tiny girls in traje. I miss tuc tuc rides and knowing every day when I woke up there was some sort of adventure waiting for me. I miss my copy store. I miss laughing with my friends at Milpas. I miss meeting amazing people doing amazing things all the time. Of course most of all, I miss the kids. They welcomed me into their world unconditionally with open arms and invited me to become part of their lives. I shared in so many amazing moments with them and for children who have so little, they are so giving. Anyone can agree that they are enthusiastic and full of life and make you feel incredibly loved. They are all so artistic and have so many talents. It’s weird to think that they are now so far away from me and they will all grow up and go on with their lives and I won’t be there to see it. I knew them for such a short period of time but they made such a huge impression on me. I know I will go visit a lot and stay in touch because I really care about them. I’m going back in October for a visit for the 6^th grade graduation. I’m already counting down the days! I get butterflies thinking of our reunion :)

I am now working a lot and saving up as much money as I can. I am going to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand and get a certification to teach English abroad this November. I loved my experience in Guatemala and am dreaming of having many more experiences like it in the future. I will be forever grateful to the Sparks Foundation for giving me this opportunity. I never could have fathomed how much it would have made an impact on me and how much I would fall in love with the kids. The Sparks are really generous and an amazing, giving couple. I am so thankful that they came into my life! I am so excited for the future and what it will bring. I’ll always look back on my time in Guatemala with really fond memories. There are some experiences that come into your life and leave as a fleeting memory, drifting away with time until all that is left is an insignificant patch in your heart. I think that my time in Guatemala was just the opposite. It came into my heart with a powerful force, etching a space deep within where every emotion is stored. A place where experiences live on and you are reminded of what you felt as if were yesterday. A living memory of all that was wonderful.

¡Hasta pronto Santiago y gracias por todo! 

Día de la Madre

Feliz Día de la Madre to all the mothers out there! As with most holidays here in Santiago, Mother’s Day (which was on May 10^th) was full of festivities and fun. The holiday was celebrated by dedicating an entire school day to presentations by all grades that included poems, silly skits, dances, songs and prize giveaways. All the mothers were invited and it was a really special day that all the students put a lot of work and preparation into. Some of the sections included the participation of volunteer moms from the audience and it was so fun to see them let loose with the activities. The school was decorated with streamers in all different colors and each grade made a really big poster with drawings and poems dedicated to their moms. I was loving every second because it was like having a ton of acto civicos rolled into one! The cuteness was oozing out of every corner of the school. All the kids were dressed up in their finest traje (even the little kindergartners!) and their poems, dances and songs were really heartfelt and sweet.  Of course, they exceeded all expectations. I can’t imagine how proud and honored their mothers must have been. 

I myself even partook in a dance with all the other teachers at the school! We performed a traditional Guatemalan dance and wore the traditional traje, which is a long, white huipil with stripes, a cinta, scarf on the shoulder and head and bare feet. I was really, really excited because I find Guatemalan traje and textiles especially beautiful! My favorite part was the cinta, which is an incredibly long piece of narrow fabric that is wrapped again and again around your hair and then your head until it forms a large, almost disc-like shape. There were a lot of people there and I was probably a little more nervous than I expected but our dance went really well! During the dance, incense in a small metal cup hung from a chain is swung around. Smoke filled the air and it was really pretty. During the rest of the day, I wore traje (the huipil, corte and faja) and it was so fun because all the kids were so excited to see me dressed up! They were all so cute, giving me compliments and asking to take pictures. Even the moms wanted to take some with me! It’s not every day that you see a gringa in traje haha It was a really wonderful day and one that I will surely never forget. It was so kind of all of the teachers to help me with everything and lend me all of the beautiful clothing. It was one of those times where I felt so lucky because not everyone gets the opportunity to partake in such a special event.  

At Panul, they celebrate Día de la Familia (family day) instead of Mother’s Day. On Friday they had a presentation that was similar to the one at Chu’ul. During a poem reading, the little kindergarten girls came out wearing big flowers with their heads in the center and I just about died! Seriously, no words can describe how cute it was. They also did a modern dance to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira. They were doing little hip-shaking moves while two boys who looked like little pint-sized reggaeton stars circled around them. They were wearing stylish sunglasses and it was absolutely hilarious. Some of the moms also did musical chairs and a dance competition that was so much fun to watch. At the end, everyone got a slice of cake and delicious tamalitos. Lucia, the principal, made my friend Alvaro (who also comes to Panul sometimes) and I feel like such special guests. It was another experience that I felt so lucky to have been part of. What great memories! 

Last weekend was my 22^nd birthday and I decided to go to Antigua with a friend to do something special. Antigua is only about 3 hours away but I had only ever passed through. Being one of the most visited places in Guatemala, it was crazy that I had never been so I decided to take advantage of the weekend. I also wanted to go before the rainy season really started getting going so that I could enjoy all of Antigua’s famed terraces and courtyards. Antigua was the country’s first capital and remained that way until a huge earthquake ruined a lot of the city and they decided to move the capital to present-day Guatemala City. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its impressive Spanish colonial architecture, churches, convents and monasteries. It also is framed by two volcanoes (Agua and Fuego) which make for a breathtaking backdrop. I love Antigua because scattered all around the city are beautiful ruins intertwined with the colonial architecture that you stumble upon like little antique treasures. All the streets are cobblestone and are lined with colorful buildings covered in vines or bougainvillea that open up to gorgeous courtyards. Antigua has the most expensive real estate in all of Guatemala and it is very chic and classy. There are lots of 5-star hotels (many of them are converted colonial convents or mansions), fine dining and great cafes on every corner. It is really European-esque and I spent hours wandering aimlessly looking at all of the pretty churches and buildings. It was a really memorable birthday in a really unique city and I had a great time. We had wonderful food (crème brule AND chocolate lava cake for birthday dessert!), spent the night dancing to meringue and reggaeton and met some fun new friends! 

This week we are filming the 6^th grade pen pal video. We are going to have 7 different sections showing the traje of Guatemala, food, a Mayan ceremony, a song, presentation of artwork, modern dance and clips showing the kids playing their favorite sports. We have been practicing all the parts and it’s been really fun helping the kids and letting them be really creative with it. They are a great group and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Kids, Caves, Pools and Pristine Water!

As I write this, I realize I have been here for four months! Sometimes I feel like I’ve been here for a long time and then other times it feels like yesterday when we were doing the camp before school and I was just meeting all the kids. It’s so weird to think that they were all strangers to me. I’ve gotten to know the students so well and it’s amazing to think back to those times. I am so lucky to have found a little place in their lives. It makes me feel special :)

After an exciting and busy month of April with bimester exams and Semana Santa, the students at Escuela Chu’ul and Panul have started training for athletic competitions that will happen in the middle of June. All the schools will compete for trophies and the bragging rights to be the top teams in soccer and basketball. They are all taking it really seriously and I hope that they succeed! As I said in a past post, there is some serious talent here and I know they will give all the teams a run for their money! Another exciting happening is the start of pen pal programs with two schools, one in my very own Jackson, WY and another in Bury St. Edmunds, England. The fifth and sixth grade classes will be writing back and forth with students from the two schools and the sixth graders will also be creating a video to send to the school in Jackson, which they are really excited about. I think it will be a really interesting and rewarding experience for all the schools. Just as I’ve learned while teaching here in Santiago, I think the kids will learn as well that they really aren’t so different from one another and that though thousands of miles may separate them, they could just as well be neighbors laughing, playing and learning from one another.

It’s been really exciting to see the progress all my students have made in English and computer class. We are now starting on Powerpoint presentations and the kids are working with the program successfully. It’s great to see how they have come from just doing basic word documents. Also, we have started doing some verb conjugations and the kids are starting to make more complicated phrases. They have a true curiosity for the English language and are always asking me how to say things. In return, they are trying to teach me a little Tz’utujil. It’s fun being able to learn a few phrases here and there, though the pronunciation is really challenging. I think it’s nice to have the students see that it’s difficult for anyone to learn any type of language and that it is natural to have some difficulties sometimes but at the same time, it’s not impossible! They can do it and so can I! 

Recently, the coolest new trend at Panul and Chu’ul is the globo, which is a blow up map of the world that was left over from camp. One day I decided to play with it with some of the kids at Chu’ul. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned, recess gets quite loco and there are basket and soccer balls flying in all directions. I thought the soft globo would at least be a little less invasive if it accidently came in contact with a child’s face (which has happened on multiple occasions). It turned out to be a complete success and everyone was so happy to slap it around and play keep away. It basically became a school-wide game and I loved the fact that everyone was playing together, young and old. I took one to Panul and it came up with the same success rate! I also find it fun to sneak in a few geography lessons here and there. All the students know where Wyoming is on the map now (which is saying more than a lot of people in the states, ha)! I never thought I would dedicate a part of my blog to a blow up ball, but it has seriously had such an impact on the kids I thought I would share. It also makes you think of how something so little can make someone so happy. I’d like to think that’s what I’m doing here, small things that make an impact on the kids. In the states we also have bags of balls and no one ever gives it a second thought. Here, a little plastic ball has so much love! Good choice Liz and Paula!

I was fortunate enough to visit two absolutely beautiful places this month! My friends and I took a weekend trip to Semuc Champey and I met a friend in Belize for a long weekend. I will begin with Semuc Champey, which is the name of a bridge of limestone pools and small waterfalls over the Cahabón River.

I had heard about people going to Semuc Champey but never saw it as a reality to go because it is so hard to get to! When I found out some of my friends were going, I knew I couldn’t say no and that the distance would be worth it. What we read was correct, however. The roads were incredibly bumpy and curvy and it seemed like we were driving into the middle of nowhere for forever on gravel roads. We finally arrived at 1am after leaving really early in the morning. Maggie and Ciara were put in a loft where we stayed, which was above our room in the open air. Unfortunately, their room was apparently the hip cockroach hang out on Friday nights and they were welcomed by some unwanted guests!

We woke up the next day to a beautiful blue sky. The place where we stayed consisted of cabins on stilts settled in the mountains near a river. It was an absolutely idyllic location. We joined a tour and after riding through beautiful mountain roads in pickups we started off the day with a cave adventure. We all took candles and trekked in the caves, swimming, scaling small waterfalls and generally having a mesmerizing, adrenaline filled adventure.

I’d never done anything like it and the cool, dark caves were the perfect setting for an epic start to the day.

After a few hours, we went tubing down the turquoise colored river. The beautiful limestone mountains around us reminded me of pictures of  Thailand. We soaked up the sun and then climbed to the mirador of Semuc Champey. When we saw the first view, it was absolutely stunning. The pools were, excuse my Aladin quote, sparkling, shimmering, splendid. We descended and at the first opportunity jumped into the pools. They were beautiful shades of green and turquoise and it was pure paradise. We all understood what all the hype was about and even after an equally as long trip back, we were all so happy we went.

I just can’t seem to shake my travel bug and when planning to come here I hoped to be able to visit some neighboring countries. I’ve been really blessed to have been able to travel to two other countries and my trip last week to Belize was my third. By doing long weekend trips (only one wasn’t), I haven’t taken too much time off and thankfully sometimes when I have, the kids haven’t had school. I don’t like leaving them but that travel bug gets me! I also think that it’s nice for them to see that, yes I’m a girl and yes, I am able to be independent. I would really love for them to see that there is a larger world out there and they can see it too!  

Central America keeps surprising me with its diversity and my trip last week to Belize was no exception. It was a completely different world than Guatemala! Their national language is English and they speak Creole (a mix of African languages and British and Scottish English) and Garífuna ( which is Afro-Caribbean). A lot of people speak Spanish though, but with an intriguing rasta-esque accent. You can’t go anywhere without hearing reggae beats and I found a lot of enjoyment in being called ‘mon’, acknowledging me like the true rastas they are. There is also a really interesting mix of people, from ladino to afro-Caribbean, Arab and Asian to the large Mennonite communities. Belize City, the largest city, was also completely different than I imagined. It was really small and not city-like at all and had only three stop lights! Even Jackson beats them out (though they might not flash at 10 pm hah). 

My friend Kathy (who I met while studying abroad in Argentina and is a spontaneous, fun, traveling amiga) and I spent our time in the Cayes (Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker), which are little slices of heaven a little over an hour off the coast of Belize. The cayes themselves had really different vibes. Ambergris Caye was much larger and was much more developed and filled with fancy resorts. Caye Caulker was tiny (we biked from one end to another in 10 minutes!) and there were no paved roads, only white sand. It was really neat being able to stay on both and see the comparisons. 

I could go on and on for days about the water. It was absolutely the most amazing color I have ever seen, an eye-watering mosaic of electric turquoise, deep blue and fluorescent emerald. Contrasted with the bleach-white sands and coconut filled palms, I couldn’t think of a more ideal tropical paradise. I kept taking pictures of the water and was frustrated at the fact that I couldn’t capture the color, but now looking at them I think the water looks absolutely stunning, which says a lot. 

The cayes are home to the world’s second largest barrier reef after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and they form a natural guard. You could travel far off the cayes and still see to the bottom because the water was so clear and shallow in some parts and there were only waves in the distance. Kathy and I went snorkeling, which was a must, and I now think snorkeling in any other place will never be the same because we saw so many things. Normally I get excited when I even get to spot a fish, but here colorful fish in all sizes were all around you and in every direction. We swam with the most beautiful sea turtles and giant, graceful spotted eagle rays. We also swam with TONS of nurse sharks! I couldn’t believe how calm I was when they were swimming around me because some of them were so huge but knowing that they don’t hurt humans took all my fear away. Kathy still thinks Belizeans have too much trust in wild creatures :)

We also saw the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. To get there we took a boat up the New River, which was  basically a wildlife safari on water. We saw crocodiles and tons of interesting birds and a monkey even jumped into our boat, which was Kathy’s favorite moment of the trip. The ruins were stunning and due to the fact that it’s hard to get to, there were barely any tourists and we were with the ruins all by ourselves most of the time. The steps to the top were really steep and we had to hold onto a rope to get to the top but the view was spectacular. You could see the river and the vast, palm tree-studded wilderness went on as far as the eye could see. Belize was absolutely stunning in all aspects and we couldn’t have asked for better weather or views. I’ll never forget the color of that water, its blissful image will be forever in my memory. I had so much fun catching up with Kathy and having more adventures together to add to our list. I can’t wait to see what country our paths will cross in next time.

Next weekend I plan on heading to Antigua. Though it’s so close, I still haven’t been there! It’s a gorgeous colonial town with a backdrop of volcanoes and is full of boutique restaurants and hotels. I’m really looking forward to it! Tomorrow the second grade will have their Acto Civico. I was lucky enough to see a little sneak peek and just about melted into a puddle when I saw the sweet little dance they came up with. I can’t get enough of these little cuties!

A super Semana Santa!

Due to the fact that I’ve been a total oso perezoso when it comes to blogging, I have quite a lot to catch up on! Semana Santa in Latin America is a really big deal and here in Santiago it is the busiest and most celebrated holiday of them all. I’d heard so many good things about the happenings here that I was super excited to see what it was all about. Palm Sunday started the week off with a bang! Every year they choose one place to have a huge gathering and lucky for us, Santiago was the happening spot. Thousands upon thousands of people flooded the streets and turned them into a colorful sea of huipils, posters and songs. There was so much action and energy all around, we were mesmerized by the chaotic beauty of it for hours.

Aside from 3+ hour masses, the rest of the week was uneventful until Good Friday came along. And man, was it worth the wait! I have never in my life witnessed something so spectacular. In Guatemala, it is tradition to create alfombras (carpets) on the streets made of dyed sawdust. Santiago in general is a very colorful place, which is one of the things I love most about it, and the carpets made the city look absolutely magical. Groups sign up and each has an allotted space to decorate. The process starts with hand drawing the image with chalk and then the design is filled in with the sawdust, all the while being sprayed with water to solidify the work. I assumed that there would be a few here or there or one street but I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw blocks and blocks of them! There were literally hundreds of carpets created with every color of the rainbow. Each design was unique and it was so fun to see the creativity flowing through Santiago. Later in the afternoon, there was a massive rainstorm. Don’t even get me started on how I despise rain when it ruins events. I was convinced all the alfombras had been washed into gutters :( To my relief, later in the day when the rain stopped and we went back a lot of the carpets were true survivors and weren’t ruined too much! As well, many of the groups started redoing them. As the sun poked out of the post-rain clouds, the main event began: the processions. Starting in the church, men tediously walked with an elaborate casket holding the crucified Jesus inside on their shoulders and continued for 13, yes that’s correct, 13 hours!! It’s a painstakingly slow process in which the men take a couple steps forward and many steps back very, very slowly. In the first hour they were already dripping with sweat and putting on some intense game faces. As the sun went down and we watched with equal enthusiasm as an hour before, incense engulfed the air and candles flickered in the light breeze which made for an eerily beautiful scene. The music that echoed through the plaza, the sheer number of people, the beautiful attire and the richness of it all made for an absolutely unforgettable experience.

Along with the excitement of Semana Santa, I had a lot of other memorable experiences. On Tuesday a group of us hiked up another volcano, Toliman. I will admit, I did vow that I wouldn’t be the first person to sign up again for a hike, but I thought why not?! When will I ever have 3 volcanoes in my backyard ever again? Plus, I hadn’t been hitting the muffin shop as much as in the past (did I mention they cost 15 cents each? Who can blame me) so off we went! We left at 5:30 in the morning to ensure visibility and were up in a couple of hours. At the top was a gigantic crater! It was really impressive. Getting up, there were some really steep, slippery portions (no surprise there) that we all were a little afraid of going down and when the time came, it was crazy! At times, we were basically surfing down the steep path trying not to take out the person in front or crash into trees. We all tried to use braches as support, though sometimes they were a little low on the reliability scale. One time, I grabbed one and broke off an entire hunk which left me laughing hysterically, probably due to the fact I could have almost died (not really, but honesty it was super intense).
On Wednesday, Maggie and I went to visit a family she stayed with in Xela, which is also known as Quetzaltenango. It was my first chicken bus ride! A chicken bus is a recycled American school bus which basically has escaped a mundane, slow-paced, kiddo-toting life to become a massive, more times than not-frightening, speed-racing, music-pumping, colorful road demon. They pack surprising amounts of people on them (chickens sometimes too, hence the name). I had a wonderful time people watching, even though I was riding on only one, numb butt cheek. In an odd reminiscent way, the fumes reminded me of high school sports trips (kind of sad?) haha.

 We arrived in Xela two and a half hours later and made our way to the house. Once we arrived, Doña Marina greeted us. She is the cutest, little old Guatemalan lady and she sat us down immediately for a lunch feast. We ate tamalitos, which are kind of like tamales without the meat, beef, quesadillas fried in egg, mangoes, fresh squeezed blackberry juice and my favorite, pan dormido. Pan dormido is a sweet bread that is eaten during Semana Santa. When asked if I wanted chicharones, I happily responded “si!”, not remembering what they actually were. Bless her soul, Maggie gulped down one and half while I just stared at them, repeating in my head “ahhhhh pig skins!!!!”. After lunch, we went with a few of the kids and Marina to a graveyard. I did a whole project my last semester about how death is perceived in other cultures and had researched Guatemala because their graveyards are really colorful and unique. The graveyard was basically a small city of colorful tombs crawling up the green mountainside. It was truly beautiful. Later, Maggie showed me around the city. We enjoyed churros and poncha de frutas while people watching in the European-esque central square. It felt so different in comparison to Santiago and was really relaxing. We got back to the house before the rain set in and were greeted with homemade hot chocolate and more (!) pan dormido. The lights went out and we sipped by candlelight. It was Marina’s birthday so our next course was chocolate cream cake. My stomach kept yelling at me “no more food!!” but it was all too good. Marina then brought out more tamalitos and fried bananas. Being there was a true food marathon and sadly, I wasn’t able to make it to the finish line because even looking at the tamalitos made my stomach bulge in pain and my pants shrink a little.
 On Thursday it was our friend Liz’s last night in Santiago so we decided to have a night out wearing the traditional traje that women wear here. I have an obsession/addiction to textiles here so I was so excited to wear my own! We met at Liz’s house and were helped by some of her Guatemala friends on how to wear them. The top is called a huipil, which is intricately embroidered in stunning designs. They take months to finish. Here in Santiago it is common to have stripes and birds but it is different around other places in Guatemala, which I think is really cool. You can tell where a woman is from by looking at her huipil. There are huipils in every color, every style and with every sort of embroidery you could imagine. Seeing all the women here is like being in a museum or something, it is so beautiful to look at! Little girls wear the traje as well, which just about makes me the happiest girl alive. They are SO CUTE! As a bottom they wear a corte, which is a long piece of woven material that is wrapped around the body. Lastly, they wear a faja to keep the corte on, which is a belt. Some are embroidered and some are beaded. The tops are slightly baggy and they wear the faja really tight so you have a nice, hourglass figure. It almost felt like a corset! It really keeps you in. We had so much fun wearing them. Out of all the places I’ve traveled, I’ve never seen so many beautiful textiles and crafts. I will never stop singing their praises, Guatemalans do the most amazing work! I’m going to buy a whole outfit but it is the hardest thing. There are way too many options and they are all stunning. How can I ever decide?!

To my dismay, we all have the idea that the rainy season may be starting earlier than usual. The past few weeks have followed the same pattern of being really sunny in the morning and rainy in the afternoon. Normally, the rain hits with force at the beginning of May but who knows.
Two of my closest friends here will be moving out of Milpas at the end of the month :( and I’ll be here alone so I’m going to move into the city with another one of my friends next week. I’m excited to see a different perspective of Santiago. Though I will miss the gardens and everything here a lot, the house in the city is really nice and we will be right in all the action.
This weekend a group of us are going to Semuc Champey, which is a really beautiful place with natural pools, tubing and caves. I’m looking forward to seeing another part of gorgeous Guatemala :)

Natalia and Rosa showing off a poster that shows the correct way to brush

 

The girls and I on the day of the Acto Civico!

 

ADISA!

http://www.adisagt.com/

New experiences in Santiago!

It’s been almost three weeks since I last wrote (yikes, sorry!) and I’ve had a lot of new experiences! I’ve started teaching English one day a week at another school, I became a dance instructor and I was a dentist for a day! I love the fact that here in Santiago I am helping students learn but at the same time am learning a lot myself. Also, lots of fun things have been happening at school. We have had a week of sports competitions and student government elections!

The new school I’m working at is called ADISA, which is a school for people with disabilities close to my house. They specialize in education, health, vocational training, job placement, awareness and empowerment. I was informed that some people here think that disabilities are contagious or that absurdly, it is a sin. In this community, many disabled people are not even considered people at all and are not treated with the respect that others receive. It is an incredibly sad situation but ADISA has done wonderful things and is helping to change the view of disabilities in this community. In fact, some past students at ADISA are in my school Chu’ul today because of the help and specialized education they received. I think ADISA has a great thing going and when asked by a friend to teach English, I readily agreed.

The first day I was nervous because I didn’t have any experience teaching students with disabilities but I gained confidence when I noticed the enthusiasm of the students! They were so eager to learn and were absorbing so much of what I was saying. A lot of the students can’t write so I used a lot of visuals and repetition. I really think it will be a good tactic for them because we speak so much and practice a lot of pronunciation in class, which overall will make them better speakers. There are around 8 students ranging from teenagers to adults and along with my friend Maggie who helps me, we all laughed and joked a lot in class. I think a sense of humor is a great tool and I was so happy with how it turned out! At ADISA, many of the students make artesanias out of recycled newspaper which are really unique and pretty. Last week in class we learned all the names of the tools they use to create them. I’m hoping to teach them vocabulary that they can use in everyday life. I’m really happy to be working at ADISA and getting even more teaching experience. I really hope that one day everyone in Santiago will put their judgments behind and have the opportunity to see how wonderful the people are that I work with. They are so brimming with life and enthusiasm; the real “non-humans” are the ones who can’t see that.

As for Chu’ul, things have been going wonderfully! I’m obsessed with the kids and look forward to seeing them every day and miss them when I don’t see them. Lesson planning has become a lot easier because I really know what works and what doesn’t with the students. I’ve been incorporating a lot of art projects with my lessons because it keeps their attention and they are super excited about them. Though the kids do projects and what not, there are some things they really don’t get to use all the time so I like to do special projects with them. We have made masks to learn parts of the face, mini bilingual books to take home and read to their families, paper dolls to learn clothing and lots of others. I’ll admit, I probably have just as much fun as they do making the examples :)

Recently, the fifth grade had their “acto civico” (my error on the past blog, it’s not a “trabajo civico”). The fifth grade girls, assuming that a gringa holds the magic key to dance moves to American music, asked me every single day to help them with their dance to “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. Eventually, I was holding dance lessons at recess and with some large speakers (god knows where they came from!) we basically had a full out dance party every day! Seriously, I have the best job ever! When they performed their dance in front of the school, I was so proud and happy to see them grooving with my moves. You go girls!

Last week, a dental hygienist and her husband and son came from Canada to give out toothbrushes and floss and give a demonstration on how to keep teeth healthy. I translated their lessons and loved seeing how excited the kids were to get the brushes. They went back to Canada and left me to teach all of Panul the lesson on Thursday! Basically, I was a dental hygienist for the day- minus the teeth extractions and terrible metal-scraping thing. You all know what I’m talking about.

This week at Chu’ul there has been soccer and basketball competitions between the grades. Can you even imagine the cuteness of kindergarten vs first grade soccer matches?! Absolutely adorable! Everyone cheers on the side with homemade pom poms and I love the competitive spirit in the school. There is some real talent here and I’ve been so impressed with some of the students. Watch out Messi!

Lastly, the kids this week have been campaigning for student government in Chu’ul and Panul. Today at Panul, the students came in and gave a little speech to the class. One of the vice presidents running is a little first grader who recited from memory a speech in Tzutujil about their campaign. For about the 3 millionth time this week, I almost cried because it was so cute. Though I don’t choose sides and am neutral, I secretly hope he wins :)

This weekend is a huge music/hippy fest here in Santiago and I am off to Panama on Monday! I’m super excited to see another country, though I’m really going to miss the kids. I love my life here and I am so thankful for all that I have been blessed with <3