Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Pequeños, pueblos y el primer día de clase


I have officially completed my first day as an English teacher! I will admit that this morning I felt butterflies in my stomach but now I am just filled with excitement for my future classes. Tomorrow there is no school so I will take that to my advantage and plan out some lessons. Today I began teaching the fifth and sixth grade classes. We created name tags and did introductions through the classic game two truths, one lie and I think it was a good ice breaker. We continued on to talk about common introductory phrases and questions like “My name is…” and “How are you?”. It is really interesting seeing the English language through the eyes of someone who is learning it as a second (or in this case, third) language. The students found some of the words funny or hard to pronounce that I have never thought twice about, but when I stepped back and thought about it, it dawned on me. What an odd little language we speak! I left the classes feeling accomplished, though I know there is still so much I can improve on. I am getting to know more and more of the kids and they are all so sweet. I have also started seeing a lot while I am in town, which is always fun!
Last week Chris, Connor and TJ (three boys that I tutored in Arizona) were in Santiago with their pequeños, boys who live in an orphanage outside of Guatemala City that they sponsor. I went and met them at the boat dock where they came in on a two story boat pumping techno! You could see (and hear) them from a mile away and it was so much fun seeing some familiar faces. Their pequeños were adorable boys with such great personalities. They made me smile and laugh and I said “awww” a lot, they were just too sweet! They left an immediate impression on me. While saying goodbye, I wished them good luck for the future. Although I had only just met the boys and been with them for a few hours, I was left feeling so sad to see them go! That’s just what these Guatemalan children do, they steal your heart in minutes.
On Saturday Liz, Paula, David and I rented a boat and took it around the lake to see the other towns. Let me warn you, Lago Atitlan is not a place for those who are susceptible to sea sickness. I can honestly say I don’t get sick on boats, but man! Those waves (not an appropriate term, more like white caps) are not for the faint of heart! We were flying all over the place and I was laughing until my stomach was throbbing (not as bad as my tailbone the next day, however). The cities that we visited (San Juan, San Pedro and Panajachel) were absolutely stunning and it was really cool seeing other views of the volcanoes. Some of the cities were slightly Santorini-esque because the buildings were just barely clinging to the steep mountainside and it was probably the first time I have ever dedicated so much time to thinking about house foundations. Very perplexing. Some of the towns also reminded me of places I have been to in Brazil. We visited a women’s weaving cooperative and saw how they created yarn out of on-location cotton plants and natural dyes. As well, we had lunch at Hotel Atitlan which was one of the most beautiful places, complete with an infinity hot tub, toucans and breath-taking views.
Liz, David and Paula left on Sunday and I was off on my own! It was a really weird feeling because I had spent so much time with them. I appreciated all that they did for me so much and I was really going to miss their company. I was sad to see them go but excited to move into Casa Milpas where I would be staying. I have a small cabin and there is a large house with a kitchen, washer (hallelujah!) and bathroom. There is also…drum roll please… an outdoor shower! I have always dreamed of living somewhere with one and obviously, it says a lot of nice things about the weather. The gardens here are so beautiful and the property goes right up to the lake. It is a place where a lot of volunteers at the hospitalito (the volunteer hospital here) stay and I have met some really nice people. I am beginning to get all settled in to my routine here. Every day I am thankful for this wonderful adventure ahead of me!

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