We woke up at a bright and early 6:45 to surf. There was about 9 Americans in our group learning how to surf. People in my room put in their order for food as I enjoyed my free Nature Valley Granola Bar. We were ready by 7:30 and walked with all the instructors about 7 minutes to the place where we surfed. The ocean was beautiful and the sand was black. It was a great place to be for the weekend. First we had one instructor teach us on land in English how to properly stand up on the board. Then afterwards we had our one on one lessons in the water. However during the land lesson, the hotel´s dogs followed us to the beach and were digging trenches around 5 inch rocks and also playing fetch with them. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. And they wouldn´t accept any rock on the beach. They needed their specific rock.
My instructor didn´t speak English and that was fine with me. I was able to communicate perfectly and he helped me learn some new words with some struggle. But it was all good. Some people didn´t even talk to their instructors and didn´t know when to go sometimes and would catch the wrong wave. The current was a LOT stronger than when I went surfing in Mexico. It would prevent me from walking forward and I would be leaning in place. Sometimes I couldn´t even hold my place and it pushed me backwards. So getting far enough out was a tiring process. First half of the lesson I wasn´t getting up everytime, but by the end I caught and stood up on 5 waves in a row. The cool thing was each time I was in the ocean, my nose cleared up and I could breathe. However as soon as I left the ocean, it was back to stuffy nose. We left the beach after an hour of being in the water and hung out around the pool. I went above the restaurant and studied some Spanish as I watched the waves role in. After lunch I took a nap because I had a head ache. I figured later on that being in the ocean gave me a head ache for some reason.
We went back to the beach, and I had WAAAY to much fun in the waves. I probably spent an hour or so just hanging out in the ocean and jumping over and going under the waves with two kids from my group. I looked like such a little kid. Oh and it was just GRAND. On our way to the beach, I was joking about sharks. And the kid standing next to me is from New Mexico. And apparently NO ONE sees sharks in the area that he lives. However... he actually knew a girl that was open water swimming and got her leg bit off. Her swimming partner swam her to shore, but it was too late and she bled to death. You aren´t supposed to actually know someone who has experienced a shark attack. Its just supposed to be on the Discovery Channel. But I still went in the water... but sharks were on the back of my mind every now and then because you cannot even see 5 inches beneath the water´s surface.
They told us that you couldnt really see the sunset so we weren´t going to go to the ocean for it. But then we saw some color in the sky and as we roudned the bend we watched a beautiful sunset. We couldn´t see the actual sunset because it was behind the mountains and out of view, but the clouds were spectacular.
We had a chill night because we were starting lessons at 7 am the next day. We just played cards on the upper level and enjoyed the night breeze.
The food was actually in expensive. I had WAY too many fruit smoothies because they only cost $1.60 for a huge glass and that was way to good to pass up. And they were no sugar added smoothies so they were legit. Sadly I was sick on the trip and couldn´t taste one meal and one strawberry milkshake. But I am sure it was great. Otherwise I ate pretty American. Thank goodness :) I don´t know why but I crave American food insanely! I had pasta with pesto, alfraedo, pizza, and banana pancakes. The banana pancakes I make taste better though.
Fun facts:
1. It is winter/the rainy season right now. However it is colder in ¨summer.¨ I think what I got out of it was that they call it winter because of the rain.. makes me wonder if the origen of the word winter/invierno doesnt imply cold but rather precipitation falling from the sky... haha just a hunch...
2. It was quite rocky in some spots but they told me that it gets even more rockier in 2 months because in the winter the waves are bigger and rougher. They move the sand and uncover the rocks underneath.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday May 23, 2011-Friday May 27, 2011
Monday:
There is a new student in my house. She came the Saturday that I was gone. She just finished her junior year at north carolina state and is from Massechusets. She and a girl in the line at the market both noticed my Minnesotan accent right away... I thought I was free of that but apparently not. We went to the market and bought some treats.. mine was yogurt and a hersheys bar. Im missing yogurt and quality cheese INSANELY!!!! Their cheese is really dry and not stringy when cooked... it crumbles :(
Things I´ve noticed that are suprising:
1. I have seen with my own eyes that balancing things on your head is in fact POSSIBLE. The women here blow my mind with their talents to carry things in their hands and head at the same time.
2. Alcoholism is a problem. I was walking to the market at 7:30 pm with Kristen (the american) and Natalie (the cousin) to grab a snack after dinner and there was a man being thrown out of a tuc tuck (small taxi type vehicle super small). He was beggin the driver to take him home but the man did not have enough money. And then also lying in teh space for a car to paralell park was a man passed out laying on his back.
3. One of the kids at the school, Eduardo, was talking to me and I noticed his back molars are the color of caramel and have disinigrated almost to the root. I do not understand how he is not crying in pain after each bite.
4. Last names that are more European sounding like Castillo as opposed to an indigenous last name is looked on better because it implies more European blood.
Nothing especially exciting happened this week at volunteering or lessons. In general though the kids are loving me and love to see me when I walk in the door. So it seems I am making a difference there which is good. They get more attention this way because often when they have free time the teachers arent playing with them and are working on the next activity.
Thursday: Rainy season FINALLY started in Antigua! I went over to John´s house so he could mail some stuff when he got back to the US. While there it started raining at about 8 and didnt stop by 9 so the rain coat i specifically bought for Antigua´s ¨rainy season¨ finally came in handy. Me and Kristen walked back with our raincoats and I came back dry as a desert... at least my top half. Ha pants were a little wet but it sprinkles here for like 2 hours tehn stops. Also it sounds like a hurricane is hitting Antigua.. but it is just the tin roofs. And a nice surprise when I came back to my room was a leak in my ceiling... (I guess Dinkytown rentals isn´t the only place to be known for leaky ceilings.... (Nesha and Kristina and the other ladies of the 612). I did end up eating 2 chocobanaos (frozen chocolate bananas covered in choclated and peanuts) today... OOPS
Friday: I went to el proyecto for the day.. but I was sniffling all over the place and went to ask Maria Jesus if I should be working with the kids or not. She was surprised that the other teachers hadnt sent me home already. So I went home after being there only for a half an hour. I packed my stuff, went shopping for snacks and took a two hour nap.
I left for El Salvador at 2. I had to skip my lesson. El Salvador was supposed to be a 110 trip for ride and hotel for 3 days 2 nights. When I paid the guy told me plan on spending 80 dollars there. So I expected the prices to be outrageous so I made a stop at the local Subway in Antigua, bought some granoala bars, nuts and a gallon of water for the trip. Gallon was less than a dollar! Subway in Antigua has PHENOMAL fresh guac to put on the sandwich along with RED TOMATOES unlike the subway in the US that serves us the whiteish greenish redish tomatoes. They also sold brownies and cheesecake I think for dessert and they have the cookies and desserts individually wrapped in plastic wrap in the box rather than just sitting in the box plain. The ride wasn´t nearly as windy as the trip to Lake Atitlan, but there were some sharp turns here and there but it wasn´t every 20 seconds. However... we drove on this dirt ¨road¨ for maybe a mile... it was so rocky and bumpy I doubt we topped 10 mph. For those who have seen Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls... the car ride was as bumpy as Ace makes his smooth car ride seem on the saffari. We had 13 people in a 15 passanger van so it was pretty tight.. but actually comfortable. The boarder was uneventful. Lots of people trying to sell you drinks and to exchange quetzales to dolars. Sadly they don´t stamp at El Salvador so I only have stamps saying I left and came back to Guatemala. The place we stayed at was GORGEOUS. We got in around 7. We had a room for 5 of us. There was a small pool that was the perfect temperature. It was a small hotel place owned by a guy named Alex and tons of his friends and locals just hang out at the place. There were tons of hammocks and places to lounge and read. You could see the ocean from certain parts of the hotel. We were 50 feet from the ocean. It was AMAZING!!!! We just hung out and went to bed early because we were waking up at an early 7:30 am for our first surfing lessons.
I hope to be able to post pictures soon... but here is a link to the place we stayed at.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/73/07/51/area-restaurante.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotel_Review-g303858-d1238258-Reviews-Esencia_Nativa-El_Zonte.html&usg=__jswJHcLi-0bDEHqP15rAlQ6DBVI=&h=450&w=337&sz=38&hl=es&start=24&sig2=0h8B-zaCSck_QODWQde0zw&zoom=1&tbnid=y6q2Sk1ScIxBPM:&tbnh=159&tbnw=121&ei=4jzlTcagNKPq0QHXsrDrBg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Del%2Bzonte%2Bel%2Bsalvador%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D790%26bih%3D495%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=132&vpy=92&dur=4467&hovh=260&hovw=194&tx=143&ty=164&page=4&ndsp=6&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:24&biw=790&bih=495
There is a new student in my house. She came the Saturday that I was gone. She just finished her junior year at north carolina state and is from Massechusets. She and a girl in the line at the market both noticed my Minnesotan accent right away... I thought I was free of that but apparently not. We went to the market and bought some treats.. mine was yogurt and a hersheys bar. Im missing yogurt and quality cheese INSANELY!!!! Their cheese is really dry and not stringy when cooked... it crumbles :(
Things I´ve noticed that are suprising:
1. I have seen with my own eyes that balancing things on your head is in fact POSSIBLE. The women here blow my mind with their talents to carry things in their hands and head at the same time.
2. Alcoholism is a problem. I was walking to the market at 7:30 pm with Kristen (the american) and Natalie (the cousin) to grab a snack after dinner and there was a man being thrown out of a tuc tuck (small taxi type vehicle super small). He was beggin the driver to take him home but the man did not have enough money. And then also lying in teh space for a car to paralell park was a man passed out laying on his back.
3. One of the kids at the school, Eduardo, was talking to me and I noticed his back molars are the color of caramel and have disinigrated almost to the root. I do not understand how he is not crying in pain after each bite.
4. Last names that are more European sounding like Castillo as opposed to an indigenous last name is looked on better because it implies more European blood.
Nothing especially exciting happened this week at volunteering or lessons. In general though the kids are loving me and love to see me when I walk in the door. So it seems I am making a difference there which is good. They get more attention this way because often when they have free time the teachers arent playing with them and are working on the next activity.
Thursday: Rainy season FINALLY started in Antigua! I went over to John´s house so he could mail some stuff when he got back to the US. While there it started raining at about 8 and didnt stop by 9 so the rain coat i specifically bought for Antigua´s ¨rainy season¨ finally came in handy. Me and Kristen walked back with our raincoats and I came back dry as a desert... at least my top half. Ha pants were a little wet but it sprinkles here for like 2 hours tehn stops. Also it sounds like a hurricane is hitting Antigua.. but it is just the tin roofs. And a nice surprise when I came back to my room was a leak in my ceiling... (I guess Dinkytown rentals isn´t the only place to be known for leaky ceilings.... (Nesha and Kristina and the other ladies of the 612). I did end up eating 2 chocobanaos (frozen chocolate bananas covered in choclated and peanuts) today... OOPS
Friday: I went to el proyecto for the day.. but I was sniffling all over the place and went to ask Maria Jesus if I should be working with the kids or not. She was surprised that the other teachers hadnt sent me home already. So I went home after being there only for a half an hour. I packed my stuff, went shopping for snacks and took a two hour nap.
I left for El Salvador at 2. I had to skip my lesson. El Salvador was supposed to be a 110 trip for ride and hotel for 3 days 2 nights. When I paid the guy told me plan on spending 80 dollars there. So I expected the prices to be outrageous so I made a stop at the local Subway in Antigua, bought some granoala bars, nuts and a gallon of water for the trip. Gallon was less than a dollar! Subway in Antigua has PHENOMAL fresh guac to put on the sandwich along with RED TOMATOES unlike the subway in the US that serves us the whiteish greenish redish tomatoes. They also sold brownies and cheesecake I think for dessert and they have the cookies and desserts individually wrapped in plastic wrap in the box rather than just sitting in the box plain. The ride wasn´t nearly as windy as the trip to Lake Atitlan, but there were some sharp turns here and there but it wasn´t every 20 seconds. However... we drove on this dirt ¨road¨ for maybe a mile... it was so rocky and bumpy I doubt we topped 10 mph. For those who have seen Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls... the car ride was as bumpy as Ace makes his smooth car ride seem on the saffari. We had 13 people in a 15 passanger van so it was pretty tight.. but actually comfortable. The boarder was uneventful. Lots of people trying to sell you drinks and to exchange quetzales to dolars. Sadly they don´t stamp at El Salvador so I only have stamps saying I left and came back to Guatemala. The place we stayed at was GORGEOUS. We got in around 7. We had a room for 5 of us. There was a small pool that was the perfect temperature. It was a small hotel place owned by a guy named Alex and tons of his friends and locals just hang out at the place. There were tons of hammocks and places to lounge and read. You could see the ocean from certain parts of the hotel. We were 50 feet from the ocean. It was AMAZING!!!! We just hung out and went to bed early because we were waking up at an early 7:30 am for our first surfing lessons.
I hope to be able to post pictures soon... but here is a link to the place we stayed at.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/73/07/51/area-restaurante.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotel_Review-g303858-d1238258-Reviews-Esencia_Nativa-El_Zonte.html&usg=__jswJHcLi-0bDEHqP15rAlQ6DBVI=&h=450&w=337&sz=38&hl=es&start=24&sig2=0h8B-zaCSck_QODWQde0zw&zoom=1&tbnid=y6q2Sk1ScIxBPM:&tbnh=159&tbnw=121&ei=4jzlTcagNKPq0QHXsrDrBg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Del%2Bzonte%2Bel%2Bsalvador%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D790%26bih%3D495%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=132&vpy=92&dur=4467&hovh=260&hovw=194&tx=143&ty=164&page=4&ndsp=6&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:24&biw=790&bih=495
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday May 22, 2011--private boat tour on Lake Atitlan
We went to our boat tour at 8 am. For a private boat tour.. just the four of us, it was $15 a piece from 8-3:30. The public one was about $10 and we could only stay at each city for an hour 15, 5 cities total. We chose to go to 3 cities for the time that we wanted. First we went to San Marcos and jumped off a cliff. I took the longest to go and many tries to get to the edge. Everyone else jumped on their first time. It took me at least 2 mintues. There is a video of me that lasted 1 minute 10 seconds... and then there is a pause of no video and then finally i run to the edge and instead of jumpng I pathetically do a hesitated step off. Everyone else did the running jump but I couldn´t I jumped off only twice because the second landing hurt a lot. It wasn´t quite cliff jumping because there was a platform..but I still think it counts.
Shout out to Auntie Karen: Cloudberry went cliff jumping. Some how my friends are going along with it. Ha they looked at me funny at first... but when they realized how fun Cloudberry can be, they are all about getting good pics. It wasnt even my idea for him to participate. But there is a great picture I hope to upload in a week or so.
We walked along the path and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!! Getting to the jump was interesting because a white person told us that we didn´t have to pay and then there was a guy saying we had to. So ended up paying Q10 and he told us no, that foreingers had to pay Q15 which was awkard because the white guy was telling us it was illegal to charge differently based upon skin color... we just paid because we wanted to go. A little boy named Nelson led us around. We would not have found the cliff without him. When we went back to the boat, it wasn´t working so we went to lunch while we waited. We treated Nelson to spaghetti. He was so excited. At the place we chose, it was simply 2 tables. They didn´t have any meat to serve and couldn´t serve all that was on the menu. And according to what we ordered, they had to go buy certan ingredients, like tomatoe paste, a fanta. We decided to stay to help them with their business even though the menu was limited.I didnt eat as much pizza and gave nelson my leftovers to go. He was really excited. He ended up giving some of his tip to other kids and some of his pizza too. He was 11 years old, knew some english and was still in school. He just worked on the weekends.
San Juan was nothing special, at least that we could find. Its hard because there aren´t that many tourists and people speaking English and the tuk tuk drivers can take advantage of you, which happened at the other town in Santiago. They told us a tuk tuk ride was Q5 and tehn it ended up being 40 because of each stop we went to. They asked if we wnated to see a mayan god, of course I wanted to.. it ended up being in a house with people drinking bears and insense being burning and we couldnt even take a picture unless we paid Q10. We only had 3 stops but they somehow charged us Q40 each. They dropped us off where we didn´t want and tehn we were lost for about 25 minutes. We got lots of different directions. We ended up shopping the rest of the time. I couldn´t decide on the painting I wanted, but I did buy a wooden heron with a fish in its mouth. It was about 2.5 feet tall.
Wetook the windy bus back. Wore our seatbelts of course. For dinner we went to El mono loco and had nachos, one of the biggest tourist bars there. One order of nachos was good to feed 4 people. I got home at 9:30 and everyone in my house was already in their rooms. They must go to bed super early.
Shout out to Auntie Karen: Cloudberry went cliff jumping. Some how my friends are going along with it. Ha they looked at me funny at first... but when they realized how fun Cloudberry can be, they are all about getting good pics. It wasnt even my idea for him to participate. But there is a great picture I hope to upload in a week or so.
We walked along the path and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!! Getting to the jump was interesting because a white person told us that we didn´t have to pay and then there was a guy saying we had to. So ended up paying Q10 and he told us no, that foreingers had to pay Q15 which was awkard because the white guy was telling us it was illegal to charge differently based upon skin color... we just paid because we wanted to go. A little boy named Nelson led us around. We would not have found the cliff without him. When we went back to the boat, it wasn´t working so we went to lunch while we waited. We treated Nelson to spaghetti. He was so excited. At the place we chose, it was simply 2 tables. They didn´t have any meat to serve and couldn´t serve all that was on the menu. And according to what we ordered, they had to go buy certan ingredients, like tomatoe paste, a fanta. We decided to stay to help them with their business even though the menu was limited.I didnt eat as much pizza and gave nelson my leftovers to go. He was really excited. He ended up giving some of his tip to other kids and some of his pizza too. He was 11 years old, knew some english and was still in school. He just worked on the weekends.
San Juan was nothing special, at least that we could find. Its hard because there aren´t that many tourists and people speaking English and the tuk tuk drivers can take advantage of you, which happened at the other town in Santiago. They told us a tuk tuk ride was Q5 and tehn it ended up being 40 because of each stop we went to. They asked if we wnated to see a mayan god, of course I wanted to.. it ended up being in a house with people drinking bears and insense being burning and we couldnt even take a picture unless we paid Q10. We only had 3 stops but they somehow charged us Q40 each. They dropped us off where we didn´t want and tehn we were lost for about 25 minutes. We got lots of different directions. We ended up shopping the rest of the time. I couldn´t decide on the painting I wanted, but I did buy a wooden heron with a fish in its mouth. It was about 2.5 feet tall.
Wetook the windy bus back. Wore our seatbelts of course. For dinner we went to El mono loco and had nachos, one of the biggest tourist bars there. One order of nachos was good to feed 4 people. I got home at 9:30 and everyone in my house was already in their rooms. They must go to bed super early.
Saturday May 21, 2011-- My half birthday.. which I forgot to celebrate
John and I wanted to do something during the weekend since everyone else was in Tikal. Of course since we don´t have cell phones I have to walk 8 blocks to see what is up. I woke up at 9, ate breakfast and was over there by 10. We went to his schools place to find something to do. We were going to climb the volcano, but we ran into some kids from the U that I met freshmen year at nature of life. They convinced us to go to the lake Atitlan. We had to make reservations for the bus and hotel, go to both of our houses to pack, the market to buy water and snacks, and eat lunch within an hour and 30 minutes. It was a little spur of the moment.
The bus ride was an interesting 2 hours with lots of curves and fast driving and close calls. They like to pass whenever. And some of the motorcylce drivers are nuts and drive between the on coming traffic. We got to the hotel and checked in. It looked like anyother store front but inside it was beautiful. There was a little pool, tall trees, beautiful flowers all in the center with the rooms on the perimeter. We walked by the lake side. It was beautiful. There are mountains surrounding on all sides. It is a HUGE lake with 3 volcanoes on it. Then went to dinner and we experienced our first rain of the ¨rainy season¨ We have not seen a rain yet. It poured for 2 hours and it came inside our restaraunt and the drains couldnt drain it fast enough so the kids had to use brooms to sweep the water towards the drains and away from us.
We watched Bounty Hunter IN ENGLISH (whoo) and then went to bed MEGA early.. like 9:45/10.
The bus ride was an interesting 2 hours with lots of curves and fast driving and close calls. They like to pass whenever. And some of the motorcylce drivers are nuts and drive between the on coming traffic. We got to the hotel and checked in. It looked like anyother store front but inside it was beautiful. There was a little pool, tall trees, beautiful flowers all in the center with the rooms on the perimeter. We walked by the lake side. It was beautiful. There are mountains surrounding on all sides. It is a HUGE lake with 3 volcanoes on it. Then went to dinner and we experienced our first rain of the ¨rainy season¨ We have not seen a rain yet. It poured for 2 hours and it came inside our restaraunt and the drains couldnt drain it fast enough so the kids had to use brooms to sweep the water towards the drains and away from us.
We watched Bounty Hunter IN ENGLISH (whoo) and then went to bed MEGA early.. like 9:45/10.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Friday May 20, 2011
I had cornflakes and bananas for breakfast. I asked if it was common there too and it was :) which I love. I went to school and I helped the kids learn today. I also played outside. The kids also love reading books with me.
I learned some more about Common Hope too. It was started 15 years ago and works with the villages around Antigua. To find kids to help they would go to the wash basins where the natives wash their clothes and approached the mothers if they needed help or not. They needed a certain amount so they could get financial help from the goverment. Now what they do is wait for the parents to come to Common Hope because they found that the people need it most and they aren´t getting a free ride. Before some of the people started expecting to recieve whatever they wanted. They also get referrels from teachers at the public schools because they have a good relationship. The teachers know which children are struggling by their clothes, whether or not they bring food, shoes, and if they show up or not. The teachers contact Common Hope if a student does not show up for a week. They want to know why the child isn´t attending school and fix it. It is usually because of bus fare, which is only 20 cents US, no shoes, or the parents want the kids to help around the house. Each month they spend $100 on each kid. They also sometimes have a waiting list of 300 kids. They rank the kids on need basis as to who recieves help. There is a list of categories and the children that only fulfil one don´t get on the list and then they are ranked accordingly with who has the most categories. They have an annual budget of $3.8 million and get 47% from private donors. So far it seems like a great organization. I am having a tour of it soon.
School was nothing new... just kept learning.
At home, the kids, Natalie and Emily started opening up to me more. After dinner they asked me if I like to play with barbies, of course I HATE IT, but said I LOVE barbies. Then we played a game of Bancopoly which is the Guatemalan eqivillant of Monopoly with all Guetmalan properties. I asked if it was similar to monopoly and of course they said no even though there was a pass go get 200, go to jail, waterworks, community chest. And they played wrong and took money from the bank to buy their properties because they were the banker... So then when I tried to lose because I needed to go to bed, I an out of money and couldn´t pay for landing on their property, they said I could take money from the bank to pay them. I saw it was going no where so I had to tell them myself that I had to go to bed. Although I hate cheaters and not playing by the rules and barbies, it was really fun hanging out with them for the night.
I learned some more about Common Hope too. It was started 15 years ago and works with the villages around Antigua. To find kids to help they would go to the wash basins where the natives wash their clothes and approached the mothers if they needed help or not. They needed a certain amount so they could get financial help from the goverment. Now what they do is wait for the parents to come to Common Hope because they found that the people need it most and they aren´t getting a free ride. Before some of the people started expecting to recieve whatever they wanted. They also get referrels from teachers at the public schools because they have a good relationship. The teachers know which children are struggling by their clothes, whether or not they bring food, shoes, and if they show up or not. The teachers contact Common Hope if a student does not show up for a week. They want to know why the child isn´t attending school and fix it. It is usually because of bus fare, which is only 20 cents US, no shoes, or the parents want the kids to help around the house. Each month they spend $100 on each kid. They also sometimes have a waiting list of 300 kids. They rank the kids on need basis as to who recieves help. There is a list of categories and the children that only fulfil one don´t get on the list and then they are ranked accordingly with who has the most categories. They have an annual budget of $3.8 million and get 47% from private donors. So far it seems like a great organization. I am having a tour of it soon.
School was nothing new... just kept learning.
At home, the kids, Natalie and Emily started opening up to me more. After dinner they asked me if I like to play with barbies, of course I HATE IT, but said I LOVE barbies. Then we played a game of Bancopoly which is the Guatemalan eqivillant of Monopoly with all Guetmalan properties. I asked if it was similar to monopoly and of course they said no even though there was a pass go get 200, go to jail, waterworks, community chest. And they played wrong and took money from the bank to buy their properties because they were the banker... So then when I tried to lose because I needed to go to bed, I an out of money and couldn´t pay for landing on their property, they said I could take money from the bank to pay them. I saw it was going no where so I had to tell them myself that I had to go to bed. Although I hate cheaters and not playing by the rules and barbies, it was really fun hanging out with them for the night.
Thursday May 19, 2011
I woke up and took the bus to the school on my own with no problem. However on the way to the bus stop and to my class, I have to pass 1 to 2 guys standing with shot guns. They are just standing against the wall on the same side that I use. So its been a little awkward getting used to that but for the people of Antigua its normal. There are also the municipal police that drive around along with army. There is also tourist police. So apparently its supposed to be very safe, just kind of awkward since I'm not used to our law enforcement having shot guns and rifles in neighborhoods.
I was going to go to Tikal which has ruins and supposed to be phenomenal. It is north of where I am. But Zeta, involved in drugs, is believed to be responsible for the recent 26 person execution. I saw in the newspaper here that there was a message written in blood on a public wall, but I did not understand it. And Tikal is close enough nearby that the head of Common Hope told me as an Guatemalan she wouldn't even go.
I did the usual at school. Served the snacks and washed the dishes. One of the teachers speaks decent English. Phrases here and there. I was doubting if I was even helping them because I kind of felt in the way. But as I was washing the dishes, she said I was very sweet and I could tell she really meant it. So it made me feel happy :) I got to play with the kids outside today. Their playground is on dirt. They have to spray it with a hose in the morning to prevent dust from coming up. And still the kids come back covered. Before entering the classroom, the kids have to wipe their shoes off with a wipe, and then wash their hands and face. They promote hygiene very well here. They even have toothbrushes at the school but we've only used them once so far. The kids are dying for my attention and love having me push them on the swing or on their little cars/bikes.
Class was good. My teachers speaks slower for me, but I understand her perfectly. Every 3 minutes there will be a word I don't know and I'll ask her to stop and tell me what it means.
I had dinner with Ingrid, my mom. Usually its just her and the baby for breakfast and lunch, and sometimes even dinner. This time though Emily and Natalie joined me. They are more of a quiet family but started talking a little more to me.
I went out with the people from John's group. I had a pina colada. I was going to buy a hot dog and french fries... but I didnt have money. I don't know why but when I go out to eat I crave American food.
I was going to go to Tikal which has ruins and supposed to be phenomenal. It is north of where I am. But Zeta, involved in drugs, is believed to be responsible for the recent 26 person execution. I saw in the newspaper here that there was a message written in blood on a public wall, but I did not understand it. And Tikal is close enough nearby that the head of Common Hope told me as an Guatemalan she wouldn't even go.
I did the usual at school. Served the snacks and washed the dishes. One of the teachers speaks decent English. Phrases here and there. I was doubting if I was even helping them because I kind of felt in the way. But as I was washing the dishes, she said I was very sweet and I could tell she really meant it. So it made me feel happy :) I got to play with the kids outside today. Their playground is on dirt. They have to spray it with a hose in the morning to prevent dust from coming up. And still the kids come back covered. Before entering the classroom, the kids have to wipe their shoes off with a wipe, and then wash their hands and face. They promote hygiene very well here. They even have toothbrushes at the school but we've only used them once so far. The kids are dying for my attention and love having me push them on the swing or on their little cars/bikes.
Class was good. My teachers speaks slower for me, but I understand her perfectly. Every 3 minutes there will be a word I don't know and I'll ask her to stop and tell me what it means.
I had dinner with Ingrid, my mom. Usually its just her and the baby for breakfast and lunch, and sometimes even dinner. This time though Emily and Natalie joined me. They are more of a quiet family but started talking a little more to me.
I went out with the people from John's group. I had a pina colada. I was going to buy a hot dog and french fries... but I didnt have money. I don't know why but when I go out to eat I crave American food.
Wednesday May 18 2011- First day volunteering and lessons
I woke up at 7:15 ate a hot homemade breakfast and got taken to the volunteer site by a worker at the language school I attend. I took a bus one way for 1.50 quetzales, which is twenty cents. My bus ride is about 7 minutes long and I hop on at a stop 3 blocks from my house. The public busses I take are old school busses that are super colorful, fit 3 to a seat and aisles so skinny I have to walk sideways. The guy walks and collects the money as the bus is going, and its cobble stone street so I do not know how he stands up. I got off at my stop. I volunteer at a place that was started by Minnesotans. In MN its called Common Hope and here its called La Casa de Esparanza, the Hope House. It is a super nice facility that has beds and classrooms and play grounds. I am getting a tour of it in a week or so, so I can tell more about it later.
I volunteer at the preschool. When I walked in, the kids were learning about the letter U and couldn't stop staring at me. They don't have lunch, but they have 2 snacks through between 8 and 12. I served atol, which is a grainy drink that comes in different flavors, maiz is one. I also washed the dishes. Didn't occur to me that people would wash dishes differently in other countries. Here they use solid soap and don't always fill the sink with water. At my house they do for some dishes. I then helped the teachers cut out numbers for another lesson and I served the second snack which was watermelon. BEST WATERMELON EVER!
I took the bus home, but overshot the stop. I knew the name of the church I was supposed to get off at but not what it looked like. And since there were so many churches, I didn't know if it was right. I only had to walk two blocks extra. You can basically stop anywhere you want.
I had lunch and took a nap before my lesson. My teachers name is Paty, she is in her 40s has 3 kids, and believe no man is faithful so I take that as she is single. Lessons went well and at the school they say that anything is possible.. so I asked if they could take me to get a cell phone because I'd be there for awhile and for an alarm because apparently the alarm on my watch I've had since 6th grade is no longer functioning. I bought a new cell phone and 250 minutes for Q125 which is about $15. We also went to the bank and exchanged dollars for small bill quetzales for the bus because the ATMs only give out Q100.
I went to John's and watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Sandy and Brandon and John on Sandy's Mac. I always say hi to the John's mom and we chatted a little bit. I went to bed around 10:30/11.
I volunteer at the preschool. When I walked in, the kids were learning about the letter U and couldn't stop staring at me. They don't have lunch, but they have 2 snacks through between 8 and 12. I served atol, which is a grainy drink that comes in different flavors, maiz is one. I also washed the dishes. Didn't occur to me that people would wash dishes differently in other countries. Here they use solid soap and don't always fill the sink with water. At my house they do for some dishes. I then helped the teachers cut out numbers for another lesson and I served the second snack which was watermelon. BEST WATERMELON EVER!
I took the bus home, but overshot the stop. I knew the name of the church I was supposed to get off at but not what it looked like. And since there were so many churches, I didn't know if it was right. I only had to walk two blocks extra. You can basically stop anywhere you want.
I had lunch and took a nap before my lesson. My teachers name is Paty, she is in her 40s has 3 kids, and believe no man is faithful so I take that as she is single. Lessons went well and at the school they say that anything is possible.. so I asked if they could take me to get a cell phone because I'd be there for awhile and for an alarm because apparently the alarm on my watch I've had since 6th grade is no longer functioning. I bought a new cell phone and 250 minutes for Q125 which is about $15. We also went to the bank and exchanged dollars for small bill quetzales for the bus because the ATMs only give out Q100.
I went to John's and watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Sandy and Brandon and John on Sandy's Mac. I always say hi to the John's mom and we chatted a little bit. I went to bed around 10:30/11.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
May 16/17 2011
I ran out of cell phone battery on the train to my hotel. Had 3 quarters, enough for a local call but not for a long distance. And the lady behind the counter was not interested in helping me... so after 10 minutes of struggling on teh pay phone adn trying to find a number for the hotel.. SUCCESS!
I got picked up by the driver. He asked me where I'm going. I say Guatemala. He asks if I speak Spanish. I say yes... but before I could get another word out saying "not that well" He says, "I'm Cuban!" So I got a head start on my Spanish. And I befriended the guy working behind the desk and got free lasanga, garlic bread, and cheesecake from a restaurant because they have a contract with the employees and they get free food.
Plane rides were a breeze. Slept through all of it. Arrived in Guatemala City got driven for 45 min to Antigua. Weather is not bad. My host mom is nice, only 27 though. She has a 6 month old that was born November 22.. one day after mine and August's birthday. I got an hour tour of the city, all in Spanish.. but I understood it because the kid spoke slow for me.
I went to John's house, my friend from the U of M and the last Costa Rica trip I went on. I ran into him and his friends on a street corner. I met his mom and the rest of the people in his group. There was also a 40 year old guy living there taking lessons. He has been back to Antigua multiple times. There is also a 36 year old girl staying there too. In the neighborhood, John's mom is called abuela by all of the local kids and everyone knows her as that because her house is a hangout place for them. Its different because right now its only me at the house. We went to a bar called Cafe No Se where it was only lit by candles, pretty American but it was descent. I got home at 11. Bars here close at 1.
I got picked up by the driver. He asked me where I'm going. I say Guatemala. He asks if I speak Spanish. I say yes... but before I could get another word out saying "not that well" He says, "I'm Cuban!" So I got a head start on my Spanish. And I befriended the guy working behind the desk and got free lasanga, garlic bread, and cheesecake from a restaurant because they have a contract with the employees and they get free food.
Plane rides were a breeze. Slept through all of it. Arrived in Guatemala City got driven for 45 min to Antigua. Weather is not bad. My host mom is nice, only 27 though. She has a 6 month old that was born November 22.. one day after mine and August's birthday. I got an hour tour of the city, all in Spanish.. but I understood it because the kid spoke slow for me.
I went to John's house, my friend from the U of M and the last Costa Rica trip I went on. I ran into him and his friends on a street corner. I met his mom and the rest of the people in his group. There was also a 40 year old guy living there taking lessons. He has been back to Antigua multiple times. There is also a 36 year old girl staying there too. In the neighborhood, John's mom is called abuela by all of the local kids and everyone knows her as that because her house is a hangout place for them. Its different because right now its only me at the house. We went to a bar called Cafe No Se where it was only lit by candles, pretty American but it was descent. I got home at 11. Bars here close at 1.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
First post :)
Not that my life is so important it needs to be followed.. this is just an easier way to keep people posted so I don't have to repeat stories when people ask me whats up.
But it may or may not end up being Legend-wait for it-DARY... stay tuned...ahhahahaha. this is so awkard.
Departure from mpls: Monday 11:30 am
Arrive Chicaaago: 7:30- roughskis
Tuesday Itinerary:
Depart Chicago 5:35
Arrive Guatemala City: 11:15 and taxi to Antigua.
But it may or may not end up being Legend-wait for it-DARY... stay tuned...ahhahahaha. this is so awkard.
Departure from mpls: Monday 11:30 am
Arrive Chicaaago: 7:30- roughskis
Tuesday Itinerary:
Depart Chicago 5:35
Arrive Guatemala City: 11:15 and taxi to Antigua.
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