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.
No comments:
Post a Comment