Mariela and Estrellita, such a sweet name-means little star
Oscar
Mariela, Estrellita, and Garby
Naydelin, Lucia, and Brandon
Inside our casita.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Rain in the Dry season?!?
Here we are smack in the middle of the dry season, yet rain and thunder started rolling in as the sun set. And now 3 hours later, we are still in the middle of a down pour. At first I was puzzled by this rain that started steadily falling as I was walking home with a bag full of groceries, but then I remembered this is Guatemala. Nothing is certain here. There is little point to making plans because they are bound to change at least 20 times before they are actually carried out. Its better to just go with a loose guideline and see where the day takes you. Now it has been a difficult lesson, for this American girl, that I have been learning time and time again since I arrived here in Guatemala. For instance, this morning Sabrina and I planned to go to the preschool in Camanchaj. We woke up at a certain time, walked to where the car was parked, opened the gate and discovered- no car! Another Salud y Paz member had already taken it to another location. It was a simple miscommunication, but by that time it was too late to catch the chicken bus or a ride with any one else. We were frustrated and had no choice except to remain in Pana for the day. Nothing is certain here, we truly must live by faith and not by sight. I think that me being less in control of what happens daily, is teaching me that God is the one in control and living without an agenda or schedule is giving Him more space to move in my life and me the clarity to realize what He is doing. A beautiful thing.
However in all this rain lets hope the roof of our casita doesn't leak too much. The landlord wasn't prepared for rain in the dry season.
Salud y Paz :)
However in all this rain lets hope the roof of our casita doesn't leak too much. The landlord wasn't prepared for rain in the dry season.
Salud y Paz :)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Estoy aqui!!!
Hello everyone,
Sorry I've been lax in posting. The last week has been very busy with volunteering at the school and settling in at Panajachel. In fact, I am still a nomad searching for a home! At the moment I am living with another volunteer from Salud y Paz, and we are looking for a more permanent place. Apartment hunting in Guatemala is quite different that any apartment hunting I have ever done before in the states! However with any luck we should be moving in this Wednesday.
Today was the first day of preschool! Already it has been such a interesting experience for me. Last Friday, all the students and their parents came in for a meeting with the teachers. We had 100% of parents in attendance, which demonstrates to me how much they value their childrens' education and wish for them to have a happier life. The parents all arrived in their traditional Mayan clothing, and the meeting was held primarily in K'iche. K'iche is such a neat language! It sounds entirely different than Spanish and I learned that they have 2 words used to say "bye". The one used depends upon whether you are the person leaving or staying. I am helping in Mari's class of 5 and 6 year olds, and today we had 12 eager and excited students. The students are all so wonderful. One aspect that really stuck in my mind from today was how different the day was in comparision with a day of preschool in the states. Many of you know that I worked at a preschool in Port Orange last summer, and the issues we dealt with at that school are entirely different but in some ways similar to issues we experienced today. For example at the preschool in Port Orange during lunch time we would worry about picky-eaters and kids talking too much and eating too little. Here in Camanchaj no children even spoke during lunch or much less complained about not liking what was served. Our students quickly and quietly cleaned their plates. A group of Mayan women called the "Amigas de Salud y Paz" cook breakfast, snack, and lunch for our students which is so important for their growth and development. Accidents occasionally happened at thw school in Port Orange, but it was no problem because each student had an extra set of clothes conveniently located in their cubby. Today a student had an accident. But he had no change of clothes and we didn't have any donated pants that would fit him so he was stuck wearing the wet pants for the remainder of the day.
OK, I've rambled enough for one night! Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers. Salud y Paz :)
Sorry I've been lax in posting. The last week has been very busy with volunteering at the school and settling in at Panajachel. In fact, I am still a nomad searching for a home! At the moment I am living with another volunteer from Salud y Paz, and we are looking for a more permanent place. Apartment hunting in Guatemala is quite different that any apartment hunting I have ever done before in the states! However with any luck we should be moving in this Wednesday.
Today was the first day of preschool! Already it has been such a interesting experience for me. Last Friday, all the students and their parents came in for a meeting with the teachers. We had 100% of parents in attendance, which demonstrates to me how much they value their childrens' education and wish for them to have a happier life. The parents all arrived in their traditional Mayan clothing, and the meeting was held primarily in K'iche. K'iche is such a neat language! It sounds entirely different than Spanish and I learned that they have 2 words used to say "bye". The one used depends upon whether you are the person leaving or staying. I am helping in Mari's class of 5 and 6 year olds, and today we had 12 eager and excited students. The students are all so wonderful. One aspect that really stuck in my mind from today was how different the day was in comparision with a day of preschool in the states. Many of you know that I worked at a preschool in Port Orange last summer, and the issues we dealt with at that school are entirely different but in some ways similar to issues we experienced today. For example at the preschool in Port Orange during lunch time we would worry about picky-eaters and kids talking too much and eating too little. Here in Camanchaj no children even spoke during lunch or much less complained about not liking what was served. Our students quickly and quietly cleaned their plates. A group of Mayan women called the "Amigas de Salud y Paz" cook breakfast, snack, and lunch for our students which is so important for their growth and development. Accidents occasionally happened at thw school in Port Orange, but it was no problem because each student had an extra set of clothes conveniently located in their cubby. Today a student had an accident. But he had no change of clothes and we didn't have any donated pants that would fit him so he was stuck wearing the wet pants for the remainder of the day.
OK, I've rambled enough for one night! Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers. Salud y Paz :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)