Pensamientos

Hello -

Yesterday we got involved in an ill-adivsed football match against a bunch of Brits and Guatemalans. They should have kicked our butts, except that they let us play with about twice as many players as they had. In the end, I think we won. Damany as goalie .... it was pretty great. Then in the evening we managed to catch the 4th quarter of the Celtics game. A little dose of home cooking - flat screen TV´s, NBA playoffs, onion rings and Coke was good for many spirits, but I have a hunch that the deep fried goodness might have been the cause of a few rumbly stomachs this morning.

At our daily meetings after we´ve had a few minutes for journaling, we have a little open mic for anyone who wants to share a story or a thought or a question. Here´s a little sample of some of the things people are thinking about

• How should we respond to the little street kids selling apples and bracelets? If we give them money, we´re just encouraging the behavior, but if we don´t ....


• I really wanted to cry when the little kids all sang the National Anthem. I don´t know why, but before I knew it there were tears streaming down my face.


• A little girl at the school asked me a quesiton and I have no idea what she said, but then she starting playing with my earrings and said they were ¨muy bonitos.¨


• I gained some respect for teachers today. This is really hard.


• I´m realizing how much more I want to travel in my life.


• I loved that the little kids called me Profa. At first I didn´t know what they meant, then I realized they were calling me teacher!


• I know that we´re having fun with the little kids and that they can repeat all the phrases back to us, but are they really learing anything?


• I´m so glad I came. I almost didn´t, and I´m so glad I made it.


• I went to the REAL market today - not the toursity one by the square, but the one where real people go. It was like their Wal-Mart.


• The meat selling part of the market might be the grossest thing I´ve ever seen.


• I can´t believe they have dogs just roaming around the hospital. Americans would freak out.


• Today some of the little kids actually remembered the things we taught them yesterday!


• I see the little kids with so much enthusiasm and potential, and adults who are so hardened. If these little kids were in some different circumstances, maybe their life would turn out differently.

Pardon the spelling errors. Guatemalan keyboards are a little complicated!

It finally rained and cooled off a little. But then came the mosquitos!

- BB