Last week of Guatemala

Today it finally hit me that I´m really leaving in 3 days and I was actually here for three weeks. It´s crazy. I feel like I have become more independent especially since it was my first trip out the country and the first time I was really separated from my family. I learned new vocabulary, found places on my own and tried my hardest to be isolated from home eventhough it was very hard. I wait to go back home but at the same time I´m really going to miss it here. Especially the kids in San Pedro and the teachers from Sevilla who we all grown closer to. Last night we had a Karaoke night which was sooooo much fun! A lot of people participated and I can actually say this Junior Journey group has grown into a second family. I will definately miss Guatemala!

Our final class

Overall I would have to say that my teaching experience was not what I expected at first. First off we planned way too many lessons, we had about thirty or fourty, but actually only taught the kids about four different things. At first I thought that my class was just not getting it but I then realized that many of the different classes only got through a few lesson plans as well. Also I´m a quiet person usually so at first I was really nervous to get up there infront of a bunch of little kids I didn´t know and actually get them to pay attention and respect me. Even though they were loud and crazy at times I have grown close to all my students and I will actually end up missing them a lot. They all were eager to learn and participate and you could actually see that they were actually learning, and when that happend it made all the trouble worth while because you know that you are the reason why that all these kids are learning. This experience had made me a little bit more outspoken and also made me respect my own teachers and all they go through a lot more. I hope I made as big as an impact on these kids as they have made on me.

3 days left

I just finished teachingt my last class in San Pedro. I am really going to miss the kids because they were so great. At first I thought the class would be that special but after teaching for a week I started to really like the kids and the class began to flow. From then on each day I learned more about the students and also how hard it can be to wake up each morning and teach. Today Jaenelle and I reviewd so we could see how much the kids knew and it was great to see how much they learned. The only thing that was reinforced more and more each day is their spelling lags behind their speech because we didn´t start by teaching the english alphabet which would definitely make class easier.

Last Teaching Day at San Pedro :(

Today was the last day we got to teach at San Pedro. I planned to just play review games with the kids the whole time so that we could finish up with something fun. I wanted to make it special because I really love my kids and I wanted to make them happy on our last day so I also brought candy for them. The teacher asked me to end the class ten minutes early and I assumed it was because she needed the class for something else. But at 9:50 the class put two chairs at the back of the room and made like a little stage space where they performed for us. They danced to a song that they would dance to when they were even younger and they showed us some coreographed dances and they sang to us. Some of them also stood up to tell us that they appreciated what we had taught them and to wish us luck. I cried when it came time to say bye to Brayan, a student that I had grown very close to and that gave us a very special thank you in which he said he hoped God would help us on whatever path we chose to take and thank you for what we have taught him and a lot of beautiful words coming from a 9 year old. He is very special to me and it hurts to leave him and the rest of the students who I am also very close to and love very much. Some of them made cards and some sang to us. It was a really hard day for me because I really don't want to say good bye. They've made this trip so much more worthwhile for me and I hope that they all grow up to live the happiest lives because they are the greatest kids I've ever met. They deserve so much.

Journal Entry

Dear Journal,
It´s the last week in Guatemala, and I have mixed feelings.. I miss my family and friends a lot, but I´m thinking about how much I´m gonna miss the kids and teachers in Guatemal more! Thisexperience has been different, I looked at the difference betwween the way people live here inand then I take a look at people in the U.S. Here everyone is so close and friendly., but inthe U.S. it´s hard to trust people. I don´t think that I will ever be able to forget Junior Journey, weall got so close, and it pains me to have to go back to the way things used to be... I can´t believe I was about to pass up this oppurtunity, it´s a good thing I didn´t!

Until Next Time!
Laura Antigua,

Volcano

First blog really late in the game. So far a lot has happened and there is only one thing that stands out the most in my head is that I am really proud of. This one thing is so high that you can practically reach heaven and so difficult to do that you want to quit when you here the details. This thing that I am talking about is called a volcano and this volcano in Guatemala that I climbed is called Pacaya. Now this one climb gave me so much streghth as a person. This volcano is an hour and a half hike to the top and every moment I climbed I think about what an accomplishment it would be to reach the top. And know I am proud to say that I climbed a volcano even as there was a man with horses following me to top seeing if I would give up and pay him to take me up. But no I didn´t give up I stuck with it and finished.

Last Day of School

Today was our last day officially teaching in San Pedro. I've had really mixed feelings about my class the entire time, but today wrapped up really nicely. I'm teaching 6th grade, and there are 43 students crammed into one tiny classroom. They were always polite and did their work, but never really opened up to us. But today was a little different. Even though we had sceduled review, a lot of students blew it off to ask Akilah and I questions. Where do you live? Do you have brothers or sisters? What's your full name? Does it snow where you live? The questions went on and on. And it was really nice to see how interested our kids were, because we hadn't seen that side of them. I'm really honestly going to miss them, and I'm really glad that I photographed each and every one of them.
It's pretty crazy that we're leaving this Saturday. I feel like we've been here for a really long time, but I don't feel ready to go home. I miss my family, hot showers and my house, but at the same time, I've become really attached to Antigua. My host family has been absolutely wonderful, and Chiky and Lico have only shown us kindness. Plus I'm going to miss their two goofy dogs, Talia and Herminina. I don't think it's sunk in yet that we're really going and it's probably going to be a very very very long time before I come back, if I ever get around to it. It's really sad to go back, but I feel like I've changed a lot and that I have a lot to offer back home...

Alana

Last day of teaching in San Pedro....

It finally hit me that we wont see our kids anymore after tomorrow. The kids got up and said thier opinons about us after class and it made me relize that we affected the kids. What we were doing was actually helping them out, they really appreciated us. This made me so happy, but at the same time it made me sad becuase i knew that i might never see these kids again and it just got to me. I can honestly say these kids got to me and i will miss them dearly.

By Imad Jbara

To Sum It All Up

¨From Cambridge to Antigua and back again...¨

They make it sound so easy and simple. It's probably been anything but those two words. This isn't the first time I have traveled to another country that isn't my own. I've been to China and I can say that this trip is nothing like it. Yes, some parts are, like the people constantly selling me things or the fact that everyone is amazed that they see a black person. But, to be honest, I love it. This trip has been really fun and it has opened my eyes to something new. Before I left, I wanted to be able to value the little things and life; I wanted to be able to stop taking things for granted. On this trip, the amount of little kids that I have seen begging for food has really hit me. I am over here getting three meals a day and these kids barely get one or two meals a day. It made me realize that maybe I shouldn't be throwing away food when it's ¨nasty¨I am not saying that I'll go give it to some less fortunate kid on the street, but maybe I could donate the food I don't like to some drive and the less fortunate kids whill have something to eat. Now, I also won't be complaining when my mom doesn't make my favorite dish because some kids don't get a dish at all.

Although I may not be the one most excited about teaching, I must say it has changed me. It made me happy to know that I was making a difference in someones lives. I came to Antigua with all of this hype about how teaching is great, and at first I didn't like it, but it grew on me. I came to really like it. I am just happy to know that I made a difference. I can now cross that off my bucket list...

Last Day Of Teaching

So It´s The Last Day Of Teaching And It Hasn´t Hit Me Yet That Tomorrow I´m Saying Bye To These Kids And Probably Never Seeing Them Again. It´s Crazy, I´m Going to Miss These Kids So Much, Their Beyond Appreciative, If You Give Them just One Little Sticker They´ll Love You Forever. It´s Amazing. I Like Appreciative People And Here I Feel So Appreciated. It Has Been Fun, Both In And Out Of The Classroom.

New Experiences

In my opinion being in Guatemala is all about having new experiences. No matter who you are, what language you speak or what you’ve done being in Guatemala is all about having new experiences. Lot of people may say “This is nothing special”. People may say that I’ve traveled to other countries before, even without your parents. But have you traveled to another country with out your parents with 30 of your peers to teach English and have one on one Spanish lesson? For me this trip has been jam packed with new experiences. Whether it was participating in a Mayan Ceremony or “climbing” el Volcan de Pacaya (I personally paid for a horseback ride up to the top). Everyday it was something new. For a select few these new experiences would be huge like traveling outside the United States for the first time but for others the experiences that they will truly remember are the ones that you can’t snap a picture of. The experiences of being independent, of taking risks and accepting challenges. Getting to know people on a more person level and simply being immersed in a new culture. Getting to see the way other people lived was one of the experiences that I will take home with me. The day after our first English class at San Pedro, I came home and literally cried to my roommates because I was devastated with the way that some of the children had to live. I told a teacher the way I was feeling and she gave me some wise words of advice. She told me to just try to make this a fun three weeks and that is what I am trying to continue to do as our journey comes to a close.

Almost Home

This is the last week before we leave for home and honesty, Im a bit upset. I do not want to leave this place. I love it here so much, from the students to the Moraleses (mi familia) to the teachers. Nothing could've gotten any better in my honest opinon and I really am contemplating about visiting here again next semmer. I do know that I will return though. But hey, why am I talking about almost departing? I just need to focus on making this week an incredible one. Lets do it!!

Last weekened we went to Lago Atitlan, where we took a boat out from Panajachel to a small lakeside village called Santa Cruz. Lago Atitlan is massive and surrounded by many volcanos. When we got to Santa Cruz we split up into different groups. One group went swimming, another went on a hike to visit an old church, another one had a good meal at a local resturant called La Iguana Perdida, and another group was supposed to go kayaking but ended up swimming as well. when we finished our activities, we switched. On our way Back Mr. Martinez paid the boat driver 20 extra quetzales to stop in the middle of the lake and he and Mr. Carolan randomly jumped off of the upper deck of our boat. All of a sudden we all started ripping off our clothes and getting back into our bathing suites in order for us to jump off as well. I jumed off twice. We all had an amazing time, although we all gt home soaking wet.

Last Week

The weekend was pretty swell. The weather was a little clammy so we decided we would take a stroll down to the beach Sunday. Well, it was already in the agenda. Saturday was very informative. We went to the coffee finca and learned about how coffee and beans are made. Very exciting. Then, we went to San Antonio Aguas Caliente to learn about Mayan traditional clothing. Melissa and Edgar were officially married. It was very interesting to learn about the culture of the Mayans. Then, we all went home after a free afternoon and dinner to rest up for a packed Sunday. Sunday we went to a beach at Puerto San Jose if I´m not mistaken. The sand was black and we swam in the Pacific Ocean! Then, a group of us went on the 4 wheeler on the beach. It was really fun. We had two rooms at the hotel which had a pool that we all went in and enjoyed. Sunday was really fun. However, this week is going to be very sad. It´s our last week and all the goodbyes are coming. I´m not sure I´m ready for all that. I wish I could stay in Guatemala for longer but you have to go back to reality sometime. I miss home but I feel great in here, Antigua. Well, all we can do is enjoy our last week and remember this experience forever!

This is the last week and we only have 5 days left. The weeks went by so fast, thats crazy. We also only have 3 more days left with the kids at San Pedro. Today we taught the kids animals and we played chardes with them They acted out the animals well and it was funny. Our class is very competitve but it shows us that they are eager to learn and they understand the material. We went to the beach/pool on Sunday and we visited the coffee factory and we walked up Cross Mountain (I think thats what its called).It was a very short walk and I was so grateful for it. )f you keep on walking and don´t stop it can take you 15-20 minutes. But me being lazy, I took like 5 breaks. We are the first group ever to visit a coffee factory so that was nice. The weather here is crazy hot but at night theres a thunderstorm.

The Beach at San Pedro

Black sand is hotttt! The beach we went to in San Pedro was so nice and beautiful. It had black sand which was so cool to me because that was the first time i ever seen black sand before, but boy was the sand hot, it was like burning my feet but it was worth it. I also got to ride a 4 wheeler doom buggy car thing all along the beach, it was one of the most sureal feelings ever. Then i went over to the pool right across the street from the beach to swim. That whole trip was great.

5 more days !

So theres only 5 more days left here in Antigua Guatemala and it seems like Ive been here for like only a week. This is sort of mind blowing. We went to the beach yesterday and it was so exciting and fun. I had an amazing time other than burning my foot on the BLACK SAND! Yeah I know its corny but that was my first time on the black sand beach. It was really hot because of course black is going to absorb the sunlight. But yeah so after burning my foot I actually went in the beach which means that I swam in the Pacific Ocean. The waves were really high because it was high tide and I almost died (jokingly) but it was really fun. There was a pool and of course it was really fun because all of Junior Journey was there. Overall this trip has been really fun and I cant believe that there is less than a week left here. Other than that I would say that Im going to enjoy these next couple of days like its my last. I don´t want to stop teaching my kids in San Pedro but then again I do because I am sort of home sick. But anyways later !

The Time is Flying!

Sooooo it just started to really hit me that I will be back in the United States in less than 10 days. I'm honestly in shock by this. I think it is really hitting me because I am starting to develop a better relationship with my kids and my relationship between my teacher and host family continues to get stronger. Like today, for example, all my students lined up for high-5's before I left for the day. How am I supposed to leave them, eh? I'm just going to have to make this coming week the best to come. Let's make it happen!

One Week So Fast

It´s been a week and two days since we arrived at Guatemala. I have to say Guatemala is a great city and friendly. I´m already Latina but just cause I am doesn´t mean I´m not learning anything in my spanish classes! I have learned a bunch of new vocabulary and new ways tos ay things that I didn´t know how to before. There are plenty of words that I found new ways to say. I´m glad I decided to embark on this journey. The weekend was pretty cool. I climb a volcano, how many people say that? While many used horses I climb all the way up without it, I was so proud of myself. On Sunday we took a boat across the lake and could do different activities. However, I couldn´t go kayaking like I wanted but it was still pretty cool. The boat stop in the middle of the lake and we could jump up and everything. It was awesome. The best part of this trip has been the kids. I love my class. I´ve been learning their names and I´m almost there. To learn the girls names is a little more difficult because they don´t speak. I know almost all the guys and a few girls. They are really ¨traviesos¨ but they are really good kids. Everyone says I´m making a change in their lives. However, in reality they are changing my life. They will always be a part of my life. My host family is adorable. The little girl is ¨un encanto¨ and is so nice and always wants to play with me. My host mom is great to talk to. Tamarra is a good roomate and is funny while she´s trying to learn spanish. Ping pong is so much fun here and we do competitions all the time while we can. I love my teacher Vicky, we talk about everything. I have two more weeks here in Guatemala which seems like a long time but really isn´t. I hope to make the best of it and it to make the best of me. I´ll blog soon hopefully about new experiences.

Well Hello There!!

Yeah so on Saturday I climbed volcano Pacaya. Yeah you see how casual that was, CLIMBING A VOLCANO is not an oppurtunity that represents itself everyday!! The volcano was absolutley beautiful the view from up there was amazing, but getting there was the hardest. It was an hour and a half of an uphill climb go no where but up of course!! Of course I could´ve taken a horse up, but what kind of accomplishment is that? None at all!! Well I´ll tell you this much!! I had to stop and take my inhaler twice and I finished 1 and a half bottles of water!! We met a dog on our way up who was practically dying of starvation! So we gave it some water and crackers and she hiked all the way up and down the volcano with us!! I´ll tell you this much that dog was a trooper and so were we (even the ones who went on the horses).

Pin-Pon

At Sevilla we have all bocome champion pin pon players. We get togther before class during the break and after class. We gather around the pin pon table and cheer on the two people playing. Winner stays in. Today we were faced with the ultimite challenge, his name was Mr. Carolan. He beat us all twice around. It was an impossible task. After her was done destryoing us, he passed the paddle down to Santiago who gets better and better the more we play. Pin Pon brings us together and it allows us to engage in some friendly competion against eachother, our teachers and the teaches at sevilla.

We are now in the second week here in Guatemala. Its raining really hard here and I dont´t have an umbrella. Warning to all you future junior journey members bring an UMBRELLA!!!!! Or else you will get soaking wet. lol. But besides that everything is going well so far. Teaching with the kids has been a blast and they are so smart. Especially this one kid named Brayon. He´s so quiet but really smart. I wonder if I can push him alittle more; giving him more challenging problems. But hey, I have to go to San Pedro soon and lets see what goes on. The kids are really hyper when recess comes by. But when you look closely some of the kids are playing soccer, others are playing ¨jumprope¨and others especially the older girls are doing there own thing. But when you look closely enough alot of it will have some similarites with PHA. On Saturday we went up to Volcano Pacaya. It was cool but I would advise all of you future junior journey members to bring 100 Quetzales to ride the horses. I personally took a horse because that hike was serious and I don´t regret taking it, because it was relaxing and nice. On Sunday we went to the lake and it was also fun. On our way back the teachers stopped the boat and jumped right off. That was crazy but it seemed fun. I didn´t jump because I can´t swim and I wasn´t feeling too well. OOO yea, I almost forgot, on our way up to the mountains we saw alot of stray dogs. Alot of them were females because you can see the nipples hanging out which means they might have recently given birth. Alot of us gave food and water to them. Some of us even named them. When I get another chance to write on the blog, I will post some pictures to show you guys the beautiful things I´ve seen. I also learned that this week the kids are taking there final exams and they have to pay for it. Wow!

Guat´s Up?

So this is my first post here in Guatemala. Things have been....Fair.Nothing really big has happened yet, so I can´t really say that I love it or hate it here. I really love my room though. It has a huge window that has a great view of the volcano. I can see smoke coming out of it on a sunny day. It also overlooks the garden that my host family has.In my host family, the Dad cooks and cleans while his wife is away at work. It´s funny because they are both teachers,but the housework gets pushed onto him. I´ve seen the wife maybe about 3 times since I´ve been here. I really liked going to Lago Atitlan last Sunday. It was fun, and the views were really nice. I really liked watching people jump into the water from the boat. Mr.Martinez did the craziest front flip I´ve ever seen.

That´s all,Folks. (For now)

-Melissa

Lago Atitlan/ Volcan Pacaya

Yesterday, we all went to Lago Atitlan, which just happens to be the most AWESOMEST BESTEST place EVER. My group (B.P Breakaway Pack) Climbed up a long pathway to get to a 500 year old church. Although the climb was tiring, it was nowhere near as tiring as climbing up Volcan de Pacaya... I do not exactly understand why people climb mountains for fun, but the view was pretty incredible.

Overall this weekend was pretty sick. But now, everybody is looking forward to the next weekend. Partying partying yeah! Partying Partying yeah! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Looking forward to next weekend.

Still Going Strong

It is Monday of the second wek and so far, everything is still going great. I still do not have any serious complaints about my trip so far. My family is still the best thig ever, my kids are really fun and attentive and this trip is just going very well. I do, however, have a gripe about the strict rules about music use, especially when we go on these long bus rides with the strangest videos ever. It isnt the end of the world obviously and I am still very content with being here. I have noticed more and more, sin embargo, that this definately isnt like the US. I know it sounds weird and obvious, but its just that the lifestyle here is so much different and is something to get used to. I am getting better at adjustiing to it more and more though. We´will see how it continues to go.

Hasta Luego,

Alejandro

Week 1

Our first week here has been amazing. This weekend was the first day we didn´t seen our kids or our teachers and I actually missed them. On saturday we climbed a volcano. It was extremely hard. A lot of people decided to rent a horse ¨taxi¨to ride up. I was one of the last to finish but I can proudly say I climbed it by foot. I actually fell and cut my leg and sprained my ankle. Edgar had to help me down the volcano. It still hurts but I just hope it gets better before our soccer tournament on Thursday. Yesterday we went to the beautiful lake Atitlan. It was absolutely gorgeous. On the way back the boat stopped and we thought it was broken but then Mr.Carolan and Mr.Martinez ran to the roof and jumped off. I jumped off too and it was so fun. In short, Guatemala has been amazing. I´m thinking about staying longer!

El Lago Atitlan

The bus ride was long, and sort of scary because there was so many curves (i never seen a road with so many curves in my life, it was like 3 hours worth of curves). The bus driver was also driving really fast and there was a lot of valleys right beneath us, so it was a scary feeling knowing that if the bus driver goes a bit to fast and doesnt pay attention for one second we could end up at the bottom of the valley; dead. But the ride was so worth it, the lake was beautiful, the view was amazing. We first took a boat from one side of the lake to the other side where we did all the activities. My group was suppose to do hyaking but the person with the paddles never showed up so we just ended up swimming in the lake atitlan. After that we just went to each in this nice restaurant that has bomb smoothies but there was too many flies, i couldnt eat in private; the flies made me feel violated because there was so many of them. But after that my group except me and a few other people who didnt feel like going anywhere hiked to a cliff/balcony to jump off into the lake. It was a really fun trip and experience. Especially when we wete on the boat ride back to the other side of the lake and they just randomly stopped the boat and made it seem like there was something wrong with the boat. We were all so worried but i was scraed out of my mind because one way i did not want to die was in the water and it was happening. I thought the boat was sinking, then all i seen mr. carolan and mr. martinez jump into the water so i was even more scared because they claimed they had to fix the motor or push the boat back to shore. Then they told us they actually stopped the boat so people can jump off the top of the boat into the lake. Then one by one mad people jumped off teh top of the baot into the water. It was a great trick they pulled on us and everyone who jumped loved it and said it was mad fun.
Eniola

2nd week in Guatemala

So I´m in Guatemala for the second week and I´m loving it here. I love teaching the kids still but they are getting a little naughty. Shaking my head. The girls in the class behave so well but the boys are just so bad. Other than that I am getting a little home sick. On sunday we went to the volcano and I almost died. It isnt worth going up there. If you can take a taxi (horse) do it because if you aren´t a athletic person with a lot of stamina, you will die literally. Try to bargain with the prices too. It works. Anyways we went to the lake yesterday and it was really nice. I went to the place where you jump off into the water but the walk isnt worth it. Those stairs could kill somone but luckily Jaenelle, Yanira, Bad, Ms.Dolan, and I caught a speedboat and hurried back to the dock to get on the boat to go back home. Suddenly the boat stopped while going back home and everyone thought that we were sinking but we weren´t. Everyone was just jumping off. Overall its really fun here but im getting a little home sick . =( Later ppl.

Lago de Atitlan

Well fellow bloggers after about 3 days of stomach aches and some "quality time" with the bathroom it was good to finally get out my host families house! Don´t get me wrong, my host family is really nice and friendly, but I wanted to get some fresh air, and the lake was perfect!! It was so beautiful, and the scenery was amazing! I consider myself blessed to be here :) I have two more weeks ahead of me, I´m ready!

Likes and Dislikes

Guatemala is deffiently different from the US. For 1 there are dogs everywhere! Its extremely colorful and the way of life is just extremely simple. For the most part I am in love with Guatemala I love the amazing views and the dufferent things we can buy. The only downside is the food. I just can not seem to adapt to eating something that is put in front of me that I dont even know what it is. With that said I force myself to eat the food my host family cooks so I dont seem rude. As I said before the scenery is absolutely breath taking, yesterday we went to lake Atitlan and Satruday we climbed Pacaya. The lake looked like a postcard everywhere I turned and on the volcano I could not believe it was real it was just so unbelieveable. We have finished our first week in Gauatemala and its amazing!!

1 week down, 2 more to go

This first week started off really slow, and i really wanted to go home. They days started going by somewhat faster which is really good. I had a blast this weekend. We climbed Volcan Picaya, and swam in El Lago Atitlan, and they were both tons of fun. I didn´t have shorts to use, so Stephanie let me borrow one of her pairs shorts, which ended up looking like "booty-shorts" on me. I didn´t care and I still went in, and had a lot of fun.

June 6th

It´s day 10 and there´s this contagious spread of home sickness going around.. Yesterday and the day before we all took a trip to Volcan Pacaya and Lake Atitlan and I think it´s fair to say that everyone had a blast. In both trips there was a lot of walking involved but at the end of the day both trips were so much fun. Today we resumed back to teaching to the younger kids and we´ll go back to our learning espanol classes. I really look forward to the pool party, the bbq and soccer game along with the free time we have. I´m realizing it´s important to be optimistic at this point were everyone misses home.

First Week in the Guats

My first week here was pretty good. It was a bit boring except for teaching and playing with the kids. I really love the kids, they're pretty much all I really care about at this point. They're really sweet and fun and adorable. I have to admit I do play favorites and I have a few favorites like William, Gaby, Karen, Luis, and Brayan. Oh, and Ivan. And Kenia... And Cristy. Okay, lots of favorites. I just really enjoy them all. Seeing and meeting people on this trip has really made me rethink the way I prioritize. I feel like I've become a lit more focused and motivated. I've grown so attached to the kids and it sucks to think that they're never going to have the same opportunity as I do to go to college and move on and make a better life for themselves. It really made me appreciate what I have back home and what really matters in life. It has also pushed me to try to be the best teacher I can be because those kids deserve it.
Aside from that, I really like Antigua. It's nice here and it's been a pretty good trip so far. Especially the trip to the lake; that was really fun. I am just starting to get a tad bit homesick though...just a bit. I miss my sister and my mom and my brother and my hot showers. And my Macbook...especially that. But anyhoo I've written a lot so more later...

End of the First Week

This week our class did a lot in Guatemala. We taught our first week and my teaching partner and I ended up teaching the kids numbers, colors and a little bit of the body. Our class is overall good, we are teaching third graders and I am actually starting to grow closer to them, they are all always so happy to see us and to learn. This weekend was actually good as well, I got a chance to see my family in Guatemala for the second time ever on Saturday and that was after we climbed up a volcano. The volcano was difficult and I ended up actually taking a horse which was also a good experience. However many people ended up walking the whole thing. On Sunday we then went to lake Atitlan which was actually really nice and everyone ended up swimming at one point. I am starting to get a littlr home sick but overall the experince in Guatemala has been good and I am happy that I ended up coming on this trip. There will sure be a lot of other expriences we are going to go through and I am excited for those as well.

First Week Over

I can barely believe that we´ve already been in Guatemala for an entire week already. It´s crazy how the time is flying. We just finished our first weekend of amazing activities, including climbing the Pacaya volcano and swimming in Lake Atitlan. Its absolutely gorgeous here. Everywhere you turn there are massive mountains or volcanos looming in the distance. And everything is green too. Plants and flowers cover every surface, plants even find ways to grow in the cracks of every roof.
Despite all of the beauty, its also really sad too. Many of the families in certain areas live in extreme poverty. When we climbed the volcano, children surrounded us, asking in broken english if we had brought lunch for them. I talked to my host mother about it and she said that after last year, people flooded in to help Guatemala for a week or so, but then forgot about the disaster. The government doesn´t help anyone really, so a lot of families who were hurt by the volcano and storms last year have just had an extremely hard time. When we were leaving, most of our class just handed our sandwiches to the kids, because we knew that we would have another meal in a couple of hours, but for them, it could be the only meal they ate all day. In Antigua, there is less poverty, but it still exists.

Teaching In San Pedro

Today i realized the best game to play with the kids when teaching them something new. You just have two groups and have one person from each group start from the back of the room with a marker and when youy call out like a number or an animal they have to run and write it on the board and who ever writes it correctly first gets a point. They went crazy today when i played it with my 4th graders, they become really competitive. They adore when you play with them too! They are the cutest kids ever. I love the experience being here, its one i wouldnt trade. Well im out for now!

I´m finally here in Guatemala and so far its amazing. My host family is really nice but speaking to them is a challenge for me because I can´t say everything I want to say to them. But with help from Elizabeth and Nathalie I am able to communicate with them more and speak more spanish. My spanish is increasing and I am more comfortable with my host family. Learning at Sevilla is also a great experience because myteacher Marie Carmen is very nice and she only makes me speak spanish so thats good. We travel alot and she teaches me about the history of Antigua and also all the cheap and nice places to go shopping too. Lastly, I´ve gone to San Pedro to teach the kids. I teach grade 5 with Alex and its fun. The kids are super hyper and speak spanish really fast so I have to keep saying ¨huh, or mas despàcio por favor¨. But Alex is really helpful and my spanish is increasing. A challenge for me so far and still is to get more comfortable with my host family. So far I haven´t had a moment that is special to me but when I do I will be sure to write about it.

This Definately Isnt the U.S....

Soooo I know that I forgot to post something before my trip so first, Ill just say how I feñlt before. Before arriving here and getting accustomed, I felt rather apprehensive and a bit nervous. I am not sure why I felt this way, but I guess it is because I have never been in a third world country on my own. Granted, I have gone away alone on my own before but yeah. You get my point. Now being on Guatemalan soil, I am feeling much much better. I already love it here to be quite honest. The people are friendly, the food is amazing and my family is extremely polite. I love them already and it hasnt even been a week yet!! My students are also the best things ever! I didnt want to teach at first but my students are very patient and understandinmg that Spanish is not mine or Daphneys first language. Everything is great here. I cant wait to see how everything else goes in the next few days and weeks.

Day 5

Palabras nueva:

¨Estar de peluches¨- Not doing anything

clacomanias- stickers

habitos- habits

My spanish teacher is the BEST !

I am learning so much with her. today i finished el preterito regular and imperfecto, and tomorrow i will start el futuro. Her names is Brenda and aside from formal spanish, she is also teaching me aboutthe culture.

=)

Guatemala is absolutely beautiful. Every morning we wake up to birds singing and sweet smelling food. We are surrounded by mountains and all of the buildings are super colorful. Also, the people here are always kind and smiling. I´m learning a ton of spanish and having an awesome time. Every day we spend 4 hours studying spanish and it goes by really quickly. I have the best teacher. Teaching in San Pedro is the funnest thing though. Its so easy to bond with the kids. The first day when Tamarra and I walked into the classroom they all ran up to us and hugged us. It was so cute. They learn so quickly! We´ve already taught them the alphabet, some numbers, some parts of the body, and basic colors (and they´re only in third grade). Last night PHA played a mini soccer tournament against the Sevilla school teachers and me and my team won =). I must say Ms.Heyl played pretty beast. All in all, this has been an auspicious start of our trip.

Houston we have warm water!!

Woo Hoo so the Guats(Guatemala) is the shizzles. I love it here! My host mother can cook and she´s super nice. I was so nervous thje first day about my teacher and the 4 hours of one on one time we would have to spend together, but after meeting him I wasn´t. His name is Domingo and by far he is the BEST Maestro in that place. I feel like I´ve learned more spanish with his in 3 days than I would in 2 weeks at PHA (not to dismiss PHA´s spanish system). He´s really sweet and is so welcoming. As for teachig in San Pedro I had a HORRIBLE first day the kids were so routy and mean they even called us names. On the second day though it was amazing!! I´ve grown on the kids and the kids are growing on me! They´re so eager to learn and will sometimes call me over to check their work or pronunciations of a word or phrase. I went to the mercado with my teacher the other day and realized how sucky America is. All of the fruits and vegetables were normal size and tasted so fresh!! Everything is just so fresh here it kind of reminds me of Haiti. but cleaner. I´m excited for the rest of the trip. the kids, the food, the sites, and the bargoning (at the market). Oh and by the way we have warm water!!!

Bate Bate Guate Guate

Let me just start off by saying that my kids are the CUTEST THINGS I WILL EVER COME ACROSS EVER!!! They are great and absolutely adore the game, Pato Pato Ganso. Every day we come they ask us, "¿Vamos a jugar pato pato ganso?" The kids we get to play with during recess (which comes before we teach) are also AMAZINGLY CUTE. It´s a whole bowl full of cuteness. I´m not sure if there´s something in the water or que, but I know that by the end of this trip, one of them will end up in my suitcase... maybe.
This kid named Willber took a picture from his notebook today and gave it to me and told me that it was to remember him always. I was extremely touched. It honestly is quite the experience teaching these kids.

As for the food... the food here changes from time to time. Sometimes I devour it and other times my plate is full of mushed up items that LOOK eaten. I never thought I would NOT like something, but hey, this is part of the experience.
Well... over and out.

From Guate-AWESOME,
-Wilmene

AHHH 6.2.11

So its the 6th day in Antigua and I abs love it here. I love teaching the kids in the afternoon because its the highlight of my day. The kids make me want to come there everyday and I feel really welcomed. Other than the teaching I like the learning spanish for 4 hours but there are times when i feel like 4 hours is just a little too much time for me to be sitting talking to the same person. Also, I cant wait to hike the volcano because I feel like its gonna be a big step for me because I hate climbing anything or hiking or walking for a long period of time. Also I love the activities that we do in the afternoon and sometimes I wish we could end later than we usually do because I´m just having mad fun and I dont want it to stop. Before I got here I thought it was going to hit me that Im in Guatemala but it really hasnt hit me yet and I feel lik Im at home and Im good. I sorta dont want to go home but I miss my bed alot and the food tahat I eat at home. But anyways Ill hit this blog up later. Adios bloggers .

Lets try this again... -_- Pre-Departure Reflection

There are four days left for us to leave to Guatemala! I have been ready for this day since I found out that I got into Junior Journey. I am not really so scared about traveling to another country, since I travel to the Dominican Republic every summer. I am only unsure about how different the two countries are, and I am hoping to not get sick while I am over there. I am hoping that this experience will change my view on life, as well as my lifestyle. Hopefully I will come back a positively changed man.

3rd day

This was the second day that me and my partner, Ja-Lene, have taught in San Pedro. Those kids have a lot of energy, and they seem to like me, which is very good. They are always up to doing whatever you tell them to do. It still hasn't hit me that I'm in Guatemala. Even if it hasn't hit me, I rather be in Boston at the moment. Everything so far is worse than we were told. We barely have any freedom, and me and Santiagos host mother only feeds us a little. I'm just hoping that these days start getting better, and start going by faster than they are at the moment. It's only day 3, and it feels like I've been here for a week already. Well... Until next time.

So far

I just returned from teaching in San Pedro and am waiting for my roomate Alex to finish his Spanish lesson. Teaching is San Pedro is great, at first my teaching partner Jaenelle and I were really worried but then the class began to flow and our first week of teaching has been great. The little kids are really fun and are so interested in everything Jaenelle and I have to say. They are so eager to learn and understand what we have to say. I have noticed that it is much easier for them to remeber the words we teach them than it is for them to spell them. At reccess the kids are so energetic it is hard to keep up with them. The first night went well and Alex and I ended going to a party for a friend of the family's son who just graduated from college. Since then we have had many night activities ranging from a sports night to learning about Mayan traditions to a demonstration about the uses of corn. The weekend was really fun we climbed a volcano Saturday and then swam in a lake Sunday. When we were coming back across the lake on the boat they pretended the engine broke but then they let us jump off the back of the boat which was great even though some people had trouble getting back on the boat.
6/6/11
John McCormick