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 .