First Day Teaching

The first day we taught was on Friday and it was a few days into the trip. I wasn´t able to have my first class because they had an assembly which I assumed was about us coming in. At that time I was talking with Ms. Bello about what words I should use and making sure I had all of my supplies. My next class was at 11:00am so I was able to have a lot of time to prepare since we came around 8:20. I was nervous because I felt that they wouldn´t listen to me and it would be hard to get their attention. When I got to the classroom with my teaching partner, a few kids crowded us and were very welcoming. I made a mistake at first by talking in English and said ¨"Today," but after awhile I got better. One thing that surprised me was that the kids knew a bit of what we were teaching, which was colors. However, they still did not know how to spell them. Overall, the class was good behavior wise. That made things a lot easier because they were actually willingly to listen.  I was sick for the first day with our second section and from what my teaching partner told me, the kids were rowdy. I was finally able to meet them the next day. They were a bit more harder to handle than the other class, but I still did not find it completely terrible.
 Now it has been two weeks since we have been here and teaching has been fine for me. We are now wrapping up our lessons for the kids as they will present what they learned from us on Friday. The kids know all the colors in English now and it is really nice to know that they are actually learning. I really liked the kids and it was nice to get to know them. Hopefully, the presentation ceremony goes well.

Learning with Less

During my first two weeks in Guatemala, I learned about that I can do so much more when I have less. Normally, when I am at home in the Unites States time goes by so quickly and in the blink of an eye the day is over. In Guatemala, it feels like time just goes on FOREVER. I literally feel every minute of the day pass by here. One major reason time goes by quicker for me when I'm at home in the United States is because my time is generally consumed by technology and other things. Time goes by more slowly in Guatemala because I am less exposed to access to internet and other technology. Here in Guatemala my time is more often used teaching English, learning Spanish, touring and bonding with others. Something as simple as the time difference between Guatemala and the United States helped me realized that I can do so much more when I have less because the less access I had to internet and other electronics increased the time I spend doing other more helpful and resourceful things.

What to say... 

It´s definitely been a roller coaster.

My host family is friendly and cool and just recently we have gotten to speak Spanish with them. I got to paint a house or more like a wall which was fun and being put on the spot to teach kids was pretty unexpected because it wasn´t my set time to teach. But I was shocked because: 

1. The classroom was soo small especially for 30 3rd graders... the size of the 2nd floor conference room

2. Every child is SOOO adorable ^_^

Note to any girl coming here:don´t wear any shorts or dresses above the knee and that´s being nice. 

Also, that medication sheet was really important because ¨Around day 4 people start dropping like flies¨- profe. Miguel (AKA Mr. Lavelle)

But we did have fun.... we watched Lets Be Cops and I have to log out so until next time :)

Wow, really in Guatemala !!

Arriving in Guatemala was not at all what I expected. Only a few moments had passed, probably not even an hour, when I realized how similar it was to El Salvador. A lot of the same smells came rushing to me. Many of the same emotions filled me up. I know that it is only a country over, but it´s crazy how much it felt like home. That feeling of being at home in a place where you´ve never been is actually pretty amazing.

Another week has passed and I realized that it is actually very different from El Salvador. Guatemala has way more culture of it's own than my own country does. It is an important thing to keep a culture alive and that is why I have enjoyed experiencing as much as I can. I have loved learning about all of the Guatemalan traditions. So far I have learned about the tipical foods (mostly made of corn), I was able to take part in a traditional wedding, experience some of the holidays, and see how Mayan traditions are still alive. I hope to learn more about this beautiful country.

2 WEEKS DOWN. 1 MORE TO GO

It's been two weeks now and I've been loving it here in Antigua, Guatemala. The time is going by so fast! I can't believe it's almost time to go back home. I have really been enjoying my time here and don't really think I'm ready to go back home. I've been learning so much and experiencing so many different things. This is totally different from what I expected it to be. The way the teachers made it sound, I expected us to be living in the straight slums of Guatemala but it truly is beautiful here. It's so funny the reaction from the Guatemaltecos when they see American girls walk down the street. I love speaking to all the locals and asking them questions about life in Guatemala. Just because we're so far from home doesn't mean it's so different. Everyday I'm constantly reminded of the similarities between here and home. I've been learning so much & truly lament the day we leave here to go back home.

Venus Montgomery

Guatemala, how great it has been...

During the first few days, in the back of my mind, I was still processing that I was really here in Guatemala. I was not able to sleep much but everything here reminded me of El Salvador. The minute we left the airport, I was only having memories. It is such a beautiful country and I am so happy to be having this experience and not only am I teaching first graders but I am also getting the help I need to improve my Spanish skills in general. Many people say that I speak Spanish well but the minute my Spanish teacher asked me what I thought I needed help with I knew what to say. I believe that this trip has impacted me in many ways already, seeing my kids who I teach, hug me when they see me and saying "Buenos Dias Seño. ¿Como esta usted? ". It melts my heart. My teaching partner Lucy is loveable of course and for the first couple of days the kids would stare at her prosthetic leg and I would have to translate for  her and say her whole situation and how they did not need to worry. These children have taught me to appreciate everything that I have and even though I am leaving in a week already, they will have my heart. Now that I have been here for 2 weeks, I can say that I have experienced many different things that have changed either my thoughts or me in general. I have been able to finally say that I am ready to be on my own and this is only the start of my big journey in life.
Andrea M.

Reverse Culture Shock

Sorry for the lateness of this blog post. I have been in Guatemala for 15 days so far. In that time, I experienced what I would describe as a ¨reverse culture shock¨. I am not sure what I expected, but I was caught off guard about how similar many things are to back home. It´s tough to put it into words because of how obvious these similarities should have been to me before I even came here, but I will try. There´s a kind of internal struggle with traditional values and modern, or I suppose Westernized values, just like America is constantly going through. However, I would think that much of the world has that in common. Little kids are hyper - and that is definitely the case in the U.S.. I have had multiple discussions about government corruption, which has become almost a cliché during American conversation. The list goes on and on. The human experience is fairly

common, and I am just learning that from my time here. 

-Alistair Acosta-Gladstone

P.S. Look forward to the differences between Guatemala and the U.S. that I have noticed (in contrast 

with this post) next time.

Checking In From Guate.

Today is June 16th. Its been exactly 2 weeks in Guatemala. So far this trip has been interesting to say the least. I have experienced all highs and no lows. Everyone here is happy and love to have fun even though the country is poor. People who have been to Guatemala in the past usually say that it was eye opening because in the U.S. we have more compared to them. I agree with that, but I think this trip made me realize that people here can stay happy knowing that they do not have as many things as we do in America. Every weekday I inspire kids in San Pedro by teaching third graders English. I feel proud for moments like this because I am teaching them something they enjoy. The kids are also smarter than I thought. A student I met named Jose could speak really good English. It impressed me a lot. After the teaching days, I go learn Spanish with a mentor. My mentor is really fun to learn Spanish with. He is outgoing and enthusiastic. I believe I have the best teacher in Sevilla compared to the other students. I have really enjoyed my time here thus far and will tell everyone back home everything about this trip. 

TWO WEEKS IN ANTIGUA

We only have a week left in Antigua and I have mixed emotions. Part of me wants to stay here because of how beautiful this city is and how adorable the kids that I'm teaching are. I have never met a group of young students that are so eager to learn than my students at San Pedro. When I hear them get upset at the fact that Caroleena's and my class is over it makes me feel like I'm actually making a difference in their lives. And the other part of me wants to leave because my family, my friends, and my life are in America. If only I could collide both and my life would be perfect.

Well Hasta Luego

SEE YOU SOON AMERICA

OMG!OMG!OMG! Why am I feeling NOTHING?

The night before leaving home to go to Antigua I was feeling neutral. I was feeling neutral when I woke and took a shower and waited for my dad, felt neutral when we prayed before leaving the house. I honestly felt like something was wrong with me when I hugged my dad because I felt nothing. I was very happy to see everyone at the airport and waiting our flight together. The voyage to Guatemala was VERY long, taking 2 planes and a bus to Antigua was a pain in the butt. The first thing that hit me was how much Guatemala felt like Haiti in some sort of way but I didn´t want to feel a false state of being comfortable because I didn´t want that feeling to come crashing down on me at any moment. The smell that hit me first in Guatemala City was how polluted the air was and GOD it was horrible, I was gasping for air and couldn´t breathe well. While observing the city, something that caught my eye was how frequently I saw the police with rifles and started to think how different it was going to be living in Antigua.

When we finally arrived in Antigua, what took my breath away was the volcano. My God it was grand, surreal, and ACTIVE. It made me think of how the people were humble in a sense that even though they were at the mercy of the volcano and how much they were trying to live in peace. It made me think of how much I was feeling that too and I knew right from there I was going to enjoy living here for a while. Meeting my homestay mom for the first time, I knew for a fact that the little Spanish I knew had to kick in now and I was very thankful for my Spanish teachers for the years at PHA. I understood what she was saying and talking back in SPANGLISH but somehow she understood.

I woke up to birds chirping instead of cars and the smell of pure air set my day on the right path. We went to the school for a welcome ceremony and the kids were STANDING UP!!! I was astonished and felt kind of bad, but Ms. Bello said it was a sign of respect. Watching the kids stand and sing Guatemala´s national anthem gave me a serious flashback when I used to do that when I was still living in Haiti and doing the same thing that they were doing every morning before continuing the rest of the day at school. That just made me realize, this might be a generalization, how similar life in third world countries is. It gave me a sense of common ground where I didn´t really feel in a different country but felt at home.

Until next time...

Week One Verdict: Different in a Good Way

Rule number one of travel: Keep an open mind.

For this trip, all of us had been told a little of what to expect - for example, that there would be a lot of rain. What we did not expect was to get caught in a torrential downpour on Day 2 and then be subsequently soaked on our way home. But let me start at the beginning - there's a lot of story between the airport and the storm.

The first moment when I realized that this trip would be different from every other journey I had taken before was in the ten or so minutes before we landed in Guatemala City. For once, I had a window seat, and when I could finally see land beyond the cloudscape, it was astonishing. The land was mountainous, completely different from metropolitan Boston, and in between the mountains were pockets where you could see civilization. That view helped me understand how the geography worked as we traveled between towns in the week that we've been here.

The second moment was when we landed. The instant we stepped off the plane, the humidity was a slap in the face - I had to pause to catch my breath multiple times. Then, as you walked further away from the plane, you saw more and more differences; for example, how the police openly carried firearms. I'm happy to say that Antigua is vastly different from the polluted city of Guatemala City. Dogs wander the streets and it's a normal part of life, the houses all have beautiful gardens, and life here is quiet. For one, I could fall asleep to the sound of wildlife and not traffic.

Now, back to the rain: during our Spanish lessons, we had run out to change our money and call our parents. All of us were completely unprepared for the hours of pouring rain that surprised us on our way back. From then on, I resolved to always have an umbrella on me (Ironically, I left mine at home by accident as I'm writing this at the Sevilla school).

The last moment was on Friday. We started lessons at the San Pedro school where we teach English. That was when my teaching partner and I both realized how little the students there had and how happy they still were. In comparison, students in the US have so much, and still want more. So much of what we have is taken for granted.

Anyways, that was only lesson one. We still have two weeks left, so I guess we'll see what happens with the kids. Until then, see you later, US of A :)

 Two weeks ago I felt that saying a sentence in spanish correctly was the most difficult thing I would have to do in school. I have always disliked the class because of how bad I was at it. Now after three spanish lessons and being immersed in the Guatemalen culture I feel I´m able to say and think things in a language that I nearly despised two short weeks ago. And that only leads me to think, three lessons and I feel like this, how am I going to feel in the end?

       Coming here I was pretty mad because I had to take a flight by myself and  the school didnt make me feel as informed as they could of.but in total  it made me more independent as a person. On the other hand  teachers stepped up to make sure I was well prept for my flight. Being at the airport alone was very boring because i had no one to talk and kinda scary. Also getting to the airport no one was there to greet me and i was harassed by a bunch of people that wanted to get off on me. But i guess thats not the schools fault because i did land early but maybe they could of tracked the plane or something. But seeing my friend when i got to the city made me very happy because they were very happy to see me. going to build really opened my eyes on how people live. but going to the spanish classes was fun at first but now its very boreing because we cant come together or practice our spanish outside of the school with the teacher. I was surprised see basket ball hoops here because i thought all they play here was basket ball. im on day 3 for me is ok it could be better but ill see where it will goes from here.

Field Trip to Patzun

               On June 4th, 2015 we went to a city called Patzun and we got to see different types of interesting rugs made out of dry sawdust. It was exciting how everybody in the community worked together to make miles of beautiful rugs with different types of designs on them. It was visible how much the people in the community put a lot of time and effort into making the rugs. It shows how dedicated they are to their religion because although in America there are different types of festivals they never really put in the time to decorate the srteets especially the ground.

WE ARE ACTUALLY IN GUATEMALA.......

Its only been 6 days and the pressure is real. Being here opened my eyes and made me realize that we are not in America anymore. Guatemala is so different from America, your actually walking and living in history. Everything they have here is still the same as it was long time ago. It was so hard to adjust to not having wifi, cable, my computer, and unlimited access to my refridgerator. IM COMPLETELY HOME SICK!!

BUT my home stay family is amazing! Their culture is very interesting. For example, eating together as a family is not something I do in America with my family and im starting to love it. Just being able to sit down and talk about our day (EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A LANGUAGE BARRIER). Everyone is so friendly and sweet plus our abuela is a good cook like we never eat anything twice.

Our 4 hour Spanish class can be very exhausting but I actually feel like I am learning to speak Spanish. Its even been helping me with talking to my host family. My teacher is great. She`s makes all our lessons fun plus I make her laugh. SHES A GREAT TEACHER.

Lastly, I really feel like I am bonding with the kids on this trip and I never realized how funny and great they are. Especially the people I dont really talk to at school. Even though I am enjoying myself here I still miss my family back home

Karenah Harewood

La primera semana en Guatemala

Well, it´s been almost a week in Guatemala and it has been quite an adventure. I have two 5th grade classes to teach but so far I´ve taught one class. It was very strange and I was EXTREMELY nervous. All the little kids were obviously anxcious to find out who their new teacher will be. Through the little window I was able to see their little heads trying to look outside to just get a peak at me and my partner. While teaching the kids, they were really nice and even made me laugh with their doubled meaning jokes. It was interesting to see their reactions to everyhthing we said because we also brought them little soccer ball shaped chocolates and I´ve never seen childrens faces light up as much as theirs. I´m looking forward to the days to come and the bond that will be created for both of my classes.

Be good to me, Guatemala!

This trip is REAL. Even though it´s in its early stages, this trip has really started to transform me as a person. We are on day 6. Day 6 of living in a new environment. Day 6 of eating completely different food. Day 6 of no wifi (like really no wifi). Day 6 of no family. I have little to no distractions which leaves a lot of time for me to think about everything and everyone I love and care about back in the States. I think I´ve already cried 3 times from the mere thought of hearing my family´s voice again. I´m extremely home sick but it´s so early. I´ve already grown to be so appreciative of the little things that I have back home even small things like water. I feel like I have nothing more but new experiences and lessons to learn and I´m eager to continue on here. Hopefully, I become less home sick and really let myself enjoy the rest of the trip. So far, we´ve seen so many different things like the dust carpets in Patzun and the little children at the school we teach at in San Pedro. We have so many more things to see and so much more time here. I´m honestly excited even though it´s still hard to believe I´m so far away. Be good to me, Guatemala!

Niah Carvalho

It has only been one week that I've been here in Guatemala and I can already say with confidence that the people here have touched my heart. I speak with my home stay parents as if we have known each other for years. I see them more as good friends instead of people that are paid to take care of me. They are very funny. The people I see on the street are friendly too. I know that they know I'm not Guatemalan due to me speaking fluent English and walking around in my Jordans. They still greet me every day with a smile and a very warm "Hola". The part that has touched me the most is ConstruCasa.  This is a program some of us are a part of where we help build homes for needy families in Guatemala. I was chopping bricks and making holes in them, moving them from one place to another, and I made a cement mix. I was in a group with Mr. Lavelle and David. While mixing the cement I got to meet the three daughters of the family we where building the house for. The youngest was Odilia, 11 years old, the middle one was Blanca, 13 years old , and the oldest was Gladis, 15 years old. Every time I messed something up they would laugh and show me how to do it correctly. I couldn't help but be embarrassed but I just laughed with them and let them teach me. When we were heading home they gave us a little fruit that tasted like plums and ice cream. They came from a poor family. The fact that they had nothing and still shared what little they had with us really got to me. Even though I was the one doing all the hard labor they proved that they were the real strong ones. The house is scheduled to be done very soon, by Monday (Today is Sunday). I can't wait to see the smile on the faces of those three girls when they are handed the key to their new house and I can't wait to build more for other families. This is something I can't wait to talk about once I get home.

It´s been 5 interesting days here in Guatemala. The weather is very bipolar, it rains everyday and sometimes it´ll be hot and raining or chilly and raining or humid and cloudy. But I love it. I love the fact that we´ve come at a time where they are having a lot of events in the city so we can all actually witness their culture with them. Some of us have already had one of their traditional meals and gone to one of their events for ¨Corpus Cristi¨ in the city of ¨Patzún¨. One thing that shocks me is that a lot of people are so nice and welcoming to all those who come to visit their city. Even some of the venders on the street know english so they are able to sell things to the tourists that walk through the Central Park. Mostly everyone loves their host families and it is so beautiful here. It´s clearly very different than the U.S, the streets the stores, the homes, even the MANY stray dogs here who roam around everywhere like it´s normal. The children here are ADORABLE. There are babies and toddlers everywhere with their parents and it´s amazing how connected they are with their family and the culture they are being raised by. 

I´ve heard a lot about Guatemala through my sisters stories which inspired me to come. Once we got off that plane the welcoming we recieved was very warming. You´d think that  everyone in Antigua knows each other because how happy and welcoming they are to see you, everyone greets each other. I´ts only been 6 days and I can already feel the change in my character. You learn to appreciate the little things, and most of all my family. The joy that runs through my body when I hear and see my parents voice through phone, or facetime is incredible, I enjoy sharing my experiences that ive had I Guatemala. I have 17 days left and im ready to learn and see what Guatemala has waiting for me.

Working with kids of San Pedro

       When I first got to the school San Pedro for the performances it was really cute. The kids were really cute singing their country´s national anthem and their school song. It was interesting that they knew Guatemala´s national anthem by heart while we struggled to sing America´s national anthem after "O say can you see..". It was funny at the same time. The kids played their flutes and it was really nice. I could already tell they kids were full of energy and I couldn´t wait to see who my kids are. I am excited to start working with kids more because I barely know most of their names. So it will be nice to meet more kids and talk with them more.