1st day of meeting the kids

Hey!!!

So just saying, I was never worried about teaching 4th graders in Guatemala. I woke up that Friday morning and was like: Let's do this. People showed a little trepidation (hehe) about teaching in Spanish, but I knew that Karen and I were prepared. We had made our packets for the little kids to use (66 of them in fact) and we had a schedule in our heads of what we were going to do... of course leaving a little flexibility. Karen and I were ready with our packets as our weapons and we were going to be great teachers whether they were ready for us or not.

Karen and I have two 4th grade classes: 4a and 4b. 4b was the first class, and we couldn't wait to see and begin the class. We even went in a little early and started with the introductions. The class was....okay. The kids were great, they even stood up when we came in and said good morning like the little soldiers they were. When they sat back down, Karen and I let them know the game plan. We handed out the packets, which some kids looked a little upset with, and told them the 4  topics we wanted to go over: Conversation, family, clothes, and body parts. We them gave them their first assignment, a little assessment (20 questions) that would see how well they knew conversation and family vocab. That's when everything got a little crazy. I guess the kids thought that it was a sheet where they need to write the words down with our help instead of an assessment, and they looked at us expectantly while we stared back confused. Finally, with a little help from their teacher, the kids understood and got to work. Everything besides that went smoothly. We even had so much extra time that we were able to start the 1st lesson in family. We even played a game with them with my new drums.

Then it was recess and the kids were on their break. Karen and I, wanting to relive our kid years, started a game of duck, duck, goose with some little ones and were running all over the playground. Oh, what good times. They are so cute and curious... I can't wait to shape their minds to help them in their futures.

 After recess came the 2nd class, 4a. Everything practically happened in the same way: we introduced, we explained rules, we gave assessment, kids confused, teacher helped, kids do it, started 1st lesson, and then played a game. Honestly though, I am really excited. I never had any sort of fear... these are just kids who wanted to learn English and were excited that they got to from Foreigners like us. Tomorrow is a new day, and we will continue with the family vocab.

Now that I am here, The 4th graders at San Pedro better watch out because Karen and I are here and we are ready to teach!!!

-Garlyn Colas

Guatemalan Fairytale

              We've been here for 6 days now and yes it is completely eye opening, but for some reason it seems so... unreal. I've heard about people who live in poverty and its always been a really sad story but everyone here is so happy and grateful. It hasn't hit me yet. The fact that many people are poor is true but seems just like part of the story - I want to truely feel sorry or grateful and don't just want to say I do. Hopefully... actually, I know I will feel this feeling on this trip and when I do I want to use what I learn and really apply it to my life rather than use it for a little amout of time and go back to my own ways. I want to feel the truth that lies beneath the surface; Sincerly and whole heartedly and I hope this is the place where I learn.
                                                                                                             -Whitney 

Family in Guatemala

Living here in Guatemala with my host family has definitely made me re-evaluate the way I think of my own family. The first day, we all introduced ourselves. My host mother's name is Maria, and she explained to us that she's been a host mother for about twenty years. She is very welcoming, always has a laugh ready, and is always asking me how my day was and what I did. Marco is the host father and he is even more affable. He jokes around with us, points out different Spanish songs, and sometimes helps me find the right translation in Spanish when I'm struggling. We met Pedro and Monica, their 20-year old children, and they were both so grateful when I gave them their gifts: each a little Boston Red Sox hat (in fact, the entire family was grateful for our gifts).
Since I'm the most fluent in Spanish in my homestay group, I'm the one who starts the conversations and the one who keeps them going. At every meal, I always talk and talk and talk, which is fairly hard for me since I'm a pretty quiet person. It's made me think about my own family and how I kind of take them for granted. At home, I don't feel obligated to ask my parents how their day was or about their childhood. I talk with my host family more than I talk to my parents, which is a wake-up call for me. If I can be so friendly and curious with complete strangers, why don't I do the same with the people who raised me?

-Lennin

Juan's ''caminanzes''

So far my experience has been great, El Salvador and Guatemala look (and smell) similarly (i have been to El Salvador before). My favorite part so far was meeting an adorable 3rd grader named Juan. The first day we went to teach in San Pedro I briefly met Juan, he is in my friend Meryem's class that she is teaching. The next day we went to the plaza in San Pedro and Juan was alone in the plaza, Mr. Cantu then went to the store to buy a ball so we could play with Juan. Juan's soccer skills amazed everyone, he was able to proficiently do tricks that highschool soccer players are not able to do. Juan was so happy that he would not stop smiling, he then came up to me and told me that he remembered me from Friday. He then gathered most of the Junior Journey kids in the plaza and taught us how to play a hand game, it was basically ''quack-a-dilly-o-my'' but in Spanish. After Juan sat down with me and I noticed his ripped and ratty clothes So I decided to give him what was in my pocket which was five quetzales, he looked at me and gave me the biggest smile that showed off his dimples aka ''caminanzes'' (dimples in spanish).

I assumed that he would run to the corner store to spend it all on candy but instead he called over his 4 brothers and sisters and gave them one quetzal each. Juan had one quetzal left, he then gave it to his little brother to buy his grandmoher clean water. He was left with no money and continued to run around like a little child. I was left shocked both because he gave all his money away, but mostly because Juan is so responsible, when I was 9 I would have spent it all on candy for myself. Juan just represents  how different Guatemala is from the United States where some people can be so selfish and greedy. Excited for the rest of the trip - Bevs Abrego

Day 1 Introduction

Day 1
So once we got to Guatemala, I was excited to meet my new family and really experience Guatemala. My family consists of a Mom and a Dad with their kids which is misleading because they are both 20 years old. Marco (My host dad) is very funny and is always trying to include Rockens and I into the conversations. Lennin is doing fine holding his converations, but at times Rockens and I need Marco to light up the conversation. Marco works in an office and his family has a bakery so we always get fresh french bread or cookies. Maria knows a lot about Guatemala and is always telling us little fun facts about Guatemala. They have been hosting families for 20 YEARS, but have never had boys so that was cool. In addition, Maria is a great cook. Each day, we get something new and it is always good...especially the soup. Pedro and Monica live at the house, but are not always, but they are very nice. Our house is also nice seeing that we have great view of the volcanoes that surround us and all 3 of us have our own room and wifi. After seeing our house, we went to back to the Sevilla Spanish Academy where we met our teachers. Domingo (my teacher) is a very nice man who is always teaching me new words and talking about different parts of history and foods that shape Guatemala and make Guatemala so unique. My Spanish is already improving and im trying to immerse myself even more. That day was very intersting and was an auspicious start to the Guatemala experience.

- Joshua A.

Host Parents,

The idea of leaving my parents and my moms cooking is really scary to me. I know that I am only used to eating my moms cooking, because she knows what I like to eat and what I do not like. The thought of me eating food thats not from my mom is even more scary. When I arrived here in Antigua and saw my host parents I said to myself that it´s going to be a long three weeks. When they showed my roommates and myself our rooms I said to myself ok it´s not so bad. After they showed me my room they gave me the key to the house and my room. Then dinner came and I thought that what if I don´t like it, what do I do? Maria, my host mother, placed in front of me a small bowl of soup, some white rice and bread. I gave everything a chance and ended up liking it. Throughout the week so far the food such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner have progressed towards the good direction. In the dining room Marco, host father, and Maria speak spanish and Marco speaks and understands a little bit of English. Josh and I have Lennin to translate a few words that I don´t understand. We speak like we´ve been living there for a long time because we all have something to say or contribute to the conversations. So far being here in Guatemala has slightly improved from ok to better.
                                                                                                                                    Rockens

Me llamo Juan Jackson

Hola, my people. I have been in Guatemala for six days. When arriving at my host famaly, I thought I would be called Warren, but NO. I am now Juan. No one seems to be able to say my name right. So when people ask me my name I tell them my name is Juan. Then comes the conversation about whats my name in a America, so many people think my name in Amercan name is John. So my Spanish teacher calls me John. From this day on I think I want to change my name to Juan. Everyone in America must call me Juan. Me llamo es Juan Jackson now.

Adios

Juan Jackson

I Built a House?

When I first found out that during our first weekend we were going top help build a houe I was less than thrilled.  Before I even left the van to get to the house I had already gotten a cut.  By 1030 I was off to work.  We were building a backroom to a house that was literally one room, and a toilet for 5 people.  My first job was to shovel dirt out of the middle onto the sides, behind the house.  On my walk to lunch I heard that people had a bet that I would be the first person to start to complain and take a break.  I proved them all wrong, and myself too.  These past 2 days I have helped make cement, place in cinderblocks and shovel out dirt from the foundation of the room.  Never did I expect that I would help build a house, let alone enjoy it.  The little kids who lived in that house lived with almost NOTHING and had such big smiles on their faces.  It made me so grateful for what I have.  The leader of the project moved to Guatemala 4 years ago after dropping out of college, wihtout knowing any Spanish.  She is so inspirational, and this weekend has showed me not to close anything off and keep my options open.  I love volunteering and have now realized that construction work can actually be fun and so rewarding in numerous ways.  I can´t wait to see what is in store for me for the next two weeks.
Hasta Luego!
Emily