Let the rain fall down...

Rainy season has come in full force. I am listening to the rain batter our roof, hoping that the roof will hold the water out. There are a few leaks here and there, but luckily none over my bed (yet!). Mornings are beautiful, the sun shines, the sky is blue, and the volcanoes make their presence known in all their majesty. Around 2pm the sky starts to darken, and darken, and darken, then by 4pm the rain starts slowly… with a drop, then two drops, then a minute later it is as if the floodgates of heaven have broken open and the rain comes on down. Lately, it has stuck around for an hour or two then faded off, leaving everything cold and wet as night falls upon us. However, in the last week after the rains have left us for an hour or so around twilight, they have come back to lullaby us to sleep.

Raiders

Last night I apparently missed a lot of action at NPH. Feeling tired out still and needing a break, I took up one of my friend’s offers to come stay at their house in Antigua for the night. While I was enjoying a fun evening of games, talking, and dancing, NPH was being raided by locals trying to take our pigs! NPH has a pretty large pig farm with lots of pigs that we breed and butcher for internal use. Last night, approximately five local men somehow got onto the property and were trying to get to our pigs when someone saw them. Raising the alarm, NPH flung into action: the older boys from the boys house ran out of their houses yelling with the machetes they use for cutting the grass as well as big rocks which they flung at the intruders. The guard shot up a few bullets in the air to scare the intruders off, and the rest of the adults when running after the men with whatever they could find. After some action and excitement the intruders left without any of our precious pigs, the boys felt like warriors defending their own, and no one was hurt. Tonight the boys continue to patrol the grounds and every once in a while a reminder shot is fired into the air, but all is well. As I sit here in my house listening to the rain pouring on our roof I begin to think about the men trying to break in. What desperate times must they be going through to try to steal pigs from orphaned and abandoned children?

Challenges old and new

This past week was a challenging week. I had to inform my coworkers and friends that I will be leaving NPH and Guatemala in late June (I accepted a job as a High School English teacher at an international school in Managua where I will be starting at the end of July). As I have made some great friendships here it was difficult to inform them that I would be leaving them so soon. After emotional conversations – and a doubled workload as I must now prepare an extra month of classes for my two middle school classes when I leave as well as prepare a smooth transition for my job in the office as project coordinator – I was ready to go out to Antigua with my good friend Samantha on Thursday night. Samantha and I hopped from venue to venue enjoying a complimentary glass of wine at a pretty little restaurant called Las Palmas, a brownie at one of our favorite restaurants Pena del Sol (where they play live Andean music), and lots of rum and cokes in a variety of other bars. Samantha’s friend Will called us to come to hang out with him and his friends so we headed over and immediately requested that the bar play “colgando en tus manos” by Carlos Baute which we proceeded to sing. Then one of my Guatemalan friends called and we scuttled over to go out dancing with him at my favorite dance club where they play a mix of Salsa, Bachata, Reggaeton, Merengue, and Kumbia. Salsa here in Guatemala still trips me up a bit, as they do it a little differently than I have ever done it. Nonetheless, the dancing was incredibly fun and when the club closed at 1 (Guatemalan nights out end very early) we called our trusty cab driver Alfredo to take us back home to NPH. Alfredo is a wonderfully nice gentleman who is about 50-years-old who is taking English lessons from Samantha. Therefore, on the way home he was practicing and asking lots of questions. About one and a half of the five miles on the route home is a dark, uphill segment. Alfredo’s car is pretty old and the lights are very dim – I was half worried that we might have to get out and push the car up the hill or turn around and spend the night in Antigua, but by God’s grace we made it up the hill and back to NPH. Laughing about our adventures, Samantha and I walked to our house, knowing we would have to get up in a couple hours to work in the school. Thank goodness we don’t have classes on Fridays!

Cleaning House

Every Saturday morning of my childhood began with pancakes and a chore list.

This morning, though lacking in pancakes, was filled with chores. Living in a house with seven girls and lots of visitors makes for a pretty dirty living space. Therefore, when all the girls left this morning for grocery shopping, the lake, activities with the kids, etc., I took advantage of the situation and worked on making the house very clean.

Now, cleaning supplies are limited and the way things are done here at NPH took some getting used to. Nevertheless, armed with a 2 brooms, a few towels, vinegar, bleach, scrubbing pads, a bucket, and a squeegee I went to work. Our stove has apparently not been cleaned since it was bought, but after 3 scrubbing pads, two bottles of vinegar, and an hour or so of my time it looks good as new.

To clean the tiled floor, you must throw a mixture of bleach and water on the floor, then use the squeegee to wipe the water out, then finish off with a mop made of a broom covered by a towel. It is a long process, and lots of fun – especially when whisking out the water with the squeegee (the floor becomes like a skating rink!). When the floor is finished it shines and sparkles … if for only a hour or so.

And, after reading an article in Real Simple about using vinegar to clean teapots, I went to work on our shabby little teapot. After only 10 minutes of scrubbing, our beloved teapot is looking almost new! And, as the back of the stove was so gross with years of grease and dirt, I went on to attack it as well. Four hours after I started the house was finally clean.

Warmth has finally come to San Andrés Itzapa, and the afternoons have a pleasant glow as the sun shines over the volcanoes and valleys and our home in the middle of it all. The kids take advantage of the sunny days by biking, playing soccer, and just wandering around enjoying the afternoons. I am finally able to take off my jackets and don some of the warmer summer clothing. The evenings still have a comfortable chill that makes it perfect to snuggle under the covers with a good book. I have recently found a few classics that I somehow missed reading in high school, and so currently I am reading The Lord of the Flies.

This past Wednesday evening I returned from a short trip to Nicaragua. I left last week Friday, April 16, to visit friends (and take advantage of my rental car!). It was so wonderful to be back, to see everyone and all the changes that have taken place. Chureca was more smoky than I remembered, and houses have been moved and roads built as the Spanish plan moves forward. In Cedro and Chiquilistagua the changes are more slight – children are bigger, my students have new boyfriends or girlfriends, and other friends have found new jobs or begun to build additions to their homes. However some things don’t seem to change – the warmth of Lorena’s porch and the hospitality and friendship I have found there, Yescenia’s jokes and laugh as her children run around showing me new pets, and other friends’ insistence that I sing songs to them – and these are the things that I carry with me in my heart.


The Flores Family - My Home Away From Home

Returning to Guatemala has been a change, not only in the heat and altitude, but also in my own feelings. While I appreciate the beauty of the country and the deep warmth of the people I have met, I feel more of a stranger here than ever. I have obviously always been a tourist, a foreigner passing through; but I have never felt it so strongly. This is indeed a blessing, as it would be extremely difficult to move on when the time comes if I felt as strongly toward this country as I feel for others. Nevertheless, there are still months to enjoy the majesty of this magical country and take pleasure in the friendships I have made, and I look forward to the adventures that are to come.

Correction to previous entry!

I must admit that I was not fully informed before I wrote my last entry about the bus strikes. It was, in fact, much more complicated and frightening than my previous report of better wages, road conditions, etc. Unfortunately, the situation in the city buses in Guatemala is much more violent and corrupt.


Each month the city bus drivers of Guatemala city have to pay 1000 quetzales ($125.31) to the local gangs for "protection". If they refuse to pay, they are subject to assaults, and in many cases, death. The bus drivers were getting fed up with having to pay so much, especially because a bus ride costs 1 quetzal per passenger, and decided to go on strike. In solidarity with them, the rest of the bus drivers accross the country decided to go on strike, so as to bring immediate attention to the plight of the city bus drivers. The government is listening - for now - and there is now a larger police force tackling the problem. On almost every red City bus you can see a police officer or security gaurd riding right behind the bus driver. This has made the buses a bit safer for now, but it is unclear of how long assistance will be provided.

Yesterday I had to go to the Immigration office in the capital to renew my visa, which I must do after being here for 90 days (after the next 90 days I will have to leave the country for Belice, Mexico, or Costa Rica - as Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua have an international agreement on migration and travel). After a quick visit and passport pickup, the other volunteers wanted to hop on the red buses to go to a mall called Tikal Futuro. I, however, have heard too many tales of theft and assault on the buses, even with the increased security. City buses in Managua? No problem. City buses in the midst of a gang, transport, and police war? No, thank you.

Huelgas and Piojos

Living in Guatemala, there are some things that will inevitably happen. One, there will be strikes. One thing that other countries use much more often than the States are these strikes. They grab the attention of everyone, as most people can´t get to work because of the crowds in the streets, and the issues are brought to the attention of the public. So today the buses are striking about higher wages, less working hours, safer roads, etc. Thus, there was no school today, as many of the teachers could not arrive at work in the buses or get through the streets in their cars. So, there was no English class for my students today.

Secondly, there is something inevitable about working at NPH. The kids often have piojos - that is to say lice. Therefore, if one spends time with kids - hugging them, playing with them, sitting with them to do homework - there is a very likly chance that you TOO will get lice. It took me 2.5 months. First it began with a slight itch, this was Tuesday. Then, Wednesday, a little more."Dry scalp?" I think... no, not just a dry scalp. Yes, for the first time in my life I had lice. Luckily I caught it right away and went to war on them. I had to wash all my clothes and blankets and even my pillow. While they were in the washer and dryer I washed my own hair with special shampoo twice and left the shampoo in for a few hours with a plastic bag over my head. By Friday, I was happy to announce myself as Lice-Free. I used to think it was only for people who were very dirty and never bathed. But now, as a daily bather and hair-washer, I know that it can happen to anyone who comes into contact with it. And you know what? It was worth it to have it if that is the price for spending quality time with the kids.

Land of Eternal Spring

One always hears of the magical beauty of Guatemala – it is a storybook country full of ancient customs and culture, a land where one can go from the delicious tropical summer air of pristine beaches to the crisp beauty of the highlands where Guatemalans celebrate and continue in the traditions of their wise ancestors the Mayans. The bounty of colors in a single garment worn by a Mayan woman rivals that of a beautiful peacock in full fanning of feathers. To say it is beautiful is an understatement. One must see them to fully appreciate the beauty, though watching them being made in the tedious process has me marveling at the patience and creativity of each artist, for that is what each weaver is.



As a volunteer in Guatemala, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to travel and see the marvels of this country. Parramos is located between two important cities: Antigua with its beauty and elaborate tourist facilities, and Chimaltenango, an industrial city along the Pan-American Highway with bus connections to most any place one would want to go. This past weekend I took advantage of my proximity to Chimal to take the “Chicken Bus” to Quetzaltenango, a city in the Western Highlands. On Friday afternoon some friends and I headed out from the orphanage to hop on the 20 minute bus ride from Parramos to Chimal. Hopping out of the bus on the busy corner of the Pan American Highway we were immediately confronted by the honking of horns, standstill traffic, police officers blowing whistles, and bus drivers shouting out their destinations. Once we found our bus (not hard, as all the drivers wanted to get the business of six more passengers), we entered the completely full old school bus. Climbing up the stairs of these buses shows one why they are called “chicken buses” – they transport everybody with all the things they bring along with them – including chickens tucked under arms. In the United States these buses have a capacity of 66 persons – however in just my row at one time we had nine passengers.

Arriving in Xela (as Quetzaltenango is known), I called my friend Maddie whom I worked with last year (see last years entries to see pictures of her and read stories of adventures together) and whom is currently in Guatemala seeing if there is need for another Manna Project site here in Guatemala. I am so glad that she is here, as we frequently call one another during the day. But I digress. Maddie quickly came to find me in the park and we commenced our weekend. Saturday my friends from NPH and I went to Fuentes Georginas, hot springs located about a half hour from Xela in the mountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful – tropical foliage dripping in emerald green and pools of steaming hot water filled with weekend visitors seeking refuge from the chilly mountain air. After lounging in our bathing suits in the water for two hours we returned to Xela where I spent another marvelous night with Maddie and two other friends from Manna Project – Lori and Chris.



Sunday led to another adventure on the camionetas – Chicken Buses – as I had to return to Parramos for another wonderful week of work. I’m not sure what it is about the bus drivers here, but all of them are secret F1 race car drivers stuck in gigantic school buses. They take the mountain passes at breakneck speeds and the word “breaks” only applies once or twice in a 3-hour period. Watching them I feel that I may have missed my calling in life.

Family Projects

One of the many responsibilities of being a volunteer for NPH is that we must go on two "family projects" each month. Family projects are really fun, they are a chance for blood brothers and sisters to get together and spend quality time with one another and a volunteer. The volunteers organize everything - first we ask them what they want to do - go to the nearby town of Parramos for food, ice cream, to hang out in the park, to play soccer... etc, or to stay at the home and make a cake, cookies, pizza, hamburgers, play cards, watch a movie etc. The options are up to the family and it is encouraged to have as much interaction between siblings as possible.

This past month I was assigned to a family of five siblings. The oldest brother was not able to make it to the project, but the oldest sisters and the two younger brothers were able to come. We met up to make hamburgers and french fries together. The oldest sisters taught the youngest brother how to help with cutting tomatoes and washing the lettace, things they would do daily in their house before joining the NPH family. It was intersting to be a part of it, and that they let me into their conversations and jokes made me feel honored. After a few matches of fusball, some puzzles, and building a castle with the youngest brother we ate, cleaned up the room together, and said goodnight as each family member went to their sections to finish up homework and go to bed.



My second project was a Friend Project. Friend projects are for pequeños (kids at NPH) who do not have family members in the home. They are able to choose two friends and do the same things that one would do for a Family Project. In this way they are also given some individual attention and the chance to get out and have some fun. I went with three 15-year-old boys to Parramos where we ate pizza, drank soda, and played a few rounds of Phase Ten. We talked a lot about school, life at NPH, friends, life in the States, English, Spanish, and Chapín (characteristics typical of Guatemala). It was fascenating for me, and I had a great time with the boys. There was a lot of laughing and jokes, and though I have always been the youngest, it felt like I was hanging out with my little brothers.

These trips are wonderful reminders of just how special each child here is. And as Father Wasson, the founder of NPH used to say: "You may be just one person in this great big world; but you can be the entire world to a child." The world is much bigger than me, much bigger than NPH, but sometimes it feels as if nothing matters more than the conversations made and the time spent with one person or small group of persons here.

Accompanying a Section

The children here at NPH Guatemala are divided up into houses by age and gender. In the babies house there are four sections, the first is the Angelitos (little angels) which currently has two babies in it. The second section is the Luceros (little lights) which has four little boys and one little girl between the ages of 18 months and 3-years. Then the sections divide into little girls between 4- and 7-years-old and little boys from 4-7 years. The girls are the Fresas (the strawberries) and the boys are the Cariñositos (the little love bears). When children turn 8-years-old they move to either the boys' or the girls' house. In the boys' house there are six sections divided by age, and in the girls' there are four sections. Each volunteer is given a section of children to "accompany" or get to know well and mentor. My section is in the girls' house with the second oldest girls. The section's name is Belen (Bethleham), and the girls range from 12- to 17-years-old, though most are 15- and 16-years-old.

I have really enjoyed getting to know them little by little each day. The girls are wonderful, smart, loving, and creative. Whenever I go to visit them in their house at night there is always music playing, someone singing, a few girls doing homework, others doing their laundry and cleaning up the space, and certainly a few girls who want to just talk and hang out. Yesterday evening I spent helping with a little geography homework, English homework, talking about health and especially how to avoid acne, and putting the song "You Raise Me Up" to Spanish phonetics - after which I was coerced to sing the song five or six times to a growing number of listeners. Thank goodness two girls joined in with me, as I have never been one to sing for an audience. I always feel so full of joy when I leave them, they bring up my spirits each time I visit, no matter what the day has brought. What a wonderful blessing.

First days of class!

This week was the first week of my English class. I teach one one-hour class to nine students at 7am. They are smart kids and lots of fun, and I hope to be able to teach them a lot. I´ve been working on coming up with a curriculum for them, and will be working with the other English teachers in order to do this. We are looking for a good ESL book, if you have any ideas please let me know! I´m also trying to get a system going, and it has been so helpful to have an actual teacher here, one who was trained and has experience in teaching. I would feel so lost without her guidance.




In my projects job I am beginning to work with a company called "My Good Shop" (www.mygoodshop.org). They have a sort of a gift catalogue which speeds up donations and gets rid of a lot of middle men. I really enjoy the job, and am learning quite a bit. It is fun to write emails and projects and do research on old projects and talk to a variety of people around the home. Today I have a meeting with an engineer from Guatemala City in regards to the building of a new school building - a sciences building that will allow the students to have a higher caliber of education. Currently they do not have a building or even a room with facilities for Chemistry, Biology, or Physics classes. I hope that this project will be able to be realized.

This past week my friend Maddie came to Guatemala, she will be here for two months. Maddie and I worked together in Nicaragua for Manna Project, and we had a lot to catch up on. We were able to explore Guatemala City with some new friends of mine. It was enlightening to see with people who live there, because I all hear is how dangerous it is. However, we went to some beautiful places. I was astounded at the arquitecture of some of the buildings, and Maddie and I kept exclaiming about how different everything was from Nicaragua. Overall we enjoyed our time in "Guate."

Each week we are supposed to spend two nights with our respective section. Last night I had the opportunity to go, and it was amazing. I brought some pictures of my family and friends and showed it to a captivated audience (all the girls expressed admiration of my brothers, and asked me when they are visiting :-) They then brought out their pictures and began to let me into their lives. We talked about families, soccer, school, food, and other things. The girls in my section range from 14-17 years old, and love to talk. I love being with them because we can have real conversations about things that they like, that bother them, that they wonder about... It is the ideal age for me, and I enjoy it thouroughly.

This weekend I look forward to celebrating my roommate Daniella´s Birthday with typical Austrian foods and a big bonfire. Then I will be heading to Panajachel to see Lago Atitlan and get some needed rest before another crazy and exciting week of work!

First impressions

I have now finished my first week of “on the job training,” and it seems to be going fairly well. I am growing used to Guatemala (or at least the small town of Parramos) and the way of life in Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. Next week I will be moving into my permanent quarters and I think that that will be helpful, a stabilizing location in an ever changing place.

My job as project coordinator is going well, I really like my coworker Ismar. He is very funny and always joking around. He makes work lighthearted and the hours pass by quickly. We are both becoming accustomed to the work, both having begun last week. We have made some progress with a few projects, and have added more to the website www.nph.org. My desk was moved in on Wednesday, and the computer was put up on Friday the 15th, however it is not working quite yet due to a power outage during the setup process. Next week I have meetings and the work should begin in earnest. I am looking forward to being busy.



My other job, teaching English, may or may not start next week. School is supposed to start at 7am on Monday morning, but I still do not know where I will be working or exactly which class I will be teaching. This is a bit tricky, but the headmistress doesn’t seem too worried and neither do the other teachers, so I guess I will take it all in stride. They tell me that Guatemalan schools don’t really start the week they are supposed to, it is more of a week of diversion and becoming accustomed. I’m not exactly sure what that means but I will be at work at 6:45am ready to do the Civil Service Act – that is sing the Guatemalan national anthem. I will be teaching one class each day Monday-Thursday from 7am-8am. I will then prepare my class for the next day, go for a run/exercise, clean up and check into work in the office at 10am and then be out at 5:30pm. With dinner at 6 and then hanging out with my appointed section at night, it will be a long day I’m sure.



I’m learning a lot of new words in Spanish each day – Guatemala has a different vocabulary than I have heard, and thus I feel I am constantly asking what a word means or how to say a word when people look at me like I’m crazy for saying something. For example, it was really cold last week (we were also hit with the cold front that hit much of North America and Europe) and I wanted to ask for another blanket. So I went to my coordinator and asked for a manta and she said, “a what?”, “una manta. I would like to have another one for the cold.” She didn’t understand, so I began to describe it. Then she exclaimed, “O! Un poncho!” ¿poncho? Yes, here in Guatemala a blanket is a poncho. I had similar experiences with popcorn, earrings, a pitcher, paper clips, and ink cartridges.

New Job in Guatemala

I have just moved to Guatemala and am now in the first days of orientation of my new job, and more precisely, of my new home. I have moved to work for a foundation called Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) as the Project Coordinator and an English Teacher. I’m not exactly sure what my job as Project Coordinator will entail but I’m sure to find out later this week. Right now me and my fellow “generation of volunteers” are just getting to know our surroundings and learn about the organization. There are eleven new volunteers, nine women and two men. The men and two of the women are from Germany, two women are from Austria, four women from the United States (including myself), and one woman is from Spain.



So far our daily routine begins at 8am with breakfast, though I have been getting up at 6am to go for a run. The sun is just making an entrance at that time, sending shoots of pink and orange and red across the sky and in the crevices around the volcanoes. We have two volcanoes near to our home: Volcan Agua and Volcan Acatenango. They are breathtakingly beautiful, and I hope to climb them in the near future.



After breakfast (which consists of bread, an oatmeal/milk/rice/corn drink, and egg, coffee or tea, and red beans) we have some sort of orientation presentation. We learn about the structure of the organization, where things are on a tour, what our jobs will be, the characteristics we may need to have to do our jobs, what our feelings and fears are now (so we can see them a year from now), and play games to get to know one another. At 1:30pm we have lunch, and then normally do a walk around. Today we are going to Chimaltenango. Yesterday we walked around the orphanage and learned where everything was. We eat dinner at 6pm and then are free to walk to the internet café because right now ours doesn’t work at the orphanage. It is nice to get out into Parramos, the small village that is about a five-minute walk from where we live.

Parramos is a tranquil, easygoing village in the highlands of Guatemala. It has a central square where there are basketball courts, a large fountain, a pavilion, and a church. Along the four streets that surround it are produce stands during the day. There are also music venders, snack venders, a bank, and other shops around. In the evening there are lots of people walking and talking and sitting in the square. It reminds me of Mallorca and the other European cities and villages I have visited. It is a comforting feeling.

The first two nights here I have been going to a restaurant called La Familia – The Family – a place that volunteers seem to frequent. There is typical Guatemalan food – rice, beans, meat, guacamole, and some veggies along with the staple of the corn tortilla (which acts as a plate cleaner upper). And my favorite thing about the place: the jukebox. It has music by Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Makano, Aventura and other favorites of mine. Amazing.