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.