finished!

For the past three weeks, all of us volunteers have been working abajo in the kids' sections. Since the caregivers of the sections literally work all year long, we help them out during the holiday season by assuming their role as tios. The word "tio" literally means aunt or uncle. Here at NPH, it's what we lovingly call the caregivers of our kids.

Seeing as my boys are in la Casa de Bebes, I worked as a tia there. I'd describe it as babysitting. But not just regular babysitting.. babysitting on steroids! Rather than a family of three siblings, I watched 11 little rascals. Rather than an evening while the parents are away, I worked a 48 hour shift. It's a good thing I had my roommate Hannah as my partner in crime :) While there were certainly moments that tested my patience, I truly enjoyed the change of pace. I was able to hang out with my boys a lot more, get to know the girls who are the same age, and act like a kid all day long. We'd do anything from attending pretend weddings, to coloring competitions, to indoor soccer, to afternoon dance parties! Oh, and we sang "Jingle Bells" about 352 times a day. haha.

As of today, I'm done! Three weeks with tons of rascals definitely wiped me out. For this, disculpame for the lack of blog posts this month. I promise to catch you all up.. just after my vacation. Where are we headed? Well, seeing as it's time to renew our visas, we're headed east to the beaches of Belize! I'll think of you all as I soak in the glorious sunshine during the dead of winter :) Many posts to come upon my return!

Love,

Kristina

feliz, feliz navidad.

While this was my first Christmas away from the family EVER, my newer and much larger family down here definitely made this Guatemalan Christmas one to remember! Sending well wishes from my (adorably festive) loved ones to you and yours :)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.

over the river and through the woods..

..to the Christmas market we go! Another Kermes has come and gone. And this one was themed with the season in mind. Each country prepared a typical snack for the holiday season. Carrie, Mark, and I festively represented the states. What did we decide to serve? Why hot chocolate with whipped cream and mini-marshmallows, of course! Although we had some tough competition, the three of us still had fun passing out hot drinks and smiles to the kids.

and the christmas season is off!

Posadas are to Guatemala as Christmas parties are to the states. In the month of December, posadas take place multiple times a week. It is an annual tradition in which people reenact Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay. So what happens exactly? A group of people wander from place to place via candlelight. Upon arrival, they begin a back-and-forth sing-song with a group inside. The first few places turn away the group outside. The last place always makes room for them, just as the stable did for Mary and Joseph. The group then joyously enters, and the party begins!

For us at NPH, our first posada took all the kids around the house. They even stopped at the volunteer houses (only for us to turn them away). After a few more stops, they were finally taken in at the cafeteria. Once inside, we all participated in a prayer service, followed by a fiesta! It was a wild and crazy period in which all the kids had a swing at pinatas they had made themselves. For me, it was a memorable evening filled with a beautiful sense of community.

"x" marks the spot.

After 4 weeks (mas o menos) of my summer reading program, the pirates finally found the treasure! They were all very anxious to get to the end of their maps. Every time the kids saw me around the house, they would ask, "Vamos a buscar el tesoro?" or "Are we going to look for the treasure?" Uh, of course! A little bit of incentive was all that they needed to walk up that hill to the library.

Each afternoon, a new crew of pirates would stop into the library. Once they creatively colored their maps, they were allowed to check out a book. They then read until they reached 5, 10, or 15 pages. Next, they would visit me so that I could mark their map. The 9 to 12 year old boys were so into it that they were practically toppling over one another to get to me first! It was a little crazy, but also really exciting to see.

On the last day of each section's turn, they were able to pick out a prize from the treasure chest. What prizes were there you ask? My Mom had sent me a bunch of fun little prizes back in October. There was everything from plastic rings to play-dough to slinkies to lizard figurines. The kids loved it. I have enough leftovers that, who knows, I might try another type of program come the new year!

thankful.

Guatemala is a country that has sunny skies, warm summer-like days, and a Christmas season that started immediately after Dia de los Santos on November 1st. What does that mean for us Thanksgiving celebrators? We say screw it and go all out anyway :)

On Thursday morning, the other English teachers and I took it upon ourselves to make elementary-style decorations. This meant turkey hands, cornucopias, pilgrims, indians, and even a turkey mask. It was all in preparation for dinner. Cleverly titled "Thanksgiving on the Side," everyone was asked to bring a side dish. While we didn't gobble up any turkey, we did enjoy green beans, rosemary potatoes, pumpkin bread, chicken, and molten chocolate cake! It was a heart-warming way to spend the evening sharing one of our favorite holidays with our home-away-from-home family.

brusha, brusha, brusha.

When we received the invitation to Nadia's graduation from dental school earlier this month, of course our response was "Si!" While not a volunteer per say, Nadia did her practicum at the clinic and also lived here with us. She quickly became part of the NPH family, as well as the smaller volunteer family.

Last Friday, a dozen or so of us camioneta-ed it to the capital. We arrived with some time to spare before the ceremony began. After a touching speech on her part, questioning and reviewing by her professors, and a final acceptance.. she became Doctora Nadia! Now that's something to flash your pearly whites about.

mom & dad!

I'm not sure if you're aware, but I keep a Nicchi-in-Guatemala count. For the past 4ish months, it's been at a very steady one. But on November 10th, the count shot up to three when my parents touched down at the airport! For almost a full week, Mom and Dad came to see what this whole volunteer thing in Guatemala is all about (convinced? check).

In her typical fashion, Mom wasted no time in making sure we saw and did everything we possibly could while they were here. Plus, it just so happened that they were here for the 15th anniversary celebration! We started off with that, in which my parents had the chance to meet a bunch of my boys, practice speaking with my older English students, get to know my volunteer friends, and take about 390480 pictures of the place that I live/sleep/work/eat at :)

The next stop on the itinerary was the lake. We almost didn't go, but were we sure glad we changed our minds. We decided to take up the offer for a boat tour. With that we saw a coffee co-op, a bungalow port town, eat delicious sandwiches, browse a few art galleries, and of course catch the stunning view of the surrounding volcanoes. The next day, we headed to Antigua. While I'm there pretty often, it was fun to explore it with the tourist mindset. We squeezed in a few museum tours, church visits, and gift shopping. It was then time to head back to the capital. We got stuck in a little bit of traffic, but the dim sum dinner we had for dinner that night definitely made up for it. Dim sum? That's just one of the numerous non-rice-and-bean meals we had. The trip's menu also contained french onion soup, steak, sushi, veggie-filled omelettes, and Pollo Campero (Guatemala's version of KFC). Dad's nose knows!

While there's always email, snail mail, and phone call contact between the fam and I, absolutely nothing beats having the real deal here with you. It was a wonderful trip full of silly, yummy, and great moments. Gracias Mama y Papa!

quince aniversario!

Celebrations are not taken lightly here. Take, for instance, the 15th year anniversary of NPH Guatemala. I'm tellin' you, these people know how to go all out. It was a three-day event that started on Thursday morning and lasted until midnight on Saturday! Beginning Thursday, everyone met on la cancha to attend Mass. It looked incredible. The 9 NPH countries each had their flags represented, tissue paper flowers hung above, and the main aisle was decorated in typical Guatemalan-fashion with.. colored wood shavings! The Mass was the perfect way to gather the whole community before celebrating juntos.

Friday began the real fun. They had previously split us up into groups based upon the 15 areas of NPH. I was placed in transporte. After weeks of preparation, each group received 10 minutes on Friday afternoon to perform. It was then that we saw funny costumes, faces painted, clever skits, choreographed dances, ginormous flags, and cheers that all added up to a hilarious show. Even though I thought Friday was super divertido, I was told to "just wait" until Saturday.

On Saturday, all the kids, volunteers, teachers, tios, and employees of NPH met on the field for the largest competition in which I've ever competed. From 8am until 6:30pm, we were going going going. Stations consisted of obstacle courses, Mayan soccer, pass-the-soaking-wet-sponge-over-your-head game (above), karaoke, a makeshift mechanical bull, and so much more. After getting through all those games, we all met on the back side of the comedor to see team go against team in tug-o-war! It was an absolutely exhausting, but thrilling day. But! It doesn't end there. After the muddy finish to the games, everyone hurried off to the showers to clean up before a fancy dinner and dance. Only in Guatemala, right? :)

kristi's observations.

Since arriving to Guatemala, I've noticed a few things about los chapines. Here's the start of my list of defining characteristics:

- The majority are short (as in under-5-feet short).

- The preferred movie categories consist of action, dramatic action, romantic action, and comedic action. A movie with a motorcycle-riding ghost makes even the girls go wild!

- Boys love belting along to songs. Compared to boys in the states, these guys have no fear whatsoever. It's great.

- A start time for a meeting is merely a suggestion. I'm relatively patient when it comes to kids, but I'm now learning to be patient with adults too.

- Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez possess 99% of the hearts.

- Even if you're a complete stranger, people genuinely greet you on the street. It's one of my favorite things here.

- Nicknames are huge ..hence "Kristi's" observations!

- Guatemalans are probably some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. Which, naturally, they'll deny :)

argh, matey!

It's November. There's no school. The kids are bored. What's the solution? A summer reading program! Or at least that's my solution here in the library :) I remember as a kid always heading to the library with the fam to get lost in a book, fill out a map, and receive a bunch of sweet prizes along the way. Since the kids have peluche all day/every day, I thought I'd help the tios out by providing an activity in the afternoons. Cut Pirata Pedro. He asked all of the kids if they were ready for the adventure of a lifetime. If they were, then they could join him in the library to look for the treasure!

The program started on Friday. I was a bit hesitant of the turnout, as the 17-20 year old boys had their time slot first. But, believe it or not, a few showed AND got super into it! They were coloring their maps (above) and hurrying through 15 pages so that I could mark off square one. It made me beyond excited. If I can motivate the older guys, then I know I'm "golden" with the little pirates of NPH.

let's go fly a kite.

Forget Halloween.. here it's all about Dia de los Santos! It can be seen both on the ground and in the sky. Like most other work places in Latin America, we received the day off to celebrate and commemorate those who have since passed. A few of the tias invited us along to attend the internationally-known kite festival in Sumpango. Kite festival, you ask? Yup! On November 1st, and only on November 1st, the spirits of those who have died can return to visit their loved ones in the form of kites. From the size of the festival, it was pretty clear that attendance from both sides was present.

Not only was the quantity of kites impressive, so too was the size of these kites. I'm talking mucho mas grande que yo! Kites were ginormous, expansive, and intricate. Made with tissue paper, glue, masking tape, and bamboo sticks, I at first did not understand how such large kites could fly. After consulting one of the artists, we found out the larger kites are more for the art of the hobby. He then continued to comment that he had been working on his for the past six months! From our conversation with him, it was obvious that love and intention were behind the work of such detailed and stunning kites. The rest of the day was spent admiring the large kites, watching the small kites fly, passing through the cemetery, enjoying pizza for lunch, and eventually buying my very own barrilete :)

crazy.

Today marks four months since arriving at NPH. Hold the telefono. One-third of my time here is done?! When did that happen? While time in general seems to pass at a normal pace, the days, weeks, and even months seem to zip by. Over these past few months, I have truly become comfortable with my life here. The section of 5 to 9 year old boys has turned into my boys. The volunteer house has become home. Relationships with other volunteers have turned into treasured friendships. The teenage girls have started calling me patito, or duckling, for my pigeon-toed way of walking (aka now I know I'm "in" haha). And the way to truly know I'm comfortable somewhere? My ridiculous dance moves have made an appearance. Ok, let's be honest.. multiple appearances!

If I'm reminded of anything today, it's to live in the moment and cherish every memory. Time is limited and won't last forever. As a quote lover, I came across one in particular that stuck with me. "Breathe it all in. Love it all out." Isn't that a beautiful approach to life, friendship, and every second of every day? :)

pomp and circumstance.

While it may not seem like that time of year, our graduation ceremony was on Friday! The school system in Guatemala runs from the beginning of January to mid-October. Then a build-up of anticipation typically takes place for two weeks before the big procession.

Earlier in the week, us librarians became the designated decoration-makers. The library floor is still coated with blue and gold glitter. But boy was the ambiance in the cafeteria worth the mess in the library. With dangling diplomas in the air, bouquets of brightly-colored roses, and our glittered banner in the front, it was stunning. An even more stunning sight were the rows of graduates anxiously awaiting the ceremony to begin. After morning mass, it commenced. It was a proud morning as kids graduated from Montessori all the way up to tercero basico. I was a beaming English teacher (along with fellow English teachers Thayer, Sam, and Molly above), as my entire class walked that day!

Yup, even these three troublemakers of mine.. :)

come one, come all!

Regine had the fantastic idea to do something special for the youngsters of NPH. On Thursday afternoon, we invited the Casa de Bebes to attend none other than.. a circus! While there certainly weren't any lions, tigers, or bears, there were kites, a limbo competition, ice cream, and even a nighttime show!

Prior to the big event, we split up into groups to work alongside the kids. I was a part of the costume group. The one thing we knew we had to have were clown noses, and that's exactly what we did! It couldn't have been any cuter to walk into the house that afternoon to see 33 wildly excited red-nosed clowns ready for fun. The first part of the afternoon was spent face painting (yes, even my face too). After that, the kids were able to jump from station to station. Whether it was kite flying or juggling, each and every one was able to find something to suit their tastes.

When it was time to call the group together, Regine asked me if I would like to be the circus announcer for the night. Claro que si! While my grammar may not have been spot on, I had a fun time informing all our little clowns when it was snack time, play time, dinner time, and showtime! They were wooed and wowed by the cartwheels, jump-roping, and even fire-juggling of the performance. After a delicious dinner of pasta and veggies, we all headed to the carpet where none other than yours truly read a bedtime story about a pig going to the circus. It was the perfect way to end an afternoon loaded with fun.

perdoname.

My blog posts were put on a bit of a hiatus this month due to a glitch with the website. But it suddenly started working again, so I'M BACK! And just in time to tell you guys about one of the most event-filled, picture-perfect weeks I've had here thus far.

It started with a great Monday morning. Why was it great? Because it was the first time in a good while that I woke up without a bed bug bite! The previous three weeks had been filled with bug bites on my ankles, wrists, waist, neck, ears, and even face. Those little guys sure were hungry! I had tried a bunch of at-home remedies to rid them, but to no avail. This past weekend I decided to do a deep clean of everything I own. And I mean everything. I placed my mattress, pillow, and chair outside in the sun. I placed my clothes, sheets, and comforter in the washer. And I placed my hope in the two. When I finally felt a little bit better about things, I put my room back together. I made my bed with a bed-bug-killing powder on top (not to be confused with a cherry). Knock on wood, but I think those little buggers might have salir-ed for good.

On Tuesday, I attended my first Latin American baby shower. It was held for one of the elementary teachers. After decorating the library (where else do we hold events?) with pink and blue decorations, we called Lili in for the surprise. She loved it. The rest of the afternoon was filled with games and jokes galore. Of course I joined in on the fun. One of the games asked each party-goer to rip off enough toilet paper to wrap around the stomach of preggers Lili. After the toilet roll was passed around, we each took turns going up front to see if we were over, under, or just right. Five of us were spot on! We then had to have a tie-breaker to determine the real winner. Each of us were given an animal to imitate with sounds and motions. After we all performed, the crowd voted my leon imitation the best! That's rawrr-ight. I walked away with a little bit of lion pride AND a Toy Story alien pen.

The girls' house held a talent show on Wednesday night. I was grabbing dinner in the comedor when a tia saw me and invited me to be one of the judges! How could I say no? Carrie and I headed down around 7:00 to catch the beginning of the show. There was everything from funny skits to hip-shaking dance routines to a cappella singing. My favorite part was when some of my older students decided to take on a modern rendition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It had everything from Shakira songs, to pretend motorcycles, to club-like dance moves. I was laughing the whole time! They definitely won my vote. In addition to many entertaining skits, the best performance of all came from the entire group of girls that night. With them clustered altogether in one section, it was quickly evident that love was one of the main actors of the night. It was incredibly heart-warming and adorable, to say the least.

The events of Thursday and Friday are to come! Complete with pictures, too!

papa smurf and the gang.

What do volunteers do when we need to entertain 300 kids ranging from ages 3 to 20 for a whole afternoon? Dress like the Smurfs, dance like the Smurfs, and watch the new Smurf movie of course! This past Sunday was my 2nd Kermes here. If you remember from an older post of mine, Kermes is a weekend event that us volunteers put on for the kids to have a little bit o' fun :)

Fellow-English-teacher Sam, roomie Hannah, and I were in charge this time around. Once we decided a movie it was, we put on our thinking caps. What movie? What kind of snack? Where would we show it? Easy! We decided to turn the comedor into a movie theater! And not just any movie theater, "Nuestro Pequeno Cine." Moviegoers were welcomed into the theater by us volunteers.. I mean, blue-skinned, hat-wearing Smurfs :) Once all seated, we were ready. Cue the Smurf theme song and our boogying movies! After our ridiculous opening act, the movie began. The kids were laughing and screaming the entire time. We paused the movie halfway through for two things: POPOROPOS or POPCORN and a costume competition! With all the volunteers decked out in blue paint and so many kids dressed up, I think someone's gotta tell Papa Smurf his family just multiplied.

hello, summer?

That's right! School's out for the "summer" here. The school year begins when the calendar year begins. Therefore classes are roughly from the beginning of January until mid-October. While it was a little awkward jumping right into things when I arrived in July, it provided me a wonderful opportunity to become comfortable with the norms here for the first three months. Now I have the next two months to rearrange my curriculum and perfect everything that I did or didn't do this year. While most of the kids will still be around, there are a few kids who travel from the nearby pueblo to receive school here (like the cutey family below). Come January.. they'll be back, and I'll be a brand new teacher!

In typical Guatemalan fashion, there were many activities to commemorate the end of the year. Starting off the morning right, the library (once again) was turned into a discoteca for the students. All the while, their teachers generously prepared a typical Guatemalan meal for lunch. The library-turned-discoteca then became a comedor! The kids entered with plates to be served meat, rice, homemade salsa, guacamole, tortillas, and atol (a delicious drink prepared with cinnamon and rice). In the afternoon, the kids were out playing soccer until another dance party took place. Once it was dark enough, they then started up a bonfire to roast marshmallows! Sounds like quite the celebration to me :)

oh, happy day.

A week ago today, all of Guatemala recognized Dia de Nino. Similar to Father's Day or Mother's Day, it is a time to celebrate being a child (side note: United States.. why don't we have this?). NPH pulled all the stops on Friday (including canceling school) to ensure a day full of festivities and fun. For the other volunteers and myself, the day started at 5:30am. We paused outside each of the houses to wake up the kids singing "Las Mananitas," a well-known song throughout Latin America that sends well wishes to those being woken up. With lyrics and guitars in hand, we sweetly despertar-ed all 300 kids. The best part was watching each head pop through the curtains complete with a huge grin.

The carnival began around 8am. There was everything from a balloon toss, cotton candy, a mini ferris wheel, ice cream, a dunk tank, and even a makeshift mechanic bull! I was stationed at the volleyball sand court. It was here that I got my game on with Molly (another volunteer), Yan (the national director), and ano de servicio boys (like sweetheart Jonathan pictured above). While I probably haven't played volleyball since those dreadful tryouts in 6th grade, I had a great time! Sure, every now and then I helped the other team with a point or two, but I took it all in stride :) I enjoyed myself enough that Jonathan and I have since planned an ano de servicio versus volunteer game to happen this coming week.

The rest of the day was spent watching a clown show, eating chicken and fries for lunch, and then dancing the afternoon away in the comedor! I would consider this year's Dia de Nino to be an absolute success.

it's the little moments.

Sometimes las cositas make your ENTIRE day..

Like when you're vacuuming in the library, and Antonio and Juan Pablo walk over saying they want to help. This "help" then translates to them giving each other mile-high mohawks with the vacuum hose.

Or like when you have the opportunity to play Red Light, Green Light with the special ed students during their library time. They've gotta learn the stoplight somehow, right? :)

Or like when you receive a short but sweet email from raspy-voiced Yocari saying, "In the moment that I was with you, I saw that you're a great person. Continue succeeding in your work and never give up." Why thanks, girl!

dia de visita.

There are two kinds of kids at NPH: those who have family elsewhere and those that don't. Of course, we are a family here at NPH, so every kid has family somewhere. Those kids who do have outside family are allowed to receive visitors four Sundays a year. This usually translates to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or even parents who are not financially capable of caring for their children. As you can imagine, these Visitor Days see an array of emotions. The kids who don't have any family are reminded of this fact, as their fellow section-mates rush past them to spend the sunny day outside with family. The kids who receive visitors have a blissful morning full of music, food, and loved ones. Once over, they slowly head back abajo to their section with the hope that those memories will last them the next three months.

Since families come from all ends of Guatemala, communication is near impossible. If a child has family, he or she will dress to the nines and hope beyond belief that today is the day they come. You can thus imagine the heartbreak if no one shows all morning. I had heard from other volunteers about the dificultad of Visitor Days. They told me it can be hard to observe, but is even harder for the kids we are observing. Even though I tried my best to prepare myself, there were both moments of happiness and of sadness in which I found myself teary-eyed. If I was reminded of anything yesterday, it is that I must share my heart as best I can this next year with kids who deserve to be loved, no matter what sort of home they came from. <3

hello, lago!

Just a short drive west from NPH is Lake Atitlan. Known as the deepest lake in Central America, it is also arguably the most breathtaking lake in Central America. Surrounded by three large volcanoes, it is a stunning find. It even caught the eye of Mr. Aldous Huxley. He famously wrote, "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlan is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing." Well said Aldous, well said.

This past weekend, our salida de voluntarios swept us away to a house right on the water. Karla's boyfriend generously offered up his stunning lake house. We left on Friday morning and stayed until Sunday midday. Each day would start off with a cup of tea and a beautiful view. This would be followed by laying out on the expansive dock, pleasure reading (Harry Potter, thank you very much), chowing down on delicious meals, playing a myriad of card games, and just enjoying each other's company. As you can imagine, us 22 volunteers don't often receive the chance to all be together. Lake Atitlan gave us the perfect opportunity to escape.. together :)

"rawr!"

Remember those sponge capsules from our childhood? You know, the capsules that, when put into warm water, expand into fun-shaped sponges? My Mom recently sent me some in a care package. I knew immediately that it would be a great afternoon activity with my boys. When we didn't have school at the end of last week, I took advantage of an afternoon libre to head down to their house with that and my camera in tow.

Once there, I told them I had a surprise for them and that they should sit down at the dinner table. "Are we going to eat something?" they asked. "No, but you do need your mug." "Are we going to drink something?" "No. You'll just have to wait and see!" I responded. With a little help from some older kids, we soon had 11 boys sitting and 11 mugs prepped. I then whipped out the packet of dinosaur capsules and said, "We're going to make dinosaur sponges!" They went absolutely crazy.

The next half hour was spent picking which color they wanted, screaming in excitement when their dinosaur would start to grow, asking what type of dinosaur they had, and splashing water all over the place as they ecstatically showed me their full-grown dinosaur. It was so adorable to see the joy on their faces and the brotherly interaction between them. At the end of the afternoon, each boy was bounding around the room making "rawr-ing" noises with dinosaur in hand. Thanks $1 section at Target for providing a wildly fun afternoon!

floats, relays, and parades.. oh my!

Happy Independence Day! This whole week has been chock full o' events commemorating Guatemala's 190th year of independence. Here's the rundown..

Monday: Float Preparation

The primary school teachers, English teachers, and librarians (aka yours truly) were in charge of decorating the NPH float for the San Andres Itzapa parade. After a last-minute meeting that took place on Friday, we decided our inspiration to be the famous Tikal ruins. On Monday, we all joined up to decorate heaps and heaps of paper flowers. While we took over one half of the library, the two education coordinators whipped out their artistic talent to paint an impressive mural on the other half of the library.

Tuesday: Torch Relay

It is tradition every year for schools, companies, or really any group of people to take off running as part of a torch relay. The lighted torch signifies freedom and is typically carried while bystanders supportingly throw bags of water at the runners (it's an act of affection, I promise). Our students, as well as us, had the opportunity to be part of a torch relay in the afternoon. We hopped on a bus and drove for a good 40 minutes before arriving at our starting point. Once there, we were off! We may have been running in pouring rain, up steep hills, and alongside a congested highway, but the smiles on our kids' faces proved just how much fun the event could be.

Wednesday: Town Parade

On Tuesday afternoon, we were told that everyone was to arrive to work at 6am to help finish the float before leaving at 7:30am. As someone who enjoys crafts, I did not particularly mind waking up an extra two hours early. That is, until no one else showed up at 6am. haha. The thing Sam, Thayer, Molly, and I were swiftly reminded about is that Guatemalan time does not function in the same fashion that US time does. We ended up waiting until 7:00/7:15am for another soul to show up. It then became crunch time to finish painting the mural, place roses on the float, and tape posters of typical Guatemalan symbols. Luckily, we made it to San Andres Itzapa on time.. phew! The parade ended up being one full of sunshine, marching bands, and surprisingly organized rows of our kids proudly parading through the local town.

Thursday and Friday: No work! Disfruta!

las elecciones.

Every Guatemalan headed to the polls this past Sunday. Since my arrival, it has been clear that this day was to come. Posters, billboards, banners, and even mini-processions made it evident that each party wanted your vote. Similar to the states, a president is elected every four years. He or she then takes office in January, after the final vote in November. The vote that recently happened was to determine the top two candidates. This is necessary, because there are more than a dozen political parties! La Prensa Libre, the local newspaper, has been tracking at least eight of the presidential candidates on the daily. This even includes Rigoberta Menchu (definitely check her out if you don't know her).

The two candidates to surface were Otto Perez Molina and Manuel Baldizon. Neither received the 50% necessary to make the cut after this round. The two will go head to head in November. Molina is part of the Patriota party and intends to counter the nation's violence with his military expertise. As a former general, he takes the "Mano Dura" or "Firm Hand" approach. Baldizon, on the other hand (catch the pun? haha), is an attorney and businessman with the Lider party. He prefers to address poverty, education, and other prevalent issues. Only time will tell which approach Guatemalans want. Stay tuned for updates..

march two, three, four.

This past week, NPH excitedly welcomed the chance to hold this year's local marching band competition! It became clear that our own marching band intended to impress, as they practiced almost every afternoon for hours at a time. I can pretty much recite the tune note by note at this point haha.

Once Wednesday arrived, so too did the parade of bands. With ours leading, each band marched confidently onto our basketball court. After all gathering around, each band was then allotted the limelight for their selected song. Everything from local pop music to the classics were thrown in there. To top it off, each band had it's own coordinated wardrobe. Some bands were Michael Jackson-inspired with a white glove accessory, while others were Justin Timberlake-inspired with a fedora hat accessory. Our band kept it traditional with celeste and white uniforms. I even spotted two of my English students, Marizon and Paola, among our band (below). While it was not a judged competition, you could tell our kids walked away feeling as if they had taken first place :)

monte-rrrrico!

This past weekend, half of us volunteers decided to make our way to the Pacific coast for a little bit of paradise. About two hours away is Monterrico, a cute and quaint beach town. It is known for its black sand and gigantic waves. We arrived on Saturday morning after taking quite the adventurous shuttle ride (complete with the driver using a 2 liter bottle of soda to pour gas into his tank!). Once there, we quickly changed into our suits to run down to the waves. And, let me tell you, we literally ran as the black sand is super hot on your feet. haha.

For the rest of the weekend we enjoyed delicious licuados, fresh fish, hammocks, and the ocean breeze. Another highlight was making our way to the local bar for a night full of dancing. It was the perfect getaway. Even though my camera got pummeled by a wave and is now on the fritz, I definitely plan on returning to Monterrico muy pronto :)

happy two months!

Today marks two months that I’ve been here in Guatemala. I can hardly believe it! Time seems to go fast and normal at the same time. After two months, I can finally say I’m getting comfortable with our book collection. You see, there’s something significantly different about the library system we use here compared to the one I’m familiar with back home. Instead of the kids themselves having free range to the books, every single book is behind the counter with Yami and me.

So what happens when a kid comes in wanting a book? They walk straight up to me and say, “Me gustaria un libro de terror.” “I’d like a book of terror.” Sure.. let me just think real quick which of the 6,100 books would be best for your personal interests and reading level. In the afternoons, when the kids come to do investigations, they’ll tell me, “Necesito un libro de taxonomia.” “I need a book about taxonomy.” Coming right up! Cue the search on my end to hastily find such a book before helping the next student in line. Needless to say, this system has gotten me accustomed to our collection much quicker. While at times I do wish the kids had easier access to the pages of adventures that await them, I understand the desire to maintain the condition of thus said pages :)

orgullosa.

Orgullosa = proud. Proud = me. Therefore, orgullosa = me.

My students recently completed their biggest project yet. Titled "My Trip to the United States," each student researched a state (Arizona, Washington, Oregon, New York, or Lousiana.. naturally). They then had fun creating a pretend trip using the future tense!

Here is una foto of my kids showing off their finished products!

java java java.

This past weekend, Mark, Sam, Thayer, Francesca, and myself made our way over to Jocotenango to catch our first coffee plantation tour! About 20 minutes away from NPH is the stunning, green location. With a heavy rainy season, Guatemala has ideal settings for coffee growing. It is no surprise, therefore, that it is the 9th largest producing country in the world! We arrived to find horseback riding lessons, a bouncy house, and a multitude of museums to take advantage of. My favorite part was definitely the coffee tour. It was so interesting to see the amount of work that is put into making even just a pot's worth of coffee. Of course at the end of our tour, we were able to sample the finca's coffee. Boy, was it bien rico!

a night with my boys.

Absolutely nothing beats hanging out with a bunch of little rascals before bedtime. The other night, my section was told they could play outside after dinner! This was quite the treat, as usually it is a story and bedtime immediately after eating. We all headed outside in the pitch black. But before leaving the lighted house, Edgar told me, "Tenemos que ser valientes!" or "We have to be brave!" I nodded my head in agreement.. who knows what could be lurking inside a well-protected, fenced home? :)

As we walked towards the schoolyard, all of them surged towards me out of fear. They practically toppled me over! I had at least 3 boys on my left and 2 boys on my right trying to be the one to hold my hand. At that moment, Chris decided he needed to go to the bathroom. Cue the chain reaction and the next thing I knew, there was a line of 5 boys peeing on the side of the road! Needless to say, those 5 weren't able to hold my hand nada mas. haha.

Once we arrived at the schoolyard, the cutest and most impromptu game of basketball ensued. After tiring ourselves out, we headed back home. On the way, chubby Pedro grabbed my hand to say, "Quiero que tu estas encargada de mi, Kristina." or "I wish you were in charge of me, Kristina." Did I mention I love these boys? <3

a week's worth of celebration.

Why did we have special events all week? Two reasons. Tuesday marked the 5th year since Padre Wasson passed away. For those who don't know, Padre Wasson is the founder not only of NPH Guatemala, but of the nine NPH houses throughout Latin America. For obvious reasons, he is loved and adored. Even though he no longer makes his yearly visits, his presence is still very much felt. Employees and kids alike who knew him only have positive things to say. To commemorate the man who started it all, there was a special mass, a competition to see who could make the best memorium altar (see below), multiple viewings of the same Padre Wasson movie, and a beautiful candlelit service. His life is definitely celebrated in this sense.

The second reason was the school celebrated its anniversary. To celebrate school, we didn't have school (logical, right? haha). Of course the kids loved it. Thursday and Friday were spent doing various activities. Thursday took on a beauty pageant/fashion show vibe. It is the yearly custom to elect girls to five different categories. One girl from each grade competed in everything from dancing, to costume changes, to a question and answer portion! It made me smile to see a few girls all dolled up and the rest of the kids mesmerized by it all.

While Thursday was spent inside the sparkly pink cafeteria, Friday was spent outside in the beautiful sunshine! The whole day took on field day activities. Kids could pass the time playing sports outside, competing in a chess tournament, watching movies, and even dancing in the library-turned-discoteca! A few kindergarteners and I played soccer, followed by an epic game of monkey in the middle. Then, as the librarian, I spent a good portion of my time in the transformed club. That morning boys came to remove all the tables and chairs. We then opened every window and started up the music. It wasn't that popular in the morning, but by lunchtime it was bumpin'! As the only gringa in the whole place, I naturally received a lot of looks for my lack of Shakira-shaking hips and for my rojo-like-a-tomato face. Despite this, I had an absolute blast "working" the day away :)