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? :)