school is cool!

As of two weeks ago, the school year has officially started. Even though we haven't taught a single class in the library, the rest of my job has me diving right in! For one, I'm back teaching English to my tercero basico kids. This year I have 22 ready-to-learn students. They can already recite the "Our Father" and say "What's up, giiirl?" (both incredibly useful, right?).

With the start of a new academic year, I decided to make some changes in the library. Hence, my two new projects: the Book of the Month and the Drawing of the Week. Since all our books are behind the counter with us, it is hard for kids to get to know our collection. Therefore, I decided to feature a book of the month. I'm trying to find ones that are bien bonito, but that the kids don't necessarily ask for on a regular basis.

Additionally, our kids here are ridiculously talented in the art department. They love doodling, sketching, singing, dancing, writing.. you name it. Yet, ironically, their work is almost never seen. With the Drawing of the Week, kids of all ages are invited to submit something. If selected, their piece is featured with their name below it for a full week. Plus, they win a prize AND get their picture taken! For the first week, darling Aroldo won. While he was a bit timid at first, he cracked a smile for me as I snapped his photo alongside his dibujo hermoso. I'm looking forward to seeing how these programs unravel as the year continues!

until we meet again..

Agridulce, or bittersweet, is the best way to describe this week. It's the time of year in which half of the volunteer staff switches out. It's something that happens every January and July. While there are obvious benefits to having seasoned volunteers help out the newbies, it still makes it pretty darn tough to say goodbye to those that end up leaving halfway through your year. It is especially difficult when you work, live, eat, sleep, laugh, cry, dance, travel, and do just about everything else with these individuals we call friends and, ultimately, family. While I am excited to welcome in the new wave of volunteers (with whom I know I will have many new and wonderful memories), I will always have a special place in my heart for the old volunteers <3

vin's visita!

For the past week, Vin (better known as "Vicente" or "Kristina's brother") has been visiting NPH. It just so happens that Brophy sends down a group of 40+ high school boys every January. When we discovered this, Vin immediately sent in his app and was accepted! We then joked that these kids were gonna get the 2-for-1 Nicchi special. Why's that? Porque nosotros dos hablamos espanol!

Even though the group had their own agenda, I was still able to steal Vin away for a bit. From him popping into the library to see me, to enjoying beans and rice together, to hanging out in the baby house, to joking around with the boys, it was a grand time. I only wish he was able to stay for more time.. as do all the starry-eyed girls.

cumbia pa' bailar!

A few weeks ago, we heard a rumor that La Gran Calabaza was going to be performing at a bar in Antigua. They are a local band who have since become a huge Guatemalan hit! Since we usually have their CD on repeat in our house, there was no way we were passing this opportunity up. The rumor was confirmed, and we were excited. Last night was the big night. A few of us showed up early to discover that the cover charge wasn't in effect yet. Aka we didn't have to pay a single quetzal to be front row all night long!

Now if you know me, you know how I love to cut up a rug. Well, these guys play the perfect music to get the whole audience movin'! It was a memorable night full of Spanish lyrics, silly dance moves, and sore feet. I'd definitely consider last night to be one of my favorite Guatemalan nights thus far.

feliz in belize.

What do three Americans do when their Guatemalan visas expire after 6 months? Hop on the next camioneta to Belize, of course! We knew we were going to have a good time, but Sam, Mark, and I surely underestimated just how great our trip was going to be.
Our first stop was Tobacco Caye. It's a petite island that can be covered by foot in all of five minutes. We stayed in our own personal cabana right off the water for super cheap. We ate delicious meal after delicious meal (many featuring the catch of the day.. literally!). We also found a dock all for ourselves where we read, hung out, and spotted nearby manta rays for the next three days. Ahh, que relajado.
After that, we stopped off at Placencia to ring in the new year! It's a port town with a stunning beach and a quaint main street. We ate at a burger joint, enjoyed a Belikin beer, and swam the ocean waves. But what was really on our agenda for that night? Dance the night and the year away. And that's exactly what we did :)

'twas the night before christmas.

Even though Christmas happened awhile ago, I just couldn't resist posting some adorable photos of festive activities the kids and I did! December saw everything from Santa letter writing, to Christmas tree crafting, to sugar cookie decorating, to singing "Jingle Bells" over and over. While our days were jam-packed, I always finished each day with a traditional Christmas bedtime story. After our nightly story, I tucked in each of my little munchkins so that visions of sugar-plums could dance in their heads :)

girls just wanna have fun.

Gosh, am I one lucky girl. November saw the visit of my parents, which was followed by December seeing the visit of Michelle and Jen! We had less than a week together, so we were sure to fill up our trip as much as possible. We started off by doing one of Guatemala's most popular activities.. hiking a volcano! We signed ourselves up for a exercise-filled, windy-to-the-max, sunset-catching day. But it wouldn't have been complete if not for the marshmallows we roasted once we reached the top. Mmm.

Since they came during my time as tia, Michelle and Jen also helped me keep the kids entertained. As per usual, the kids instantly friended "Shell" and "Yennifer" as soon as they walked over. The little ones just couldn't get enough of mi hermana y mi prima. What about the fact that neither of them know much Spanish? No importa :)

Lastly, we headed to the lake for a few days of pure rest and relaxation. While it did involve hearing chickens being beheaded (sorry Michelle!), the lake also presented delicious meals, gift shopping, and fun boat rides. So, I guess the question begs to be asked, "What other family members will come visit?"

scarlati-no!

At the beginning of last month, we saw a case of scarlatina at the home. I wasn't quite sure what that meant, until I was informed that scarlatina means scarlet fever. Isn't that something that last happened during the 1800s in Europe? Apparently not. Somehow one of our babies caught it, and quickly spread it to just about every other peanut in the baby house. Usually the clinic staff is able to take care of a sick child for the night. Yet, seeing how there was constantly a handful of babies staying at the clinic, a few of us were asked to do night watch. I eagerly jumped on board.

So what did I do to entertain a handful of kiddos while locked up inside all day? Lots of things! We watched The Little Mermaid at least five times, made Santa masks, held a paper airplane competition, had nightly story time, and just had all around fun. Even though I was masked and at-risk, the little moments within that clinic like seeing them catch their first sunrise EVER (above) truly made it a beautiful experience.