one of the boys.

One of my favorite things about living at NPH is that it's uber-convenient to participate in whatever event is going on for the kids. Last night, for instance, all the kids went to the comedor for a drama performance. I tagged along with a few other volunteers, but was stopped outside by a handful of my former English students. We had a great time chatting it up in Spanglish before entering inside. But once inside, we couldn't pay attention because we were having such a fun time talking about Eminem's popularity stateside, remembering English phrases I taught them last year ("It's raining cats and dogs!"), sharing silly jokes, and teaching them how to pound it. Was it any surprise, then, that our conversation ended with us taking photos as gangsters? I think not.

she's got my back.

Ok, embarrassing story time.

I decided it'd be nice to sit next to one of my boys for mass this morning. I found darling Miguel Angel.. with a vacant spot a su lado! As I sat down, I starting listening in on the second grade conversation around me, "What smells so bad?" "Ay, it smells like garlic." I, too, thought it smelt a little weird. Miguel Angel then commented, "Kristi, there's garlic on the bench! And you're sitting on it!" Sure enough, the two of us had sat right on the spot where someone left enough garlic to stink AND to leave marks on our pants! Que asco. I didn't look for another seat, mostly because cutey Miguel Angel laid out his sweater for the two of us to sit on (yes, my heart officially melted).

So as to not smell like ajo for the rest of the day, I ran home for a quick change. The only clean pair I had were my bermuda shorts. I then hurried back upstairs to teach English. I arrived to class and started writing on the board. Iris started urgently calling me over. "Kristina, I need to talk to you.. but outside." "Everything ok? Class has started." "It's really quick! Come outside!" I followed her outside in which she hushed me over to a corner. What could it possibly be? She then suggested that the next time I wear these bermuda shorts, I choose better undergarments. Turns out I was wearing bright pink underwear with my sheer black-or-nude-underwear-only bermuda shorts. haha. Well shoot. It's safe to say that I taught behind my desk for the rest of class.

Thanks for having my back, Iris! Literally.

playaaa.

What's a girl to do when she's got ganas to hit up the beach? Take a weekend getaway, of course! This past weekend 16 of us headed over to Monterrico for some sun and sand. It was a vacation that saw fresh fish, multiple card games, hammock lounging, beachy music, super cheap coconuts, and overall fun. After my time there, I'm certainly feeling refreshed and ready for another week back in the library :)

raindrops and marshmallows.

This past weekend saw another Kermes. This time the activity was a scavenger hunt. All the teams raced to the end to find a bonfire with marshmallows and bread dough! While it was cloudy and a little misty out that afternoon, it certainly did not stop the kids' competitive natures. They were running all over the place!

I was assigned to help lead la casa de bebes. This meant we took the little youngsters "through the jungle" as their obstacle course. We wove through trees (the school pillars), passed through a dark cave (school desks covered by blankets), and even leaped over a crazy serpent (a wiggling jumprope). In the end, we found our box of marshmallows to take to la fogata. The scavengers seemed to enjoy it, especially the tasty snacks at the end.

soy chapína.

Skills I never thought I'd acquire in my lifetime, but have acquired while in Guatemala:

- Light a gas oven with the flick of a match like it's nobody's business.

- Wash my clothes with a washboard by hand. And prefer it, too!

- Board a packed camioneta with the confidence of a local.

- Habitually put all my used toilet paper in the trash bin, as opposed to in the toilet.

- Look for and successfully find lice and nits. In fact, I am the go-to girl here if another volunteer has felt itchy. Why's that? Because I have previously encountered 60 lice and 30 eggs.. just in my hair alone.

I am sure there are a dozen more I can tack onto my resume after my time here, but these were the ones I found most interesante :)

pretty in pink.

El Departamento de Inglés received a makeover when our new uniform shirts

arrived yesterday afternoon. Don't we look snazzy?

my birthday.

Ok, maybe I should fill you guys in on my birthday a week ago. Instead of celebrating for just one day, celebrations were sprinkled throughout the whole week! Another volunteer, Holger, also had his birthday towards the end of January. Therefore, we had a joint birthday dinner celebration in Antigua the weekend prior. Even though my birthday was a workday AND a Monday, it was still wonderful. My day was showered by many visits to the library. Bringing everything from Hershey's chocolate bars, to homemade cards, to well wishes, to hugs, many visitors stopped by. In the evening, my roomies and I cooked pasta together and later enjoyed cupcakes. But they weren't just any cupcakes.. they were RED VELVET CUPCAKES from the states! I was in cream-cheese-frosting-heaven. Later that evening, we went to Nathan's spiffy new apartment to hang out and play cards. All in all, it was a great day.

Additionally, typically it's tradition here to do a few ridiculous things. One is to completely soak the birthday guy or gal. The second is to surprise-push the birthday guy or gal's face into the cake. I'm not sure how, but I escaped both of these traditions.. although I did receive a lot of threats leading up to the day :)

old.

In addition to turning 23 earlier this week, there's another reason I'm feeling un poco old. Yesterday, I informed my English class that it was Justin Timberlake's birthday. Rather than receiving lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" like I had expected to, I instead received a bunch of blank stares. One of the girls then proceeded to ask, "You mean Justin Bieber?" My spanish may not be perfect, but I certainly know my Justins. haha.

I tried explaining who he was through N'SYNC, his movie appearances, and even by singing a song or two. It wasn't until I showed an online picture of him that they finally recognized him and stated, "Oh.. that ugly guy." Ouch. I guess it's time the frosty-haired JT says "bye, bye, bye" to teeny boppin' girls.