the palace.

Our last week in Guatemala wouldn't have been complete without a trip to The Palace. No, I'm not talking about El Palacio Municipal, I'm talking about the new home our university kids just moved into. It is stunning! And big! Aka perfect for the whole group of them. When they couldn't hang out on Saturday like we had originally planned, we decided to turn our visit into a Friday night sleepover!

The night consisted of competitive foosball ("Man, I'm feeling it in my upper arms!"), multiple rounds of Uno, and a movie marathon that ran into the early hours. Then, in the morning, the three of us made delicious banana and peanut butter pancakes for our favorite boys :)

back in the saddle.

Every Wednesday morning is a special treat for nuestros especiales. They head into town for horse therapy! It had caught my attention way back when, but I was never able to help out due to morning library classes. Thus, seeing as I’m still in Guatemala without any classes to give, Erika and I decided to go! It was such a blast. Erika was able to help a bit timid Carlitos, and I was able to escort Delmy as we chit chatted away. Even though I had my little horse incident less than a month ago, it felt great to be "back in the saddle" :)

a shady fourth.

I just about died when, in my fourth of July package from my lovely Momma, I received teeny-tiny star-shaped sunglasses. In that moment, I knew exactly who would receive them! These little guys and gals just so happen to be in the section called Los Luceros, or The Stars! They did quite the munchkin modeling for me on that sunny afternoon.

my week of lasts.

As I sit here with cupcakes in the oven (and yes, the bowl in front of me to make sure no batter goes unlicked), I can't help but think that this is my week of "lasts". Tomorrow is my last class with my English students. Today was my last class with Montessori. Yesterday was my last class with los especiales. And Friday is my last.. last. Gulp.

So, what's a girl to do? The only thing she can do.. Aprovecharlo! All of it. I'm not going to be here forever. I've got to enjoy it while it's still here (or, more correctly, while I'm still here). That's why I'm going crazy with the camera. That's why I'm baking cupcakes for my English students. That's why I'm having despedida after despedida. That's why I'm enjoying every. last. moment.

the forgotten post.

Here's a post I had written at least six months back, but never got around to posting..

Earlier this week, I went down to my section. Typically I bring a book with me to read a bedtime story. But seeing as I was running around all afternoon, I spaced. Luckily the tía of the section saved my bum by whipping one out of the closet titled, "Winnie the Pooh's Encyclopedia of Insects." My twelve boys and I were literally dog-piled on top of one another as we flipped from page to page learning about bees, spiders, and centipedes galore! After reading about the number of legs this one has, the appetite of that one, the wingspan of the other one, two boys had an idea. Chris and Tony took me by the hand as we ran down the hall. We stopped at the showers and looked up. "Look Kristina, look!" I followed Chris' pointed finger to find.. teleranas! Spiderwebs! And lots of them! The excited expression on each of their faces was priceless. "Look at this one!" "There's one in that corner!" "This one even has a spider on it!" Watching them connect things we had read to real life quickly put a huge smile on my face.

These boys don't even know sometimes.. :)

525,600 minutes.

Has it really been a year? I can't believe it. While there have been obvious ups and downs, I wouldn't trade this experience por nada :)

On this special day, I thought I'd share a few of those 525,600 minutes:

Francesca: "I would miss myself if I could.."

Mark: [when talking about the hole in Nathan's pants] "Yeah Nathan, you don't want to be an asshole."

Antje: "Esa es una canción para Kristina." "This is a song for Kristina."
Karla: "Es de nalgas? O que?" "It's about booty? Or what?"
Everyone: "Hahaha."

And my personal favorite..
Jhustin: "Como amaneciste esa mañana?" "How did you wake up this morning?"
Lisa: "Bien, gracias. Y tu?" "Good, thanks. And you?"
Jhustin: "Yo? En mi cama, abajo de mis almohadas." "Me? In my bed, underneath my sheets."

:)

"está saliendo sangre del gusano!"

What do dirt cups, Popeye the Sailor Man, and 18 little boys have in common? They all came together for my despedida!

 

Typically, each volunteer has a send-off in his or her section before the year is over. Mine took place this morning. Don't ask me how, but a few weeks ago I came up with the idea of dirt cups. Pretending to eat mud, dirt, and worms with 9-11 year olds? Perfect! I started with that. And, let me tell you, they ate it up (ha.. ha.. get it?). At first they didn't believe me when I told them we were gonna be diggin' in to dirt and worms, but then they figured it out. They loved pretending to kill the worms with every bite.

After that, we watched some Popeye en español. I then handed out their individualized photo albums. Each of them just HAD to show me the picture of him and I (as if I didn't put it in there myself haha). Al final, we headed outside for a hillside photo shoot. Cue bunny ears and funny faces, and we were set!