Thoughts on teaching from a non-education major perspective:

Shortly after arriving in Guatemala so many weeks ago, I was thrust into my first week of ministry sites: teaching English at a local elementary school. It was somewhere around oh...day 1 when I remembered, I am not an education major. And I thought to myself on that first day oh so long ago, what on earth am I doing! If you had asked my before I came here what I want to do with my life, I would have told you, "I don't know exactly, but I don't want to teach!"I've never wanted to teach. Ok fine. When I was little I ultra-loved school. And then I probably wanted to teach. But I also wanted to be a superhero, so we'll go with I've never really wanted to teach. :)

And then I came to Guatemala and realized that I had signed up for six weeks of playing teacher. And I thought to myself, oh no.


Tomorrow's my last day of teaching. If you were to ask me now, I would still probably tell you that I don't want to teach. But I say that, and I don't want to at all undermine the incredible experience I have had while working in the school this semester. Hold on, though. I'm getting ahead of myself.

I think somewhere in the application process I read something about the work at this school being something along the lines of one-on-one work, maybe like tutoring, or small-scale ESL (English as a Second Language) education. I don't know if I actually read that or if I made it up, but I thought huh. I could probably do that. At Greenville I'm getting TESOL certified (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and so this seemed like a good option for the six weeks I would spend working with Students International as the ministry part of the semester. And so that was the site I chose. Looking back, that has God's hands all over it. Had I known it was going to be actually teaching, in a school/classroom setting, I probably would have quickly reevaluated my options and picked something different.

Our first full week in Guatemala was to be our first week of ministry sites. And as I sat down with our site leader on that first day of sites, and as I read through her description of the site, and as I walked down the hill to the school, and as I entered the school building, and as I prepared to help with that first day of classes I progressively got more and more panicky, and more and more overwhelmed. Oh no. What on earth am I doing here?? I can't teach. I'm not meant to be a teacher. I'm not called to be a teacher. Right God? You're not calling me to this! Please say no. Hundreds of thoughts like this coursed through my head all that 1st week. Overwhelmed doesn't really even begin to cover how I was feeling. Our schedule was to be 1 week of ministry sites, 4 weeks of language school, 2 weeks of ministry sites, 4 more weeks of language school (plus a week of spring break), and then ending with 3 weeks at ministry sites. The first week we were basically just assisting in the classrooms, but were told that during the next set we would be taking our own class, and in the final three weeks doing the lesson plans ourselves. As much as I loved all the little kiddos, I was dreading what the next weeks would bring.

Like always, God was working in me, even though I didn't realize it right away. Overwhelmed as I was, I kept telling myself you can do this. You are able to do this. This may not be what you want to do, but you can do this. And you need to make the most of it. That was as much of His voice as it was mine. Child, you can do this. I have put you here, and will give you the strength to do this. Don't worry. I have put you here for a reason, and you will grow from this experience. I'm here too. You will be fine. Somedays it's easier to not listen to that little voice. His little voice. Somedays I like to whine and complain and pretend my way's better, and think that another ministry site would be better. But that little voice was right. The time I've spent working in Monroy (name of the school) has been an incredible time of growth for me, and an amazing experience overall. Like I mentioned, I still don't feel like I will be a teacher after graduation. But as the weeks went on I could see the growth in my life, and feel my confidence rising. I may not want to teach someday, but I am capable of doing this. 

The second set of ministry sites was a lot better than the first. I was less overwhelmed in general (being out of the country does put you in a bit of a funk for awhile!), and more ready to make the most of the time I had to spend in the school. I even started enjoying what I was doing. And I completely fell in love with the kids at this school. I took over a class of 10 precious kindergarteners, started doing the lessons Abbey, my site leader, had prepared, and discovered that I had strengths and abilities I didn't know I had. Every day, God helped me to grow a little bit further. I stopped feeling overwhelmed. I started looking forward to the days at the school. I started forming relationships with my kiddos. And I realized everyday that the strength it took for me, a non-education major who doesn't want to teach after graduation, to teach these students could only come from Him. None of what I have done here has been on my own strength. It took me playing the role of teacher, to realize how much I still have yet to learn in life.

This third set of ministry sites has been fantastic. I've done the lesson planning myself, which is pretty amazing for someone who's never taken an education course (beyond the TESOL courses). My kindergarteners, and every other kid in the school, have completely stolen my heart, and I'm going to be so sad to leave them at the end of this week. I just want to steal them all and bring them home with me! Kidding... I realized that I can, in fact, teach. I don't plan on being a teacher, but would enjoy having a class or group of ESL students. I realized that I like to limit God, but that he's so much bigger than me, my plans, and fears. I realized I like to be in control, but it's always better to let him. I realized I am capable of much more than I let myself think I can do. I realized once again that His plan is always better than mine.

I don't know where He's calling me, or what I will end up doing after college next year. But I realized that if I trust Him and listen to that little voice, He'll put me exactly where he wants me. And will give me the strength to make it through ANY situation. After all, I'm not an education major. But I've just spent six weeks teaching English. In a school. In Latin America. He's big, folks. And He's good. And He'll see us through. Amen and Amen. :)

Vivian, one of the sixth graders

Lynzi and Fernando, two of my kindergarteners

Andre, another one of my kindergarten babies 

A Tale of Q15

After a Bible Study last Thursday we were all given an assignment. An assignment and Q5. (5 quetzales or roughly 75ish cents) The assignment was to go give away the Q5 by our next meeting, which was to be that coming Sunday. We were also supposed to use the Q5 as means of conversation starting. It was a way of not just throwing money at someone who is poorer than ourselves simply because we have money, but to humanize the individual and learn something about their lives. Like the good college students that we were, my two good friends and I procrastinated on this until Sunday morning on our way to church. Not because we meant to, necessarily. Just because it happened that way. So as we were walking to church on Sunday, we decided that we would pool our resources and instead of giving three people Q5 each, we would find one person and give them Q15. As we were walking, we noticed an older woman attempting to cross the street. Our assignment was to  give our money to someone poorer than ourselves, and this woman clearly fit the bill. She was wearing old, tattered sweats, carrying garbage, and didn't have on shoes. Side note, Antigua's probably not the place I would choose to walk around without any shoes on. The ground is more uneven than you can imagine, and there's broken glass and garbage everywhere. So for this woman to be making her way through the streets without shoes of any kind was a pretty clear mark that she does not have the money to purchase shoes. Because if you had the means to wear shoes, you wouldn't choose to not to in Antigua.  Without speaking to each other, we all decided that this was the woman we would give our money to. I don't really know what we were thinking would happen. Q15 is not much by any means. Roughly $2? Hardly anything. But I think maybe somewhere in the back of our minds there was a little thought of this woman being ultra appreciative, that she would tell us how much she needed it, or how much it meant to her, that maybe we'd be able to pray with her...I'm also fairly certain we were hoping for a good story to tell when we went to meet with our group later that day. That is what it's all about, right? Having a good story to tell about how awesome and generous we are? So we look like super Christians? Right?? Well, we did get a good story, but before I get into that let me just point out a few flaws in our thinking:
1) It wasn't our money. So we weren't really making a sacrifice.
2) We're not really being generous (I mean, we are, but only kind of...) when it's someone else's money.
3) You can't save the world with Q15.

But like I said, we did get a good story. Just not quite the one we were thinking on. And not quite in the save this woman from poverty and be super Christians kind of way. Our story was more of a lesson in humility than anything else. Which, is probably a lot better than what we were thinking would happen. :) After silently deciding to give her our money, we went up to her, tapped her on the shoulder and started to ask questions like, "What's your name? How are you doing today?" Stuff like that. It quickly became apparent that this woman was not all there mentally, and has had a hard, hard life. Based on what we know about people in similar situations in Antigua, she probably doesn't have family or anyone to take care of her, and she just wanders the streets from place to place. Her lack of teeth, and her deteriorated mental abilities made it hard to understand anything she was saying. We caught snippets here and there, but nothing to tell us her name or anything about her life. There was a few times she would point to her feet, and we caught the word zapatos [shoes] once or twice. It was around this point we tried to give her our money. We each had our Q5 in our hands, and as we went to hand it to her we told her it was a gift for her, to help her out. And here's where it started to get weird...for some reason that seems to have gotten lost in translation, this woman who was in obvious need, wouldn't take our money. Specifically she wouldn't take Beth's money. She would point at Alison and I and say she could take our money, "pero no ella." [but not her] Several times she would point at Beth and say, "no ella." [not her] Eventually we got all Q15 into her hands, but before we knew it she was giving 10 of it away to this guy that was just passing by. "Do you want this?" she asked him. His face spoke his answer as he took the money. Uh yeah?! And then he took our money and walked off, leaving us feeling ultra confused, and not as much like super Christians as we had hoped. The thought, "wait, what just happened?" crossed our minds more than once. Things not having gone how we imagined, we took our leave of the woman with no shoes, and went on to puzzle out what just happened.

The focus of our Bible Studies this semester has been on giving to and taking care of the poor. As Christians we are called to do this. All throughout the Bible there are stories of how we are to take care of the poor, the destitute, the widows and orphans. Old Testament, New Testament, prophets, and Jesus directly. We're told to be good stewards of our money, because it's not actually ours. It's God's. And with it we are to take care of his people. His children. Yet how many times have I read these passages and turned a blind eye? How many times have I walked past a person begging on the street and looked away, basing whether or not I give them money on the judgment I make of their lives? Also, how many times have I given and felt, "Man, I am an awesome Christian. God will really bless me because of this." I don't have all of this giving stuff figured out (does he really mean give away ALL my possessions? Surely not. And yet the scriptures say...), but these last few months have really caused me to think about these things. About what I've been given, and what I choose to do with this money. Looking back, I can't say I've been all too generous with what I've been given. Not at all actually. That's my money. I earned it. I deserve to keep it. And yet, it's not mine. And it can be taken away just as easily as it has been given to me. Who am I to hold on to it without giving a passing thought to those far worse off than myself?

I learned a few things from this experience with the woman with no shoes, and from the Bible studies that preceded this experience:
-sometimes we think we're going to save the world, and God uses that experience to humble us instead. I imagine if that woman would have had a different response we would have walked away feeling pretty good about ourselves. But the thing is, it's not about me. It's about Him. Ever only all for Him.
-we don't know people's needs. It's easy to judge and make assumptions. But all I can see is a little glimmer of one part of their lives. I have no clue what is going on on the inside.
-I tend to judge before I give. There's such a stigma against people who beg, the homeless, those without good jobs... and I buy into it all the time. But it's not for me to judge. No where in those Bible passages do we find, choose who you think deserves money and help. We're just told to give. To take care of those in need. Not judge for ourselves who is needy and give only to those people. Just give.
-Money won't solve all the world's problems. And throwing our money at a person won't either. We have to be willing to humble ourselves in order to treat someone with the dignity and respect they deserve. No matter what their situation is, they are still humans. And I often forget, or choose to ignore that.

And that's the story of the Q15.

Adventures in the lost world: Tikal

The whole time I've been in Guatemala I've been excited for one thing: Tikal. Ok, fine. I've been excited for a lot of things, but I was really super excited for Tikal! I've always heard of people who have gone there, or who have put in on their bucket lists to visit before they die. And in every history book I think I've ever opened, there's been at least one picture of the Temple of the Jaguar Priest, or a paragraph or two on the innovations of this civilization. The schedule we were given early in the semester had the date listed for the Tikal visit, and I kept thinking, "That's so long from now!" But then all of a sudden, it was time to board a tiny little plane, in which I really thought my head might explode from the pressure, and go explore some Mayan ruins!

We left last Saturday at around 4am. Awesome, right? No. Not at all actually...Took a bus to Guate (Guatemala City) where we boarded the afore mentioned tiny plane. I'm not sure if it wasn't pressurized or what exactly, but I've never been in so much pain while on a plane. It simultaneously felt like my head was being crushed and ready to explode. Luckily that didn't last too long, and before too long we were in the region of Petén. From the airport it was about an hour and a half drive to the Tikal National Park, including a stop to learn about how gum was made. Look it up, kind of interesting. And then, Tikal!

I don't think I ever realized how much jungle would be around the ruins. I mean, I've seen Star Wars and I guess there was jungle on the Fourth Moon of Yavin... ;) but I kind of just assumed we'd pull up and there would be the ruins! Not so much. First you have to take a walk through the jungle, which was pretty cool too. Don't think I've ever been in a jungle before. Saw some monkeys swinging around, some cool plants... And then after awhile you start to find the ruins. Let me just tell you. They are incredible. Without you visiting, my words will not do them justice, unfortunately. Huge, amazingly preserved pyramids. Built by a society that had no machinery. No horses. Not even a donkey. Just pure manpower. And brilliance. Every pyramid in the park is perfectly aligned with a specific constellation. They all have perfect acoustics, so that when a big festival or something was being held, the common people who weren't anywhere close to the pyramids could hear what was going on just as if they were standing in front of it themselves. (They area surrounding the pyramids was specifically for royalty and priests. The commoners would have lived away from the main plaza, closer to the jungle, which at that time would not have been anywhere close to the pyramids.) And it's not like these are little pyramids that didn't take much work to create. They're huge, towering way above your heads, and built with giant stones that they dug out of quarries miles away. Keep in mind, no machinery. No horses. Just brute strength. They've only uncovered some of the pyramids because nearly every pyramid has an exact counterpart. Since it can take anywhere from 5-15 years to uncover a pyramid, costs a lot to go through this process and even more to maintain, most of the pyramids remain, and may forever remain covered by  a layer of earth. A lot haven't even been discovered yet. They just found another set of pyramids in another area of Guatemala that are proving to be the biggest pyramids on the planet. The ones they have uncovered you can climb up, and the view from the top of each one is amazing (Well, I guess you can't climb up all the ones they've uncovered. They're worried people will fall off or something so they closed a few off to the public. Lame.) And yes, the view from Temple IV looks just like it does in Star Wars: Episode IV. :)

I've seen a lot of cool things in my travels. But so far, nothing has compared to Tikal. I was absolutely blown away by the pyramids, their size and the ingenuity behind them. I can't imagine the thought it took to create these monuments, nor can I understand how exactly this so called "primitive" civilization was able to build things of such magnitude. I can understand now why the locals here say they had help from aliens. It's positively unreal. Here's a few pics, but keep in mind they in no way do the park justice.

itty bitty plane!

some really amazing plants and trees make their home in the jungles of Guatemala

Star Wars: Episode IV: Rebel Base on the Fourth Moon of Yavin

they're just a tad steep

Jaguar Pyramid!

incredible.

hope you enjoyed! :)

Because He lives: Semana Santa

Well, I’ve successfully completed my first Lent and Easter time afuera de los EE.UU [outside of the U.S.]. (PS. This post will come with a small Spanish lesson! Hope you're ready. Look for the square brackets [ ] for new words!) I thought about adding to my list of "things I’m learning in Guatemala" something along the lines of, “Lent and Easter are celebrated in vastly different ways here than they are back home.” But let’s be honest, that really doesn’t even begin to cut it. After having experienced this world renown celebration time, I can now not only detail for you this time of year, but can also share my thoughts and opinions on the matter. Spending Easter here has caused me to think about what exactly I believe, and how this holiday in Guatemala fits into that. I don’t claim to have all the answers, nor do I claim to have this whole celebration figured out, but I can share with you what I’ve been observing and working out in my brain.

Semana Santa:

I say Semana Santa, but I actually refer to the whole Cuaresma [Lent] period that I’ve now lived through. Let me just start off by saying, it’s a BIG deal here. You cannot even begin imagine. I’ll attempt to give you a taste, but without being here, it will inevitably fall short. Sorry. Plan a trip to Guate? And if you do, let me know so I can come with? :) Anyways. We have to look back approximately 40 days to find the start of these aforementioned Lenten celebrations. Makes sense, right? Since that’s when Lent started? Right. So anyways... Guatemala, like the majority of Latin America, is predominantly Catholic. In my limited understanding of Catholicism, I think I can safely say that the Lenten season is kind of important. And it is here even more so than other places perhaps. Approx. 40 days ago, as previously mentioned, brought the start of what I will from here on out refer to as Semana Santa ([Holy Week], but it kind of encompasses all of Lent. At least in my mind...). Every weekend, in the weeks leading up to Easter, brings something different. Processions leaving from one church or another, consisting of large platforms [andas] carried by at least 30-40 men dressed in purple robes (or women depending on the figure on top) and carrying a figure of either Jesus in one of the various stages of the cross, or the virgin Mary crying for her son. Velaciones [translates to wake, but it's more of a display] are displayed in the various Catholic churches, depicting scenes from Jesus life and death. And alfombras [carpets]. Always alfombras. Think Rose Bowl, but carpets instead of floats and cartoon characters. They’re usually made in the streets so that the processions can pass over them, but they are also found in the churches in front of the velaciones. I don't entirely understand their purpose, other than tradition. As you get closer to the actual Semana Santa, the processions get bigger, the velaciones have more special affects, and more and more work gets put into the alfombras. And every weekend, more and more people arrive in Antigua. Miles de miles de personas [thousands upon thousands of people, pronounced meeles rather than miles], as our host dad commonly says. And he’s right. I thought they were joking when I first heard how many people come to this little ten block by ten block city, but in all actuality, they weren’t kidding at all. I’ve never seen such a large concentration of people in such a small area in my whole life. Miles de personas indeed. After all the hustle and bustle in the weeks leading up to Semana Santa, all the hotel rooms being reserved, all the venders getting ready their wares, the REAL festivities begin. I’ve never been to Brazil for Carnival, but I imagine it’s a lot like Semana Santa in Antigua, only I guess Semana Santa has a slightly more religious flavor. At least in theory... These miles de personas begin to arrive Wednesday of Semana Santa. There’s processions every day during the week, velaciones with lines so long you may never actually see the velación, and alfombras so ornate you might think it was a rug imported from Persia. We're talking work all night to make these alfombras. Sometimes there are dramatizations where people in period dress act out various stages of the cross in the streets of Antigua. The processions keep getting bigger, and they go for longer periods of time. Some of the processions leave their respective churches in the wee early hours of the morning, and walk the streets of Antigua for up to 15 hours; they just keep switching people in and out every couple of blocks. My host dad told us he used to carry the andas, and that they are HEAVY. You pay to get your spot in the procession (not sure where that’s Biblical?) and the more you can pay the “holier” you are. Behind every procession follows a band blasting the same type of somber music. The biggest processions are Thursday- Saturday, but the real party is Holy Thursday night, or as I like to call it: Stay up all night and walk around Antigua Fest. Because that’s pretty much what everyone does. And since we want to embrace the culture as much as possible, so did we. I’m pretty sure that was my first successful all nighter. I don’t typically do well with no sleep, but I had to try it. Had to be like the Guatemaltecos [Guatemalans]. I’m not sure how religious Holy Thursday actually is, because mostly it’s just a big party. You walk around, look at alfombras or you help make one if your family or a family you know is making one, there’s a big procession that leaves at 4am, you look at more alfombras, you eat street food (well the Guatemalans do. That’s one part of the culture I’ll leave to the locals. Because as fun as a parasite sounds...), you eat cake and drink coffee at all hours of the night at one of the cafes that stays open all night, you watch a dramatization of the Romans reading the sentence, and you party. Again, we didn’t do that, because drinking and discotecas are frowned upon on the Bethel trip. ;) Like I said, I don’t know how much of a spiritual significance there is to all of that. But that’s the cultural thing to do. And in theory, it's a religious/spiritual time. And then if you make it all the way to Friday morning, you promptly go to sleep. For many hours. At least that’s what I did...I can’t speak for the rest of the population, because I was oblivious to the world until shortly before lunch, and then for much time after lunch. 

What saddens me about all these festivities, is that they’re virtually over come Saturday. The celebrations all but stop with the death of Christ, and part of me, well a lot of me actually, wants to shout out, “You’re missing the most important part!” Yeah, there is a procession on Resurrection Sunday celebrating the risen Lord, but it’s small, and by that time most people who came to Antigua for the festivities have already gone home. True, they light of fireworks throughout the day on Sunday to further celebrate his resurrection, but I’ve seen bigger displays for a little kid’s birthday than for the risen Lord. I don’t understand everything about Catholicism, and so I don’t know for sure that they always place more emphasis on Christ’s death than his resurrection, but to me Christ’s rising from the dead is the most important thing. It’s the pinnacle of what we believe. Dying for our sins is important, and I’m not trying to undermine his death. But without the resurrection, is he anything more than another man who died? Death comes to us all, but if you check my grave a few days after I’ve died, chances are you’ll find my body. (Please don’t think this is an invitation to dig up my body after I’ve died. Not that I’d care so much... so I guess if you really want to, feel free.) That isn’t the case with Christ. They found the tomb empty. “He’s not here, he is risen!” Christ has conquered the grave. So that I, and you, and anyone else who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, can live in heaven with our Savior. Forever. By dying, and then rising again He broke the barrier that stood between Him and I, between Him and humanity. I’m not saying the people of Guatemala don’t believe in the risen Lord, obviously that is key to what we all believe. And it’s not that I disagree with all the celebrations that go on during this time. I don’t understand them all, and I’m not sure that I agree with some of the things that go on. But I like that they do celebrate this time. We should celebrate Easter, at least to the extent of recognizing that it’s about more than a bunny who gives out candy in brightly colored eggs. I just feel like maybe the celebrations should focus on the resurrection just as much as the death of Christ. Both are key to what I believe, and one without the other doesn’t really work. Death without a resurrection after is just another man who was buried in a grave. And you can’t very well raise someone from the dead if they haven’t died first. You can’t separate the two, and maybe that’s the issue I have with the Semana Santa celebrations. We should, by all means celebrate what Christ did for us. His death and resurrection broke down the barrier that stood between us and God. Where we did not have access previously, now we can enter freely. Yes, please let us celebrate this fact. With everything we have in us we should daily celebrate this, not just at Easter.  Nothing I’ve done, or ever can hope to do is enough to give me the access to God that Christ provided by going willingly to his death. For me. So that I may have life, and have it to the full. So that I may be able to experience the amazing love of God. So that I may be able to live eternally with Him. 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future, my life is worth the living just because he lives. 

And that, my friends, is worth celebrating.

For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:10

working on an alfombra late Thursday night

one of my favorite alfombras of the night. So ornate and pretty! All made out of layers and layers of sand.

part of one of the processions

procession that left at 4:30 am and went the rest of Friday 

Things I'm learning: Numero tres

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Before I came on this trip I would wonder why people who were on similar trips didn't blog more. But since I've been here I'm starting to understand. Because when you're here, like anywhere else, moments turn to hours, hours turn into days, and days into life. And suddenly something that seemed noteworthy is now just life, and it's not something as interesting any more. Or it is, but life's still going and you don't just stop to record it. You just keep living. Day in and day out. Like you do when you're at home, or school or wherever. It's life, every little moment of it. All the little moments squish together to make the whole, and sometimes it's hard to pick apart the various pieces. So that's my excuse for not blogging a ton. That being said, I have another list of things I've learned recently for you:

61) Unlike Magdalena, in Antigua you can probably get away with not greeting every person you meet. If you're, unsure, however, you can still let out a buenos dias and be just fine.
62) Any noise made to the Lord is a joyful noise. Thus, church is loud!
63) You can celebrate just about anything with fireworks and firecrackers. But the favorite is birthdays.
64) Birthdays can, apparently, be celebrated in the above mentioned way at any time of the night. Any time.
65) It's not a good firework celebration unless the car alarms get set off by it.
66) I like spicy chocolate. Like dark chocolate with chili powder baked in. Mmm.
67) Guatemalans tend to favor spoons over other utensils.
68) Guatemalans don't really run. Ever. So when my roommate and I run later than our normal six a.m. we tend to make somewhat of a spectacale. Though I'm sure by now they're used to all the things us crazy gringos do.
69) Antigua was established around 1500, and looks much the same as it did then.
70) I like egg plant. Who knew?
71) The "there's always room for one more" rule applies to buses, cars, van, and yes, even mopeds. Sometimes especially mopeds.
72) Thinking about life after graduation is terrifying. But in a really exciting way. Can't believe how quickly that's becoming a reality.
73) I'm not allergic to mangoes like I once thought. Or if I am, I'm combatting it with eating more mangoes.
74) Carbs are apparently an option for breakfast in our house.
75) If served to me I would eat fried plantains and guacamole every day.
76) I really miss dairy products.
76) Sometimes there is really only room for one more (see #71), but they will still pack in about 20 more. (Check out this post on riding the bus for more on that!)
77) Riding the bus is awkward. And uncomfortable. Personal space doesn't exist on the bus. But it's a part of life, very much necessary for many Guatemalans.
78) To a non-native English speaker, the 8 and H sounds are very similar. My kindergarteners in Magdalena say them both the same, and I'm not entirely sure they realize there's a difference.
79) Black sand is HOT! (They weren't kidding when they warned us!)
80) The ocean is far more powerful than I ever imagined.
81) I kind of love bartering. I don't always walk away with the best end of the deal, but at least I had some say in the final price of whatever I'm buying. Bartering is expected in many, but not all, places around here.
82) It's not actually grammatically correct to say "can I have" ("puedo tener") in Spanish. Now that I've learned this, I've been trying to not say it, but it's really hard! We use it all the time in English. Now every time I go to ask for something I get caught up on my words.

How Things are done in Guatemala #Ridingthebus

I know it's hard to believe, but not everything runs the way it does in the U.S. when you're in other countries. And I know it's even harder to believe that sometimes there are some things that are run better in other countries than they are in the U.S.

I would not put riding the bus in Guatemala in that category. 

Different? Yes. Very much so. Better?...far from. Let me just explain to you this process a little bit so you can better understand where I'm coming from:

Riding the Bus:

There are at least two people you will see on every bus in Guatemala, and sometimes a third:

• You will for sure encounter a driver, no surprise there. He, as I'm sure you can guess, drives the bus! Shocking, I know! But that is the extent of his duties. The surprising part is that he sometimes looks like he is about 15. Aside from driving the bus he is also in charge of the radio. It's a most important job, and the tastes in music are about as varied as the passengers that ride the bus.
• The second person you will meet on a bus in Guatemala is the person I like to call the caller. I don't know if he has a more technical title, but his principle job is to get people onto the bus. He stands at the bus stop and loudly shouts out the destination as many times as he can in a single breath. "Antigua, Antigua, Antigua, Antigua!" "Guate, Guate, Guate!" "Santa Lucia, Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa Lucia!" etc. When you make eye contact with this person he quickly ushers you onto his specific bus, before you have time to question if that's your actual destination or not. 
• The third person is the ayudante, or helper. His job responsibilities often include those of the caller, thus sometimes eliminating the need of a separate caller and giving you the two people I mentioned earlier. The ayudante's [helper's] job is to... help the driver! (It's funny how these descriptions and titles work together, don't you think?) But he actually has several clear responsibilities from what I can tell: The first, if there's no separate caller, is to get people on the bus. As I mentioned, the driver's only job is to drive. He pulls up to a stop, and if there's not a caller, the ayudante hops of the bus and takes on this very important role of ushering people onto his bus. Can't make money if there's no one to ride! After he squeezes on as many people as can possibly fit, and then a few more he swiftly gets back into his position at the front of the bus. This usually happens as the bus is pulling away from the curb; he's pretty skilled. His next job is to collect the money, which is easier said than done. Since the bus has now been packed to beyond capacity, he somehow has to squeeze his way all the way to the back of the bus collecting money as he goes, and making sure he gives the correct change. It's an impressive feat, because the bus is literally packed full, and I'm still not entirely sure how the ayudantes can make it through the extra narrow isle. After collecting the money he somehow makes his way back to the front of the bus, and takes his place at the open door of the bus, somehow managing to not fall out of the bus as it careens around corners and mountains. Sometimes the ayudante has the important job of honking the horn on the bus, because clearly the driver can't do this himself. Also if there's something wrong with the bus, it's the ayudante who jumps off to check it out, because the driver doesn't seem to be able to leave his seat while the bus is on.

Filling the bus:
There's always room for one more is a general rule for just about everything here in Guatemala, but especially with the buses, which are commonly called chicken buses. Couldn't tell you the reason why for that one...The ayudante will have the driver stop any time he sees someone who looks like they might need a ride, even (especially?) when they aren't standing at a specified bus stop. Oh, I should mention that these buses are just old school buses (as in elementary school buses, not "old school" buses!) from the states. Sometimes you can still see the name of the school painted on the side. They're usually covered with a bright coat of paint and Barcelona soccer stickers. I guess the drivers can decorate however they want. So the ayudante just keeps filling the bus with more people. And sometimes you think, "Now there's really only room for one more", but he proceeds to add about 20 more. You know how school buses in the states have one side with bigger seats, and one side with smaller? Well, in Guatemala they've replaced the smaller side with big seats. And you ALWAYS sit three to a seat. In fact, if the ayudante thinks you're purposely only sitting two to a seat, he may chose to charge you the fare for two people. After all the seats are filled, you fill the isles, naturally. Because, what fun would it be to just fill the seats? Once the isles are filled you start putting people in the overhead racks....kidding. But sometimes it feels like that's what they're doing! I honestly don't where they put all the people they fit onto one bus. Especially when our group is involved, because we add about 20 to an already full bus.


When I ride the bus, I just have to laugh. There is no such thing as personal space bubbles, and sometimes you're standing in the most awkward places, right up close and personal with some person you've never met before. Every bump and turn (of which there are many on the road between Antigua and Magdalena, and I imagine every other bus route in the country) shoves you closer to said stranger until you're standing so close you'd think you've been best friends, or siamese twins, your whole life, but yet you haven't met, and probably never will. And then the bus stops and more people get on, and you get even closer to your neighbor, and you just sit there not making eye contact- though their eyes are only inches from your own. On less crowded rides I like to talk to the people around me, learn their stories and whatnot. That's a rarity, unfortunately.  Yes, I have to just laugh as I ride the bus. But as I'm laughing, I look around me and don't see anyone else (save for my fellow gringos) laughing. In fact, I see a lot of Guatemalan faces staring at me as I laugh, and I know they're thinking, "Crazy gringo." Riding the bus isn't humorous to a Guatemalan. It's just life. Cars and gas are expensive, jobs aren't always right in your pueblo, so riding the bus is a part of life. Buses are packed, and that's a part of life. The ride is usually uncomfortable, and that's part of life. The road is bumpy, and twisty and turny, and that's a part of life. You do what you have to, and you don't think anything of it. Every day. Because that's life. You don't complain, because what would the point be?  For me, life doesn't usually include riding a chicken bus to and from work and home. It's a great experience, but one I'll reserve for Guatemala. So for now, I just have to laugh. And hope the Guatemalans don't mind this crazy gringo too much. :)

21st Birthday!

Well, I'm officially, officially an adult now! I turned 21 yesterday which means I can do just about anything! haha! Just about because I still can't drive a bus or rent a car. :) I can definitely say it will be a birthday I won't soon forget. This week (and next) I've been teaching English at a private school in Magdalena, and was warned ahead of time that birthdays are a big deal at the school. And so for the celebrations yesterday I got sung to by several of the classes and received some very cute cards from my even cuter kindergarteners. (The kindergarten class is the one I teach English to. There's four of us girls working up at the school and we each have our own class to be teaching with the help of each other and our site leader, Abbey.) At dinner my host parents had some brownies for us with a candle for me to blow out, and I got some gifts from my two host sisters, as well as a delicious loaf of bread and a cute journal from my two sweet friends, Beth and Alison. Oh! Back up. After working at the school for the day the girls that work at the school with me and our site leader went out for ice cream. And then after dinner our whole team went out for ice cream again! Two ice creams in one day, doesn't get much better than that! :) And then I got to skype with my parents, Kirsten, and Kayla! Great birthday if you ask me! Then today after recess the kids all lined up instead of going in like they normally do and they all sung to me again, but this time as a whole group and not individual classes. After that they gave me a hug one by one. LOTS of birthday hugs! But I love all those kids, so it was a lot of fun. Like I said, definitely not a birthday I will be forgetting any time soon. I had a great time hanging out with the kiddos and teachers at the school, and celebrating with the new friends I've made down here. So blessed to have so many people that love and care about me. Thanks for all the well wishes! :)

Card from one of my sweet kindergarteners!

Getting sung to by 80+ elementary school kids:

"ya queremos pastel, ya queremos pastel, aunque sea un pedacito, ya queremos pastel!"

(that's verse two. Then they clap and count until they reach your age)

LOTS of birthday hugs!

And that was my 21st birthday!