Sunday was an interesting day at work, especially with one of the boys, "Pedro" (the boy with fetal alcohol syndrome who is also hyperactive). I went into the bathroom and couldn't even get away for two minutes because he proceeded to STICK HIS HEAD UNDERNEATH THE DOOR OF THE STALL. This is pretty funny looking back, but obviously at the time I was extremely irritated. Talk about lack of privacy. He repeatedly kept sticking his head under the door again, despite me yelling at him.
Sunday was also Dia de Visitas (visit day when families can come see their children). This is always a difficult, emotionally-charged day. Some kids are sad because they don't have families. Some kids wait all day long and their families don't come. Some are really happy when their families do come. And some have dysfunctional families whom they don't really want to see. I think there are 3-4 visit days per year.
A lot of kids are actually at home with their families for the month. So not that many families came the other day. I loved watching one of the boys run, full-speed, to his family when he first saw them. And some of the families of kids from my section came to visit them. My job was to get one of the boys, "Pablo", and take him back to our house when his mom was ready to leave. He has only been here for a little over a month and is still adjusting to being separated from his mom. So, he burst into tears when she started getting ready to leave. It was really sad to watch. One of the ladies from the social work department had to come help me walk him back to the house because he was so upset. Pablo has mental retardation and can't fully understand the situation, either. After we got back to the house, he couldn't stop crying or saying "Mama". I tried everything to get him to stop crying - I hugged him, sang to him, rocked him, and read to him. Nothing worked. Eventually, I took him and one of the other boys for what ended up being a two-hour walk. And he cried the entire time.
Pedro (the same boy who stuck his head underneath the bathroom stall) also had a confusing moment. A family came to visit a different boy in the section. But Pedro ran up to a woman who is not his mother and embraced her while shrieking “Mommy! Mommy!”. His tía went up and pulled him away. I felt really bad for him, and no one really knew what to do. Sometimes he gets confused and calls the tías “Mommy” as well. He also spent some of the day crying and saying, “Mommy”.
Even though Pablo cried for two hours, I actually did enjoy our walk. He and the other boy are just adorable. And they wanted to go see the pigs (yes, we have pigs) so we walked down the hill to look at them. I hadn’t seen them since my orientation week in July, so that was fun. The day was difficult for some of the kids, but I was glad I could be there to support them.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Love
The other day I went out to lunch with my roommates Mona Lisa and Ruth. They said that I have a special gift for working with kids with special needs. Hearing that really meant a lot to me, especially because I don’t have people telling me that very often. When they said that, I remembered when the secretary at Wells Elementary School told me the same thing on the last day that I worked there as a teacher’s aid: “Bridget, you truly have a gift,” she said.
It’s these things that make me feel happy and keep me going. Another thing that makes me especially happy is when kids give me hugs – particularly Pati. She gets really excited to see me – and I her. Sometimes she runs up to me and hugs me so tightly that I think she’ll never let go. This is definitely a Pachamama hug. My friends who went to Ecuador with me will know what I mean.
Ruth asked me if the kids with Special Needs have ever had a volunteer pick their section before me. They haven’t. And I’m truly happy that I picked them. The only reason I wouldn’t have picked them would have been because I already spend a lot of time with some of them in speech intervention. So I was worried that it might be too much togetherness and more than I could handle.
And I’m not going to lie – sometimes it is too much. But if there’s a day when I’m feeling overwhelmed, sometimes I just go home to rest instead of hanging out with the kids after work (I usually go eat dinner with and read to them two nights each week). Other times, I hang out with them even if I’m tired or have had a hard day. And it’s usually worth it (vale la pena). When I leave the section I’m usually happy. There are always positive interactions.
Even though there are difficult moments every day (particularly with three children who can’t control their behavior very well due to their diagnoses), there are also wonderful moments every day. I am really growing to love some of the kids.
One of the girls went home for Christmas (for the month of December) and I REALLY miss her!! She told me the day she left, “Si voy con mi familia, te voy a extrañar” (If I go with my family, I’m going to miss you) and gave me a hug. I am really happy she got to go home, though. Apparently last time her family said they were going to come and didn’t show up. She waited all day long and was crushed when they didn’t come. So this time, she told me she didn’t think they were going to come and was really sad. That comment made me really sad too because I care deeply for her. So I said, “Well, I thope you can go with your family. But if you go, I’m really going to miss you! And if you stay, we get to spend Christmas together!” Thank goodness her family came.
This month all the volunteers are working as tíos with the kids because their tíos are on vacation. So my friend Cassie and I are working with my kids. Again, I was hesitant a few months ago about working as a tía with them – especially before they fired the abusive tía. Also, I don’t enjoy when some of the children hit me.
Nonetheless, I am so happy now to be with my kids for the month. So far it is going well. The work is definitely difficult and exhausting, but I love my kids. I’m also glad that I can put myself in the tíos’ shoes and understand how difficult their job is. They work 13 hour days without a break and sleep with the kids; of course, they don’t get paid much. And thankfully, the tíos in my section work in December because they can’t just leave thirteen kids with special needs by themselves. These tíos take their vacations individually at different times throughout the year. So besides Christmas Eve and Day when half of them have a break, Cassie and I are there for extra support. And I love these children.
On another note, we had our first Posada of the month here at NPH on Friday. Una posada is a little parade in which someone dresses up as Jesus and Mary. They lead the parade and everyone else follows, carrying candles and singing Christmas candles. Then they knock on people’s doors, sing back and forth, and the people inside join the parade. Posadas are very common in Latin America. The purpose is to prepare for and welcome Jesus into the homes. Our posada was adorable! It was really fun. Afterward there were piñatas for the kids and some delicious hot chocolate. Qué rico!
It’s these things that make me feel happy and keep me going. Another thing that makes me especially happy is when kids give me hugs – particularly Pati. She gets really excited to see me – and I her. Sometimes she runs up to me and hugs me so tightly that I think she’ll never let go. This is definitely a Pachamama hug. My friends who went to Ecuador with me will know what I mean.
Ruth asked me if the kids with Special Needs have ever had a volunteer pick their section before me. They haven’t. And I’m truly happy that I picked them. The only reason I wouldn’t have picked them would have been because I already spend a lot of time with some of them in speech intervention. So I was worried that it might be too much togetherness and more than I could handle.
And I’m not going to lie – sometimes it is too much. But if there’s a day when I’m feeling overwhelmed, sometimes I just go home to rest instead of hanging out with the kids after work (I usually go eat dinner with and read to them two nights each week). Other times, I hang out with them even if I’m tired or have had a hard day. And it’s usually worth it (vale la pena). When I leave the section I’m usually happy. There are always positive interactions.
Even though there are difficult moments every day (particularly with three children who can’t control their behavior very well due to their diagnoses), there are also wonderful moments every day. I am really growing to love some of the kids.
One of the girls went home for Christmas (for the month of December) and I REALLY miss her!! She told me the day she left, “Si voy con mi familia, te voy a extrañar” (If I go with my family, I’m going to miss you) and gave me a hug. I am really happy she got to go home, though. Apparently last time her family said they were going to come and didn’t show up. She waited all day long and was crushed when they didn’t come. So this time, she told me she didn’t think they were going to come and was really sad. That comment made me really sad too because I care deeply for her. So I said, “Well, I thope you can go with your family. But if you go, I’m really going to miss you! And if you stay, we get to spend Christmas together!” Thank goodness her family came.
This month all the volunteers are working as tíos with the kids because their tíos are on vacation. So my friend Cassie and I are working with my kids. Again, I was hesitant a few months ago about working as a tía with them – especially before they fired the abusive tía. Also, I don’t enjoy when some of the children hit me.
Nonetheless, I am so happy now to be with my kids for the month. So far it is going well. The work is definitely difficult and exhausting, but I love my kids. I’m also glad that I can put myself in the tíos’ shoes and understand how difficult their job is. They work 13 hour days without a break and sleep with the kids; of course, they don’t get paid much. And thankfully, the tíos in my section work in December because they can’t just leave thirteen kids with special needs by themselves. These tíos take their vacations individually at different times throughout the year. So besides Christmas Eve and Day when half of them have a break, Cassie and I are there for extra support. And I love these children.
On another note, we had our first Posada of the month here at NPH on Friday. Una posada is a little parade in which someone dresses up as Jesus and Mary. They lead the parade and everyone else follows, carrying candles and singing Christmas candles. Then they knock on people’s doors, sing back and forth, and the people inside join the parade. Posadas are very common in Latin America. The purpose is to prepare for and welcome Jesus into the homes. Our posada was adorable! It was really fun. Afterward there were piñatas for the kids and some delicious hot chocolate. Qué rico!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
A Typical Ride on a Camioneta (Chicken Bus)
As I enter the outdoor bus terminal, I am overwhelmed by many brightly-colored school buses moving toward my direction. The wonderful aroma of bus fumes greets me, as well as men screaming, “CHIMAL CHIMAL CHIMAL!” “SUMPANGO!” or “GUATE!” (the destination cities of the buses they work on).
I board the bus and am lucky to get a seat. Most seats have three people and the aisle is already full. The drivers try to cram as many people as possible into each bus and this is obviously a fire hazard, but why would anyone be concerned about that? Durangenze (a special Guatemalan music, probably misspelled) or Spanish pop music blares from the radio; I hope this doesn’t cause conductive hearing loss. Crosses and pictures of Jesus or Mary often adorn the inside of buses.
The bus usually begins to inch as slowly as possible while the driver’s assistant screams, “CHIMAL PARRAMOS CHIMAL PARRAMOS” out the door to urge even more people to board. (You don’t think it is physically possible to cram more people onto this thing, but you are oh so wrong.)
But the real ride begins when we finally leave the outskirts of Antigua, and you hold on for dear life. (If you’re lucky the driver will not drive as fast as he possibly can. And yes, the driver is always a he.) Standing in the aisle? Be prepared to swing rapidly from side to side. Sitting on the aisle seat? You’ll almost fall out of your seat – unless the bus is incredibly jam-packed and other bodies that are pressed against you hold you in. Your American concept of personal space becomes completely obsolete and you learn to just go with the flow. (And hopefully the bus won’t drive off the edge of a mountain, because it often appears as though it will.)
Motion sickness is another issue. One time, I thought I would have to throw up out of the bus window. (Luckily that didn’t happen.) I used to take Dramamine before getting on the bus. But now I don’t even bother because I realized it completely depends on the driver. I’ve gotten slower drivers several times, and often the ride isn’t actually so bad. (Although one time, my friends Katie and Megan were on a bus that broke down. From their description, it literally fell apart; maybe the weight of all those people was too much? Just a thought …)
All in all, bus rides can be super fun. Just wanted to give you a taste of what public transportation is like in Guatemala.
I board the bus and am lucky to get a seat. Most seats have three people and the aisle is already full. The drivers try to cram as many people as possible into each bus and this is obviously a fire hazard, but why would anyone be concerned about that? Durangenze (a special Guatemalan music, probably misspelled) or Spanish pop music blares from the radio; I hope this doesn’t cause conductive hearing loss. Crosses and pictures of Jesus or Mary often adorn the inside of buses.
The bus usually begins to inch as slowly as possible while the driver’s assistant screams, “CHIMAL PARRAMOS CHIMAL PARRAMOS” out the door to urge even more people to board. (You don’t think it is physically possible to cram more people onto this thing, but you are oh so wrong.)
But the real ride begins when we finally leave the outskirts of Antigua, and you hold on for dear life. (If you’re lucky the driver will not drive as fast as he possibly can. And yes, the driver is always a he.) Standing in the aisle? Be prepared to swing rapidly from side to side. Sitting on the aisle seat? You’ll almost fall out of your seat – unless the bus is incredibly jam-packed and other bodies that are pressed against you hold you in. Your American concept of personal space becomes completely obsolete and you learn to just go with the flow. (And hopefully the bus won’t drive off the edge of a mountain, because it often appears as though it will.)
Motion sickness is another issue. One time, I thought I would have to throw up out of the bus window. (Luckily that didn’t happen.) I used to take Dramamine before getting on the bus. But now I don’t even bother because I realized it completely depends on the driver. I’ve gotten slower drivers several times, and often the ride isn’t actually so bad. (Although one time, my friends Katie and Megan were on a bus that broke down. From their description, it literally fell apart; maybe the weight of all those people was too much? Just a thought …)
All in all, bus rides can be super fun. Just wanted to give you a taste of what public transportation is like in Guatemala.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Back to NPH
11/22/10
So, I really didn't want to come home from vacation. Oaxaca was so wonderful and relaxing! And warm. The thought of going back to work was almost too much.
But I ended up being happy to return today. I worked with two of my favorite children, who I'll call Pedro and Marcos. We had so much fun! They're incredibly adorable. They were so happy to see me, and I was so happy to see them!
Later on I saw Tomas. He wanted to come to speech with me! It was so really cute. He came up to me and gave me a hug, and his tio explained to him that I was just coming to drop Pedro off at the baby house. After that, I saw another one my boys. He was yelling my name (with the help of his teacher Fabiola)and gave me a hug. (He also shaved his mustache.)
Before that, I also saw a lot of the kids in my section. They're amazing! I gave them hugs and Isabel asked when I was going to come eat dinner and read with them. She's one of my favorites. The cool thing is that I don't have therapy with her, so we just have a friendship. Socialization is really important for her because she lives with a bunch of special needs children who can't speak.
All in all, the vacation was wonderful. And it made me realize that coming back was wonderful too. On Dec. 3 all the volunteers will start working as tios for the month of December, so I'll have a different job for a month. Today I'll find out whether I'm working in the baby house or with the children with special needs. Tomorrow we have the day off work for a holiday and are going to go hiking.
And in 31 days my familia comes!! I can't wait.
Another interesting observation - Yesterday when I was walking through Antigua, I noticed something strange: I was walking more quickly than everyone else. Slow down and enjoy yourself, you aren't in any rush, I thought.
The reason it was strange (that I was walking more quickly) was because at home in the U.S. I usually walk more slowly than everyone else and wonder why they're in a rush. Last summer I had an internship at the ADA (AMericans with Disabilities Act) Center in Chicago. The first day that I took the train downtown I seriously thought I was going to get run over by commuters when I got off the train. But here in Guatemala, I sometimes walk quickly. How strange!
So, I really didn't want to come home from vacation. Oaxaca was so wonderful and relaxing! And warm. The thought of going back to work was almost too much.
But I ended up being happy to return today. I worked with two of my favorite children, who I'll call Pedro and Marcos. We had so much fun! They're incredibly adorable. They were so happy to see me, and I was so happy to see them!
Later on I saw Tomas. He wanted to come to speech with me! It was so really cute. He came up to me and gave me a hug, and his tio explained to him that I was just coming to drop Pedro off at the baby house. After that, I saw another one my boys. He was yelling my name (with the help of his teacher Fabiola)and gave me a hug. (He also shaved his mustache.)
Before that, I also saw a lot of the kids in my section. They're amazing! I gave them hugs and Isabel asked when I was going to come eat dinner and read with them. She's one of my favorites. The cool thing is that I don't have therapy with her, so we just have a friendship. Socialization is really important for her because she lives with a bunch of special needs children who can't speak.
All in all, the vacation was wonderful. And it made me realize that coming back was wonderful too. On Dec. 3 all the volunteers will start working as tios for the month of December, so I'll have a different job for a month. Today I'll find out whether I'm working in the baby house or with the children with special needs. Tomorrow we have the day off work for a holiday and are going to go hiking.
And in 31 days my familia comes!! I can't wait.
Another interesting observation - Yesterday when I was walking through Antigua, I noticed something strange: I was walking more quickly than everyone else. Slow down and enjoy yourself, you aren't in any rush, I thought.
The reason it was strange (that I was walking more quickly) was because at home in the U.S. I usually walk more slowly than everyone else and wonder why they're in a rush. Last summer I had an internship at the ADA (AMericans with Disabilities Act) Center in Chicago. The first day that I took the train downtown I seriously thought I was going to get run over by commuters when I got off the train. But here in Guatemala, I sometimes walk quickly. How strange!
Ohhhhhhhhh Mexico!
Mexico
My friends Christina and Janna (both from Germany) and I went to San Cristobal, Mexico and Oaxaca. San Cristobal was pretty sweet – it reminded me of Antigua (cobblestone streets, quaint and small but with more colorful buildings. It seemed a bit smaller too. Also it was FREEAZING there.
We stayed a a cute little hostel called Quia with beautiful paintings on the walls. We also shpped quite a bit and I found a book of poems!! Im excited because I can understand most of it and its in Spanish. We also walked up a huge hill to a beautiful church for a view of the ciudad. (Side note – I ate hummus in San Cristobal and was ecstatic because I hadn’t eaten it in 4 months.)
Then we took an 11-hour overnight bus ride that wasn’t very pleasant because I was carsick. But it was worth it because Oaxaca blew my mind. Its a big, beautiful city with so much culture. Even though its touristy, I want to go back because there is still so much more to see! We got there around 10 AM and found a really cute hostel. The view of the city from the deck was oustanding, especially watching the sunset.
We went to the zocalo (central park) several times. It was really nice with a green gazebo in the center surrounded by several huge trees. There are men playing the marimba (which is a huge wooden xylophone), clowns, and a TON of people trying to sell us things. One afternoon, we sat at tables outside the coffee shop in the corner of the zocalo. Within 2 hours, at least 40 people arrproached us trying to sell us something. That is not an exaggeration. I counted 25 people, and before I started counting about 20 people offered us something. Usually they were combs, bracelets, tablecloths, etc.
Oaxaca is famous for chocolate (especially hot chocolate) and mole.. Mole is a red or black sauce made of three different chile peppers, chocolate, and one more ingredient that I can’t recall. (I talked with a cute little old man from Oaxaca who told me the ingredients.)
So, I bought some mole negro in the mercado 20 de noviembre. The market is huge and famous, and is like a flea market, except cool. Then I ate the mole out of a plastic bag which you really aren’t supposed to do – its a sauce that’s usually on chicken or in tamales.
Another Oaxacan delicacy is chapulin: fried grasshoppers. They look and sound disgusting. But my curiosity got hte better off me and I tried some; not bad, actually – they fry them in something flavorful.
Thursday I went to a really cool modern art museaum. It was was small but I psent 2 hours getting lost in the paintings and life-size skulls (not real skulls). There were 5 of them and 2 were painted with brillant colors. I took several pictures.
Then we went into some shops tha were full of decorated skeletons. I asked a woman why skeletons are so popular in Mexico. She said that they like to think of the afterlife in a lighthearted, playful manner. So they decorate skeletons and hope the afterlife is just as fun as life on earth.
This tradition of decorating skeletons stems from Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The holidy is REALLY big in Mexico – more so than in Guatemala. Por eso, they decorate altars and tombs November 1 every year.
Decorating altars actually comes from the ancient indigenous Zapotecs. (I learned about them in school and really don’t remember anything about them.) But, I read about that tradition when we went ot the ruins of Monte Alban. We looked at a few tombs, and this was where I read about them making offereings to the dead.
The ruins are (as my friend Pam likes to say) glorious. They’re just oustide of Oaxaca in the mountains where 3 vallies come together. The view is magnificent! Monte Alban was the first urban plan on the American continent. The Zapoteces built the city in 500 BC and it was inhabited until 850 AD. Animals were really importnat and some were considered gods. Plants and herbs were thought to be sacred and healing – they were said to be the link between heaven and earth.
Oaxaca also has some really great music! One Thursday night Janna, Christina, and I met up with my roomates Josh, Ruth and Michael for a FREE Lilla Downs concert. I didn’t know her music before but apparently she’s really famous. I liked how she sings abotu different aspects of Mexican culture (she even has a song about Oaxaca). She spoke and sang about uniting different races and indigenous people in Mexico. Apparently she’s revolutionary for doing this.
Also, this woman is extraordinarily talented. She sings in a really deep voice for some songs, and at least two octaves higher in others. Her verbrato is indescribable, as well as the talent of her band. The harpist was especially impressive. He played beautifully! Not only is he an exceptional harpist, but he pulled out the violin and guitar as well.
The following night, the six of us found a bar with live salsa/cumbia/bachata music!! I really loved this band too. We danced a lot, and I loved watching the Mexicans dance because they are amazingly talented.
I think I forgot to mention that it was sunny and in the 70s-80s the whole time we were there. Hopefully I’ll make it back to Oaxaca and see more of Mexico someday!
My friends Christina and Janna (both from Germany) and I went to San Cristobal, Mexico and Oaxaca. San Cristobal was pretty sweet – it reminded me of Antigua (cobblestone streets, quaint and small but with more colorful buildings. It seemed a bit smaller too. Also it was FREEAZING there.
We stayed a a cute little hostel called Quia with beautiful paintings on the walls. We also shpped quite a bit and I found a book of poems!! Im excited because I can understand most of it and its in Spanish. We also walked up a huge hill to a beautiful church for a view of the ciudad. (Side note – I ate hummus in San Cristobal and was ecstatic because I hadn’t eaten it in 4 months.)
Then we took an 11-hour overnight bus ride that wasn’t very pleasant because I was carsick. But it was worth it because Oaxaca blew my mind. Its a big, beautiful city with so much culture. Even though its touristy, I want to go back because there is still so much more to see! We got there around 10 AM and found a really cute hostel. The view of the city from the deck was oustanding, especially watching the sunset.
We went to the zocalo (central park) several times. It was really nice with a green gazebo in the center surrounded by several huge trees. There are men playing the marimba (which is a huge wooden xylophone), clowns, and a TON of people trying to sell us things. One afternoon, we sat at tables outside the coffee shop in the corner of the zocalo. Within 2 hours, at least 40 people arrproached us trying to sell us something. That is not an exaggeration. I counted 25 people, and before I started counting about 20 people offered us something. Usually they were combs, bracelets, tablecloths, etc.
Oaxaca is famous for chocolate (especially hot chocolate) and mole.. Mole is a red or black sauce made of three different chile peppers, chocolate, and one more ingredient that I can’t recall. (I talked with a cute little old man from Oaxaca who told me the ingredients.)
So, I bought some mole negro in the mercado 20 de noviembre. The market is huge and famous, and is like a flea market, except cool. Then I ate the mole out of a plastic bag which you really aren’t supposed to do – its a sauce that’s usually on chicken or in tamales.
Another Oaxacan delicacy is chapulin: fried grasshoppers. They look and sound disgusting. But my curiosity got hte better off me and I tried some; not bad, actually – they fry them in something flavorful.
Thursday I went to a really cool modern art museaum. It was was small but I psent 2 hours getting lost in the paintings and life-size skulls (not real skulls). There were 5 of them and 2 were painted with brillant colors. I took several pictures.
Then we went into some shops tha were full of decorated skeletons. I asked a woman why skeletons are so popular in Mexico. She said that they like to think of the afterlife in a lighthearted, playful manner. So they decorate skeletons and hope the afterlife is just as fun as life on earth.
This tradition of decorating skeletons stems from Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The holidy is REALLY big in Mexico – more so than in Guatemala. Por eso, they decorate altars and tombs November 1 every year.
Decorating altars actually comes from the ancient indigenous Zapotecs. (I learned about them in school and really don’t remember anything about them.) But, I read about that tradition when we went ot the ruins of Monte Alban. We looked at a few tombs, and this was where I read about them making offereings to the dead.
The ruins are (as my friend Pam likes to say) glorious. They’re just oustide of Oaxaca in the mountains where 3 vallies come together. The view is magnificent! Monte Alban was the first urban plan on the American continent. The Zapoteces built the city in 500 BC and it was inhabited until 850 AD. Animals were really importnat and some were considered gods. Plants and herbs were thought to be sacred and healing – they were said to be the link between heaven and earth.
Oaxaca also has some really great music! One Thursday night Janna, Christina, and I met up with my roomates Josh, Ruth and Michael for a FREE Lilla Downs concert. I didn’t know her music before but apparently she’s really famous. I liked how she sings abotu different aspects of Mexican culture (she even has a song about Oaxaca). She spoke and sang about uniting different races and indigenous people in Mexico. Apparently she’s revolutionary for doing this.
Also, this woman is extraordinarily talented. She sings in a really deep voice for some songs, and at least two octaves higher in others. Her verbrato is indescribable, as well as the talent of her band. The harpist was especially impressive. He played beautifully! Not only is he an exceptional harpist, but he pulled out the violin and guitar as well.
The following night, the six of us found a bar with live salsa/cumbia/bachata music!! I really loved this band too. We danced a lot, and I loved watching the Mexicans dance because they are amazingly talented.
I think I forgot to mention that it was sunny and in the 70s-80s the whole time we were there. Hopefully I’ll make it back to Oaxaca and see more of Mexico someday!
Monday, November 8, 2010
!!!!!!!!!
For Day of the Dead pictures go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2063367&id=1146001044&l=31a818d6d
6/11/10
Well I’ve been here for four months now and really it seems like quite a bit longer. At the same time, I can’t believe that four months have already passed; time is going by so quickly and I only have eight months left here.
A week from tomorrow we’re going to Mexico!!!!!!!! My friends Ruth, Josh, Michael, Janna, Christina and I are going to Oaxaca and San Cristobal. The cities are supposed to be really cool, and apparently Oaxaca has wonderful food. It will be a nice change from eating beans almost every single night. (Although we do usually get lunch that is pretty good.)
This weekend is really relaxing so far. Today, Christina and I went to Antigua. While she talked to her family on Skype, I did some errands. Then, I sat in the central park and enjoyed people watching. An indigenous musical group performed, and they had a marimba (it is a huge wooden xylophone and sounds pretty cool). I also got approached by at least four little girls begging me to purchase their bracelets, which is very typical especially in Antigua. It is the biggest tourist city in Guatemala; whenever I go there I see “gringos” (foreigners who are usually white people) and think it is strange to hear people speaking English. A lot of tourists even live there.
I also walked around and explored a little bit more of the city that I hadn’t seen yet. I went into a really cool church and also found an amazing textile shop.
8/11/10
Today was a VERY exciting day because I worked with one of my clients Andres for the first time in over a month (due to scheduling changes because of holidays and random events; sometimes it is really frustrating having to cancel therapy sessions, but I’ve gotten more used to it now).
Anyway, he has severe autism and is non-verbal. He’s the one who hit me really hard a few times. I’ve changed his goals at least three times – it’s been difficult to figure out what is most appropriate for him to work on in terms of language. He is very withdrawn and likes to lay on the floor, moving his head back and forth while blinking (he has a tick in his eyes); it is very difficult to get him to pay attention.
So, one of the goals I made is to have him say “sí” or “no” with his head, or with sign language. I didn’t know how this would go, and today was the first day we tried it. He laid on the floor in the stimulation room and started moving his head back and forth. So I just kept asking him if he wanted to play with playdo. Then I would guide his hand to say “sí” or “no” in lenguaje de señas. And one time when I said, “Díga no” (“Say no”) he DID THE SIGN FOR “NO” BY HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was extremely excited especially because he is so withdrawn and can be very difficult to work with. Not to mention that many children learn slowly; I wasn’t expecting him to do the sign by himself at all. After that, I had to go back to guiding his hand again; but it was still SO GREAT!
This Friday and Saturday we are celebrating the 14th anniversary of the home here at NPH Guatemala. We were all put into teams for the event. Friday we’re supposed to perform dances and cheers, and Saturday we’re playing outdoor games (kind of like Field Day) all day. Although many of the groups (including my own) are completely disorganized and don’t have any dance choreographed because the children aren’t cooperating, I think the event in general will be fun. Especially the game day. That night we also have a dance for the kids and I love to dance. The next morning we are leaving for Mexico!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!
6/11/10
Well I’ve been here for four months now and really it seems like quite a bit longer. At the same time, I can’t believe that four months have already passed; time is going by so quickly and I only have eight months left here.
A week from tomorrow we’re going to Mexico!!!!!!!! My friends Ruth, Josh, Michael, Janna, Christina and I are going to Oaxaca and San Cristobal. The cities are supposed to be really cool, and apparently Oaxaca has wonderful food. It will be a nice change from eating beans almost every single night. (Although we do usually get lunch that is pretty good.)
This weekend is really relaxing so far. Today, Christina and I went to Antigua. While she talked to her family on Skype, I did some errands. Then, I sat in the central park and enjoyed people watching. An indigenous musical group performed, and they had a marimba (it is a huge wooden xylophone and sounds pretty cool). I also got approached by at least four little girls begging me to purchase their bracelets, which is very typical especially in Antigua. It is the biggest tourist city in Guatemala; whenever I go there I see “gringos” (foreigners who are usually white people) and think it is strange to hear people speaking English. A lot of tourists even live there.
I also walked around and explored a little bit more of the city that I hadn’t seen yet. I went into a really cool church and also found an amazing textile shop.
8/11/10
Today was a VERY exciting day because I worked with one of my clients Andres for the first time in over a month (due to scheduling changes because of holidays and random events; sometimes it is really frustrating having to cancel therapy sessions, but I’ve gotten more used to it now).
Anyway, he has severe autism and is non-verbal. He’s the one who hit me really hard a few times. I’ve changed his goals at least three times – it’s been difficult to figure out what is most appropriate for him to work on in terms of language. He is very withdrawn and likes to lay on the floor, moving his head back and forth while blinking (he has a tick in his eyes); it is very difficult to get him to pay attention.
So, one of the goals I made is to have him say “sí” or “no” with his head, or with sign language. I didn’t know how this would go, and today was the first day we tried it. He laid on the floor in the stimulation room and started moving his head back and forth. So I just kept asking him if he wanted to play with playdo. Then I would guide his hand to say “sí” or “no” in lenguaje de señas. And one time when I said, “Díga no” (“Say no”) he DID THE SIGN FOR “NO” BY HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was extremely excited especially because he is so withdrawn and can be very difficult to work with. Not to mention that many children learn slowly; I wasn’t expecting him to do the sign by himself at all. After that, I had to go back to guiding his hand again; but it was still SO GREAT!
This Friday and Saturday we are celebrating the 14th anniversary of the home here at NPH Guatemala. We were all put into teams for the event. Friday we’re supposed to perform dances and cheers, and Saturday we’re playing outdoor games (kind of like Field Day) all day. Although many of the groups (including my own) are completely disorganized and don’t have any dance choreographed because the children aren’t cooperating, I think the event in general will be fun. Especially the game day. That night we also have a dance for the kids and I love to dance. The next morning we are leaving for Mexico!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Día de Los Muertos
Today was Day of the Dead, which is always celebrated November 1 (All Saints Day) in Latin America. It was really exciting to see how they celebrate! Ever since I learned about Day of the Dead in middle school (my teacher had been to Mexico and explained it to us), I have always wanted to see how it is celebrated. So today was wonderful!
The holiday is meant to simply celebrate the deceased. Families go to the cemetery and decorate the gravestones with beautiful floral arrangements, and sometimes candles. In Guatemala, people also make homemade kites and fly them all day long. I’m not sure the significance of the kites – but they look amazing.
My friend Cassie, her boyfriend Robert and I went to a cemetery in a town called Sumpango. Apparently they have one of the biggest celebrations in all of Guatemala (Sumpango is most known for their Day of the Dead celebration). Outside the cemetery they even have detailed murals of the gravestones and the kites.
The cemetery itself is amazing. The gravestones are gigantic (many of them are like little houses for multiple bodies, I don’t remember what the word is for that in English) and many are painted bright colors. Some of the paint looked fresh so we think that some families painted them today. Other bodies are marked with a cross and adorned with flower arrangements as well (and pine needles). It looked like the bodies were sticking out of the ground, but then we figured that when the bodies are buried they probably just pile the dirt back on top. (I took some pictures so you’ll see what I mean. Those will be uploaded at a later time because it took me 5 hours to upload my pictures yesterday.)
Outside of the cemetery were zillions of vendors selling food and souvenirs. There were hundreds of people walking around. I ate my first tamale ever! That was exciting because it’s traditional Guatemalan food. We also had some corn soup that was delicious. After sitting in the cemetery for awhile and walking around, we came home. The day was really cool.
The holiday is meant to simply celebrate the deceased. Families go to the cemetery and decorate the gravestones with beautiful floral arrangements, and sometimes candles. In Guatemala, people also make homemade kites and fly them all day long. I’m not sure the significance of the kites – but they look amazing.
My friend Cassie, her boyfriend Robert and I went to a cemetery in a town called Sumpango. Apparently they have one of the biggest celebrations in all of Guatemala (Sumpango is most known for their Day of the Dead celebration). Outside the cemetery they even have detailed murals of the gravestones and the kites.
The cemetery itself is amazing. The gravestones are gigantic (many of them are like little houses for multiple bodies, I don’t remember what the word is for that in English) and many are painted bright colors. Some of the paint looked fresh so we think that some families painted them today. Other bodies are marked with a cross and adorned with flower arrangements as well (and pine needles). It looked like the bodies were sticking out of the ground, but then we figured that when the bodies are buried they probably just pile the dirt back on top. (I took some pictures so you’ll see what I mean. Those will be uploaded at a later time because it took me 5 hours to upload my pictures yesterday.)
Outside of the cemetery were zillions of vendors selling food and souvenirs. There were hundreds of people walking around. I ate my first tamale ever! That was exciting because it’s traditional Guatemalan food. We also had some corn soup that was delicious. After sitting in the cemetery for awhile and walking around, we came home. The day was really cool.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Remember the Big Picture
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Click above for pictures!
10/25/10
So, I guess I haven’t written anything since before we went on our volunteer retreat last week. We really enjoyed it! It really helped me to take a step back and think about our experiences here so far. One of the questions we had to reflect on was, “Why did you come to volunteer at NPH Guatemala?”
It sounds simple enough, but honestly for several weeks I’d just been going to work every day thinking: “I have to do this and then this and that and …” … and in that mindset I forgot the big picture.
After we got home (yes, I am calling NPH home now; I noticed that the other week. It’s a bit strange to think of it as home but for now it is … I’ve been here for almost four months which is craziness. And what a difference between now and how homesick I was at first …) from the retreat I wrote myself a note that says: “Don’t forget the big picture: you’re here to spend time with the kids and experience Guatemalan culture.” (Except the note is in Spanish.)
Thinking about that has been helpful. I haven’t been stressing out about little things as much, even though I do have more work to do (right now I’m working with 15 kids – they want me to evaluate 9 more. Final reports on each child are due soon and I want to add 5 more kids to my schedule) which I’m grateful for. Remembering that I’m here to spend time with the kids is really beneficial – it’s easy to get caught up thinking about yourself all the time. And it’s cool to feel like a part of something bigger.
So, why did I come to Guatemala?
I wanted to help children and have an intercultural experience. One of my life goals is to work with children, because they make me happy and I love to help them. And, I love speaking Spanish. Other cultures fascinate me, especially Latin American ones. Something I really like about living here is that life is simpler. I’m not running around to a zillion activities every day and studying all night. We have time to breathe. And just … be.
So, here I am!
We also had to write about one thing that we enjoy about our job. For me this is tiempo individual – individual time with the kids. One of the reasons I want to be a speech-language pathologist is so that I can work one-on-one with kids, and I am getting to do just that! And it’s especially cool to do that here at NPH, because the kids barely get any individual attention. The home is wonderful, but there are so many children that they can’t possibly all have individual attention. So, I really love getting to spend time with kids and being able to see them as individuals.
My supervisor Veronica also came with us on the volunteer retreat. She was one of the leaders. I was really happy she came because it was nice to get to know her outside of work. Before working as the head of the Psychology department, she was the speech pathologist here at NPH! Actually she started the program because it didn’t exist before she came. Veronica lives in Jocotenango, which is a nice-looking town about 20 minutes away from NPH.
On the Thursday night of the retreat, a bunch of us went out for drinks. Veronica came too! It was a lot of fun. Of course, I really wanted to dance and no one else did. But finally Cassie came and danced with me. Then we started a dance party because everyone else came and danced too!
10/26/10
One thing that makes me really happy is the progress of one of my kids Alberto (not his real name). He has autism and doesn’t use many words. One of his goals is to say “Hola” when he sees another person. So, whenever we walk to and from therapy, I always prompt him – “Diga ‘hola’” when we walk past someone else.
My friend Katie told me the other day that Alberto came up to her and said, “Hola,”!!!!! I was so excited that he did it when I wasn’t even there. That means that he’s learning!! Little successes like that are so exciting.
Then today we had a carnival for the kids called Kermes. Alberto came up to me and said, “Hola.”!!!!!!! Then I gave him a piggyback ride and it was adorable.
Last night, my roommates Josh, Ruth, Mike and I had my supervisor Veronica, the volunteer coordinator Erika, and her husband Sandro over for dinner. (Side note: I LOVE my roommates! They’re so much fun and down to earth. We joke around all the time and they’re always so nice and understanding. Becoming friends with them and my friend Cassie has been really great, and made the NPH experience all the more better.) It was a lot of fun! Again, we got to see Veronica, Erika and Sandro outside of work. We each made a dish (I made a really good salad). Josh is a chef, so he made delicious steak and some brussel sprout side dish. Afterward we went outside for a bonfire, which was fun too.
10/27/10
Today we had a welcoming mass for the children who came back from Minnesota (kids in the orchestra went to stay with families in Minnesota and perform for three weeks). It was really sweet. I was happy because I really felt (for possibly the first time) a sense of family that NPH has here.
And I felt included in it! The best moment for me was when I saw Toni, one of the preschoolers that I work with. He leapt into my arms multiple times. He is so incredibly adorable. So is Pati, one of the older girls. I went over to say hi to her and Isabel, and Pati gave me the biggest hug.
Also, I really like my relationship with Isabel. We don’t have therapy together, but she’s in the section of kids that I visit twice a week. But we have a cool friendship. The weird thing is that she’s only a year younger than me – but her mental age is much younger. We talk and sing together when I walk to her house with her after dinner. She uses a walker (she has microcephaly, I think). We talk about our families and everything. Here, I usually don’t ask about the children’s families unless they bring it up. Some of them don’t have family, and others are here because their families can’t take care of them or abused them. But, Isabel told me that her mom died and her dad didn’t want to take care of her. (Also, many of the children with disabilities are here because their families can’t or don’t know how to care of them.)
On another note, one of the tías who used to work with the kids with Special Needs was fired last week – because I wrote a report about her. She was the one who I saw hit one of the children a few times. While this was a difficult situation, I felt so relieved after they told her to leave. The kids are much better off now.
Last week I also got to attend the graduation ceremony for Jose and Alis from Voces de Silencio, a school for the deaf. (They’re both going to start school again in January there.) You should check the school out at www.friendsofthedeaf.org. They’re a non-profit and looking for donations if you’re interested. The school is in Antigua and started in January with only two kids. Now they have 12!
The ceremony was really cool. They did sign language to a few songs, including the Guatemalan national anthem and Imagine (which was in English). I was so proud of them! This week I’m going to start working with Jose, because I feel like I know enough Guatemalan sign language. My supervisor Veronica is still giving us classes.
29/10/10
It is weird to think that Halloween is in two days and that for the first time I am not celebrating that – rather, Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). I’m really excited to see how they celebrate it here!
Also, I want to see more of Guatemala. What I do know, I like. But, the difficult part about working at NPH is that we also live at NPH. Sometimes, I don’t leave NPH for a few days. And it is it’s own community, much different from daily life in a Guatemalan pueblo. I feel like I am still unfamiliar with much of the country, and I want to explore more; there is so much to see! However, I am going to run out of money long before July, which presents a problem. Hopefully I’ll be able to get out some more and see some of the sights that I want to look at.
Last night we went to the festival of Mashimon in the nearby town of San Andres Itzapa. Mashimaon as a sacreligious “saint” (although maybe saint isn’t the correct word because Mashimon is not Catholic, and apparently not a Mayan god either) that Guatemalans invented so they could have someone to heal them and absolve their sins. Specifically, Mashimon absolves the sins of smoking and drinking. The statue has a pipe which people blow smoke into. (I thought it was a strange-looking statue.) He’s a man with black hair wearing a black suit – smoking a pipe and sitting on a chair. I was surprised that the statue was in a church (people say it’s witchcraft). The church was full of candles and there was a line out the door of people waiting to see him. I took a picture but it didn’t turn out because of the lighting.
Then we danced for awhile, which was really fun. Except one time we looked behind us on the dance floor and this woman had stripped down to only her BRA AND THONG in the middle of the dance floor. When I looked away to the other side, there was a group of about thirty men gawking (probably drooling) at this spectacle. Needless to say, we quickly moved away from that situation.
Today was the graduation for our kids! It was really special. The kids who graduated were so proud. They looked great in their caps and gowns. And the other children were really supportive of their friends. I found myself thinking back to my college graduation – although really recent, it also seems long ago and somewhat like a dream. My life here is a lot different from my life at Augustana College. Today I was talking to Jessie, one of my good high school friends, online. She’s teaching English in Mexico this year. “I’ve been here for two months and I feel like I’m still adjusting. Do you ever feel like that?” she asked me. “Definitely!” I answered. “I’ve been here for almost four months and still feel like that sometimes. Culture shock is like an emotional roller coaster.” And it really is.
Click above for pictures!
10/25/10
So, I guess I haven’t written anything since before we went on our volunteer retreat last week. We really enjoyed it! It really helped me to take a step back and think about our experiences here so far. One of the questions we had to reflect on was, “Why did you come to volunteer at NPH Guatemala?”
It sounds simple enough, but honestly for several weeks I’d just been going to work every day thinking: “I have to do this and then this and that and …” … and in that mindset I forgot the big picture.
After we got home (yes, I am calling NPH home now; I noticed that the other week. It’s a bit strange to think of it as home but for now it is … I’ve been here for almost four months which is craziness. And what a difference between now and how homesick I was at first …) from the retreat I wrote myself a note that says: “Don’t forget the big picture: you’re here to spend time with the kids and experience Guatemalan culture.” (Except the note is in Spanish.)
Thinking about that has been helpful. I haven’t been stressing out about little things as much, even though I do have more work to do (right now I’m working with 15 kids – they want me to evaluate 9 more. Final reports on each child are due soon and I want to add 5 more kids to my schedule) which I’m grateful for. Remembering that I’m here to spend time with the kids is really beneficial – it’s easy to get caught up thinking about yourself all the time. And it’s cool to feel like a part of something bigger.
So, why did I come to Guatemala?
I wanted to help children and have an intercultural experience. One of my life goals is to work with children, because they make me happy and I love to help them. And, I love speaking Spanish. Other cultures fascinate me, especially Latin American ones. Something I really like about living here is that life is simpler. I’m not running around to a zillion activities every day and studying all night. We have time to breathe. And just … be.
So, here I am!
We also had to write about one thing that we enjoy about our job. For me this is tiempo individual – individual time with the kids. One of the reasons I want to be a speech-language pathologist is so that I can work one-on-one with kids, and I am getting to do just that! And it’s especially cool to do that here at NPH, because the kids barely get any individual attention. The home is wonderful, but there are so many children that they can’t possibly all have individual attention. So, I really love getting to spend time with kids and being able to see them as individuals.
My supervisor Veronica also came with us on the volunteer retreat. She was one of the leaders. I was really happy she came because it was nice to get to know her outside of work. Before working as the head of the Psychology department, she was the speech pathologist here at NPH! Actually she started the program because it didn’t exist before she came. Veronica lives in Jocotenango, which is a nice-looking town about 20 minutes away from NPH.
On the Thursday night of the retreat, a bunch of us went out for drinks. Veronica came too! It was a lot of fun. Of course, I really wanted to dance and no one else did. But finally Cassie came and danced with me. Then we started a dance party because everyone else came and danced too!
10/26/10
One thing that makes me really happy is the progress of one of my kids Alberto (not his real name). He has autism and doesn’t use many words. One of his goals is to say “Hola” when he sees another person. So, whenever we walk to and from therapy, I always prompt him – “Diga ‘hola’” when we walk past someone else.
My friend Katie told me the other day that Alberto came up to her and said, “Hola,”!!!!! I was so excited that he did it when I wasn’t even there. That means that he’s learning!! Little successes like that are so exciting.
Then today we had a carnival for the kids called Kermes. Alberto came up to me and said, “Hola.”!!!!!!! Then I gave him a piggyback ride and it was adorable.
Last night, my roommates Josh, Ruth, Mike and I had my supervisor Veronica, the volunteer coordinator Erika, and her husband Sandro over for dinner. (Side note: I LOVE my roommates! They’re so much fun and down to earth. We joke around all the time and they’re always so nice and understanding. Becoming friends with them and my friend Cassie has been really great, and made the NPH experience all the more better.) It was a lot of fun! Again, we got to see Veronica, Erika and Sandro outside of work. We each made a dish (I made a really good salad). Josh is a chef, so he made delicious steak and some brussel sprout side dish. Afterward we went outside for a bonfire, which was fun too.
10/27/10
Today we had a welcoming mass for the children who came back from Minnesota (kids in the orchestra went to stay with families in Minnesota and perform for three weeks). It was really sweet. I was happy because I really felt (for possibly the first time) a sense of family that NPH has here.
And I felt included in it! The best moment for me was when I saw Toni, one of the preschoolers that I work with. He leapt into my arms multiple times. He is so incredibly adorable. So is Pati, one of the older girls. I went over to say hi to her and Isabel, and Pati gave me the biggest hug.
Also, I really like my relationship with Isabel. We don’t have therapy together, but she’s in the section of kids that I visit twice a week. But we have a cool friendship. The weird thing is that she’s only a year younger than me – but her mental age is much younger. We talk and sing together when I walk to her house with her after dinner. She uses a walker (she has microcephaly, I think). We talk about our families and everything. Here, I usually don’t ask about the children’s families unless they bring it up. Some of them don’t have family, and others are here because their families can’t take care of them or abused them. But, Isabel told me that her mom died and her dad didn’t want to take care of her. (Also, many of the children with disabilities are here because their families can’t or don’t know how to care of them.)
On another note, one of the tías who used to work with the kids with Special Needs was fired last week – because I wrote a report about her. She was the one who I saw hit one of the children a few times. While this was a difficult situation, I felt so relieved after they told her to leave. The kids are much better off now.
Last week I also got to attend the graduation ceremony for Jose and Alis from Voces de Silencio, a school for the deaf. (They’re both going to start school again in January there.) You should check the school out at www.friendsofthedeaf.org. They’re a non-profit and looking for donations if you’re interested. The school is in Antigua and started in January with only two kids. Now they have 12!
The ceremony was really cool. They did sign language to a few songs, including the Guatemalan national anthem and Imagine (which was in English). I was so proud of them! This week I’m going to start working with Jose, because I feel like I know enough Guatemalan sign language. My supervisor Veronica is still giving us classes.
29/10/10
It is weird to think that Halloween is in two days and that for the first time I am not celebrating that – rather, Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). I’m really excited to see how they celebrate it here!
Also, I want to see more of Guatemala. What I do know, I like. But, the difficult part about working at NPH is that we also live at NPH. Sometimes, I don’t leave NPH for a few days. And it is it’s own community, much different from daily life in a Guatemalan pueblo. I feel like I am still unfamiliar with much of the country, and I want to explore more; there is so much to see! However, I am going to run out of money long before July, which presents a problem. Hopefully I’ll be able to get out some more and see some of the sights that I want to look at.
Last night we went to the festival of Mashimon in the nearby town of San Andres Itzapa. Mashimaon as a sacreligious “saint” (although maybe saint isn’t the correct word because Mashimon is not Catholic, and apparently not a Mayan god either) that Guatemalans invented so they could have someone to heal them and absolve their sins. Specifically, Mashimon absolves the sins of smoking and drinking. The statue has a pipe which people blow smoke into. (I thought it was a strange-looking statue.) He’s a man with black hair wearing a black suit – smoking a pipe and sitting on a chair. I was surprised that the statue was in a church (people say it’s witchcraft). The church was full of candles and there was a line out the door of people waiting to see him. I took a picture but it didn’t turn out because of the lighting.
Then we danced for awhile, which was really fun. Except one time we looked behind us on the dance floor and this woman had stripped down to only her BRA AND THONG in the middle of the dance floor. When I looked away to the other side, there was a group of about thirty men gawking (probably drooling) at this spectacle. Needless to say, we quickly moved away from that situation.
Today was the graduation for our kids! It was really special. The kids who graduated were so proud. They looked great in their caps and gowns. And the other children were really supportive of their friends. I found myself thinking back to my college graduation – although really recent, it also seems long ago and somewhat like a dream. My life here is a lot different from my life at Augustana College. Today I was talking to Jessie, one of my good high school friends, online. She’s teaching English in Mexico this year. “I’ve been here for two months and I feel like I’m still adjusting. Do you ever feel like that?” she asked me. “Definitely!” I answered. “I’ve been here for almost four months and still feel like that sometimes. Culture shock is like an emotional roller coaster.” And it really is.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Blog
6/10/10
Today, a boy named Roseman (probably about 9 years old) came up to me and just gave me a flower! It was so adorable. I randomly met him a few weeks ago when he came up to me and said “abrazo de oso” (which means bear hug; I thought it was interesting that this idiom translates directly from English to Spanish, because a lot of them don’t) and gave me the biggest hug ever.
I love walking around here and getting hugs and flowers from random children - and kids that I know. Although the work can be tough, it is still really rewarding. And with moments like receiving bear hugs and flowers, it makes this experience so worth it. That was really encouraging because the day before was a tough day at work; I was getting sick and one of my boys would NOT cooperate and walk back to his house. He started to hit me (don’t worry, it didn’t hurt) and then I had to leave him and run to get his tío.
So, although I had a frustrating day yesterday, the good moments are so amazing. One time I had just gotten back from a run and one of the four-year-old boys that I work with saw me. He sprinted up to me and gave me a huge hug!
On Sunday, I went to a baptism celebration with my volunteer friends Mike, Christina and Corinna. Tía Rosa invited us; I think I said last time that she’s the head nurse in the clinic. It was really nice of her to invite me because we barely know each other.
But the party was for one of her friend’s son’s. We took a ride from some policemen (because the bus we waited for never came) to the town San Andres Itzapa. (NPH is between Parramos and San Andres Itzapa). I hadn’t been to San Andres before so it was really interesting to see. It’s a LOT bigger than Parramos and they have some schools.
We met some of Tía Rosa’s family. They’re super nice. Then we wanted to buy a cake to bring as a gift to the party. So Tía Rosa’s son took us on this uphill hike through the mud. We also had to jump across this stream. It was definitely an adventure and I love adventures. I felt like I was hiking in Ecuador again – only this time in flip-flops.
After at least 30 minutes we finally found a cake; but I was glad because I saw a lot of the town. Then, we walked to the house where the party was. Everyone was really welcoming. It was a pretty big family with a lot of the cousins and family friends there. The house was really small; it wasn’t even enclosed on one side, and there are only two rooms and one bed for 5 people.
But we had a good time! We ate some really good food (some kind of delicious meat, potato salad, and rice) and danced a lot. The kids were really shy and I kept trying to get them to dance with me. They enjoyed watching me dance crazily. Then, after my friends and I stopped dancing, the girls came up to me and said they did want to dance with me. So we danced again. It was great!
After that we had a piñata, which was adorable. And then we went home!
10/10/10
Today actually is 10/10/10. I mistakenly thought that it was 10/10/10 a few months ago because I’m so scatterbrained.
Anyway, this weekend all of the volunteers went on a mini-vacation together. It was SO wonderful! We went to a place called Earth Lodge. It’s a hostel that is up in the mountains above Antigua. We stayed in cabins that were in trees! It was like being in a tree house. And the view was indescribable. We could see for miles around and we saw one of the volcanoes smoking this morning. My friend Katie and I went on a hike which was awesome.
Other than that, we just relaxed the entire weekend. It was really good to spend time with all the volunteers (there are 23 of us total), because we don’t all live in the same house and we each have different jobs; so we don’t always get to see everyone.
And, it was wonderful to get away from NPH. Don’t get me wrong – I do love it here, but living and working in the same place can be difficult. And breaks are much needed. Besides day trips to Parramos, Antigua and San Andres, I hadn’t really left NPH since going to Lake Atitlan for a weekend in July! So it had been quite awhile. (In August I was going to go to a beach called Monterrico Bay but then I got sick. After that I decided to wait until our volunteer outing because I’m really concerned about my lack of money. I seriously might run out of funds before I return in July. But next time I’m just going to leave if I need to.)
This week we only have two days of work because there’s a reflection workshop for all of the volunteers Wednesday – Friday. We’re going to stay somewhere in the nearby city of Chimaltenango for three days so that we can reflect on our experience together in another setting. I’m really looking forward to it!
As usual, I love and miss you all. Please e-mail me and update me about your lives!
Love, Bridget
6/10/10
Today, a boy named Roseman (probably about 9 years old) came up to me and just gave me a flower! It was so adorable. I randomly met him a few weeks ago when he came up to me and said “abrazo de oso” (which means bear hug; I thought it was interesting that this idiom translates directly from English to Spanish, because a lot of them don’t) and gave me the biggest hug ever.
I love walking around here and getting hugs and flowers from random children - and kids that I know. Although the work can be tough, it is still really rewarding. And with moments like receiving bear hugs and flowers, it makes this experience so worth it. That was really encouraging because the day before was a tough day at work; I was getting sick and one of my boys would NOT cooperate and walk back to his house. He started to hit me (don’t worry, it didn’t hurt) and then I had to leave him and run to get his tío.
So, although I had a frustrating day yesterday, the good moments are so amazing. One time I had just gotten back from a run and one of the four-year-old boys that I work with saw me. He sprinted up to me and gave me a huge hug!
On Sunday, I went to a baptism celebration with my volunteer friends Mike, Christina and Corinna. Tía Rosa invited us; I think I said last time that she’s the head nurse in the clinic. It was really nice of her to invite me because we barely know each other.
But the party was for one of her friend’s son’s. We took a ride from some policemen (because the bus we waited for never came) to the town San Andres Itzapa. (NPH is between Parramos and San Andres Itzapa). I hadn’t been to San Andres before so it was really interesting to see. It’s a LOT bigger than Parramos and they have some schools.
We met some of Tía Rosa’s family. They’re super nice. Then we wanted to buy a cake to bring as a gift to the party. So Tía Rosa’s son took us on this uphill hike through the mud. We also had to jump across this stream. It was definitely an adventure and I love adventures. I felt like I was hiking in Ecuador again – only this time in flip-flops.
After at least 30 minutes we finally found a cake; but I was glad because I saw a lot of the town. Then, we walked to the house where the party was. Everyone was really welcoming. It was a pretty big family with a lot of the cousins and family friends there. The house was really small; it wasn’t even enclosed on one side, and there are only two rooms and one bed for 5 people.
But we had a good time! We ate some really good food (some kind of delicious meat, potato salad, and rice) and danced a lot. The kids were really shy and I kept trying to get them to dance with me. They enjoyed watching me dance crazily. Then, after my friends and I stopped dancing, the girls came up to me and said they did want to dance with me. So we danced again. It was great!
After that we had a piñata, which was adorable. And then we went home!
10/10/10
Today actually is 10/10/10. I mistakenly thought that it was 10/10/10 a few months ago because I’m so scatterbrained.
Anyway, this weekend all of the volunteers went on a mini-vacation together. It was SO wonderful! We went to a place called Earth Lodge. It’s a hostel that is up in the mountains above Antigua. We stayed in cabins that were in trees! It was like being in a tree house. And the view was indescribable. We could see for miles around and we saw one of the volcanoes smoking this morning. My friend Katie and I went on a hike which was awesome.
Other than that, we just relaxed the entire weekend. It was really good to spend time with all the volunteers (there are 23 of us total), because we don’t all live in the same house and we each have different jobs; so we don’t always get to see everyone.
And, it was wonderful to get away from NPH. Don’t get me wrong – I do love it here, but living and working in the same place can be difficult. And breaks are much needed. Besides day trips to Parramos, Antigua and San Andres, I hadn’t really left NPH since going to Lake Atitlan for a weekend in July! So it had been quite awhile. (In August I was going to go to a beach called Monterrico Bay but then I got sick. After that I decided to wait until our volunteer outing because I’m really concerned about my lack of money. I seriously might run out of funds before I return in July. But next time I’m just going to leave if I need to.)
This week we only have two days of work because there’s a reflection workshop for all of the volunteers Wednesday – Friday. We’re going to stay somewhere in the nearby city of Chimaltenango for three days so that we can reflect on our experience together in another setting. I’m really looking forward to it!
As usual, I love and miss you all. Please e-mail me and update me about your lives!
Love, Bridget
Friday, October 1, 2010
Emocionada (Emotional)
Well, I haven’t written on this in awhile because the Internet hasn’t been working a lot. Don’t worry, hurricanes are not hitting Guatemala right now – they’re just causing rain for 6 days straight. And we haven’t been affected by mudslides in this part of the country (but one of the other volunteers was on vacation with her dad and they got caught behind a mudslide and decided to WALK THROUGH IT! I couldn’t believe that story).
A lot has happened, both good and bad:
*Independence Day – Sept. 15. They celebrate with parades and partying, like we do in the states. They also have something called La Antorcha (the Torch), in which people take turns running with an actual torch. The one that NPH does is apparently 10 kilometers. Unfortunately, the country cancelled all of the running with the torches because the roads were really bad due to excessive rain and mudslides. So I didn’t get to see that. But I went to a parade with the kids in my section, which was fun.
We all had the day off on the actual Independence Day. Some of the volunteers and I went with some of the tíos to a place called Aguas Calientes, “Hot Water”. They’re pools warmed by natural hot springs, so that was a lot of fun. I was glad that we got to know some of the tíos. (Tía Rosa, the head nurse here, invited me and 3 other volunteers to a baptism this Sunday. I’m really excited to see it! It was really nice of her to invite me too because we barely know each other, but I’m really happy that she did.) The volunteers hang out a lot, but I want to make friends with some of the Guatemalans too. They were really nice and cooked us a great meal: steak, refried beans, and really good tortillas, salsa, and guacamole.
*Día del Niño (Day of the Child) (there are a lot of holidays here; there’s rarely a week in which we don’t have a day off, which is cool, but difficult to keep therapy/speech intervention schedules consistent): Yesterday, everyone who works here plus the 330 kids got into buses and went to a finca. It’s an outdoor park with pools. We all had a really good time! It was great to see the kids enjoying themselves. They went swimming and played some fun games. One of the preschool girls and I spent a lot of time together, which was really fun. I also hung out with the kids from my section, which was really fun. We jumped on the trampoline for a long time, and then I danced with one girl Pati for a really long time. And there wasn’t that much rain!
*Next weekend we have a volunteer outing to a place called Earth Lodge. It’s near the town of Antigua. I’m really excited to get away. Not that I don’t love the kids, but living on the orphanage is like living in a bubble, and I want to see more of the country. The following week we have a 3-day workshop for all the volunteers. We’re going to reflect on the experience, and we’re leaving for that time too, so that should be good.
And in January I have to leave the country to renew my Visa. I want to go to Cuernavaca, Mexico (where I studied for 2 weeks in high school) to visit my friend Jessie. But flights from Guatemala City to Mexico City are $554 at the cheapest right now! So I don’t know what will end up happening. We get 4 weeks total of vacation. I want to take one week for Mexico, 2 weeks to explore Central America (you have to take 2 weeks at a time once, but that should be good; my friend Donna is in the Peace Corp in Nicaragua so I figure that can be one of our stops), and possibly another week to go to Bolivia. One of our family friends from home is a doctor who goes to Bolivia every year. We always talk about me going, and this would be a good time …
So hopefully, I can somehow afford all of that.
I still miss everyone, but am feeling more content here, and more confident in my job. My family just bought their tickets to come visit me (Dec. 29 – Jan. 4), and I am super happy! Love and miss you all.
A lot has happened, both good and bad:
*Independence Day – Sept. 15. They celebrate with parades and partying, like we do in the states. They also have something called La Antorcha (the Torch), in which people take turns running with an actual torch. The one that NPH does is apparently 10 kilometers. Unfortunately, the country cancelled all of the running with the torches because the roads were really bad due to excessive rain and mudslides. So I didn’t get to see that. But I went to a parade with the kids in my section, which was fun.
We all had the day off on the actual Independence Day. Some of the volunteers and I went with some of the tíos to a place called Aguas Calientes, “Hot Water”. They’re pools warmed by natural hot springs, so that was a lot of fun. I was glad that we got to know some of the tíos. (Tía Rosa, the head nurse here, invited me and 3 other volunteers to a baptism this Sunday. I’m really excited to see it! It was really nice of her to invite me too because we barely know each other, but I’m really happy that she did.) The volunteers hang out a lot, but I want to make friends with some of the Guatemalans too. They were really nice and cooked us a great meal: steak, refried beans, and really good tortillas, salsa, and guacamole.
*Día del Niño (Day of the Child) (there are a lot of holidays here; there’s rarely a week in which we don’t have a day off, which is cool, but difficult to keep therapy/speech intervention schedules consistent): Yesterday, everyone who works here plus the 330 kids got into buses and went to a finca. It’s an outdoor park with pools. We all had a really good time! It was great to see the kids enjoying themselves. They went swimming and played some fun games. One of the preschool girls and I spent a lot of time together, which was really fun. I also hung out with the kids from my section, which was really fun. We jumped on the trampoline for a long time, and then I danced with one girl Pati for a really long time. And there wasn’t that much rain!
*Next weekend we have a volunteer outing to a place called Earth Lodge. It’s near the town of Antigua. I’m really excited to get away. Not that I don’t love the kids, but living on the orphanage is like living in a bubble, and I want to see more of the country. The following week we have a 3-day workshop for all the volunteers. We’re going to reflect on the experience, and we’re leaving for that time too, so that should be good.
And in January I have to leave the country to renew my Visa. I want to go to Cuernavaca, Mexico (where I studied for 2 weeks in high school) to visit my friend Jessie. But flights from Guatemala City to Mexico City are $554 at the cheapest right now! So I don’t know what will end up happening. We get 4 weeks total of vacation. I want to take one week for Mexico, 2 weeks to explore Central America (you have to take 2 weeks at a time once, but that should be good; my friend Donna is in the Peace Corp in Nicaragua so I figure that can be one of our stops), and possibly another week to go to Bolivia. One of our family friends from home is a doctor who goes to Bolivia every year. We always talk about me going, and this would be a good time …
So hopefully, I can somehow afford all of that.
I still miss everyone, but am feeling more content here, and more confident in my job. My family just bought their tickets to come visit me (Dec. 29 – Jan. 4), and I am super happy! Love and miss you all.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Poco a Poco ...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056402&id=1146001044&l=4bd5000fb9
To see these pictures, copy and paste this link if you don't have facebook.
I haven’t written in awhile, so I figured it was time to update this. Sometime after my last entry, I was sick to my stomach for three days. And after that, I started to feel more content here. I feel closer to my friends and roommates.
Also, I feel more confident with my job. The kids are so adorable, and some are already making progress!! It’s so encouraging. This morning, I got back from a run and saw one of my preschoolers. He ran up to me and gave me a huge hug! I love him.
And I’m forming some good relationships with them and the kids in my section. My job still has it’s ups and downs, but luckily no one has hit me really hard in the face. Right now, I work with 14 kids, and am slowly going to add some more to my caseload.
Yesterday no one had work because it was Día del Artista (Artist Day) here at the home. It was really cool – some of the kids had really impressive artwork for sale. They also sang songs and performed dances. They were adorable!
We have a lot of holidays here, especially in September. September 15 is Independence Day. I’m really excited to see how they celebrate. Apparently we go with the kids on a 10 kilometer bus ride, and some people run/walk with a torch outside the bus. We have two other days off of work in September. School ends in the middle of October and begins again in January. I’ll continue to work with my normal schedule during the summer. They also have some summer school classes for the kids.
My friends and I have been relaxing on the weekends. Sometimes we go to Antigua, the old capital, to go out at night. There isn’t really too much else to say right now; I’m still taking the sign language class (my boss is teaching it) and I love it!
I hope all is well with everyone! xoxo
To see these pictures, copy and paste this link if you don't have facebook.
I haven’t written in awhile, so I figured it was time to update this. Sometime after my last entry, I was sick to my stomach for three days. And after that, I started to feel more content here. I feel closer to my friends and roommates.
Also, I feel more confident with my job. The kids are so adorable, and some are already making progress!! It’s so encouraging. This morning, I got back from a run and saw one of my preschoolers. He ran up to me and gave me a huge hug! I love him.
And I’m forming some good relationships with them and the kids in my section. My job still has it’s ups and downs, but luckily no one has hit me really hard in the face. Right now, I work with 14 kids, and am slowly going to add some more to my caseload.
Yesterday no one had work because it was Día del Artista (Artist Day) here at the home. It was really cool – some of the kids had really impressive artwork for sale. They also sang songs and performed dances. They were adorable!
We have a lot of holidays here, especially in September. September 15 is Independence Day. I’m really excited to see how they celebrate. Apparently we go with the kids on a 10 kilometer bus ride, and some people run/walk with a torch outside the bus. We have two other days off of work in September. School ends in the middle of October and begins again in January. I’ll continue to work with my normal schedule during the summer. They also have some summer school classes for the kids.
My friends and I have been relaxing on the weekends. Sometimes we go to Antigua, the old capital, to go out at night. There isn’t really too much else to say right now; I’m still taking the sign language class (my boss is teaching it) and I love it!
I hope all is well with everyone! xoxo
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sooo ...
Friday was a tough day for me because one of my kids (I’ll call him Andres) hit me in the face REALLY hard. (This is not the kid who hit me before.) I was just reading him a book in my office and he hit me so hard that I thought my nose would start to bleed.
I took him back to his house right away. While we were walking, he hit me twice more before I could stop him. And then I started to cry. It was just too much to deal with and I’d been feeling homesick all week. (Next time, I’ll have his caregiver come with and it’ll be fine; I didn’t think it was necessary because he had never hit me before. But don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.)
Luckily, my roommates are AMAZING. Six of us (plus Cassie) went out to Antigua on Friday and Saturday night. We had a really great time, and I felt so much better. I feel like we are becoming closer and that is really helping. Next week, five of us are taking a half-day off of work Friday (we get to do that once a month!) and going to the beach. I guess it’s about 3 hours away and really fun.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of Padre Wasson, the priest who founded Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (the name of the organization I work for). So, I’m not doing speech tomorrow. We’re doing something with the psychology department together – I’m not really sure what. It’s also my friend Cassie’s birthday, so we’ll celebrate that.
And, my boss started teaching us sign language on Thursday! (The class in Antigua didn’t work out, but she knows Guatemalan sign language, so this is working just as well.) I’m really excited! I was already able to use it and talk to the boy who is deaf in my section.
I took him back to his house right away. While we were walking, he hit me twice more before I could stop him. And then I started to cry. It was just too much to deal with and I’d been feeling homesick all week. (Next time, I’ll have his caregiver come with and it’ll be fine; I didn’t think it was necessary because he had never hit me before. But don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.)
Luckily, my roommates are AMAZING. Six of us (plus Cassie) went out to Antigua on Friday and Saturday night. We had a really great time, and I felt so much better. I feel like we are becoming closer and that is really helping. Next week, five of us are taking a half-day off of work Friday (we get to do that once a month!) and going to the beach. I guess it’s about 3 hours away and really fun.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of Padre Wasson, the priest who founded Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (the name of the organization I work for). So, I’m not doing speech tomorrow. We’re doing something with the psychology department together – I’m not really sure what. It’s also my friend Cassie’s birthday, so we’ll celebrate that.
And, my boss started teaching us sign language on Thursday! (The class in Antigua didn’t work out, but she knows Guatemalan sign language, so this is working just as well.) I’m really excited! I was already able to use it and talk to the boy who is deaf in my section.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ya
Blog
I can’t believe today is 10/10/10 and I’ve been here for 5 weeks already. It doesn’t feel real. It does, and it doesn’t. I do love it here – especially the kids in my section, the other volunteers, and the beauty of Guatemala. But the reality that I’m going to be here for a year is beginning to sink in.
A whole year. I know it’ll go by quickly, but still. Still what? I still miss my family and friends. I keep having dreams that I’m at my lake house. And I miss the kids that I worked with when I was a teacher’s aid. It’s amazing how attached I became to children in only three months …
And here, I’ll be so attached to the kids after a year. I know that I wouldn’t change and grow in the same way if I’d stayed at home than if I were here in Guate. This is my dream, and I’m living it – which feels amazing. But it is hard work. Last week, one of the girls in speech intervention SPIT IN MY FACE in the middle of the session. I know that she is testing me to see how strict I am, because she doesn’t do that with her tíos (cargegivers). So, after that, I decided that it was time to end the session. I didn’t really let it bother me after that, but it was slightly disconcerting. The incident made me remember something one of my speech pathology professors once told our class: “Get ready – you’re going to get sneezed on, spit up on, peed on, and PUKED on.” Hahaha – I’ve had everything except puke so far.
Also, I want to make sure that all of my 15 kids are getting the best speech intervention possible. And that may take awhile for me to figure out. I want to be patient and to be okay with the fact that it may take awhile.
Last night, my friend and roommate Ruth (I live with Ruth & Josh, a newly married couple from San Francisco, Jess – my roommate – from Long Island, Mona Lisa from Germany, Jonas from Germany, and Mike from Utah; they’re all AMAZING!) and I were talking about the different stages of culture shock. I’m definitely no long in the “honeymoon” phase in which everything is new and amazing. I still love everything and look at the mountains every day with wonder; but like I said, homesickness is also setting in.
I also want to make friends with people from Guatemala, not just the other volunteers (who I do love and am already close to some of them). When I was in Ecuador, I only got to know my host family and the 26 other Americans that were with us; so here, I hope that I’ll have some lasting friendships with other Guatemalans after a whole year.
Also, this blog website takes too long to upload photos, so I'll put this link to my facebook photos and hope it works: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056402&id=1146001044&l=4bd5000fb9
I can’t believe today is 10/10/10 and I’ve been here for 5 weeks already. It doesn’t feel real. It does, and it doesn’t. I do love it here – especially the kids in my section, the other volunteers, and the beauty of Guatemala. But the reality that I’m going to be here for a year is beginning to sink in.
A whole year. I know it’ll go by quickly, but still. Still what? I still miss my family and friends. I keep having dreams that I’m at my lake house. And I miss the kids that I worked with when I was a teacher’s aid. It’s amazing how attached I became to children in only three months …
And here, I’ll be so attached to the kids after a year. I know that I wouldn’t change and grow in the same way if I’d stayed at home than if I were here in Guate. This is my dream, and I’m living it – which feels amazing. But it is hard work. Last week, one of the girls in speech intervention SPIT IN MY FACE in the middle of the session. I know that she is testing me to see how strict I am, because she doesn’t do that with her tíos (cargegivers). So, after that, I decided that it was time to end the session. I didn’t really let it bother me after that, but it was slightly disconcerting. The incident made me remember something one of my speech pathology professors once told our class: “Get ready – you’re going to get sneezed on, spit up on, peed on, and PUKED on.” Hahaha – I’ve had everything except puke so far.
Also, I want to make sure that all of my 15 kids are getting the best speech intervention possible. And that may take awhile for me to figure out. I want to be patient and to be okay with the fact that it may take awhile.
Last night, my friend and roommate Ruth (I live with Ruth & Josh, a newly married couple from San Francisco, Jess – my roommate – from Long Island, Mona Lisa from Germany, Jonas from Germany, and Mike from Utah; they’re all AMAZING!) and I were talking about the different stages of culture shock. I’m definitely no long in the “honeymoon” phase in which everything is new and amazing. I still love everything and look at the mountains every day with wonder; but like I said, homesickness is also setting in.
I also want to make friends with people from Guatemala, not just the other volunteers (who I do love and am already close to some of them). When I was in Ecuador, I only got to know my host family and the 26 other Americans that were with us; so here, I hope that I’ll have some lasting friendships with other Guatemalans after a whole year.
Also, this blog website takes too long to upload photos, so I'll put this link to my facebook photos and hope it works: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056402&id=1146001044&l=4bd5000fb9
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Bridgie
is my name here, haha. "Bridget" is too difficult for Guatemalans to pronounce, which doesn't bother me at all; for awhile, I was introducing myself as "Brigida", but then someone said that was too long and they liked saying "Bridgie" better. So, Bridgie it is. (It was funny because before they said that, my roomate and all of the tios, who are caregivers, in my section had already started calling me Bridgie.) I like it.
Funny story: Yesterday I was working on the computer in my office. All of a sudden, I looked up and saw a HUGE BLACK THING flying around. (My un-screened windows were wide open because it was warm in there.) I ran out of my office into the adjoining library, screaming (in English): “I THINK THERE’S A BAT OR A BUTTERFLY IN MY OFFICE!!” (Of course there was a group of kids watching a movie with their teacher in the library.)
Luckily, my volunteer friends Katie and Jess (Katie is the librarian, Jess is my roommate here) were there and they came to investigate. “Bridget, it’s a butterfly,” they said; but it was the size of a bat, and they at first thought it was a bat too.
When I left my office yesterday, it was still in there; hopefully it flies out sometime over the weekend.
On another note, I’m starting to realize that the work here is not only about my job. Obviously, my job is important – but being with the kids from my section is so rewarding too. They’re always so happy when I come!
I can’t remember if I mentioned that their caregivers are not educated/trained to take care of kids with special needs. (They aren’t.) This is difficult for me to see. (My friend Cassie, the Special Ed coordinator, is trying to get someone to come train the caregivers.) For instance, the first day that I went to my section, I was the only person trying to interact with the kids. (It isn’t always like this, but sometimes it is.)
And on the weekends, they only have 2 caregivers with this section – some high schoolers come to volunteer so that the caregivers have a break. But of course the high schoolers know even less about caring for these kids. So, today when I ate lunch with them, one of the boys needed help eating – and no one was helping him! (He has epilepsy and is in a wheelchair; it’s difficult for him to eat because of decreased mobility in his hands and problems with his mouth.) I was happy to help him, but it is hard to see that his caregivers were not.
But, I still love going to my section. The kids are SO adorable and I love to work with them!
Tomorrow we have something called Kermes (I don’t know why it’s called that). It’s a few hours of games that the volunteers put together for the kids. It should be really fun! The theme is Water because it’s the rainy season (it rains every day here), and I’m in charge of the sponge bucket game with 2 other volunteers. Yay!
Funny story: Yesterday I was working on the computer in my office. All of a sudden, I looked up and saw a HUGE BLACK THING flying around. (My un-screened windows were wide open because it was warm in there.) I ran out of my office into the adjoining library, screaming (in English): “I THINK THERE’S A BAT OR A BUTTERFLY IN MY OFFICE!!” (Of course there was a group of kids watching a movie with their teacher in the library.)
Luckily, my volunteer friends Katie and Jess (Katie is the librarian, Jess is my roommate here) were there and they came to investigate. “Bridget, it’s a butterfly,” they said; but it was the size of a bat, and they at first thought it was a bat too.
When I left my office yesterday, it was still in there; hopefully it flies out sometime over the weekend.
On another note, I’m starting to realize that the work here is not only about my job. Obviously, my job is important – but being with the kids from my section is so rewarding too. They’re always so happy when I come!
I can’t remember if I mentioned that their caregivers are not educated/trained to take care of kids with special needs. (They aren’t.) This is difficult for me to see. (My friend Cassie, the Special Ed coordinator, is trying to get someone to come train the caregivers.) For instance, the first day that I went to my section, I was the only person trying to interact with the kids. (It isn’t always like this, but sometimes it is.)
And on the weekends, they only have 2 caregivers with this section – some high schoolers come to volunteer so that the caregivers have a break. But of course the high schoolers know even less about caring for these kids. So, today when I ate lunch with them, one of the boys needed help eating – and no one was helping him! (He has epilepsy and is in a wheelchair; it’s difficult for him to eat because of decreased mobility in his hands and problems with his mouth.) I was happy to help him, but it is hard to see that his caregivers were not.
But, I still love going to my section. The kids are SO adorable and I love to work with them!
Tomorrow we have something called Kermes (I don’t know why it’s called that). It’s a few hours of games that the volunteers put together for the kids. It should be really fun! The theme is Water because it’s the rainy season (it rains every day here), and I’m in charge of the sponge bucket game with 2 other volunteers. Yay!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Chilero
... that means "cool" here. Instead of "que chevere" like they say in Ecuador, they say "Que chilero" here in Guate. I am constantly making comparisons in head between Eacudor and Guate (Ecuador and a little of Mexico are the only things I have to compare Guatemala to). So far, Guatemalans in general seem to me more conservative and less enthusiastic than Ecuadorians (who are generally more animated and add "-ito" to the end of most words). I'm thinking that this is likely because Guatemalans just ended a brutal civil war in 1996 that lasted for 36+ years.
I started speech therapy and have 15 kids total right now. I am going to add the 15th kid next week. It will take awhile to get into the flow and figure out the best intervention techniques for each child, but it is going pretty well so far! I have some of the kids with special needs, 3 preschoolers, and two school-aged kids.
Last week, I had a difficult day with one of the kids, who I will call JC to protect his identity. I had met him several times and talked with him because he is one of the kids with special needs (in my section). Because we knew each other, I thought it would be fine to take him to speech. I was aware that he bites people's arms, pinches, and pulls hair - but for some reason, I thought I would be able to handle it fine. (He has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and is very hyperactive, so he is often unable to control his behavior.) I did work with a boy at Wells Elementary (when I was a teacher's aid) who hit me and sometimes tried to bite, but he was in kindergarten - so he was small and easier to control. JC is 13, and although he is very small for his age, he is STRONG!
So, JC and I started the long walk from his house to my office. It went well until we got about halfway there. Of course, he started to pinch me and bite (whenever he bites he never breaks the skin, luckily) and pull my hair, and wouldn't stop. I didn't want to give up right away; I thought maybe once we got to my office he would calm down, but not at all. We got to the back door of the library (my office is next to the library, which I have to enter in order to get there) and as I was unlocking the door, JC ran away into the storage room next door. He was running around and jumped in a pile of candy - then he started eating the candy with the wrappers on it. I pulled him out and got him into the library, where he jumped on some random girl sitting in there. Then, when we finally got into my office, he started to eat my sticky notes. (At that point, I had to hold in my laughter. Which I did successfully.) I could finally see that we wouldn't be able to accomplish anything, so we began the long walk back.
Luckily, I talked to the woman in charge, Vilma, back at his house. She showed me how to hold his hands so that he doesn't pinch or bite, and just to say "No" very forecfully (I had been saying no already, but not holding him in the correct position). Then yesterday he came again, this time with his tia (caregiver). Things went much better - we actually accomplished tasks!
This tia, Veronica, is really nice. I was also really encouraged because I talked to her tonight for awhile. She's really nice and told me she wants to come with some more of the kids with special needs to speech therapy with me! She said she wants to watch what I do so that she can try and do it with the kids. This was encouraging because a lot of the time, the tios in that house (for the kids with special needs) sit around and do nothing with the kids; the tios just don't have the education to know what to do with these kids. I thought they just didn't care; but she said she really does want to work with them, she just doesn't know what to do. So I was VERY happy!
Today was a REALLY good day. I was so proud of myself today. One of my kids, "Jose", didn't want to go to speech therapy. I was surprised because last week he was really excited to come to speech last week and worked really well! But today I went to get him from his class, and after we walked a few feet he started running away from me! So of course, I ran after him looking silly (and trying not to laugh because I also found it funny). But, I did a good job. I didn't laugh and kept my serious face and said "NO".
And then I finally got him up to the library (which is right next to my office), and he kept running around and didn't want to go in. So, I finally got a brilliant idea. "Ok, I'll just take you back to my class right now if you don't want to talk today," I said. Sure enough, "NO! QUIERO HABLAR!" (I want to talk) immediately.
Haha. I was so happy. Had a few other kids today and that went well. Cassie and I also went to the choir and sang with the kids! Yay! Then, some of the kids did dances in the dining room to say goodbye (they call it a despedida) to some volunteers who are here from Canada. The kids in my section (Los Especiales) did a cute little dance and I took some pictures. then I went back with them to their house to eat dinner and read them some stories. They are SO CUTE! I love them already; we're bonding and it's really good.
And, I even got a package from my mom. Yay!
This past weekend, my friends Cassie, Samantha, and I took a bus to the town of San Marcos on Lake Atitlan, which is about 2.5 hours from here. San Marcos is called a "magical place" with a spiritual feeling. There are a lot of hippies there, which I love. And it is BEAUTIFUL. The lake is huge and surrounded by mountains. The weather there is hot and humid, so we went swimming in the lake. Being there felt so surreal because of the beauty! The hostel we stayed at was amazing. It was surrounded by greenery and hummingbirds and butterflies. We just went for one night and it was SO relaxing. Samantha has a friend who works at a restaurant there, so we ate really good food.
And that is about it! I really miss you all and think of everyone often. Please e-mail me and update me about your lives! I'm going to post some pictures once I get to the internet cafe this weekend. The connection here at the home is too slow.
I started speech therapy and have 15 kids total right now. I am going to add the 15th kid next week. It will take awhile to get into the flow and figure out the best intervention techniques for each child, but it is going pretty well so far! I have some of the kids with special needs, 3 preschoolers, and two school-aged kids.
Last week, I had a difficult day with one of the kids, who I will call JC to protect his identity. I had met him several times and talked with him because he is one of the kids with special needs (in my section). Because we knew each other, I thought it would be fine to take him to speech. I was aware that he bites people's arms, pinches, and pulls hair - but for some reason, I thought I would be able to handle it fine. (He has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and is very hyperactive, so he is often unable to control his behavior.) I did work with a boy at Wells Elementary (when I was a teacher's aid) who hit me and sometimes tried to bite, but he was in kindergarten - so he was small and easier to control. JC is 13, and although he is very small for his age, he is STRONG!
So, JC and I started the long walk from his house to my office. It went well until we got about halfway there. Of course, he started to pinch me and bite (whenever he bites he never breaks the skin, luckily) and pull my hair, and wouldn't stop. I didn't want to give up right away; I thought maybe once we got to my office he would calm down, but not at all. We got to the back door of the library (my office is next to the library, which I have to enter in order to get there) and as I was unlocking the door, JC ran away into the storage room next door. He was running around and jumped in a pile of candy - then he started eating the candy with the wrappers on it. I pulled him out and got him into the library, where he jumped on some random girl sitting in there. Then, when we finally got into my office, he started to eat my sticky notes. (At that point, I had to hold in my laughter. Which I did successfully.) I could finally see that we wouldn't be able to accomplish anything, so we began the long walk back.
Luckily, I talked to the woman in charge, Vilma, back at his house. She showed me how to hold his hands so that he doesn't pinch or bite, and just to say "No" very forecfully (I had been saying no already, but not holding him in the correct position). Then yesterday he came again, this time with his tia (caregiver). Things went much better - we actually accomplished tasks!
This tia, Veronica, is really nice. I was also really encouraged because I talked to her tonight for awhile. She's really nice and told me she wants to come with some more of the kids with special needs to speech therapy with me! She said she wants to watch what I do so that she can try and do it with the kids. This was encouraging because a lot of the time, the tios in that house (for the kids with special needs) sit around and do nothing with the kids; the tios just don't have the education to know what to do with these kids. I thought they just didn't care; but she said she really does want to work with them, she just doesn't know what to do. So I was VERY happy!
Today was a REALLY good day. I was so proud of myself today. One of my kids, "Jose", didn't want to go to speech therapy. I was surprised because last week he was really excited to come to speech last week and worked really well! But today I went to get him from his class, and after we walked a few feet he started running away from me! So of course, I ran after him looking silly (and trying not to laugh because I also found it funny). But, I did a good job. I didn't laugh and kept my serious face and said "NO".
And then I finally got him up to the library (which is right next to my office), and he kept running around and didn't want to go in. So, I finally got a brilliant idea. "Ok, I'll just take you back to my class right now if you don't want to talk today," I said. Sure enough, "NO! QUIERO HABLAR!" (I want to talk) immediately.
Haha. I was so happy. Had a few other kids today and that went well. Cassie and I also went to the choir and sang with the kids! Yay! Then, some of the kids did dances in the dining room to say goodbye (they call it a despedida) to some volunteers who are here from Canada. The kids in my section (Los Especiales) did a cute little dance and I took some pictures. then I went back with them to their house to eat dinner and read them some stories. They are SO CUTE! I love them already; we're bonding and it's really good.
And, I even got a package from my mom. Yay!
This past weekend, my friends Cassie, Samantha, and I took a bus to the town of San Marcos on Lake Atitlan, which is about 2.5 hours from here. San Marcos is called a "magical place" with a spiritual feeling. There are a lot of hippies there, which I love. And it is BEAUTIFUL. The lake is huge and surrounded by mountains. The weather there is hot and humid, so we went swimming in the lake. Being there felt so surreal because of the beauty! The hostel we stayed at was amazing. It was surrounded by greenery and hummingbirds and butterflies. We just went for one night and it was SO relaxing. Samantha has a friend who works at a restaurant there, so we ate really good food.
And that is about it! I really miss you all and think of everyone often. Please e-mail me and update me about your lives! I'm going to post some pictures once I get to the internet cafe this weekend. The connection here at the home is too slow.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
I´ve already been here for 2 weeks ...
and that is a strange, strange feeling! It has been easier to adjust to living here because of the great support they have for volunteers, and the feeling of community. I really like my roomates, and I´ve made good friends with another volunteer, Cassie. She actually taught me my first song on the guitar yesterday! (The Way I am by Ingrid Michaelson). To learn guitar was on my Bucket List, so I am so happy to be finally doing that!
Yesterday, Cassie and I went on a 2 hour hike in the mountains. It was beautiful! I took a lot of pictures so I´ll try to put them up soon. We walked through a very,very small indigenous village. The Mayan clothing is beautiful and fascinating!
She and I are also going to join the children´s choir-band here at the orphanage. they meet twice a week. I can´t wait! I miss singing a lot, so ít´ll be great to get back into that.
I really miss you all! But, the lo bueno es que I'm bonding with some of the other volunteers. And the kids! They´re all so adorable, especially the kids in the section I´m mentoring - the kids with special needs.
Wed: We had a get together for the tios (caregivers who live here with the kids; they're all Guatemalan) and the volunteers at this restaurant/bar (we were the only people in there, but there were about 30 of us at least in there). And the volunteers were there first, so about 10 of us were standing there at the bar ... when at least 20 of the tios walked in. It was really funny b/c the people who worked there moved all the tables in a line on the wall so that the room was open for dancing. At first it was awkward because we were all just sitting there, but then they put on music and all the tios started dancing ... it was so much fun! We watched them for awhile, and then this girl Corina and I started dancing with some of them. She and I danced all night! It was so much fun. We want to find some salsa classes here too.
And, I had a really good idea yesterday: To start a Best Buddies club here at NPH - to pair up the kids with Special Needs with another kid! So Cassie and I are going to try to start that as a club. After awhile though - maybe after about a month. We need to adjust to our work schedules. And we have to spend 4 hours a week with the kids we mentor (I mentor the kids with Special Needs). So, we need to get used to everything.
Last Mon-Wed I read through 32 files of kids. Then Thursday I met with my boss, Veronica, who is aweomse. We decided on 13 kids that I'm going to start with (and I'll slowly add kids throughout the year, but not up to 32). Luckily, half of those 12 kids I've already met because they're the kids with Special Needs that I've been mentoring. This afternoon, I went to meet one of the preschoolers. He's ADORABLE! Tomorrow, I'm going to meet the other kids and set up a schedule. And then I start therapy on Monday! I have never felt so grown up in my life. Working as a teacher's aid was definitely a real job, but I was in limbo b/c I still lived as a college student. Also, the great thing about being a teacher's aid is that I didn't have to plan anything.
Speech pathologists have to plan a lot. But I am really excited. It's going to be awesome!!!!!!
Did I mention I really, really miss all of you? Because I do.
Yesterday, Cassie and I went on a 2 hour hike in the mountains. It was beautiful! I took a lot of pictures so I´ll try to put them up soon. We walked through a very,very small indigenous village. The Mayan clothing is beautiful and fascinating!
She and I are also going to join the children´s choir-band here at the orphanage. they meet twice a week. I can´t wait! I miss singing a lot, so ít´ll be great to get back into that.
I really miss you all! But, the lo bueno es que I'm bonding with some of the other volunteers. And the kids! They´re all so adorable, especially the kids in the section I´m mentoring - the kids with special needs.
Wed: We had a get together for the tios (caregivers who live here with the kids; they're all Guatemalan) and the volunteers at this restaurant/bar (we were the only people in there, but there were about 30 of us at least in there). And the volunteers were there first, so about 10 of us were standing there at the bar ... when at least 20 of the tios walked in. It was really funny b/c the people who worked there moved all the tables in a line on the wall so that the room was open for dancing. At first it was awkward because we were all just sitting there, but then they put on music and all the tios started dancing ... it was so much fun! We watched them for awhile, and then this girl Corina and I started dancing with some of them. She and I danced all night! It was so much fun. We want to find some salsa classes here too.
And, I had a really good idea yesterday: To start a Best Buddies club here at NPH - to pair up the kids with Special Needs with another kid! So Cassie and I are going to try to start that as a club. After awhile though - maybe after about a month. We need to adjust to our work schedules. And we have to spend 4 hours a week with the kids we mentor (I mentor the kids with Special Needs). So, we need to get used to everything.
Last Mon-Wed I read through 32 files of kids. Then Thursday I met with my boss, Veronica, who is aweomse. We decided on 13 kids that I'm going to start with (and I'll slowly add kids throughout the year, but not up to 32). Luckily, half of those 12 kids I've already met because they're the kids with Special Needs that I've been mentoring. This afternoon, I went to meet one of the preschoolers. He's ADORABLE! Tomorrow, I'm going to meet the other kids and set up a schedule. And then I start therapy on Monday! I have never felt so grown up in my life. Working as a teacher's aid was definitely a real job, but I was in limbo b/c I still lived as a college student. Also, the great thing about being a teacher's aid is that I didn't have to plan anything.
Speech pathologists have to plan a lot. But I am really excited. It's going to be awesome!!!!!!
Did I mention I really, really miss all of you? Because I do.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Day 6 already
Yesterday was our last day of orientation ... YAY!!!!!
We also went to the nearby Antigua, which was a really cool town. It used to be the capitol, and is very colonial with cobblestone roads. THe market is really cool, and the churches are awesome. It reminds me of Cuenca, Ecuador.
We also ate at a really good restaurant. Then I got a bad headache and had to go home to sleep. my body is still adjusting to the altitude I think.
We also got to choose our sections of kids to mentor yesterday. I chose the special ed kids! I got to spend the afternoon with them today, and bonded with some of them. They're really cute. I'll be spending 4 hours a week with them.
Also, side note: We can drink purified water out of the tap here. They have a huge purifier. And, I thought the only food available would be rice and beans, but the cook actually makes other things too - platanos (plantains), chicken, potatoes, salsa, etc. The food has been buenisimo!
I miss all of you. I got a phone so let me know if you want to call, and I'll give you the number.
My address here is:
Bridget McLaughlin
Apdo. Postal 4
Chimaltenango, Guatemala
Centroamerica
We also went to the nearby Antigua, which was a really cool town. It used to be the capitol, and is very colonial with cobblestone roads. THe market is really cool, and the churches are awesome. It reminds me of Cuenca, Ecuador.
We also ate at a really good restaurant. Then I got a bad headache and had to go home to sleep. my body is still adjusting to the altitude I think.
We also got to choose our sections of kids to mentor yesterday. I chose the special ed kids! I got to spend the afternoon with them today, and bonded with some of them. They're really cute. I'll be spending 4 hours a week with them.
Also, side note: We can drink purified water out of the tap here. They have a huge purifier. And, I thought the only food available would be rice and beans, but the cook actually makes other things too - platanos (plantains), chicken, potatoes, salsa, etc. The food has been buenisimo!
I miss all of you. I got a phone so let me know if you want to call, and I'll give you the number.
My address here is:
Bridget McLaughlin
Apdo. Postal 4
Chimaltenango, Guatemala
Centroamerica
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Sunday - Thursday
Hey everyone,
I miss you all, but I love Guatemala so far! It is a beautiful country. We live right in a valley, so right outside my house is a view of gorgeous mountains. My house (casa 7) is at the bottom of a hill at the orphanage, so we have a cool view. The hill goes down further, there's a fence, and on the other side of the fence are some Guatemalan homes (in the community). They're really fascinating - different colors, which I think are glorious (Pam). But, I have never seen this much poverty. Guatemala is more poor than Ecuador or Mexico.
And, I have seen some of the traditional Mayan clothing, which is also amazing. THe colors are beautiful!
The Guatemalan people are very friendly and are always so welcoming; they're always smiling and kind. They also hug a lot, so I think I'll fit in pretty well here :).
Before I forget, the organization is called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Friends of the Orphans): www.nph.org.
Also, here are some videos you can watch about the organization if you want: www.youtube.com/group/nph
So, here is what has happened since I left the U.S.:
Sunday: Got up at 3:30 AM and flew from Chicago to Ft. Lauderdale to Guatemala City. The whole thing went very smoothly, no lost luggage, made the weight limits. I met up with another volunteer, Jess, in Ft. Lauderdale and we had the same flight to Guatemala City, which was really nice. We got to talk for awhile and fly together. She is from Long Island and seems really cool. It's funny, because we coincidentally had the same plane flight and then were assigned to be roomates here!
They picked us up right at the airport and we went to NPH (the orphanage). Then we took a nap and went out to dinner with all the volunteers, old and new. There are 23 total, and 11 of us are new.
Monday: The 11 of us who are new started orientation. Everyone is really cool! We're still getting to know each other, but I like everyone so far. There are 8 of us from the U.S. and 2 from Germany. Only 2 are guys, the rest girls. I'm living with 6 other volunteers, and our house is really nice. It's kind of like a bungalow, I guess; I'll post some pictures eventually.
I don't even remember what we did on Monday because we have been in orientation all week and it's overwhelming; we've been talked at for hours straight in Spanish, toured the entire orphanage, and met everyone who works here - all in a week. But it is very positive! I'm incredibly impressed at how the orphanage is run. There are 333 children who currently live here, and 100 more come for just the day to attend the school (there is a school at the orphanage). In addition to a school, there is a medical clinic (with a dentist and a farmacy) which is attached the the building for kids with special needs (where I will be working a lot!:), offices, library, farm with pigs, bakery, kitchen, dining room, metal smith shop, carpentry, beauty salon, the kid's homes, and the volunteers homes. It is pretty big, but I don't remember how much acreage.
NPH is self-sufficient - they build/make/cook nearly everything that they need, which is amazing. The kids have an hour of work after school every day; they usually choose where they want to work and can learn a trade.
They also have a lot of cool programs - an orchestra, sports teams, leadership clubs, etc.; I'm so impressed!
(Well, I guess I'm off track from telling what has happened every day, so forget that.)
But yesterday I met my boss, and today we got to talk for awhile. She seems amazing! Her name is Veronica and she is actually a speech pathologist as well, outside of the NPH home. (She doesn't have time to do the position here because she's the director of the psychology department.)
She said that I will start my job slowly next week, which is good. I'm going to observe the art therapist (we met with her yesterday, she's great!), meet with the preschool teacher, special ed coordinator, etc. and decide which kids will need speech/language intervention, and possibly start evaluating some of the kids. (They haven't had a speech pathologist for 6 months, so I'm glad I came! They're all excited that I'm here.)
There is also a boy who is deaf and mute, so they may send me to Antigua (a nearby town) to take Spanish sign language classes! I really hope that this happens. I met him coincidentally tonight at dinner, and I was able to introduce myself to him in American Sign Language; but this is different from Spanish sign language. He seems really cute.
I also met some of the kids with Special needs and preschoolers that I'll be working with - they're adorable! I can't wait. We've also gotten to meet other kids just in the dining hall, and they're all adorable.
Another thing I'm really impressed about is how many services they have for children with Special Needs here. The program is only about 1.5 years old, and they already have 1 school class for kids with Special Needs, 1 class for kids with learning disabilities, an occupational therapist, an art therapist, speech pathologist, and right now they need a physical therapist. They also have 2 social workers and good services for kids with psychological/conduct problems (which many of them have because most are orphans or come from homes where they were neglected/abused/etc.)
One more thing I'm excited about - my office!! It's really nice, which I wasn't expecting. I have a desk, chair, full length mirror (the kids can use it to look at their mouth/oral cavity when trying to produce sounds), a bed, a SWING, and a bookshelf full of books. Plus I have several donations of speech pathology materials that I brought from home.
One more responsibility that the volunteers have outside of our jobs is to mentor a section of children (section = group of children who live together). We're supposed to choose tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get either the preschoolers or the children with Special Needs. We meet with our section 2-3 nights per week, and get to know them pretty well. Then, we live with them for 3 weeks in December when their caregivers go on Christmas vacation.
Everyone here is so welcoming! I'm excited.
Tomorrow, we go on an excursion to Antigua. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Guatemala. I can't wait! Then, Saturday we meet the kids in our section and spend the entire day with them. Sunday, we have free and Monday we start work!
Miss and love you all. I will post pictures, my phone number and address later.
I miss you all, but I love Guatemala so far! It is a beautiful country. We live right in a valley, so right outside my house is a view of gorgeous mountains. My house (casa 7) is at the bottom of a hill at the orphanage, so we have a cool view. The hill goes down further, there's a fence, and on the other side of the fence are some Guatemalan homes (in the community). They're really fascinating - different colors, which I think are glorious (Pam). But, I have never seen this much poverty. Guatemala is more poor than Ecuador or Mexico.
And, I have seen some of the traditional Mayan clothing, which is also amazing. THe colors are beautiful!
The Guatemalan people are very friendly and are always so welcoming; they're always smiling and kind. They also hug a lot, so I think I'll fit in pretty well here :).
Before I forget, the organization is called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Friends of the Orphans): www.nph.org.
Also, here are some videos you can watch about the organization if you want: www.youtube.com/group/nph
So, here is what has happened since I left the U.S.:
Sunday: Got up at 3:30 AM and flew from Chicago to Ft. Lauderdale to Guatemala City. The whole thing went very smoothly, no lost luggage, made the weight limits. I met up with another volunteer, Jess, in Ft. Lauderdale and we had the same flight to Guatemala City, which was really nice. We got to talk for awhile and fly together. She is from Long Island and seems really cool. It's funny, because we coincidentally had the same plane flight and then were assigned to be roomates here!
They picked us up right at the airport and we went to NPH (the orphanage). Then we took a nap and went out to dinner with all the volunteers, old and new. There are 23 total, and 11 of us are new.
Monday: The 11 of us who are new started orientation. Everyone is really cool! We're still getting to know each other, but I like everyone so far. There are 8 of us from the U.S. and 2 from Germany. Only 2 are guys, the rest girls. I'm living with 6 other volunteers, and our house is really nice. It's kind of like a bungalow, I guess; I'll post some pictures eventually.
I don't even remember what we did on Monday because we have been in orientation all week and it's overwhelming; we've been talked at for hours straight in Spanish, toured the entire orphanage, and met everyone who works here - all in a week. But it is very positive! I'm incredibly impressed at how the orphanage is run. There are 333 children who currently live here, and 100 more come for just the day to attend the school (there is a school at the orphanage). In addition to a school, there is a medical clinic (with a dentist and a farmacy) which is attached the the building for kids with special needs (where I will be working a lot!:), offices, library, farm with pigs, bakery, kitchen, dining room, metal smith shop, carpentry, beauty salon, the kid's homes, and the volunteers homes. It is pretty big, but I don't remember how much acreage.
NPH is self-sufficient - they build/make/cook nearly everything that they need, which is amazing. The kids have an hour of work after school every day; they usually choose where they want to work and can learn a trade.
They also have a lot of cool programs - an orchestra, sports teams, leadership clubs, etc.; I'm so impressed!
(Well, I guess I'm off track from telling what has happened every day, so forget that.)
But yesterday I met my boss, and today we got to talk for awhile. She seems amazing! Her name is Veronica and she is actually a speech pathologist as well, outside of the NPH home. (She doesn't have time to do the position here because she's the director of the psychology department.)
She said that I will start my job slowly next week, which is good. I'm going to observe the art therapist (we met with her yesterday, she's great!), meet with the preschool teacher, special ed coordinator, etc. and decide which kids will need speech/language intervention, and possibly start evaluating some of the kids. (They haven't had a speech pathologist for 6 months, so I'm glad I came! They're all excited that I'm here.)
There is also a boy who is deaf and mute, so they may send me to Antigua (a nearby town) to take Spanish sign language classes! I really hope that this happens. I met him coincidentally tonight at dinner, and I was able to introduce myself to him in American Sign Language; but this is different from Spanish sign language. He seems really cute.
I also met some of the kids with Special needs and preschoolers that I'll be working with - they're adorable! I can't wait. We've also gotten to meet other kids just in the dining hall, and they're all adorable.
Another thing I'm really impressed about is how many services they have for children with Special Needs here. The program is only about 1.5 years old, and they already have 1 school class for kids with Special Needs, 1 class for kids with learning disabilities, an occupational therapist, an art therapist, speech pathologist, and right now they need a physical therapist. They also have 2 social workers and good services for kids with psychological/conduct problems (which many of them have because most are orphans or come from homes where they were neglected/abused/etc.)
One more thing I'm excited about - my office!! It's really nice, which I wasn't expecting. I have a desk, chair, full length mirror (the kids can use it to look at their mouth/oral cavity when trying to produce sounds), a bed, a SWING, and a bookshelf full of books. Plus I have several donations of speech pathology materials that I brought from home.
One more responsibility that the volunteers have outside of our jobs is to mentor a section of children (section = group of children who live together). We're supposed to choose tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get either the preschoolers or the children with Special Needs. We meet with our section 2-3 nights per week, and get to know them pretty well. Then, we live with them for 3 weeks in December when their caregivers go on Christmas vacation.
Everyone here is so welcoming! I'm excited.
Tomorrow, we go on an excursion to Antigua. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Guatemala. I can't wait! Then, Saturday we meet the kids in our section and spend the entire day with them. Sunday, we have free and Monday we start work!
Miss and love you all. I will post pictures, my phone number and address later.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
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