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.