I'm on a plane. RIGHT NOW. AND I HAVE FREE WI-FI!!! Thanks Delta!! And in the last 20 minutes I have: gotten a place to stay on New Year's Eve in NYC (thanks Cailin!), been told that I'm going to see ALL of my best friends in the next week (including Summer - Hooray!), AND I've talked to Maria (and Cailin, Marg, and Katelyn through her), Kimiko, and Jon. AND I'm on my way to New York to actually SEE all these fabulous people for the first time in WAYYYY too long! Only one hour to go!
BEST FLIGHT EVER!!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Entourage
It’s finally happened. Nicole and I have run out of seasons of Entourage to watch. What am I going to do with all my free time now???
Last summer Jon’s roommate, Sam, gave me every season of Entourage. Being that I didn’t have too much time before I left, I kept “saving it for later.” That is, until Nicole and I became addicted. We literally watched Entourage EVERY DAY that we had off (it’s a good thing we were on the same turno!) It consumed our lives. And the biggest problem right now? We don’t have the final season! It still hasn’t come out here in Guatemala – what are we going to do now?? Maybe we’ll both be productive now for a change…
Last summer Jon’s roommate, Sam, gave me every season of Entourage. Being that I didn’t have too much time before I left, I kept “saving it for later.” That is, until Nicole and I became addicted. We literally watched Entourage EVERY DAY that we had off (it’s a good thing we were on the same turno!) It consumed our lives. And the biggest problem right now? We don’t have the final season! It still hasn’t come out here in Guatemala – what are we going to do now?? Maybe we’ll both be productive now for a change…
Monday, December 27, 2010
ALMOST DONE!
I have been a tia for exactly 13 days. Not that anyone’s counting or anything. But the fact remains that I have EXACTLY FOUR MORE HOURS of being a tia in 2010. Tomorrow from 8am-12pm. Woo! And then I don’t have to do it again until Semana Santa (Holy Week/ the week of Easter) and even then it's only 3 days. I think I can handle it…but for now I just have to keep reminding myself – 4 more hours, 4 more hours, 4 more hours – I can do it!
Ho Ho Ho!
The other day I went into Nicole and Sharon’s room to hang out and have a relaxing day, when all of a sudden I was given tons of stuff to package for my girls. It turns out that Sharon’s aunt and Nicole’s mom donated a lot of goodies to be given to the kids at Christmas, and I happened to have walked in on their wrapping party. For the next hour we packaged together bags of new underwear, headbands, candy bags, hair accessories, and slipper socks for each of the girls.
On Christmas morning Carrie and I handed out the girls’ presents. I felt just like Santa! The looks on their faces were priceless – they couldn’t contain their excitement. Enjoy the photos :).
Vilma with her Christmas gift!
Sandy - actually smiling!
Sandy, Marta, Johana, Rosita, and Vilma exploring their packages
Sandy and Marta diving in to their presents
Magdalena was SO happy to FINALLY get her gifts after finishing her chores! woo!
On Christmas morning Carrie and I handed out the girls’ presents. I felt just like Santa! The looks on their faces were priceless – they couldn’t contain their excitement. Enjoy the photos :).
FELIZ NAVIDAD!
Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas a todos!
While I must say that it was a very strange experience for me to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas away from my family, Guatemala certainly knows how to keep things interesting. Christmas Eve is the big holiday here in Guatemala. We didn’t do much in the morning to celebrate (it was after all a normal day with chores and showering and complaining from the girls…). Most of the real celebrations took place in the afternoon starting with Mass at 3, then our Nativity play, and then a special dinner.
For weeks Sharon has been bugging us all to go to practices for La Pastorela (the story of Christmas)…and for weeks we’ve been annoyed at her pestering us to give up what little free time we had for practice. Regardless, on Christmas Eve night it all came together. We put on a wonderful play about Maria and Jose looking for an inn, the Sheppard’s’ search for the son of God, and Jesus’ birth….along with our own little twist, including a dance-off between the Archangel Gabriel and his band of angels and the devil and his minions…of course we (the angels) won ;-).
Sam, Dani, and Leti dressed as diablitos for our play!
Los Angelitos in the middle of our baile (dance) contest!
After our Pastorela we had a special visit from…SANTA! The big guy came ALL THE WAY FROM ALASKA to be with us on this special day (yes it’s true…don’t ask me why…but for some reason here they think that Santa’s workshop is in Alaska and NOT the North pole. How ridiculous!) Michael (who had been growing his beard out for a good month) put on some shiny make up and took pictures with all the kids at NPH…and a few volunteers too…
A bunch of us with Santa! Can you even find the big guy?? (or me???)
Meghan and Dani giving Santa a Christmas present ;-)
After that, we were AGAIN treated to a delicious turkey feast complete with MORE stuffing and carrots and even sweet potato pie with marshmallows on top! While all the volunteers, visitors, and foreigners found the food quite delicious…most of the kids either refused to eat it or actually got sick DURING DINNER from eating foods their stomachs aren’t used to. While I thoroughly enjoyed my second turkey dinner in the course of 3 days…I know for a FACT that a lot of the kids would have preferred rice, beans, and platanos to the gigantic, cook-it-all-day meal.
Marta feeding the baby Jesus his birthday dinner...
After dinner we all settled in for a bonfire outside of the comedor…for a good FOUR HOURS. The tradition here in Guatemala is that everyone waits up until midnight to celebrate Jesus’ birthday and then honor it like we honor the New Year in the states – with lots of fireworks, sparklers, and hugs. It was a FREEZING cold night – but we all cuddled up next to the roaring bonfire while the kids roasted sausages and marshmallows (I mean let’s be honest – most of them didn’t even TOUCH the aforementioned turkey meal). After 4 hours of waiting the fireworks began to explode…and you could see them from every direction, going off all over our part of Guatemala. It might have been a long night, but it was a good one :).
Helen with our gigantic bonfire!
Me and Johana :)
Christmas Eve was a wonderful celebration of family and love here at NPH, but unfortunately Christmas was just a regular day. The kids woke up, did their chores, took showers, and continued as if Christmas didn’t exist. We watched movies all day in the section (because even though they didn’t feel like there was anything to celebrate – hey! It was Christmas!) It was strange being away from my family for the day, but I’m still glad that I get to celebrate Christmas all over again in just a few more days :) Feliz Navidad a todos!
While I must say that it was a very strange experience for me to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas away from my family, Guatemala certainly knows how to keep things interesting. Christmas Eve is the big holiday here in Guatemala. We didn’t do much in the morning to celebrate (it was after all a normal day with chores and showering and complaining from the girls…). Most of the real celebrations took place in the afternoon starting with Mass at 3, then our Nativity play, and then a special dinner.
For weeks Sharon has been bugging us all to go to practices for La Pastorela (the story of Christmas)…and for weeks we’ve been annoyed at her pestering us to give up what little free time we had for practice. Regardless, on Christmas Eve night it all came together. We put on a wonderful play about Maria and Jose looking for an inn, the Sheppard’s’ search for the son of God, and Jesus’ birth….along with our own little twist, including a dance-off between the Archangel Gabriel and his band of angels and the devil and his minions…of course we (the angels) won ;-).
After our Pastorela we had a special visit from…SANTA! The big guy came ALL THE WAY FROM ALASKA to be with us on this special day (yes it’s true…don’t ask me why…but for some reason here they think that Santa’s workshop is in Alaska and NOT the North pole. How ridiculous!) Michael (who had been growing his beard out for a good month) put on some shiny make up and took pictures with all the kids at NPH…and a few volunteers too…
After that, we were AGAIN treated to a delicious turkey feast complete with MORE stuffing and carrots and even sweet potato pie with marshmallows on top! While all the volunteers, visitors, and foreigners found the food quite delicious…most of the kids either refused to eat it or actually got sick DURING DINNER from eating foods their stomachs aren’t used to. While I thoroughly enjoyed my second turkey dinner in the course of 3 days…I know for a FACT that a lot of the kids would have preferred rice, beans, and platanos to the gigantic, cook-it-all-day meal.
After dinner we all settled in for a bonfire outside of the comedor…for a good FOUR HOURS. The tradition here in Guatemala is that everyone waits up until midnight to celebrate Jesus’ birthday and then honor it like we honor the New Year in the states – with lots of fireworks, sparklers, and hugs. It was a FREEZING cold night – but we all cuddled up next to the roaring bonfire while the kids roasted sausages and marshmallows (I mean let’s be honest – most of them didn’t even TOUCH the aforementioned turkey meal). After 4 hours of waiting the fireworks began to explode…and you could see them from every direction, going off all over our part of Guatemala. It might have been a long night, but it was a good one :).
Christmas Eve was a wonderful celebration of family and love here at NPH, but unfortunately Christmas was just a regular day. The kids woke up, did their chores, took showers, and continued as if Christmas didn’t exist. We watched movies all day in the section (because even though they didn’t feel like there was anything to celebrate – hey! It was Christmas!) It was strange being away from my family for the day, but I’m still glad that I get to celebrate Christmas all over again in just a few more days :) Feliz Navidad a todos!
Christmas came a little early…
I’m not going to lie. The thought of spending one Christmas away from my family was really hard for me to grasp. I thought about it a lot my first few months here, and I’m pretty sure the only thing that got me through was knowing that I would be home 4 days later. Unfortunately the feeling was catching and a lot of us were getting pretty down about spending the holidays away from our loved ones. To make up for it, Erika (our coordinator) and her husband/our IT guy Sandro, threw a Christmas dinner for us at their house in Parramos on December 22nd.
We were promised good food and a Secret Santa gift exchange AND wine. I know it probably doesn’t mean much to anyone reading this, but wine is IMPOSSIBLE to find in Guatemala…and crates of it? WHERE would you EVER be able to find crates of bottles of wine in Guatemala? Needless to say we were a tad excited.
We all showed up to Erika’s house and had a wonderful night full of good friends, fun gift giving (the presents were each wrapped in unique ways and everyone had to guess which one was theirs), wine, and DELICIOUS food (Josh, our resident chef, cooked us a REAL TURKEY DINNER complete with stuffing, potatoes au gratin, green beans with almonds, homemade bread, and bacon pinwheels – who could ask for more??) It was slightly better than my American hot dog (even though both were incredibly tasty ;-).) Overall it was a wonderful night, and even though it wasn’t the same as being home for the holidays, it was a nice runner-up :).
Katie, Carrie, me, and Erika on the couch
Our table - how fancy!
DELICIOUS
Cassie's present had a VERY special wrapping!
Katie breaking the piñata that housed her present
We were promised good food and a Secret Santa gift exchange AND wine. I know it probably doesn’t mean much to anyone reading this, but wine is IMPOSSIBLE to find in Guatemala…and crates of it? WHERE would you EVER be able to find crates of bottles of wine in Guatemala? Needless to say we were a tad excited.
We all showed up to Erika’s house and had a wonderful night full of good friends, fun gift giving (the presents were each wrapped in unique ways and everyone had to guess which one was theirs), wine, and DELICIOUS food (Josh, our resident chef, cooked us a REAL TURKEY DINNER complete with stuffing, potatoes au gratin, green beans with almonds, homemade bread, and bacon pinwheels – who could ask for more??) It was slightly better than my American hot dog (even though both were incredibly tasty ;-).) Overall it was a wonderful night, and even though it wasn’t the same as being home for the holidays, it was a nice runner-up :).
Off to Narnia!
Last week was a good one here at NPH. Not only did we get to go to Aguas Calientes, but we ALSO got to go to the movies to see the new Narnia movie! Woo! At first I wasn’t too happy about seeing Narnia…I mean…I haven’t read any of the books since I was a kid, I haven’t seen any of the other movies…it just didn’t seem appealing. But boy was I wrong. I LOVED the movie. So much in fact that when we came back I found the entire series by C. S. Lewis in one of our houses and am going to begin reading it as soon as I’m done with my current book, “Tools for Teaching”…riveting…I know (thanks Mike! It is DEFINITELY going to help me with my classes next year!) Anyway, our excursion turned out to be a success – we didn’t lose any kids AND I understood the whole thing in Spanish. Good day :).
Pablo and Estrella on the bus heading to the movies!
Heading into the theater
Helen, Wendy, Natalie, and Vicky inside the theater
Celebrating Padre Wasson
December 21st marks the celebration of Padre Wasson’s birthday. As NPH’s founder, he helped to provide loving homes for thousands of children while fostering a sense of family for everyone. To honor his legacy and everything that he gave throughout his lifetime, every year the children of each of the NPH homes go out and do service of their own. This year, we donated clothes to members of the surrounding community while enjoying a piñata with some of the local kids :).
Each of the kids was asked to collect any unwanted clothing they had to put into a donation bin, as well as to donate some of the candy they’d been given (let’s be serious – they received WAYYYY too much sugar in the last few weeks…) to put in the piñata. On the 21st we walked into Parramos and down a little side street I had never been down, to get to some of the smaller parts of the aldea (village). Pretty soon everyone from NPH was surrounded by tons of villagers and all the kids began handing out clothing like crazy. After that, we set up the piñata (now THAT was a feat) and the kids took turns being spun around and taking a whack at it. While the setting up actually took longer than the hitting down, the kids really seemed to enjoy it. After that, some of our kids continued to walk around with bags of candy and handed it out to any child who hadn’t been fast enough to wrangle the candy from their neighbors :). Enjoy the pictures!
Nancy and Zulma carrying a bag of clothes into town
Samuel with a box of candy for the piñata!
The kids handing out clothes
Me and Fredy!
Time for the piñata!
Each of the kids was asked to collect any unwanted clothing they had to put into a donation bin, as well as to donate some of the candy they’d been given (let’s be serious – they received WAYYYY too much sugar in the last few weeks…) to put in the piñata. On the 21st we walked into Parramos and down a little side street I had never been down, to get to some of the smaller parts of the aldea (village). Pretty soon everyone from NPH was surrounded by tons of villagers and all the kids began handing out clothing like crazy. After that, we set up the piñata (now THAT was a feat) and the kids took turns being spun around and taking a whack at it. While the setting up actually took longer than the hitting down, the kids really seemed to enjoy it. After that, some of our kids continued to walk around with bags of candy and handed it out to any child who hadn’t been fast enough to wrangle the candy from their neighbors :). Enjoy the pictures!
Finalmente…
So after being here for almost 6 months, I finally went to my first official church service in Parramos for Mass last weekend. We got the girls ready to go for 5 oclock. Little did I know that Mass didn’t actually start until 6…excellent timing as usual here in Guatemala. We walked to Parramos with all the kids and arrived a good 45 minutes early…perfect timing to lose a hand full of children in the town fair that’s been going on for the last few weeks. I then spent the next 40 minutes wandering around looking for the children who had meandered away from the pack before finally settling in to the church.
Church was a little different than I had expected…for starters, the music from the carnival and passing cars with their blaring bass drums made it next to impossible to hear the priest. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to pay attention to what he was saying in Spanish before I finally just gave in to the fantastic sounds of Reggaeton that floated overhead…so much for making the most of being at Mass…
Our church in Parramos
Church was a little different than I had expected…for starters, the music from the carnival and passing cars with their blaring bass drums made it next to impossible to hear the priest. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to pay attention to what he was saying in Spanish before I finally just gave in to the fantastic sounds of Reggaeton that floated overhead…so much for making the most of being at Mass…
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Como una princesa!
Tuesday the girls were in MUCH better spirits than the last time I had seen them on Saturday…I think some time apart was much needed and well deserved on both ends. Regardless of what brought on the change, I was INCREDIBLY grateful for it! The girls woke up without hassle, got ready for the day, went to breakfast, did their chores without (too much) complaining, and even took showers without pain. What a day!
What made it a better-than-usual day though, was Yocaren’s comical take on doing chores for the day – I hope you enjoy the pictures of her cleaning the cuarto in her Quinceñera ball gown como Cenicienta (just like Cinderella) as much as we enjoyed taking them :).
PLEASE NOTE: these are not all her actual chores - don't worry - we aren't slave drivers.
Yocaren attacking the floors first (don't worry...her look of disgust is merely for play :-p)
Cleaning the windows...
Going after the plates next...
Taking a break from all the work...
:)
What made it a better-than-usual day though, was Yocaren’s comical take on doing chores for the day – I hope you enjoy the pictures of her cleaning the cuarto in her Quinceñera ball gown como Cenicienta (just like Cinderella) as much as we enjoyed taking them :).
PLEASE NOTE: these are not all her actual chores - don't worry - we aren't slave drivers.
Lizard Sighting!
2 pm, December 19th.
Cassie: ahhhhhhhh (high pitched and girly)
Me and Carrie: what? What? What happened?
Cassie: there was a lizard!
Now most lizards I’ve seen thus far here in Guatemala have been about 2 inches long and adorable. What’s with the screaming?
Cassie: it was BIG.
Me: sure it was Cassie…sure it was…
A few minutes later we spotted it. A 6 inch long and incredibly fat MONSTER of a lizard hanging out under Cassie’s bed. So what did we do? Threw a Tupperware container over it, slid it from under the bed, took some pictures, hoisted it onto a folder, took some more pictures, and safely placed it a fair distance from our house.
Mission De-lizard House 6: Complete.
It was HUGE
Cassie taking action
Slowly removing said lizard from House 6...
Cassie: ahhhhhhhh (high pitched and girly)
Me and Carrie: what? What? What happened?
Cassie: there was a lizard!
Now most lizards I’ve seen thus far here in Guatemala have been about 2 inches long and adorable. What’s with the screaming?
Cassie: it was BIG.
Me: sure it was Cassie…sure it was…
A few minutes later we spotted it. A 6 inch long and incredibly fat MONSTER of a lizard hanging out under Cassie’s bed. So what did we do? Threw a Tupperware container over it, slid it from under the bed, took some pictures, hoisted it onto a folder, took some more pictures, and safely placed it a fair distance from our house.
Mission De-lizard House 6: Complete.
The worst day ever.
So not to sound overly dramatic, but I’m pretty sure Saturday was one of the worst days I’ve had in a while (excluding lunch of course). I woke up with horrible stomach pains around 4 am and proceeded to be sick for the next 4 hours. After a short nap and a shower I went up to the comedor for lunch, so yes my day got a little better, but from then on it was completely downhill.
Saturday was a day FULL of activities, meaning that it should have been quite pleasant and easy…if only the girls would have done the TWO things that they were responsible for all day: their individual chores and showering…which together should have only taken roughly 30 minutes of the day.
We returned from the activity at 1 pm, giving the girls 3 hours before our next activity. Many of them got right to work and in no time were hanging out without responsibilities, yet a few of the girls basically refused to do ANYTHING…either that, or just completely half-assed their chores, claiming that they did them, and screaming at us to “get off their backs” with MAJOR attitude.
One of the girls, who Carrie and I continuously nagged to do SOMETHING completely ignored us and went over to the other tia, who, ignoring the fact that she hadn’t done a SINGLE thing she was asked to do, then proceeded to cut her hair for the next TWO HOURS – not only allowing the girl to get away with NOT doing her chore, but also undermining mine and Carrie’s work to get the girls to be responsible for themselves. Strike one team tia.
At 4 pm, when it was time for another Posada, we gathered up the 7 girls who had been excellent all day and let them go to the posada. The other 4 were then locked in the section to take showers and finish their incomplete chores. We began walking to the posada when all of a sudden we heard banging from the door and saw one of the girls climbing out the window (one of our windows is missing so there is literally just a piece of paper over the flap…helpful. We know.) Carrie returned to take care of the “window situation” while the rest of us continued on. Turns out they had been trying to escape to come to the posada, and when any of the four of them refused to tell WHO had been climbing out the window, they were also assigned to clean the comedor after dinner. Fun times.
The rest of us went to the posada, wandered around finding an inn for Maria and Jose, and eventually ended up at the comedor where those in charge of the posada read Bible passages about Maria and Jose’s journey to find an inn. During the Bible reading I happened to turn around…and lock eyes with one of the four girls who was SUPPOSED to be locked in the section…and yet who had escaped through the window during the hour we’d been gone…to come and stand directly behind me. As soon as she saw me she bolted through the crowd and stood next to the other tia…who proceeded to hug her and tell her how nice it was to see her at the posada, without once reprimanding the fact that she had escaped from the section. Strike two team tia.
Once the posada was over the girl immediately came over to me and began yelling in my face…and so I began yelling in her face…in front of everyone in the comedor. Incredibly mature…I’m aware…but in all seriousness I don’t know if I have ever been angrier. We proceeded to yell at each other for a good five minutes before the tia in charge came over and took a hold of the situation. It was a good thing because I was beyond my wits end.
When the tia in charge came back I apologized for my behavior (let’s be honest, I made myself look like a huge idiot) and explained the situation. Even after explaining what had actually happen, the tia basically told me there was nothing I could do about it and that the girl was not really going to receive any punishment. Nothing. In fact, she was allowed to join the rest of the girls in line to get food from the posada.
The thing that frustrated me most is that, as tias, volunteers, WHOMEVER you are at NPH – your responsibility is to help these children become the best people they can be – to teach them right from wrong, to teach them to be responsible for themselves, how to take care of themselves, how to be positive, contributing members of society…and yes that comes with a price. And YES it is hard, EXTREMELY HARD to discipline kids…but it is what they need. Especially the kids here at NPH whom, for many, this is their first, real, stable home. They need love and affection, and positive attention, but yes, sometimes they need discipline. And the more they are allowed to get away with whatever they want, the more they are going to push the boundaries and do whatever the hell they want. Strike three team tia.
So you don’t want to punish this one girl for her actions? Well guess what? She’s going to continue to do bigger and badder things, which the other kids will see and copy, until finally somebody snaps. We are here to help these kids, and that means being loving and patient and kind, but sometimes it means being the heavy, too.
Saturday was a day FULL of activities, meaning that it should have been quite pleasant and easy…if only the girls would have done the TWO things that they were responsible for all day: their individual chores and showering…which together should have only taken roughly 30 minutes of the day.
We returned from the activity at 1 pm, giving the girls 3 hours before our next activity. Many of them got right to work and in no time were hanging out without responsibilities, yet a few of the girls basically refused to do ANYTHING…either that, or just completely half-assed their chores, claiming that they did them, and screaming at us to “get off their backs” with MAJOR attitude.
One of the girls, who Carrie and I continuously nagged to do SOMETHING completely ignored us and went over to the other tia, who, ignoring the fact that she hadn’t done a SINGLE thing she was asked to do, then proceeded to cut her hair for the next TWO HOURS – not only allowing the girl to get away with NOT doing her chore, but also undermining mine and Carrie’s work to get the girls to be responsible for themselves. Strike one team tia.
At 4 pm, when it was time for another Posada, we gathered up the 7 girls who had been excellent all day and let them go to the posada. The other 4 were then locked in the section to take showers and finish their incomplete chores. We began walking to the posada when all of a sudden we heard banging from the door and saw one of the girls climbing out the window (one of our windows is missing so there is literally just a piece of paper over the flap…helpful. We know.) Carrie returned to take care of the “window situation” while the rest of us continued on. Turns out they had been trying to escape to come to the posada, and when any of the four of them refused to tell WHO had been climbing out the window, they were also assigned to clean the comedor after dinner. Fun times.
The rest of us went to the posada, wandered around finding an inn for Maria and Jose, and eventually ended up at the comedor where those in charge of the posada read Bible passages about Maria and Jose’s journey to find an inn. During the Bible reading I happened to turn around…and lock eyes with one of the four girls who was SUPPOSED to be locked in the section…and yet who had escaped through the window during the hour we’d been gone…to come and stand directly behind me. As soon as she saw me she bolted through the crowd and stood next to the other tia…who proceeded to hug her and tell her how nice it was to see her at the posada, without once reprimanding the fact that she had escaped from the section. Strike two team tia.
Once the posada was over the girl immediately came over to me and began yelling in my face…and so I began yelling in her face…in front of everyone in the comedor. Incredibly mature…I’m aware…but in all seriousness I don’t know if I have ever been angrier. We proceeded to yell at each other for a good five minutes before the tia in charge came over and took a hold of the situation. It was a good thing because I was beyond my wits end.
When the tia in charge came back I apologized for my behavior (let’s be honest, I made myself look like a huge idiot) and explained the situation. Even after explaining what had actually happen, the tia basically told me there was nothing I could do about it and that the girl was not really going to receive any punishment. Nothing. In fact, she was allowed to join the rest of the girls in line to get food from the posada.
The thing that frustrated me most is that, as tias, volunteers, WHOMEVER you are at NPH – your responsibility is to help these children become the best people they can be – to teach them right from wrong, to teach them to be responsible for themselves, how to take care of themselves, how to be positive, contributing members of society…and yes that comes with a price. And YES it is hard, EXTREMELY HARD to discipline kids…but it is what they need. Especially the kids here at NPH whom, for many, this is their first, real, stable home. They need love and affection, and positive attention, but yes, sometimes they need discipline. And the more they are allowed to get away with whatever they want, the more they are going to push the boundaries and do whatever the hell they want. Strike three team tia.
So you don’t want to punish this one girl for her actions? Well guess what? She’s going to continue to do bigger and badder things, which the other kids will see and copy, until finally somebody snaps. We are here to help these kids, and that means being loving and patient and kind, but sometimes it means being the heavy, too.
American Food!
One day last week I was talking to Carrie and saying “I could totally go for a hot dog right now.” Now I do NOT remember the last time that I was actually CRAVING a hot dog, but then again I guess rice and beans three times a day will do that to you sometimes.
I never thought that I’d be able to find a hot dog here in Guatemala that wasn’t being sold on a street corner (sure I’ll eat a hot dog from a vendor on the streets of New York…but it’s a bit of a different story on the streets of Guate…) but then it happened.
Saturday morning we had a group of Mormons come from the capital to put on an activity for the kids full of piñatas, games, too much candy (per usual), and lunch which consisted of…AMERICAN FOOD!
For lunch we received: hot dogs, apples, break-and-bake chocolate chip cookies, kool-aid, AND NAPKINS. Let’s just say it was a VERY exciting food day here at NPH :).
Carrie being blown away by the presence of NAPKINS
Our AMAZING American meal!!
I never thought that I’d be able to find a hot dog here in Guatemala that wasn’t being sold on a street corner (sure I’ll eat a hot dog from a vendor on the streets of New York…but it’s a bit of a different story on the streets of Guate…) but then it happened.
Saturday morning we had a group of Mormons come from the capital to put on an activity for the kids full of piñatas, games, too much candy (per usual), and lunch which consisted of…AMERICAN FOOD!
For lunch we received: hot dogs, apples, break-and-bake chocolate chip cookies, kool-aid, AND NAPKINS. Let’s just say it was a VERY exciting food day here at NPH :).
Aguas Calientes
Friday was our big excursion for La Navidad. Every year there is one large trip where everyone leaves NPH for a wonderful, far off place to spend the day, and this year, with A LOT of help from one of the volunteer’s moms, we headed about 2 hours away from NPH to a place called Aguas Calientes. Now I had already been to the Aguas Calientes in Antigua before, but this one was supposed to be much bigger and better for a full day excursion, so we packed in the buses at 7:30 for a day at the pools!
The bus ride was waaaayyyy less than pleasant. Despite the abundance of limes to help with motion sickness, 2 girls still threw up on the bus…including the one sitting next to me. THANK THE LORD that I was not covered, but the stench was enough to make all the girls around me feel queasy. What a great way to spend the last 40 minutes of our ride.
We finally arrived at Aguas Calientes and I was completely blown away at how much bigger it was than our local one! Pools, piscinas termales (hot tubs), saunas, restaurants, and even a mini zoo! How awesome was this afternoon going to be! We all gathered around the woman in charge to hear a “briefing” on the rules of the pools.
1. Everyone needs to shower before getting into the water to rinse themselves off.
Ok, that seems fair.
2. ONLY bathing suits can be worn in any of the pools at any times – that means no underwear, no shirts, pants, jackets, towels, sarongs. ONLY bathing suits.
…more on this one below…
3. You cannot even ENTER the pool area if you are not planning on swimming and do not show the lifeguards that you have a bathing suit that you are going to be changing into.
Wait, seriously? So if I don’t want to go swimming I can’t even ENTER the pool area to watch the children I came with swim safely? For real?
Now, in the states Rule #2 might not pose a problem. But coming from a home for children, where at least 75% of the kids don’t have their own bathing suits, nor did they KNOW the rules beforehand, only about 10 of our 60 kids actually brought suits with them to the pool. The rest had been planning on literally going in fully clothed and then changing afterwards. Yet even after explaining our situation to the people in charge, they refused to budge. We were then left, sitting outside of the pool area, with a LOT of very upset children, who only wanted to go swimming with their friends, yet who couldn’t do what we had just driven 2 ½ hours to do. Great planning. Excellent.
After sitting around for a solid 30 minutes, most of the kids bored out of their minds while about 7 swam, someone finally got in touch with one of the directors at our home to explain the situation. The solution? Buy everyone who didn’t have one and wanted one a bathing suit. Not the most fiscally responsible solution, but a solution nonetheless. All the kids quickly changed and, proud of their brand new bathing suits, splashed in the water with the rest of the lot. After a LOT of thinking it over, a bunch of us volunteers also decided to join in, and even though the water was freezing cold, it was a ton of fun to splash around with all the kids and watch them laugh and smile with their friends.
The kids enjoying the pool in their new suits!
Meghan and Fredy hanging out
Around 1 pm we gathered at the barbeque pits and ate a delicious lunch of grilled pork, rice, tortillas, and radishes and cucumbers. Afterwards, all the kids were treated to yummy American style ice pops, before we clambered back on to the buses for another 2 ½ hour ride home. While the day started off rocky and grim, it ended up being a great day for the kids and volunteers alike.
A monkey hanging out at the zoo
Michael and Auri showing off their orange tongues after some delicious popsicles!
The bus ride was waaaayyyy less than pleasant. Despite the abundance of limes to help with motion sickness, 2 girls still threw up on the bus…including the one sitting next to me. THANK THE LORD that I was not covered, but the stench was enough to make all the girls around me feel queasy. What a great way to spend the last 40 minutes of our ride.
We finally arrived at Aguas Calientes and I was completely blown away at how much bigger it was than our local one! Pools, piscinas termales (hot tubs), saunas, restaurants, and even a mini zoo! How awesome was this afternoon going to be! We all gathered around the woman in charge to hear a “briefing” on the rules of the pools.
1. Everyone needs to shower before getting into the water to rinse themselves off.
Ok, that seems fair.
2. ONLY bathing suits can be worn in any of the pools at any times – that means no underwear, no shirts, pants, jackets, towels, sarongs. ONLY bathing suits.
…more on this one below…
3. You cannot even ENTER the pool area if you are not planning on swimming and do not show the lifeguards that you have a bathing suit that you are going to be changing into.
Wait, seriously? So if I don’t want to go swimming I can’t even ENTER the pool area to watch the children I came with swim safely? For real?
Now, in the states Rule #2 might not pose a problem. But coming from a home for children, where at least 75% of the kids don’t have their own bathing suits, nor did they KNOW the rules beforehand, only about 10 of our 60 kids actually brought suits with them to the pool. The rest had been planning on literally going in fully clothed and then changing afterwards. Yet even after explaining our situation to the people in charge, they refused to budge. We were then left, sitting outside of the pool area, with a LOT of very upset children, who only wanted to go swimming with their friends, yet who couldn’t do what we had just driven 2 ½ hours to do. Great planning. Excellent.
After sitting around for a solid 30 minutes, most of the kids bored out of their minds while about 7 swam, someone finally got in touch with one of the directors at our home to explain the situation. The solution? Buy everyone who didn’t have one and wanted one a bathing suit. Not the most fiscally responsible solution, but a solution nonetheless. All the kids quickly changed and, proud of their brand new bathing suits, splashed in the water with the rest of the lot. After a LOT of thinking it over, a bunch of us volunteers also decided to join in, and even though the water was freezing cold, it was a ton of fun to splash around with all the kids and watch them laugh and smile with their friends.
Around 1 pm we gathered at the barbeque pits and ate a delicious lunch of grilled pork, rice, tortillas, and radishes and cucumbers. Afterwards, all the kids were treated to yummy American style ice pops, before we clambered back on to the buses for another 2 ½ hour ride home. While the day started off rocky and grim, it ended up being a great day for the kids and volunteers alike.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Limes? Really?
On Friday we went on a little excursion to Aguas Calientes (Hot Waters) with all of the kids from NPH. On the way there, more than one of the girls started to feel queasy. And what’s the first thing they do when they start to experience motion sickness? Reach for a lime.
Now I’m still a little skeptical about it myself, but all the kids swear by it. Eat a lime and your motion sickness goes away – in fact, it kept a lot of the kids on Friday from turning green. Definitely something to consider for all those future long car rides.
Now I’m still a little skeptical about it myself, but all the kids swear by it. Eat a lime and your motion sickness goes away – in fact, it kept a lot of the kids on Friday from turning green. Definitely something to consider for all those future long car rides.
The things that amaze them…
Pretty much every day the girls ask Carrie and me about glasses and contacts, both of which are pretty rare here. They are FASCINATED by the fact that we can put a little piece of plastic into our eyes and then magically see. One day last week the girls got a firsthand look as Carrie removed her contacts before sleeping in the section. They sat completely amazed, ooh-ing and ahh-ing for a good 20 minutes. Oh the things that amaze them.
The girls watching as Carrie takes out her contacts
The girls taking turns holding the contacts...
The girls watching as Carrie takes out her contacts
The girls taking turns holding the contacts...
Oh the weather outside is frightful
Ok, so maybe frightful isn’t the word…I mean, after all, every day around noon it IS 75 degrees and sunny – who could complain about that? It’s really just the CHANGES in weather that are frightful. Between noon and 7 pm the temperatures drop so low that most of us sleep with anywhere from 4-7 blankets on our beds, in ADDITION to a hot water bottle. And as a tia, we are expected to be at work anywhere from 5:30 am to 7:30 am. Now what happens when you wake up in Guatemala at that time? It’s about 30 degrees outside and windy. How are you supposed to get dressed for the day when the weather is constantly fluctuating between 30-80 degrees in ONE DAY?? How do you plan ahead? The changes in weather certainly are frightful.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Me toca vela
Last night I again had vela in the girls’ house and slept in the section. This go around went MUCH smoother and (despite the girls watching a scary movie right before bed…THANKS CARRIE…) the night went off ALMOST without a hitch. That is, until around 1 am I heard a radio blasting music from about 10 feet away singing “Un boracho does borachos tres borachos…. (one drunk, two drunks, three drunks…a popular song these days that my aniversario team just HAPPENED to have used for one of our cheers…). After frantically finding my glasses I wandered around the room until I discovered it’s whereabouts…coming from a radio tucked under Johana’s arm and under her covers.
Me: Johana…please turn off your radio.
Johana: wah? Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Me: Johana…your radio – please turn it off…
Johana: what radio?
Me: Johana…it’s 1 am…please turn off your radio.
Johana: oh THIS radio. Ok…
I was just glad she finally realized she even HAD a radio in her arms…
Me: Johana…please turn off your radio.
Johana: wah? Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Me: Johana…your radio – please turn it off…
Johana: what radio?
Me: Johana…it’s 1 am…please turn off your radio.
Johana: oh THIS radio. Ok…
I was just glad she finally realized she even HAD a radio in her arms…
The coolest book ever made
Yesterday while hanging out with the older girls, I discovered a book they had in their section called something to the effect of “15 Classic Board Games.” The book includes plenty of small pieces for 2 player board games, and then directions and a board for each game. WHERE was this book when I was a kid??
Who cares! I’m looking forward to playing all the games with the girls and I’m TOTALLY buying it when I get back to the states :-p.
Who cares! I’m looking forward to playing all the games with the girls and I’m TOTALLY buying it when I get back to the states :-p.
S-P-U-D!
This past turno Carrie and I decided to take the girls on a walk into Parramos – they had been spending WAY too much time watching movies and being lazy listening to music, so we decided it was time for some exercise! We brought along a soccer ball and some cards to ensure a lack of boredom, yet there were still some girls who just didn’t want to move from their seats in the park…until Carrie got a genius idea.
“Do you remember the rules to SPUD?” DID I EVER. So, with Carrie’s suggestion, we got the girls off their tails and played a rousing game of Spud in the park, calling out categories and pegging each other with the soccer ball – another successful day as a tia :).
“Do you remember the rules to SPUD?” DID I EVER. So, with Carrie’s suggestion, we got the girls off their tails and played a rousing game of Spud in the park, calling out categories and pegging each other with the soccer ball – another successful day as a tia :).
Saturday, December 11, 2010
There was no room in "La Posada"
Last night was the first major activity that we’ve had since starting as tias – La Posada aka “the inn.” Everyone gathered in front of the office at 7 pm to begin a walk around all of NPH to look for una posada (the first of three) for Mary and Joseph (two of the children had been chosen to dress like them for our journey). Each person received a candle to light our way as we made the walk from the office to the baby’s house, then the boys’ house, then to the comedor for a fiesta with piñatas.
Celeste, Carrie, Magdalena, and Selena with their candles :)
Victor and Vicente (aka “Jose” or Joseph for La Posada)
At each location, we sang a song asking for entrance…something to the effect of “My name is Joseph, my wife Mary is going to be a mother, please let us come in” after which those inside would reply with their own song “we’re sorry you cannot come in, we don’t have any space.”
Everyone walking to find una posada
Finally we were given refuge in the comedor where there were about 6 piñatas for the kids to break open – one for each group of kids and one for the tios/tias and volunteers! Overall a really great night – I think we all just wish it hadn’t been so cold! Here’s hoping for warmer weather for the next posada!
Marta taking a shot at the piñata
Sandy taking a swing
Celeste, Carrie, Magdalena, and Selena with their candles :)
Victor and Vicente (aka “Jose” or Joseph for La Posada)
At each location, we sang a song asking for entrance…something to the effect of “My name is Joseph, my wife Mary is going to be a mother, please let us come in” after which those inside would reply with their own song “we’re sorry you cannot come in, we don’t have any space.”
Everyone walking to find una posada
Finally we were given refuge in the comedor where there were about 6 piñatas for the kids to break open – one for each group of kids and one for the tios/tias and volunteers! Overall a really great night – I think we all just wish it hadn’t been so cold! Here’s hoping for warmer weather for the next posada!
Marta taking a shot at the piñata
Sandy taking a swing
Being a Tia is HARD.
In case the title of this post doesn’t say enough, I would NEVER EVER want to be a Tia here at NPH. They have BY FAR the closest relationships with the kids and they definitely spend the most time with them, but being a tio/tia is like being a parent for 20 kids who are all the same age ALL THE TIME. It’s one thing to raise a FEW children at a time, but 20 of them? SERIOUSLY??
The way our Christmas schedule works here is 2 days on (working), and 2 days off, with 2 different shifts (turnos) that alternate with this pattern. All of the volunteers and the newest round of local tios and tias (who have been working 4 months or less) alternate turnos taking care of the kids. After our few days of induction last week I had Tuesday and Wednesday off. I literally spent them watching Entourage (BIG thanks to Mr. Watzman!), making a TON of guacamole (thank heaven it’s avocado season again!), sleeping A LOT, and generally being lazy.
I wish the bliss could have lasted. At 7:30 on Thursday morning I was snapped back to reality when I went to my newly formed section of 11 girls (a combination of the 3 youngest sections of girls). Three girls are from my section, Angeles, (Magdalena, Vilma, and Rosa), 2 from the next section up, Fatima, (Johana and Flor) and 6 from the Maria Magdelena section (Yocari, Cindy, Marta, Karla, Sandy, and Nancy). WHAT an array of girls…for the most part pretty good, although there are certainly one or two diablos thrown in there with the mix. I spent Thursday and Friday watching the section with Carrie (another volunteer) and Tia Claudia, a new local tia, in addition to “tocando vela” in between.
“Me toca vela” (literally “the candle touches me”) means that in between my 2 days working, I slept in the section with the girls. What a treat THAT was. The other 2 tias left and I was left with 11 teens and pre-teens, a blasting radio, and a girl or two who did NOT want to listen to directions. Let’s just say one cleaned up her act, and the other ended up doubling her chores and unable to attend the next night’s activities (more on “La Posada” to come)… After her teenage antics (by the way – mom and dad – was I ever THAT annoying as a 15 year old??? PLEASE tell me no!), the rest of the night continued without any problems…although trying to wake up 11 girls at 7 in the morning is NOT a pleasant experience to say the least…
The next day our section did a LOT of coloring, card game playing, and playing with babies (I brought some of the girls to hang out with the babies on the sand volleyball court – those kids could fill water bottles with sand for DAYS!) Overall a pretty uneventful day (minus the same little trouble maker running off with her friends for the majority of the day - don’t worry – she was still in NPH, she just wasn’t doing what she was supposed to…teenagers!) HA! Anyhoo, the biggest drawback was really just me being exhausted all day from sleeping in the section. Other than that, just tiring. Did I mention it was tiring? VERY TIRING. Only 9 ½ more days of being a Tia (but who’s counting…)
The way our Christmas schedule works here is 2 days on (working), and 2 days off, with 2 different shifts (turnos) that alternate with this pattern. All of the volunteers and the newest round of local tios and tias (who have been working 4 months or less) alternate turnos taking care of the kids. After our few days of induction last week I had Tuesday and Wednesday off. I literally spent them watching Entourage (BIG thanks to Mr. Watzman!), making a TON of guacamole (thank heaven it’s avocado season again!), sleeping A LOT, and generally being lazy.
I wish the bliss could have lasted. At 7:30 on Thursday morning I was snapped back to reality when I went to my newly formed section of 11 girls (a combination of the 3 youngest sections of girls). Three girls are from my section, Angeles, (Magdalena, Vilma, and Rosa), 2 from the next section up, Fatima, (Johana and Flor) and 6 from the Maria Magdelena section (Yocari, Cindy, Marta, Karla, Sandy, and Nancy). WHAT an array of girls…for the most part pretty good, although there are certainly one or two diablos thrown in there with the mix. I spent Thursday and Friday watching the section with Carrie (another volunteer) and Tia Claudia, a new local tia, in addition to “tocando vela” in between.
“Me toca vela” (literally “the candle touches me”) means that in between my 2 days working, I slept in the section with the girls. What a treat THAT was. The other 2 tias left and I was left with 11 teens and pre-teens, a blasting radio, and a girl or two who did NOT want to listen to directions. Let’s just say one cleaned up her act, and the other ended up doubling her chores and unable to attend the next night’s activities (more on “La Posada” to come)… After her teenage antics (by the way – mom and dad – was I ever THAT annoying as a 15 year old??? PLEASE tell me no!), the rest of the night continued without any problems…although trying to wake up 11 girls at 7 in the morning is NOT a pleasant experience to say the least…
The next day our section did a LOT of coloring, card game playing, and playing with babies (I brought some of the girls to hang out with the babies on the sand volleyball court – those kids could fill water bottles with sand for DAYS!) Overall a pretty uneventful day (minus the same little trouble maker running off with her friends for the majority of the day - don’t worry – she was still in NPH, she just wasn’t doing what she was supposed to…teenagers!) HA! Anyhoo, the biggest drawback was really just me being exhausted all day from sleeping in the section. Other than that, just tiring. Did I mention it was tiring? VERY TIRING. Only 9 ½ more days of being a Tia (but who’s counting…)
I heart shopping
While grocery shopping may not be my favorite thing in the states, let’s just say conversion rates make it one of my favorite things to do here…
The other day while shopping in the market I bought:
A pound of strawberries
A pound of tomatoes
A pineapple
5 oranges
3 avocadoes
6 bananas
2 limes
A bag of fresh cilantro
2 onions
3 chili peppers
Care to guess how much it all cost me?
23 Quetzals. Conversion rate?
$2.88
I can’t imagine why shopping is more fun here!
The other day while shopping in the market I bought:
A pound of strawberries
A pound of tomatoes
A pineapple
5 oranges
3 avocadoes
6 bananas
2 limes
A bag of fresh cilantro
2 onions
3 chili peppers
Care to guess how much it all cost me?
23 Quetzals. Conversion rate?
$2.88
I can’t imagine why shopping is more fun here!
Quemar del Diablo
To all my adoring blog readers,
I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting in the dark for the last week! Let’s just say it’s been QUITE a long 7 days working in the section (but more on that later)
So apparently December 7th is el cumpleaños del Diablo (aka the Devil’s Birthday). Of course you aren’t going to celebrate the Devil’s birthday the same as other birthdays…instead of singing “Las mañanitas” and dousing everyone with water, the boys’ house created an effigy of the devil that was then lit on fire!
The “devil” all ready to go!
Tradition has it that on this day every year, this huge fire is lit, and then everyone is given little pieces of paper to toss in after him. On the paper, you write all of your regrets from the previous year, and other things that you want to leave in the past, and then throw it into the flames (kinda like Guy Fawkes day for all those November 5th lovers out there.)
Watching him burn…
And of COURSE in the true spirit of joking around, a few of the volunteers also insisted that it was Sharon’s birthday (the current volunteer with the most time here), trying to get the kids to splash her with water! While the water trick didn’t work, we DID get everyone to sing her Happy Birthday (yes, in English) before heading into the comedor for dinner :).
I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting in the dark for the last week! Let’s just say it’s been QUITE a long 7 days working in the section (but more on that later)
So apparently December 7th is el cumpleaños del Diablo (aka the Devil’s Birthday). Of course you aren’t going to celebrate the Devil’s birthday the same as other birthdays…instead of singing “Las mañanitas” and dousing everyone with water, the boys’ house created an effigy of the devil that was then lit on fire!
The “devil” all ready to go!
Tradition has it that on this day every year, this huge fire is lit, and then everyone is given little pieces of paper to toss in after him. On the paper, you write all of your regrets from the previous year, and other things that you want to leave in the past, and then throw it into the flames (kinda like Guy Fawkes day for all those November 5th lovers out there.)
Watching him burn…
And of COURSE in the true spirit of joking around, a few of the volunteers also insisted that it was Sharon’s birthday (the current volunteer with the most time here), trying to get the kids to splash her with water! While the water trick didn’t work, we DID get everyone to sing her Happy Birthday (yes, in English) before heading into the comedor for dinner :).
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