Day 7: Earthquakes and booty shakes

Last Friday morning I felt my first quake. I sleeply thought to myself, "Was that an earthquake? Awesome!" and rolled over and fell back asleep. Apparently it was a 4.6 and 30 km from the coast of Nicaragua- in other words in the grand scale it wasn't very close or very strong, but the fact that everyone here felt it really demonstrates the capability of a closer and stronger one...

My back has recovered from dumping buckets of mud. On Wednesday, I began my volunteering in a second grade classroom in the Dreamer Center, one of the many organizations within the God's Child Project. So far it's been a sweet experience. Both the teacher and the students are very welcoming. I've been doing mini-English lessons with the class which are highly encouraged by the teacher. The highlight of the week was the 20 minutes of dance time. Jose, el profesor, has taught the students some choreography to the music of Fergie and Beyonce, and I mean, these kids can dance. I jumped right in and Jose and I even did a Bachata for all of them. I think this is where I really won their hearts.

This week I'm going to continue volunteering with this classroom and I'm going to start tutoring in English and being tutored in Spanish. I'm recognizing my need for a little refresher course!

Day 2: First class to third world, pass it on.

Sunday night I was packed and ready to get to Guatemala. At 10 pm, checking email in Atlanta, my departure city, I learned that my Spirit flight had been cancelled. The frustration that followed for the preceding two hours became a faint memory when I boarded a Delta flight at 9:30 the next morning with straight confusion that my seat number put me in first class. Thanks to my constant savior, Mama Lake, and her delta points I was able to not only reach my destination, but get spoiled while doing it. Mimosa, please. After boarding I looked at my jean cut offs and tank top and at the business man next to me and felt very underdressed.

Guatmala. It feels so good to be back and not just good but almost normal. Everything has just been so easy this time around compared to my first time arriving in this country a year and a half ago and so much of that is thanks to Corinne. When we arrived together the first time I can honestly say it was mainly her fault and her self proclaimed organization that lead us to wander around Guate like lost foreign souls. But this time, she really did it right.

Today I went into the field with the God's Child project to a small town that was flooded by the recent tropical storms. The water or mud lines on the walls of the home where we worked were well above my head. A lot of it has been cleared over the past few weeks, but it is still far from livable. For 3 hours I shoveled mud and passed buckets down a line, buckets full of mud. It was hard work and I felt like a wimp when I left the local families and workers, exhausted, after three hours.

Tomorrow I start volunteering in the classroom. The school and all facilities with the organization are like an oasis in a city of loud motorcycles and smog. It has beautiful gardens and colorful buildings. I'm so happy that it is my place of work for the next 5 weeks.

I love being here. Love it.

3 Days to Go: this one's serious and maybe a little dark

This morning I listened to a phone message from my father about four decapitated heads on sticks strategically placed around the capital in Guate. Guatemala has had its share of news coverage recently due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical storms, and sink holes... and now this. I constantly have to remind myself why I feel so attached to this country. Although this news makes me a little anxious, this is what compels me to want to be there. It's a country with so much need, and I want to help in whatever way I can.

So this blog is for me to share about Guatemala and my experience. My last experience in Guatemala was simply an amazing introduction to a beautiful country. My purpose was to study Spanish and learn about the culture. This time around I'll be volunteering with my friend's organization, the God's Child Project. I'll be assisting in a classroom, tutoring English as a Foreign Language, and getting a little preview of all the volunteering positions in the organization. Corinne is hooking me up with everything- including a house :)

To see a little bit about the organization and to see the relief efforts from the natural disaster, click on the link below (Corinne is la rubia):

The God's Child Project