Lots of things!

I have been in Guatemala for almost 2 weeks! It feels like way longer than that for some reason. This past weekend I went to Tikal, Rio Dulce, and Livingston with some other volunteers. It was all too amazing for words. And the best part is that everything is super cheap here so the trip didn't even cost me very much at all. We climbed the mayan ruins, took several boat rides, ate at lots of fun places, sat in the natural hot springs where my feet got bitten by some strange biter fish, jumped off cliffs into pools of water in the jungle,  and tons more. Also last week I climbed an active volcano called Pacaya, which was one of the most beautful places I've ever been.

My volunteer placement is going well. As I said in my last post, I am still working with kids in a place called Mi Escualita {My little School) helping kids who are in poublic school but who are failing and or just started their education. Yesterday I was helping a 12 year old boy learn some basic addition and subtraction when the teacher at Mi Escualita pointed to another 12 year old boy and said he wanted to learn the days of the week. I figured he meant in english so I started writing them out for him when the teacher stopped me and said "no. En espanol". This kid was almost a teenager and he didn't know the days of the week in his own language. I wondered how someone could get by for that many years without that basic knowledge, so later I asked the teacher about it and he said that the boy had just started grade one at the age of 12. Before that his life consisted of roaming the streets and playing soccer, without any sort of schedule. He really had no use for knowing the days of the week.

I haven't taken any pictures yet at my placement because it is in poor neighbourhood and I'm afraid it might get stolen. Some of the kids will sneakily feel my bag and if they feel a coin inside it they will start jumping and yelling in spanish begging me to give it to them. It's sad but I know if I gave them any money they would just go buy candy, so instead I have bought them some things like penils, sharpeners, and notebooks which they cherish more than you could even believe. Giving one of these kids their own colourful notebook is almost like christmas to them!

(I just realized that my typing might be bad in this blog because all the lettering on the keyboard has rubbed off so I'm just blindly hoping I hit the right keys hahaha)

One of the other volunteers has taken some picturs of me and the kids at our placement, so once she sedns them to me I will upload them here for you all to see.

The only peoblem with  my placement so far has been the language barrier. It really is a teaching placement so I am expected to teach the kids spelling, englsih words, some basic math etc etc, which as you can imagine is incredibly difficult when you can't properly communicate with them. I told this to one of the administrators at the office for the place I am volunteering with, and she told me to finish up my second week at Mi Escualita and then she may move me to an orphange for younger kids, which would require less spanish ability.

I have seen a lot of shocking things here but I think the worst so far is the hungry puppies. There are so many starving stray dogs, they're just flopped over everywhere because they dont have the energy to walk. Some of them are so thin their fur is falling out and you can see every single bone. They have sores on their body and they just huddle into a little ball and shiver. It is so sad but it seems to just be a part of life here. There are a lot of things that shocked me when I first got here that I am now used to. I never thought I would be so comfortable walking past security guards chillin with two foot long shotguns outside the banks and stores.

I am really and truly loving every minute here. There are so many great people and always something to do. I have found that without access to a tv, computer or iphone on a daily basis I am always going and out and doing new things, having new adventures.

 mayan ruins

 don't feed the crocs!

 jumping off cliffs in the jungle!

 hungry puppy on top of the volcano

Once I get those pictures from my fellow volunteer I will upload them, should be this weekend or sometime next week.

Love you all and I hope you are enjoying the SNOW!! hehehe

xoxoxo
Katy

Hola amigos!

Hola chicos y chicas! Como estas?

So it is my fifth day in Guatemala, and I have to say I'm absolutley in love with this place. The first 2 days I had a bit of culture shock and I got a bit freaked out, but as soon as I spent some time with my host family and the other volunteers I felt much better. I am staying with a family. Jaoquin, Patsy, and their 2 kids Andrea and Samuel. They are so sweet and Patsy is seriously the BEST cook in the whole world *sorry mom*. there are also 8 volunteers in my house and 2 dogs, so it's a pretty busy place but I love it. I share a tiny room with 3 other girls, I am on the top bunk of a bunkbed. Then next door there are 4 guys, and downstairs is another girl.

I think the biggest challenge for me so far is the language barrier. I knew it was going to be hard, but I had no idea it was going to be THIS hard.

Today I went to my placement, and I am basically working in a small room in an alleyway type street, where tons of kids pile in to play games and stuff while their parents work. It's strange because I am so used to summer camps and stuff where we have to keep such a close eye on the kids to make sure they dont wander off, but here it seems the kids are free to come and go as they please. SOmetimes they'll just walk home and get something and come back without even telling us and that is totally accepted. The youngest one today was 5 and the oldest 13. They are all very very small though, they look about 3 years younger than they really are, mostly because they don't get proper nutrition.

I have so much more to say but I am so hungry and Patsy is serving lunch so I should walk home now!

I will try to make another update at the end of this week.

xoxoxoxox

Adios, Canada!

So today is my last day in North America. I am busy packing, phoning the bank, trying to get my bag to weigh less than 70 lbs (oops) and saying goodbye to friends and family. My flight leaves early tomorrow morning.

I made this blog so that all of YOU special people can read about my adventures and hopefully see some pictures of what I get up to in Guatemala.

Stay tuned and I will try to post something in the next few days with an update on my first few days in Central America!

xoxo
Kate