Many "news"

Lots of "news" for this past week.

Last week Friday the rest of the semester group arrived and settled into their host homes.  All of the students for this semester are staying with host families provided by the Spanish school, La Union, that where we are all studying.  These families either have a room available for students or they rent a small apartment complex to house numerous people.

Today marked the first day for my second Spanish class, Intermediate Spanish.  I will have class Monday through Friday, for the next three weeks, and should be able to speak at an intermediate level by then which is pretty cool!

Today also marked the first day that I worked with the God's Child Project. After my Spanish class and a quick lunch, I headed over to GCP which is about a 40 minute walk one-way but goes by rather fast.  Once there, I met with another social worker and his coworker and was told that we were going to do five home-visits to the parents of some of the new students in GCP's elementary school.

These visits allow GCP to understand how the parents of the children are doing financially, physically, and emotionally.  Besides supplying their children with basic school supplies, families only need to pay $2/month for their child to continue their education.  Many of these children are at risk of being pulled out of school in order to sell souvenirs in the street in order to make money.  Therefore, it is very important for the parents of the children to understand that GCP is there as a resource for keeping their children in school.

The children GCP supports mainly come from the poorer areas of Antigua where a person may not make more than $5 a day.  Since I was obviously not able to take photos for our home visits, I do not have any but I will be sure to post some of GCP next week.

After the home visits, I was offered to work as a volunteer coordinator since their office has been lacking a lot of assistance.  This would entail setting up appointments, tours, and assisting new volunteers in any way through GCP.

Thanks for reading!

Hasta luego!

Expectations

I have officially been in Guatemala for three weeks now which is considered the minimal amount of time it takes to be "immersed" in a culture.  Even though, the past three weeks have been very relaxing and I have had very little difficulty living here in Antigua.

One of the most important components in this transition has been to not have overwhelming expectations.  A person can only be disappointed if the outcome of a situation did not match their perceived expectation.  Therefore by relieving oneself of what I hope an experience to be like, I try to have the mindset that whatever happens throughout my day has a unique significance.

A portion of La Union Spanish School where I attend
five days a week from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m

With that said, this has been a very useful trait to have during the final week of my first of two Spanish classes.  The first week seemed to fly by for me as most of it was review of what I had previously learned in high school.  However the second week proved to be much more intensive and I was finding myself very challenged to memorize the numerous rules and conditions that the Spanish language contains.

More of the school!

Nevertheless, Antigua has to be one of the easiest environments to study in for me because it is never too warm or too cold, and coffee is no farther than 10 feet in every direction (maybe a bit of a stretch but oh well).

In fact, Guatemalan blends are my favorite so as a coffee lover, trying out all of the cafes could take you months!

 One of our favorite places to hang out and eat is the Sky Cafe which sits on the mid-eastern border of Antigua and offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Almost all of Antigua relies on the tourism industry as I have met people all over the world from Quebec to Australia.

Tomorrow we have a meeting with one of the directors of the God's Child Project in order to set up our internship so stay posted!

Settling In

This past week I have felt much more grounded than the week before; especially after passing the half-way mark for the first of my two Spanish classes.  I am taking two classes of Spanish while I am here in Antigua, each lasting three weeks, which occur Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m..

In a typical morning I'll wake up around 7 a.m., get dressed, eat breakfast provided by my host family (usually a bowl of fruit and coffee), and then head off for class. My class is one-on-one with a Guatemalan Spanish teacher at La Union language school here in Antigua. Maco, my professor, has been teaching at La Union for several years and is a very patient and fun person.

Not only do these Spanish lessons provide me with university credits, but it is also essential for me to know the language for the internship I will be completing here. I'm sure I will have much more to say when my internship actually begins some time next week, but I will be working with the organization God's Child Project that is based in the outskirts of Antigua. Their mission statement from their website states that, "The GOD’S CHILD Project (GCP) is an educational development organization dedicated to breaking the chains of poverty through education and formation". Although education for children is the main focus, the organization also extends assistance to the children's families through various efforts.

Other than attending my Spanish classes and preparing for my internship, these past couple of weeks have been someof the most relaxing in my life.

I definitely needed a break from the business back in the states. I find myself reading much more now that I am not required to read other books for classes I might otherwise be taking.  One in particular is I have thoroughly enjoyed so far is titled, The Value of Nothing which describes the reasoning and history behind the US's financial crisis in 2008 and how society's "leaders" compound the problem.


Other than relaxing, Antigua offers numerous excursions, with one of them being able to visit an active volcano.  

I hate posing for pictures so I am trying to look
like a dork on purpose

The one I visited is named Volcano Pacaya, and reaches an elevation of over 8,000 feet.  Standing less than 200 yards away from it and gazing over a layer of clouds in the sunset was simply amazing and is something I am very fortunate to be a part of.  Really all of my travelings are a gift that I try to not take for granted.  There are plenty of people in Guatemala who don't even have enough money to travel within their own country let alone outside it.

My wife, Katie...she is a much better model than I

Thanks so much for reading!

One week down

Hola!

This past week has been a very smooth transition for me as I have settled into my homestay and started Spanish lessons.  My host family includes Mr. Elder Marino, and his wife, Marina Marino.  They are both retired from their previous careers and now manage the complex I am staying in.  Elder and Marina cook us three meals a day and I can honestly say that the meals they prepare are better than any restaurant I have been to here in Antigua.

Mine and Katie's room for the semester. Very cozy.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting some others who are currently staying in Elder's complex who are from the United States but live in Holland and work for a company called Global Players.  The focus of the organization is to encourage collegiate athletes in the United States to study abroad.  Global Players makes sure that the path to studying abroad for American collegiate athletes is as smooth as possible.  Check out their website if you think anyone would be interested!

The streets of Antigua all look very similar
to this one and can take a while to memorize

Other than relaxing at my homestay, exploring the city has been great and I find a new coffee shop, restaurant, or  artisan's shop every time I go out.  My professor here, Paul, explained it as the "Ann Arbor of Michigan", which I would have to agree with.  Antigua is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Spanish colony still standing in all of Central America which was established in the early 18th century and features a myriad of cultural sights and sounds.

In the picture below, the yellow building is one of the many long-standing traditions Antigua has held onto.  The structure is called a "pila", and is essentially a small pool of water where people can come to wash their clothes.

South-facing street in Guatemala featuring the volcan de agua
(don't worry it's inactive)

Getting adjusted with my new surroundings has been surprisingly easy for me as I enjoy the simplistic and quiet surroundings I am blessed to experience.

That's all for now,

hasta lluego! (see you later!)