There’s A First Time For Everything

La Vida

In travel and in life there are constant opportunities to turn over new leaves or experience something for the very first time, if we are willing to take a step into the unknown...

On Wednesday, I was introduced to a new game. Anyone ever played Pica Pica? On Mardi Gras, kids (and whoever else has the guts) play a game where you run around smashing eggs on each other’s heads. The eggs are painted and emptied of their egg-ness, then filled with pica pica (confetti), and a piece of tissue paper is glued on to cover the hole in the top of the egg. There don’t seem to be any rules as far as I can tell, only that you run around and continue smashing eggs on cabezas (heads) until all of the eggs are broken. Emiliano invited me to play after our lesson on Wednesday and then gave me a whole bag of my very own pica pica eggs! іQue suerte!

On Thursday, Sarah and I had the good fortune of missing our school bus in the morning (by about 30 seconds) and were then forced to find other transportation…in the form of a Tuk Tuk! These are 3 wheeled, 3 seat taxis that cruise all of Antigua and the surrounding areas. I have seen entire families riding in them, which is easy to do because some do not have doors, but it would appear to the untrained eye that only 2 adults can ride comfortably. I can’t say that I was upset about riding to school this way, I see Tuk Tuks every 4 minutes here and have been dying to try it. The verdict? Just like a mini rollercoaster ride—you feel every cobblestone bump, every spinning tire on the sand road and even that feeling that you can’t quite make it up the hill and you roll backward just a bit so you are scared but then you make it and realize how much fun it was! Lemons can always equal lemonade.


A Tuk Tuk!!

Friday afternoon I had my first Guatemalan job interview? This remains a question in my mind because details are still to be worked out, but I do believe I acquired employment! A few days earlier, I was walking on Calle Arco (the street with a beautiful arch in the middle) and I saw a sign that said “Looking for a job? Bilingual Foreigners Welcome,” so I stepped inside. The tiny wine shop smelled of cigars and espresso, and the owner was just closing for the night but he took down my name and email and I heard from him a day later. We scheduled an interview for Friday and 30 minutes later I heard the words, “well, you seem nice, See you Tuesday.” I think I officially work at Vinos y Tabacos (if that’s what the store is called)! More details Tuesday…

On Friday and Saturday, I experienced my favorite tradition so far… every weekend during Cuaresma (who remembers what that means?! Hint: the cuarenta days before Easter), local churches put on a Velaciόn. This is a huge wall-sized display of a Bible story, and an alfombra (carpet) that covers a 30 foot space in front of the display. The Bible story last night was of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, and the one Friday night was from the book of Numbers. The display is fascinating, but the alfombra is an incredible demonstration of the dedication and faith of the church. Alfombras are created as offerings during lent, and are made with different colored sand or sugar, as well as vegetables, fruits and flowers (so, my apologies, but I won’t be purchasing any of these carpets to bring home). Using stencils, people work day and night to pour the various colors of sand into intricate patterns, while working on a scaffold system about a foot off the floor. They then add fruit and vegetable designs atop the sand, and line the sides with huge flower displays of hibiscus, bird of paradise, and every other exotic flower imaginable (which grow here in every average front yard). People come from miles away to pray, take photos and EAT, which is yet another aspect of velaciones: street food galore (basically picture a mini MN State Fair). On either side of the huge line to get into the church are vendors lining the street, selling things like balloons, light up wands, grilled meats, sandwiches, pupusas, tortillas, churros, fried plantains, and even Cotton Candy (you can imagine my reaction when I saw them spinning the pink stuff)!


Velacion from the book of Numbers in the Catedral, and the 40 foot alfombra...wow?


Velacion in Santa Catalina, in the outskirts of Antigua, worth the 15 minute drive and choque de moto on the way home!


I tried taking this photo from the back of the line to show how long we had to wait...can you tell it's a hot spot? Good, that's the point.

We attended last night’s velaciόn with the usual group of friends (by the way, when I use “we” it refers to Sarah, Christian and I, as they are my cultural liaisons, and their group of 8 closest friends who are SO much fun and have invited me to upcoming concerts and events!). One of these friends helped me in accomplishing another “First” for the week. Frederico drives a moto (aka motocicleta aka motorcycle/bike) and as it is the most popular form of transit here in Antigua, I have had the ganas (desire) to try it since my arrival. So, Christian arranged for Freddy to give me a ride home! My first moto ride was somewhat addicting …maybe I’ll trade in that bike I bought for my very own… and Freddy was an excellent tour guide- we cruised passed the best places to salsa dance, and the huge choque (car accident) that happened earlier in the evening (a 2 car choque = pandemonium in Antigua).

Then, about 30 seconds from my house, another first! A car turned too quickly in front and didn’t see us, clipping Freddy’s moto’s front headlight and we had a choque of our own! No one was hurt, only the yellow covering of the headlight fell into the street and the other car was scratched (don’t worry Mom!), but it was quite the experience! Freddy was entirely mortified and asked me at least 36 times if I was sure I was okay, and I thanked him for showing me the ropes. Really not a huge incident, but the sound of car hitting metal is one that sticks in your mind…maybe I’ll wait awhile on my moto purchase.

As my dear Patrick would say, “Never a dull moment!”


En El Colegio (AVISO: Muy Philosofa…WARNING: Much Philosophizing Below…)

After these three weeks of observation and shared teaching my desire for autonomy has multiplied dramatically. Acting as a support in the classroom is a nice way to ease into things but I have so many ideas in my head that I can hardly wait to begin my own classroom! Thus, I have requested to begin lead teaching full time starting Monday (aka tomorrow Holy Cow). So, in addition to the beauty of velaciones, the thrills of motos and choques, I have also been drowning in a sea of lesson plans. Overwhelming? Yes. Thrilling a la vez (at the same time)? YES!

My lofty goal is to have this classroom running like clockwork by the time I am finished. I have ideas for classroom management systems like the magic homework chair, morning work assignments that students begin immediately upon arrival to the classroom, and I’m sure I have more but my mind is swimming at the moment…
I want to institute a policy of respect for self, others and environment that creates a powerful atmosphere in which all students can learn, and I want these students to make huge strides in pride and responsibility in their academic and personal lives. My objective overall is to leave students with a strong grasp of the concepts of respect and responsibility so that if they do not remember my name they will at least remember that I respect them and their learning and want them to be successful. I want to leave students feeling empowered to become leaders! (Stepping down from my pulpit now…)
Moving back to last week, there were plenty of thrills. Tuesday was the Mardi Gras parade, as I mentioned last week, Wednesday the Catholic kids left school at 9:00am for Miércoles de Ceniza (Ash Wednesday) mass and the remainder of students left at noon, while teachers attended a capacitaciόn (similar to a professional development meeting) on assertive discipline in the classroom. Certainly interesting to re-learn this en Espaῆol!

I feel entirely grateful to have had the training and background education that I have (thank you, Hamline University). I am learning that much of the teaching philosophy here is based on little to no theory background; that anyone is a teacher who stands in front of a class and that students need to be disciplined and have strict consequences to succeed. To be perfectly frank, I do not appreciate nor do I abide by this philosophy and I believe one must find the balance between theory and practice to achieve expertise and truly be an educator who respects and empowers students not by iron fisted rule and fear, but by tapping interests and abilities and allowing student discovery. While I believe in experiential education and have benefitted greatly from its tenets, I am not entirely in agreement with experience as the only method of teacher education. Does that even make sense? My head is exploding this week.


Some of my students; a reminder of why I want to teach!! Kids, in any country, are the BEST.




Well that was intense. I’ve had a great week of living, teaching and thinking and as I begin to feel more comfortable and empowered in my surroundings, my mind tends to wander! Thanks for listening, I hope all is well at home!
Que les vaya bien, jill

Chocolates + Chaos = Feliz Dia del Cariño

Darling children dressed up for Mardi Gras parade at Colegio Boston. Precioso, no?


I saw heaven on one of my strolls, I thought you all might like to see it, too.


Mountain cruise on the way to Tec Pan for Valentine lunch!


Sarah and I buckled in for safety while Freddy took mountain corners at 100 km/hour...or so


Poppie, this is for you! I tried playing "guess that crop" on the way to Tec Pan, but no one wanted to play.



La Vida

Another week has passed and I feel as though I have been here for ages. Things are feeling more comfortable, I know my way around the town and my Spanish continues to serve me well when avoiding street vendors and making new friends. I was even able to help a fellow English speaker in a little tienda, when she was trying to figure out what was inside of the delicious looking pastries- the shopkeeper was trying to explain in Spanish and the woman continued asking in English. I eavesdropped for only a few moments, said the word pineapple, and the woman was very grateful!

I have found my happiness in my strolls around Antigua, the gorgeous landscape and my darling students. Each day I take a stroll down a different street and usually wander into a few shops or market areas. I’ve begun my list of souvenirs to purchase and I already know I’ll be hard pressed to fit everything into the huge backpack my brother generously lent me! The sights never cease here, and I am trying to take pictures as much as I can without looking too much like a tourist. I’ll post some soon, I promise! The students are also getting more used to me, as I am to them, and I have fallen love with the way they say “Goo Morgnig Mees Jee.”

On Mondays and Wednesdays I work with Emiliano on his English, and we are becoming good pals. Yesterday we read a Ninja Turtles story that he had on his shelf and decided we would write a continuation about Mutant Ninja Cats! He already has great ideas, and I’m planning to make some book pages tonight. I’ll let you all know when its published.

My other typical activities include lesson planning, walking around for snacks with Sarah and Cristian, and running into the high school girls that live across the hall- we always seem to find each other in the street! It makes me feel like I know people, which is kind of nice!

On Sunday Cristian and Sarah’s group of friends brought me with them for lunch in Tec Pan, a city about 45 minutes from Antigua. We drove over mountains, past farmland and through “la linea roja” aka the area of Chimaltenango lined with brothels and ladies standing in doorways. Oh the places I’ve been! (No, we did not stop anywhere along La Linea Roja, and no, I did not take pictures of the drag queen.) I did, however take some great pictures of the random cows along the highway and the deer heads that decorated ChiCuoy, the famous restaurant that serves huge meat platters. It was almost a Guatemalan version of Fogo de Chao!

In other news, we have a new neighbor named Bernardo Valentín. He weighs about 5 pounds and is still in his crying phase, but is very loving! In case I haven’t mentioned yet, Cristian’s sister Flor lives next door with her four children and now their brand new beagle puppy! Bernardo is 1.5 months old and is my new favorite puppy.

Other than that, I have been doing some teaching stuff…feel free to read on.


En El Colegio

My main school responsibilities this week were teaching reading (Island of the Blue Dolphins) and science (a mold growing experiment aka delish), along with further acclimation to the school, students y todo lo de Guate.
Each day felt a bit more hectic than the one before, but I could also feel that I am becoming more accustomed to the school and students, which was encouraging. This led up to Friday, which I will now call “El Dia de Chaos.” The day began with an interesting announcement to teachers that students would need to clean out their lockers and bring all of their materials into the classroom because the engineers would be fumigando (yes, that is a cognate and it means fumigating) over the weekend. Thus our classroom turned into one huge locker and students were literally jumping over piles of books to get around.

If that wasn’t enough, students had also brought to school various sandwiches, pizzas, chips and 3-litre bottles of soda for the afternoon potluck and soccer festivities, along with their Secret Friend exchange gifts, which ranged in complexity from a piece of chocolate and a heart to an elaborate stuffed bear with red balloon and calculator/pen gift set. I received a lovely box of pink donas (Guate for doughnuts) and a beautiful valentine that now hangs on my bedroom wall. The day was a sugar-rush and I couldn’t decide whether I loved every minute or wanted the day to end!

In addition to making regular plans and Valentine plans and locker cleaning plans, I have been constantly brainstorming methods on how to turn our classroom into a well-oiled machine. Yesterday I started the magic “Home work Chair” on which students place their daily assignments at the beginning of class, as well as “That Thing You’re Supposed to do When You Arrive,” which could be called Morning Work in a Minnesota classroom. I’m working on creating systems so that the students know what to do at any given moment. The homework chair and morning work have gone well this week so far and I hope to continue coming up with efficiency techniques that work!
This morning was a celebration of Carnaval (Fat Tuesday) before the beginning of Cuaresma (Lent). All students were invited to dress up and parade around the school grounds! The majority of students were in kindergarten, preparatoria (between K and 1st) and first grade,with the addition of one belly dancer from fourth grade and Kevyn, our 6th grade cowboy! On the bus ride home today I sat by Jose Andres, the 1st grader, and we discussed how cool he looked in the parade with his elaborate Pinocchio mask.

Thanks for your patience as I navigate the Guatemalan internet, things are unreliable at best, but I love hearing from you all be it on Skype, gmail or anything! More later and Happy Lent!
Love to all, jill

Ay! Que Semana! (what a week!)

This is the view from my bus window every day on the way to school...se llama Volcan Agua


My lovely room complete with photos of friends and family, letter from my parents and a valentine from Adriana (5th grader) hanging on my wall!


Flossy mountain bike, 300 Quetzales. Riding cobblestones to Emiliano's house every Monday and Wednesday, at least 2,000 calories. Best idea ever? Duh.


The front door/patio area at 71 Colonia el Manchen (my house) with our precious poodle, Wolfie, sitting in his usual spot.

My plan is to provide a bit of an immersion experience by writing in Spanglish occasionally, FYI. Also, I will be writing a teaching focused reflection each week as part of my student teaching requirements, so I’ll post those as well, in case anyone’s interested in my detailed educational experience!

Thus far I know several things. First, Guatemala is breathtaking in so many ways. Second, kids are kids everywhere. And third, nothing beats a home cooked meal and a comfy pillow.

I arrived on Sunday afternoon sin problemas, got in a cab for about 40 minutes and finally found my house! #71 Colonia el Manchen was not as well known as I thought it would be, and it took a minute to figure out exactly on which door I should be knocking, but the search was well worth it. After finding the house and meeting my hosts, I changed my shoes and we were off walking to Jose Fernando’s 2-year-old birthday party complete with 4 piῆatas, tons of dulces and delish dinner! Cristian and Sarah then took me walking around the city, where we met friends in the Parque Central and ate tacos duros (like potato-filled taquitos, covered in cabbage and hot sauce..delish). Pretty nice little Sunday!

Since then I have been pretty busy getting settled, exploring and working on my Spanish! Please see the following sections for questions about specific aspects of my life here…

The Roomies

I live in the house of Doῆa Chiqui, an older woman who lost her husband several years ago and began taking in students as guests. In the house there is Chiqui, her youngest son, Cristian, who is the boyfriend of Sarah, my cooperating teacher from Kansas City (both about my age). We also have three girls and two boys who are high schoolers studying on scholarships here in Antigua. They came from smaller cities in Guatemala and have lived with Doῆa Chiqui for the past two school years. Also, there is Lulu, our teeny calico kitten and Wolfie, the graying poodle who wears a snowman sweater and has a taste for table scraps.

We live next door to Chiqui’s daughter who has several smaller children, and we see them often (and hear them even more!) Then there is Uberlinda, our cleaning lady who comes daily and Don Chepe who helped build the house a year ago and is now working on a tile patio outside. (His tile hammering and drilling was my Saturday morning wake- up call yesterday at 7:30!)

La Comida

Our meals are all served at the family dining room table. Breakfast and lunch are eaten as we come and go, and Doῆa Chiqui always has something hot and fresh prepared. Each morning I’ve had a bowl of cornflakes and the freshest fruit imaginable before heading off to school. Each afternoon there is something different waiting; one day beef stir fry with rice, another day chicken in a red sauce with potatoes, always served with a different type of fruit juice (peach, watermelon, etc.). For dinner, all of the housemates gather at the table and I am challenged to keep up en Espaῆol. We have frijoles negros revueltos (mashed black beans), huevos con pimiento (eggs with peppers), and always a fresh cup of Nescafe instant coffee. Todo muy rico, claro (everything’s delish, of course).

I have also been introduced to the riquisimo (delish) street food Antigua has to offer! Friday night, my housemates and I walked down the street for tostadas, dobladas and pupusas (all cooked on various street corners by Guatemalan women and served fresh, hot and covered in chile sauce!) Here’s the drill: you order one or two items at a time (each costs about $.50) and then sit around the stand on little plastic stools eating until your heart’s content! Puro cielo (pretty much heaven)!

En El Colegio Boston (at school)

The weekday schedule goes like this:

7:15 or so, Sarah and I walk to the nearby parque San Sebastian, where we wait for the big yellow bus, which we ride with the students in to school each day. It picks us up around 7:25 and we arrive to school by 8:00 or a little earlier. I sit by Jose and his younger brother Fernando, who has some cool videojuegos he likes to tell me about.

8-11 we have students from 4th, 5th and 6th grades, section A. Miss Sarah (and now Miss Jill, too) teaches the intermediate level English classes for these grades. During this time we work on English grammar, spelling, social studies and science. The duty of the English teacher is to speak in English and expose students to as much language as possible, while also encouraging their conversation skills. We have a recess time each day for 30 minutes, during which students may eat their snacks or run around like crazy (you can guess what is the more popular choice). Certain days of the week we also send the kids to special classes including music, art, physical education and computers, and once per week we have a Reading Buddies exchange with the first graders!

11-2, same drill with the section B group of 4th, 5th and 6th graders. This bunch is a bit more rowdy, but that’s to be expected as the temperatures climb to 70 or 80 degrees and our classroom door stays shut to keep the noise down.

2-3 pm on Thursdays are special after school classes, during which I go to Club Cientifico with Miss Sarah, and this week the science project was making compasses!

Other days of the week we get on a little bus and come back home, where we find our lunch waiting. Then, Mondays and Wednesdays I get on my flossy new bike and head over to Candelaria, a nearby neighborhood and work with Emiliano, a fourth grader, on his English (yes! I even get paid!). I help with homework, drink freshly made watermelon juice and I’m trying to teach him a little Chinese, as he said that was the next language on his list! (so far Ni Hao and hambaobao have been a hit—thanks Bridget!)

Tuesdays and Thursdays I might have another student come to the house for English lessons, he’s a sixth grader named Gabriel, we’ll see if that pans out next week!

Lesson planning takes place little by little throughout the week, as most of the English grammar curriculum is provided by the Lighthouse series of teacher guides and student books. Sarah and I talk through most of what we’ll do during recesses each day, and we briefly chat each night about the following day, as well. Next week, we are going to grow mold! (Strictly for the scientific purposes of introducing the Fungi kingdom, of course)

El Clima

The weather this week has been beautiful! We wake up to about 50 degrees or so and (the other morning I even saw my breath!) by the afternoon it reaches 75 or 80ish, which makes for a toasty bus ride home! Yesterday was gorgeous- I got to help plant flowers in the patio and I even got a little sun taking a rooftop nap! Everyone says it will get much warmer in March and April so if you’re planning to visit me, leave the parka at home :).

Preguntas y Metas

This week has left me with many questions about teaching philosophy, Guatemala and life in general. I am not sure I agree with the educational philosophy employed by Colegio Boston, but it will certainly be an interesting place to learn a different way of doing things—I’ll have more to say on this later… I’m hoping to at least demonstrate some of the respect values I learned as a kid so these kids can see that screaming in class is not the best option, etc.

My goals while here include:
1. Improving my classroom management skills, with an emphasis on culturally responsive teaching and engaging student strengths
2. Improving my Spanish language skills
3. Gaining an understanding of Guatemalan culture and values
4. Honing my ability to RELAX and take it all in (as I’ve seen the people here doing often!)


So for now, that is the story. It’s looking like internet access is unreliable, and thus I’m never guaranteed the ability to write, Skype, or check email, but I’ll do my best to keep in touch!! Please know that I’m thinking of you, my friends and family, and keeping a little notebook of things I want to tell you! Some examples include:

Hermano—they have TukTuks here for taxis! (I’ll try to post a picture, but they look like something straight out of India!)

Hermana Estefa—the neighbors here play reggaetόn every night so you can often find me up on the roof jamming out, duh.

Patrico, mi amor—I saw the most adorable Jack Russell puppy in the world and think you should come and adopt him…

Mama y Papa—I am investigating hotels and have the number for a great airport taxi (just planning ahead!)

TO ALL—I have the inside scoop on places to stay, things to do and when to come…Sarah just showed me her pictures from Semana Santa last year (Holy Week) and it’s INSANE so if you want to see some real Guatmala, get a ticket and I’ll help with the rest!!! Plus, I have that week off of school so you have a personal tour guide (I give you good price).

Alright, that’s really it…ііQue les vaya bien!! (the Guate farewell)