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)