¡Te Catché! (I caught you!)

There are many anglicisms in español, "catch" included.  It is time for me to play some "catch up".  The past couple weeks have run away on me! 

The week after visiting the comadrona, we went to the Lago de Atitlan for the weekend, and the following week, I visited a public, primary school in the morning, and had spanish classes in the afternoon.  Studying from 2-7 is so much harder than 8-1, and made for some funny classes...I was brain tired each day, and NEVER could get the day right.  My last day of classes, I got everything right, until I said that it was 2009.  My teacher thought I was witty...not so.  I liked being busy and the students in the school were so amable (likeable, friendly, lovely - the word in spanish fits better)!  It was their last week of clases (they study from the middle of January - mid October), but they welcomed me in anyway, including me in their closing activities.  I taught a bit of english one day, observed another ICA student teach english, listened to their year-end presentations, and went kite-flying!  SO MUCH FUN!

In the past couple of weeks, I have had random, "I love Guatemala" moments.  (Of course, there are the opposite as well, but they seem to be much fewer :)  One of these "I love Guatemala" moments was in the field just on the edge of the city, on the uneven soccer field, with the volcanoes in the background, trying incredibly hard to get the kite to stay in the air, children screaming in support "Hale!!! (pull).  We also worked a bit in the vivero (tree nursury).  I guess the students go once a month to pull weeds.  They were so efficient...me, not so much, but they would come through and do quality control in my section, encouraging me that my side was clean (limpio).  The girls picked flowers for my hair, took hundreds of pictures on my camera, encouraged me to run with their kites.  One boy gifted to me 2 of his homemade barriletes (kites)...SO KIND!  It is normal for them to make their own kites...NEVER, have I made a kite that has flown, but now I want to try! 

That weekend, we visited a coffee finca, and took a trip to the playa (beach)!  It is quite a bit warmer at the coast, and the black sand (from the volcanoes) is HOT!  I saw some poplar like trees on the way to the beach, and I thought of home.  It is funny what will remind you...

That week, I just took classes, and participated in some activities...

That weekend, I went to Mexico with some friends for a couple of days.  We ALL got another 90 days in our passports!  YES!

This week, I also had clases in the morning.  Monday afternoon, another ICA student, Sandra, and I taught our first English class, and have 5 weeks more.  Only one student showed up, and poor Roberto, got too much information!  We had 5 students Tuesday.  We didn´t teach Wednesday, because we went to the graduation ceremonies at a Mayan-Mam - Spanish bilingual school in a town 1.5 hours away.  ICA helped support the school when it was starting.  While the idea of teaching a Mayan language was ridiculed in the beginning, the school is now recognized as a "model school".  Thursday, our students (who sixth graders are from the primary school that I visited) had their own graduation (graduating primary school is kind of a big deal, as not all students have the opportunity to continue.  Students need to take an exam to be accepted into secondary school).  Every Friday, the students are going to have a different teacher, so we didn´t teach, and Monday (all Saint´s Day = big deal) is a holiday.  Therefore, TUESDAY, I hope that there will be even more students! 

Vivero

Homemade Barrilete

Cafe

Volcano in eruption!

Town of Zunil...many organic vegetables are grown in this valley.