Aqui es la prueba para saber si estoy acostumbrada en mi nuevo pais.
1. Puedo caminar cuando es la noche sola? si.
2. Siento comoda tomar el bus a Ciudad Vieja? Si.
3. Siento comoda a ir al mercado sola? Si
4. Piensas en espanol? Si. Muchas veces.
5. Sueno en espanol? A veces.
6. Se donde stoy en la ciudad? Si
7. Pudo preguntar a pesonas cuando no se donde estoy? Si.
Estoy ayudando en una escuela. Me gusta ir alla muchisimo. Esta semana mi maestra no estuvo porwue su mama estaba en el hospital. Tuve otra maestra por toda la semana. Aprendi muchisimo sobre el cultura de Guatemala.
Above isa test I came up with to show how I feel toward my new city. I took a leisurely walk home yesterday after volunteering just reflecting on my time here so far. I am not doing much today. Tomorrow I am helping in an aution/exposition with the school I am volunteering. They needed two bilingual workers to man the booth at the event. So since I have been only working at the school for about three days, I have been readinga lot about the school so I can answer basic questions from the visitors. IT is thought that most of the visitors will be English speaking. I may even have to give a short speech. I am sure it will be fine. It will be interesting for sure. I plan on taking pictures for the school as well. Nt much else has been going on. Happy Valentine'sDay! Lo siento que mucho de este no es en espanol. :( Feliz dia de Carino!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Lago Atitlan s back!
I did a verbal presentation on Lago Atitlan in Spanish class last semester. It focused on the bacteria that has grown in the lake causing it to turn green. The bacteria was feeding on the extra nutrients that were collecting in the lake from sewage and dirt. I was very interested in seeing the Lake Atitlan and seeing how it looked now. On the 2 hour van ride, I saw signs saying Lago Atitlan was back. I saw what they meant when I saw how clear and blue the water was! It was very pretty.
Once we arrived we checked into our hotel (I went on the tour with the school). Then we went on a 30 minute boat ride across the lake to another town called Santiago Atitlan. There were many indigenous people. As we passed the central park we stopped to admire a model of the lake. Many women in this town also wore the traditional dress which was different than in Antigua. Many carried a shawl over their shoulders which could be used to shade their faces from the sun or carry things in. Some woment even had on hats that looked like fabric wrapped around their heads. The men wore shorts with designs or even red stripes on them. It kind of reminded me of clowns or tropical shorts. I should have some pictures of the typical dress. That evening we went back to Panajachel for dinner at a restaurante where kids played the marimbas. The owners daughters, son and niece played for us while we ate. It was very cool. I also learned how the mayans made the marimba. Did you know that if it was quite and only the marimbas were playing you could hear them for miles?!
Sunday we drove an hour to Chichicastenango to see Guatemala’s biggest market. We saw the church and people praying to a few saints inside. We also learned a little about shamans who are like witch doctors or the spiritual advisors to the town. They are not related to God because most people wo believe in the shaman do not believe in God because the shaman acts as their God. I did learn though that there are even Catholic shamen but I am unclear how that was possible even though it was explained to me extensivly.
After the 2 hour ride back to Antigua, Deanna, another student, Sherry, and I went to mass at the cathedral in Plaza Central. I had experienced mass many times in Peru, but it was Deanna’s first time . I did learn a lot from Sherry about the Catholic faith that I did not realize from my other experiences. It was a neat experience to see another form of worship.
Other than that I have not been too busy. School is still going well. I changed teachers and now have one that corrects my pronunciation. We end up conversing more that studying grammar but I guess that is why it is wise to change teachers once in a while so you learn different things. Its been quite interesting and fun. My family is great as well. Right now it is only Margie, (from MN), Jacob (from FL and has been here one week and will be in the house one week more) and I. Alexi from Canada left for another village to work with kids on Sunday. We still get to see him once in a while since he likes to do some of the activities with La Union. He is only about a ten minute bus ride away. Hope every one has been doing well. Thanks for the prayers!
Once we arrived we checked into our hotel (I went on the tour with the school). Then we went on a 30 minute boat ride across the lake to another town called Santiago Atitlan. There were many indigenous people. As we passed the central park we stopped to admire a model of the lake. Many women in this town also wore the traditional dress which was different than in Antigua. Many carried a shawl over their shoulders which could be used to shade their faces from the sun or carry things in. Some woment even had on hats that looked like fabric wrapped around their heads. The men wore shorts with designs or even red stripes on them. It kind of reminded me of clowns or tropical shorts. I should have some pictures of the typical dress. That evening we went back to Panajachel for dinner at a restaurante where kids played the marimbas. The owners daughters, son and niece played for us while we ate. It was very cool. I also learned how the mayans made the marimba. Did you know that if it was quite and only the marimbas were playing you could hear them for miles?!
Sunday we drove an hour to Chichicastenango to see Guatemala’s biggest market. We saw the church and people praying to a few saints inside. We also learned a little about shamans who are like witch doctors or the spiritual advisors to the town. They are not related to God because most people wo believe in the shaman do not believe in God because the shaman acts as their God. I did learn though that there are even Catholic shamen but I am unclear how that was possible even though it was explained to me extensivly.
After the 2 hour ride back to Antigua, Deanna, another student, Sherry, and I went to mass at the cathedral in Plaza Central. I had experienced mass many times in Peru, but it was Deanna’s first time . I did learn a lot from Sherry about the Catholic faith that I did not realize from my other experiences. It was a neat experience to see another form of worship.
Other than that I have not been too busy. School is still going well. I changed teachers and now have one that corrects my pronunciation. We end up conversing more that studying grammar but I guess that is why it is wise to change teachers once in a while so you learn different things. Its been quite interesting and fun. My family is great as well. Right now it is only Margie, (from MN), Jacob (from FL and has been here one week and will be in the house one week more) and I. Alexi from Canada left for another village to work with kids on Sunday. We still get to see him once in a while since he likes to do some of the activities with La Union. He is only about a ten minute bus ride away. Hope every one has been doing well. Thanks for the prayers!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Un Dia Tipico/A Typical Day
Cada dia me levanto a las 7am y desayuno. Despues hago mis devociones. A las 7:45 estoy caimando a la escuela. A las 8 estoy hablando con mi maestra y studied. Mucha de mi leccion es conversacion pero tambien estoy aprendiendo de la cultura y nuevas palabras. A las 10 hay una pausa entonces hablo con mi amiga Deanna y nuevas amigas aqua. Encontre una chica de Dinamarca quien tambien fue con Rotary a canadaa por un anio! Despues media hora regreso a mis lecciones para dos horas mas. A las 12 tengo muchisimo hambre! Camino con otra estudiante a mi casa para almorzar. Despues almuerzo tengo un poco tiempo para hacer mis tareas antes que ir a la escuela para un tour de los pueblos o de Antigua o otra tour. A veces voy a un tour pero tambien tengo tiempo antes regresar a mi pais entonces no voy a todos los viajes cada dia. A veces tambien voy con otrosestudiantes a ver mas de Antigua. Es muy chevere. Me encanta mi familia y me siento muy comoda con ellos. La ciudad es muy bonita tambien. Bueno, les cuida y les extranio muchisimo!
Each day I wake up at 7am and eat breakfast. Then I do my devotions and get ready to go to school. At 7:45 I walk with another student to school. By 8 I am talking with my teacher over my evenings and sometimes we share stories or talk about miraclesw we have seen or experienced. She is funny. At 10 we have a half hour break so I go over to talk with Deanna or some other new friends about how they have been doing. Then I head back to my table to have another two hours of lessons. Wednesday we went to the market with another student and teacher. It was fun. We made it into a learning experience by learning some of the fruits and vegetables in Spanish. Then I walk back with another student in my house home. We eat lunch almost right away which is good because I am starving by the time I get home. Then sometimes I head back to school to go on some of their afternoon trips or I walk with another student to the center of town. Then its time for a little homework!. I met another student from Denmark who went to Canada en 2005 with Rotary Youth Exchange! It was pretty cool. She misses Canada about as much as I miss Peru. So that is what my day looks like. I found out some of the other students in my house have not been feeling well (same as me). We all started feeling sick on Thursday so it must be something we all ate that day. So please pray we all feel bettter very soon. It is just a slight upset stomach and a few trips to the bathroom, so its as bad as it could be. Gracias!
Each day I wake up at 7am and eat breakfast. Then I do my devotions and get ready to go to school. At 7:45 I walk with another student to school. By 8 I am talking with my teacher over my evenings and sometimes we share stories or talk about miraclesw we have seen or experienced. She is funny. At 10 we have a half hour break so I go over to talk with Deanna or some other new friends about how they have been doing. Then I head back to my table to have another two hours of lessons. Wednesday we went to the market with another student and teacher. It was fun. We made it into a learning experience by learning some of the fruits and vegetables in Spanish. Then I walk back with another student in my house home. We eat lunch almost right away which is good because I am starving by the time I get home. Then sometimes I head back to school to go on some of their afternoon trips or I walk with another student to the center of town. Then its time for a little homework!. I met another student from Denmark who went to Canada en 2005 with Rotary Youth Exchange! It was pretty cool. She misses Canada about as much as I miss Peru. So that is what my day looks like. I found out some of the other students in my house have not been feeling well (same as me). We all started feeling sick on Thursday so it must be something we all ate that day. So please pray we all feel bettter very soon. It is just a slight upset stomach and a few trips to the bathroom, so its as bad as it could be. Gracias!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sights/Vistas
Antigua is a very pretty place. The streets are cobblestone because the people here wanted to keep Antigua as it was. This includes cobblestone streets and colonial style houses. A lot of the street signs...if you can find them... are old and sometimes hard to read. The churches are different colors of yellow, orange, white and more just like the houses. You can see women andgirls dresed i the traditional mayan dress. The houses I have been in so far have a courtyard in the middle with every door facing it. There are mountains on every side. Guatemala has 38 volcanes!!! Only 8 are active. You can see many dogs in the streets. The market (mercado) isa very crowded place. Deanna and I went on Saturday with her host mom Elsa. If we did not watch out we could easily get lost! The weather is cool in the morning and evenings. My classes are outside so I wear a sweater almost every morning. It is not quite as warm as I had imagined.
I went on a tour of the city on Monday. It was fun. It was really funny because Deanna and I walked all over Antigua on Sunday and we saw the same places on Monday with the group.
Yesteday I went on a bus tour to see the surounding pueblos (towns). I saw a few churches and convents while learning about Guatemalan history. Did you know that Antigua was the third place the capital was located? Ihad a choice to walk up te Volcano Pacaya today but I will save that trip for another week. I have plenty of time!
Today, I am justrelaxing and enjoying the weather. I borrowed a house mates laptop so I could access the iternet for free a school. There are 4 other students in my house. One 18 year old from Quebec who also spent some time in Peru. He speaks English very well as well as Spanish. We converse on the way to school in Spanish most mornings. Margie is an older lady who is a retired pastor from MN. She is learning Spanish so I can't talk with her in Spanish very well. Helena (25)leave in a week and sheis from London. She speaks some but prefers to speak in English. The other girl, Katie, just arrived. She is doing some social project so oes not come to a Union. I also have not seen much of her. Well, I better get some other things done on here. Hopefully, get pictures up on my other site now. Hasta luego! (otro dia voy a escribr en espanol)
I went on a tour of the city on Monday. It was fun. It was really funny because Deanna and I walked all over Antigua on Sunday and we saw the same places on Monday with the group.
Yesteday I went on a bus tour to see the surounding pueblos (towns). I saw a few churches and convents while learning about Guatemalan history. Did you know that Antigua was the third place the capital was located? Ihad a choice to walk up te Volcano Pacaya today but I will save that trip for another week. I have plenty of time!
Today, I am justrelaxing and enjoying the weather. I borrowed a house mates laptop so I could access the iternet for free a school. There are 4 other students in my house. One 18 year old from Quebec who also spent some time in Peru. He speaks English very well as well as Spanish. We converse on the way to school in Spanish most mornings. Margie is an older lady who is a retired pastor from MN. She is learning Spanish so I can't talk with her in Spanish very well. Helena (25)leave in a week and sheis from London. She speaks some but prefers to speak in English. The other girl, Katie, just arrived. She is doing some social project so oes not come to a Union. I also have not seen much of her. Well, I better get some other things done on here. Hopefully, get pictures up on my other site now. Hasta luego! (otro dia voy a escribr en espanol)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
La meta de este blog
hola a todos! Solo quiero decir que yo escribira en mi blog durante mi tiempo en Guatemala. Quisiera que uds saben donde estoy y que estoy haciendo alla. Ojala teneria tiempo escribir aqui diaramente. Por favor oran por un viaje seguro al Guatemala y un descanso tranquilo el noche anterior de mi viaje. Tambien oran para buen salud durante estas trece semanas proximas. Muchas gracias para sus oraciones. ojala disfrutarian mis cuentos sobre mis estudios y la ciudad Antigua. Les cuida! besos
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Lista!
I am basically packed and ready to leave! I am leaving on Wenesday to spend the night at my Grandma's house then spending the next night at Deanna's then we will leave! I am super excited to see Guatemala. I still am not sure I have everything packed that I may need but there will be no way of knowing until I get down there. I did manage to stick to one weeks worth of clothing and my one suitcase looks half full! Ok, I hope everyone has a great winter! I am going to enjoy the sun and summer as much as I can!
This was going to be a blog all about my trip but I have to include some news in here about what happened on the new year. Some of you all may not have heard yet, but on New Year's morning, I became engaged to a very amazing man named Jonathan. We do not have an exact date yet, but it will be next summer.
Thank you all for your continuing prayers and support during my time abroad. I will hopefully update everyone once I get settled. Please pray for a safe trip Friday. Pray Deanna and I will both get the sleep we need for the flight and stay healthy! Muchas gracias! God bless.
This was going to be a blog all about my trip but I have to include some news in here about what happened on the new year. Some of you all may not have heard yet, but on New Year's morning, I became engaged to a very amazing man named Jonathan. We do not have an exact date yet, but it will be next summer.
Thank you all for your continuing prayers and support during my time abroad. I will hopefully update everyone once I get settled. Please pray for a safe trip Friday. Pray Deanna and I will both get the sleep we need for the flight and stay healthy! Muchas gracias! God bless.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Host Family
I finally heard from La Union who my host family will be! I am very excited to introduce myself and get to know them a little before I arrive. They are within walking distance of the school which will be nice. I have been keeping an eye on the weather down there as well. It appears to be a little chilly this morning but it will be 80 degrees shortly! I can't wait for warm weather and be surrounded by Spanish and their culture. Well, when I have more information I will pass it on. Have a happy Thanksgiving (a few weeks early) :)
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