Cambios! Changes

bueno, primero cambie casas esta semana. Mi primera familia tuvo prolemas familiar entonces fue mejor para todos si cambié. Y adivinan ¿dónde estoy ahora? !En la familia de Deanna! Estamos compartiendo un cuarto por las proximas tres semanas. Ahorita es muy divertido y tambien no duermo tan temprano como antes. :) Hablamos mucho en español casi todo el tiempo!
Segunda, algo interesante esta semana es que no fui a Educarte el lunes. ¿Porqué? Por que todos los choferes de bus en todo el pais estaban protestando para mas seguridad. Entonces la ciudad fue muy tranquila. No escuché ninguna persona gritando "guate, guate" or otras ciudades.
No puedo pensar en mas que estoy haciendo. Mi nueva familia es muy amable. A veces puedo ayudar en cocinar las comidas cual me gusta muchisimo. Me encanta cocinar.

First off, I have changed houses. My original family was having some problems within the family so it was better that I changed. I was sad to leave them so adruptly but hopefully I can see them in the future. Right now, I am living with Deanna´s family. They are really nice. Yesterday we recieved another student so Deanna and I are now sharing a room. Its been fun to have you around more to talk to in Spanish! As a result I am not going to bed as early as I did which is a good thing. Now I can sleep though the night unlike before I was waking up super early.
Secondly, there was a bus strike on Monday so I didn´t get to go to my volunteer project. All the drivers in the whole country were protesting against violencia for the buses! It made a pretty quiet day here because no one was yelling where the bus was going. I never thought that no buses would decrease the sound here so much. Wow.
Not much else going on yet this week. I am doing extremely well and can´t believe I only have three more weeks. And Semana Santa is next week! Happy Easter soon!

Esta Semana Ha Venido y Se Ha Ido

Esta Semana ha ido ya! Mi novio vino a visitarme sobre su vacacion de primavera. En las tardes paseamos en la ciudad y con mi familia. El miercoles fuimos al Volcan Pacaya. Pude ver la lava y mucha rocas! jeje. Fue muy muy interesante. Voy a subir fotos ojala por miercoles. Necesito mas fotos de mi amiga Deanna todavia. Jon regreso a los EEUU el jueves en la tarde. Mi maestra mi dio el dia sin clases! Pero necesito ir a dos horas de clases hoy. Proxima semana voy a la escuela en otro ciudad a trabajar alla por dos semanas mas. Y luego es Semana Santa! Estoy viendo muchas processiones cada viernes y domingo. Son muy interesantes. Ayer fui con Deanna a la casa de otra amiga de YWAM. Jugamos cartas y hablamos sobre nuestras vidas aqui. Nada mas de eso estoy haciendo. Les prometo que fotos vienen pronto! Y tengo buenas noticias! La escuela en Peru me ha aceptado! Puedo hacer mis practicas en Peru el proximo marzo!
Another week has come and gone! My fiance came to visit during his spring break for a few days. We spent the afternoons exploring the city and talking to my host family. Wednesday we climbed an active volcano. It was pretty cool to see the lava and all the volcanic rock! I promise to get pictures up shortly. Deanna and I need to get together to exchange a few pictures because she has a few I want to update on my site as well. THe only scary part of the trip was looking down a crack in the rock and seeing lava flowing underneath me! I would have taken a picture if I was not so concerned about getting off that part of rock as fast as possible.
Jon left Thursday. My teacher even gave me the day off classes so I could go to the airport to drop my finace off. Now I just have to make up the hours today. Next week I go back to the school I am volunteering at. I decided to finish up the month volunteering there. I love helping the kids. Then its Holy Week here. I have seen many processionals every Friday and Sunday. The church I am attending will have Easter morning service at the Cerro de La Cruz (hill that overlooks the city and has a cross). Most of the focus is on Christ´s death here, which is kind of sad. They are very colorful though and each week more and more people come into the city.
Well, I haven´t been doing much more. Its hard to believe that I almost have 4 weeks left! Time sure flies! Oh and I have good news. I have been officially accepted to student teach next March in Peru! Thanks for all your prayers!

6 cosas por 6 semanas

hola! Estoy bien, gracias a Dios. Tengo 6 cosas en particular que quiero decirles.
1. Ayudo en una escuela en las tardes. Estoy ayudando en una aula de tercer grado. Me encanta mucho! Hay una chica de otro aldea que habla Quechi. Entonces ella no entiende mucho de las lecciones. La ayudo con dictacion y aveces tarea. Durante recreo ella le gusta leer libros conmigo. Ella no habla con los otros estudiantes pero ojala algun dia si.
2. Vi una procession de cuaresma hoy. Es muy interesante. Es casi como Semana Santa pero me dijeron que la procession de Semana Santa es mas grande! Hoy todos estaban vestido en morado y cargando el imagen de Jesus. Tambien tocaba un banda y todo.
3. Hay otros estudiantes de Canada que vienen hoy. Y tambien Margie se va manana. En una semana necesito cambiar cuartos porque hay mas chicas que van a venir tambien. Es un casa grande con todos los cuartos que van a estar llenos en dos semanas!
4. Fui con un grupo de Jackson con Deanna a ver una fabrica de Jade. No sabia que Jade viene en tantos colores!
5. Mi novio viene pronto. Bueno, proxima semana. Estoy muy muy emocionada a ver alguien de los estados especialmente mi novio!
6. Fui a Coban la semana pasada. Algunos de mis fotos estan en mi otro sitio web. No tenia mucho tiempo a poner mas. Coban en mas en las montanas y muy hermosa. Nade en un lagoon de Semuc Champey, y camine en una cueva muy lodoso. El agua era rica por nadando! Y muy hermosa. Cuando llegue a mi casa aqui, me dolian mis piernas porque camine muchisimo en las montanas.
Eso un poco de que estoy haciendo estos dias. Les cuida!

Helllo all! Below are just a few things I have been doing lately.
1. I saw a mini processional today. People were dressed in purple and some even walking beside the image of Jesus dressed as Roman soliders. I can´t even imagen how big Sem,ana Santa will be. I guess every week there is a church who puts on a processional until Semana Santa. Its pretty neat.
2. I am helping out in a school. I am helping in a third grade classroom. I am really helping a girl who is from a village that does not speak Spanish. She knows quite a bit of Spanish, but when the teacher dictates the lesson she falls behind. Since students have to study from the dictation they wrote in their books, she does poorly on tests. so I am working on dictating sentences to her. During recess she likes to read books to me. She has even gotten to the point of asking me questions which she has not done to other teachers. So we need to work on that a little as well. In a way I know what she is going through because of my experiences in Peru.
3. More students are coming! There is a mother and daughter coming for the week. and another student, Margie, leaves early tomorrow morninng.
4. I visited a Jade Factory with Deanna and a group of students from Jackson whom Deanna knew from her church in the States. It was fun to spend the Saturday morning with them.
5. Jonathan is coming down next week! I am super excited. We will get to spend the afternoons together by exploring the city and maybe even climbing the volcano. We shall see. Its exciting to see someone and share Guatemala with someone else from the States. Its great my fiance can experience a little of my new world. Pray for safe travels.
6. I went to Coban last weekend. It was really fin. It was a 5 hour drive to the north. I have a few pictures uploaded already. I went swimming in a lagoon as well as hiked in a muddy cave, and in the mountains in search of a Quetzal (natyional bird). My legs told me how much I walked Monday mroning. I had a lot of fun.
Well, that is a little of what I have been doing lately. Heading into week 7!

Estoy acostumbrada?

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!

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!

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!

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)