Day 12: Hasta luego

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few thousand words:

                                      Thought process: Lets stick the baby at the bottom of the stroller

                                                          Cassandra

                                                              Fernanda and Cassandra

Day 11: Casa Aleluya

The days are getting harder and harder because in the back of my mind I know my time  here is coming to an end. I cant believe today is already Thursday and I have to say goodbye to these little angels tomorrow. I've been trying to make the most out of every day and today I focused on trying to keep the kids focused. I was really inspired after Carolina wanted to do math with me yesterday so I tried to engage the 3 year olds I work with to play some intellectual games- rather than just playing with dolls and running around. I found one of those box toys that have particular shaped holes and then only the corresponding shaped block fits in the hole. I tried it on Fernanda first because she seems to respond to me the most. It took a little while to engage her but soon enough she was putting those blocks away! I also successfully did the activity with Mildred, but none of the other kiddies wanted to play blocks lol. I cant blame them. They just go this awesome Bumblebee transformer toy! During outdoor playtime I took the opportunity to go hang out with some of the older kids at the orphanage with Melissa and Olivia(another volunteer). The older kids were mostly mesmerized by my phone and played Temple Run for about an hour! They did share very well though. There was one older girl (I forgot her name..oops) who continuously took pictures on Melissa's camera. I think it must have been nice for them to engage with technology because from what I've seen they don't have access to computers and other things. I am looking forward to tomorrow, but don't want to say goodbye! I plan on spending the rest of today looking for some workbooks to donate to the orphanage so the kids have some intellectual stimulation, other than coloring, when they want it.

Here are some pictures from today:

                                                               A new baby I met today

                                                Mildred with that box toy, just loving life haha

                                                     Finally coaxed a smile out of Fernanda!!

Day 10: Casa Aleluya

So today was my second day at Casa Aleluya and it was just as wonderful as yesterday. The greeting wasn't as warm this morning though lol. Everyone was a little grumpy/moody but nothing a little tickling couldn't fix! Although, when bath time came around there was a lot of crying and unhappy screaming. I don't get why they scream because all the nannies are trying to do is get the smelly poop off of them!! Once we made it past bath time it was playtime and everyone was ecstatic again! The best part about today though was when this little 6 year old, Carolina, ran up to me with a workbook and asked if I would do some math problems with her. It was truly heartwarming to see someone so eager to learn. We spent about 45 minutes adding and subtracting double digit numbers which is quite impressive for someone so young. About halfway through though she spotted my phone and wanted to ditch math and play with it! I had to bribe her with playtime later if she kept working for a little longer. We made it through about 100 problems!

                                                                Carolina hard at work!!

Day 9: Casa Aleluya Orphanage

Today was my first day at my orphanage placement and it was such a wonderful time. The "bebes" captured my heart from the moment I walked in. They have so much spirit and love to give. All the babies needed was a little attention. It was so great being there and being able to give them the attention they deserved. There are about 12 babies and every single one of them has so much attitude! I worked with Fernanda, Blanca, Linda, and Mildred today. We spent the morning in their room and once it got a little warmer outside, we still bundled up all the babies to have some playtime outdoors.
Here are some pictures from today:

                                    This is the face Fernanda made when she saw herself in the phone!Hahaaa

                                        Blanca is one of the youngest and easily the smiliest baby ever!

Days 7 & 8: Semuc Champey/Traveling again

Hello! Sunday was such a crazZzZzy day!! From the moment Melissa and I woke up, we were doing something or the other. All day Saturday we traveled to Lanquin ansh stayed in a hostel there for a night (which is about 45 minutes from our destination: Semuc Champey). At about 9am we hopped on the finest transportation they could offer us, aka the back of a pick-up truck, and had a long buuuuumpy ride to Semuc. The moment we arrived though was so magical. The water was a brilliant blue-ish green and the landscape in general was breathtaking. We then went on a 30 minute uphill hike (with a guide of course!!) to get a better view of the natural pools and river. Then, it was swimming time! We hiked back down and explored the water. Even though it was just regular water, there was something really cool about the whole situation. There were some natural places to dive off of and a few "waterslides" which actually hurt my butt so much!! We grabbed some lunch and met up with 2 fellow volunteers, Connor and Nicole, who also signed up for the trip. After lunch things got scary! I swear to you, I escaped death at least 3 times. Some native members of the Q'eqchi' Maya town of Lanquin took the four of us and then another group into some water caves with only a candle each for lighting. In retrospect, the whole process was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, but during the cave swim I thought I was going to drown/get eaten by a bat/drown again. We saw some stalagmites, stalactites and even swam up a natural waterfall. I couldn't take any picture in there for obvious reasons, but it is definitely worth traveling to again!! Afterwards we ate dinner and slept like babies because little did we know it, all of us had a very long Monday ahead of us.
SO Monday was obnoxiously obnoxious. We woke up at 6am for a 7am shuttle back to Lanquin. From there about 10 of us took a bus back to Antigua, but before we officially left we had to stop and pick up 20 more people! The catch here is that the bus could only hold 20. For at least an hour our bus driver was trying to cram 30 people in a 20 person bus for an 8 hour trip. Even if it was possible no one would have been ok with it. But finally everything got figured out and we were on our way. BUT THEN, about 3 hours into our ride home we arrived in Santa Cruz de Quiche and we were blocked in. Our driver tried to find a way out for 2 hours. Apparently the miners were on strike for better wages and working conditions so they decided to block all the major roads going into and out of the city. Basically, we were stuck in the city until 4pm when the miners let some people go. Once we were on the road again it took us 7 hours to travel what should have taken 4 hours! Our 8 hour trip home turned into around 13 hours. It was death. But, I'm grateful to have gotten to go to Semuc Champey and I wouldn't trade the experiences for anything!
Here are some pictures from Semuc Champey:

                                                    A birds-eye view of the natural pools

                                                     A ground view of the pools

Day 6: Traveling

So finally today is actually today! Its January 4th so no need to pretend anymore!
Melissa and I decided to take a weekend tripto Semuc Chamay instead of staying in Antigua and doing nothing. We basically traveled for 8 hours in a dinky-ish, cramped car. But we are finally here and cant wait to explore the beauty here tomorrow!
Here is the 1 picture I took in the car today lol:

Day 5: Coffee Farm

Lets pretend today is Friday January 3, 2014.

So this morning we went to a coffee farm in Antigua. While I visited a coffee farm on Tuesday and learned about the process of coffee picking and processing on a large scale level, today I learned about the farmers and how they live life. I was assigned to work with Andres. We hiked about 30 minutes up Agua Volcano to get to the coffee crops and the picked coffee beans for an hour. At the end of the hour, between 5 people, we had 25 pounds of beans! Then we brought the beans down to Andres's house and we put them in a peeling contraption. It only took half an hour for 25 pounds, but Andres usually had 100 pounds to pick and peel so it takes about 8 to 9 hours. I learned that once the beans are exposed they need to dry for 10 days. They can then be sorted into good and bad beans. The good beans are large and oval, while the bad beans are simply smaller. There is nothing farmers can do to control how many good beans they yield from their crops. All they can do is water and prune them throughout the year. The good beans are roasted and exported while the bad beans are roasted and then sold locally at a MUCH lower price. It's just so shocking that farming coffee beans is so labor intensive and the farmers only get a small cut of the profits.
After saying goodbye to Andres, Melissa and I visited the orphanage we will be working at next week: Casa Aleluya! We are assigned to work with 0 to 3 year olds, but most of the kids are about 3! We were welcomed by screams and hugs. It was magical. After introducing ourselves and bonding a little we had to go, but promised to be back on Tuesday to start our project. It was heartbreaking seeing their sad faces, but I am very ready to begin on Tuesday!
Here are some pictures from today:

                                                 Peeling contraption! Its kind of like a bike.

                                                               Andres and his family and us

                                                                   Andres chillen with his coffee plants

Day 4: Orphanage

Lets pretend that today is Thursday January 2, 2014.

Today was an especially difficult day. We went to La association de Rosa. This is an orphanage with girls who have been victims of rape and as a consequence have children. The eldest girl at the orphanage was 15 years old. Rose, the founder, has such a big heart and is sincerely caring. We spent the morning giving these girls a break from their children and an escape to feel like normal pre-teens and teenagers. Because the day was especially beautiful, everyone played outside. We set up a game of dodgeball that quickly transitioned into an intense game of soccer! Concurrently,while the mothers were playing, the children were, with some volunteers (me included), blowing bubbles, singing, and dancing. Everyone was having a wonderful time. Later in the morning, a 15 year old mother, Linda, of one 4 year old boy approached me and asked if I would teach her some English. She was more fluent than any of her other "sisters" but was hungry to learn more. Linda told me the school teacher had to be laid off because the orphanage didn't have enough money. So, for about 1 1/2 hours I worked with her. She was especially eager to learn the lyrics to English songs. Linda had all the lyrics to "My heart will go on" by Celine Dion and wondered if I knew any other songs. I taught her "You've got a friend in me" from Toy Story and she seemed to really love it! Afterwards, I worked with Lenti, a special needs rape victim. Due to her brain damage she was already very subdued, but after the incident, Rosa told me she had become very introverted and rarely spoke or smiled. I played a few games with her and then let her be on her own for a little while because I didn't want to overwhelm her. When present time rolled around and Lenti opened her's (headbands) she smile for ages. She talked about how pretty she would look and would not let anyone touch her headbands! It was unbelievable how something as simple as headbands changed her whole mindset for the day.

After the orphanage, me and 19 other volunteers decided to hike the Pacaya volcano. It wasn't too tough, but at times the terrain got a little tricky. The volcano is currently active, so we couldn't hike all the way to the top. We did make it pretty high up and the view was unbelievable! I took some lava rocks from the ground as a souvenir! On the way down, the sun had set and we could see lava spewing from the top of the volcano! It was so surreal!

Here are some pictures from today:

                                                                        Lenti and her present!

                                                                                Lenti post present!

                                                                    Pacaya Volcano!

Day 3: New Year!

So again, lets pretend today is Wednesday January 1st, 2014.
Hellllo!!!
Happy New Year! Literally everything but the restaurants are closed today. Due to the closings, we were not allowed to volunteer anywhere. Instead, we went to the beach in Monte Rico!!!
It took 2 1/2 hours to get to there, but it was worth it! Monte Rico is a black sand beach which was really cool to see. But black sand means that it is also 10000000 times hotter and almost impossible to walk on barefoot without searing off some skin. In order to make it to the Pacific Ocean to swim around, I had to SPRINT hahaha. I was a little scared swimming in the ocean because the current was really strong and I swear to you, I thought I was going to drown. But, here I am; alive and well. Today was a nice treat and an amazing way to start off the new year!

Day 2: Elderly Home

Soooo this isn't quite working like I though it would. I originally wanted to update this blog everyday, but I haven't really have access to wifi! So today, I'm just going to blog for the past couple of days.
Lets pretend today is Tuesday December 31, 2013.

Happy New Years Eve! Today was quite an interesting day. We started the day with a volunteering project at an elderly home. There were about 40 permanent residents, many of whom have been abandoned by their families due to their growing dependency on medicines and declining health. Walking into the home was a difficult scene. The residents were all lined against the walls in either their wheelchairs or in plastic lawn chairs. Everyone was very subdued and despite the blazing sun all the residents were dressed as if they were preparing for a winter storm. When the residents noticed our (us volunteers) presence a few faces lit up and others just went back to their somber state. We spent our time engaging the residents with activities. A solid few really wanted to dance when we turned on some traditional Spanish music, so I spent about 2 hours dancing with a very lively 82 year old man! He was speaking rapid Spanish to me and since he had no teeth it was very difficult to understand him. From what I could catch, he seemed to be telling me stories and was having a grand time recounting his life. After dancing we handed out some tamales and cake for lunch. For our final activity we set up a game of picture bingo which was a big hit with the residents. I guess bingo is loved around the world! Before leaving, we handed out some presents and the residents seemed truly grateful and very excited about them. The presents varied from towels to scarves to hats. I have no picture documentation because we weren't allowed to take pictures, but everyone at the home will forever be in my memory.
After the morning volunteering session, I traveled to a coffee farm about and hour outside Antigua with Melissa and 3 other volunteers. While we were there, we had to opportunity to go ziplining, berry picking, horseback riding, and to finish off we went on a coffee tour. While ziplining was terrifying fun, the coffee tour shocked me the most. We learned how to pick coffee beans, prep the beans, and roast the beans. It is a very long process and made me realize the work that goes into producing a cup of high quality coffee.
Since its New Years Eve there was a lot going on in the streets. Fireworks were blowing up, food was shared, and drunk people roamed the streets for hours!
Here are a few pictures from today:

                                                                               Ziplining!

                                                                Rachel, Melissa, Me, Mike

                                                                         New Year!