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!

Day 1: Special Needs After School Program

Hello everyone! This is going to be a quick post because I am currently sneakily stealing someone's Internet because I don't want to pay a dollar per minute! That's actually a ridiculous price. But today was such a fantastic day. This morning I had orientation and the tour guide took us around Antigua! Probably the coolest thing he told us is that there is a city of tunnels under the actual city! The nuns used it back in the early 1900s to travel in between the 70 cathedrals! Only 25 are in operation today. After our tour we went to a special needs after school program. This was easily the most magical moment of my life. Not only did I and the group of volunteers I was with receive the loveliest welcome from screaming kids but the entire day all the children were so excited to have us there. I was probably equally excited or more! We organized a few games like musical chairs and a balloon popping game. One of the cutest parts was when the kids put on a talent show for us. All the little girls dancing had so much sass; it was fantastic!! When we left though, I thought my heart was going to break. Maria, the little girl I worked with, wouldn't let go when we were hugging and it was just so heartwarming. It was truly a wonderful experience. Melissa and I did manage to get a run in today and the scenery here is like nothing I've ever seen :)

Ana is so full of life!

Taught Maria how to take a selfie! Success.

Day 1ish: Exploring!

After about 7 hours of traveling me and my friend Melissa finally arrived in Guatemala around 12:30pm CST and arrived at our homestay in Antigua at 1:30pm CST. Our homestay mother is Olga and she is the sweetest woman, but speaks absolutely no English! While I can speak a little Spanish, it is safe to say that I sounded like a complete silly goose! Buuuut, I'm taking the opportunity to improve. Melissa and I are staying with 2 other people from Long Island who are also doing the program. After settling in we took the opportunity to go explore the surrounding area. Apparently Antigua is 75% tourism so there are a lot of people out and about.The area is beautiful because the streets are cobblestone, the houses are all gorgeous pastel colors, and there are tropical flowers everywhere! Whats really astounding are the over 30 cathedrals, which are all intricately carved and designed. Walking around Antigua reminds me a little of India, but the area is definitely more developed and cleaner. The people here are unbelievably friendly and have a lot of patience when it comes to annoying tourists who cant speak Spanish! We went to the park today and there were so many beautiful fountains and flowers and people were just having a good time. There are also SO many street  vendors who are super sneaky and try to get you to impulse purchase things from them. To be honest, if I had any of the currency, the Quaetzal, I totally would have been suckered in! Here are some pictures I took today!

Tomorrow!

Hey! So I'll be in Guatemala for the next 2 weeks volunteering in an orphanage about 45 minutes outside of Antigua. I am super excited and decided to create a blog so my family and friends know I am still alive and kicking. Also, it seems like a creative way to document my experiences and urge people to volunteer! Volunteering, even if it is something small, is a great way to spend time and is truly very rewarding. Keep visiting my blog and I'll tell you all about my time in Guatemala :)