Friday, July 30, 2010
*Dog fight update!!!
Aubrey and I have concluded that the dog fighting we hear each night is a werewolf pack. I don't think I want to mess with Guatemalteco Werewolves so we'll just play loud music at 10pm so we don't get eaten.
Dog fights and Classroom keys
Today we had meetings at the school from about 8am until 3pm so it was a bit of a draining day. We learned a lot about the curriculum mapping that is required of all teachers (if you’re a school of ed person reading this you can imagine just how exciting these presentations were!) and how much planning and collaborating the school had in mind for the teachers. It was good information to go over but it wasn’t anything we hadn’t been instructed on throughout our entire education program. We also had a chance to meet with Colin, our primary school principal, to ask a bunch of questions about the upcoming year. He’s a great leader and has really high expectations of us while still remaining flexible and understanding. I am so looking forward to working with this elementary team!
It seems that no country has really escaped the economic crisis of this decade and the school is really being hit hard with budget cuts. Katie (a super cool grade 1 teacher from Minnesota), Makenzie (a super cool grade 4 teacher from Canada), Aubrey and I are considering pooling our money to get a car, preferably a VW van so we can be the coolest gringas in Guatemala. We still have a lot of time to consider it and plan on talking to the returning teachers about the necessity of having a vehicle but we are keeping an open mind in light of the inability for the bus to pick us up every morning.
We also got the keys to our very first classrooms today! Aubrey was sweet enough to take some cheesy pics of our excitement at getting one step closer to being real live teachers. My room is pretty tiny so I’ll have to get creative with 23 little guys in there. I also only have a chalkboard, which if you know me well you know that those things give me the creeps! I’m trying to be positive about it but am considering dressing like a ninja and hopping the barbed-wire fence in the middle of the night to steal a white board out of one of the high school classrooms. I’ll keep you posted.
It’s a little after 10pm while I’m writing this and, like clockwork, a pile of dogs are going nuts outside our apartment. It’s so bizarre! There are probably about 15 dogs that just sound like they are being murdered at 10pm every night. Last night Aubrey yelled from her room, “Is someone killing all the dogs in our neighborhood?!” I really don’t understand it and hope to get to the bottom of it sometime soon so I can steal one of the dogs and give it a nice, non-death-like home.
Tomorrow we are headed to Zona Viva (the nickname for Zone 10) for Laura’s birthday. I think all the new teachers are really looking forward to a night out and away from thoughts of curriculum maps, dying dogs, exploding washing machines (I’ll tell that story later), and the general overwhelming-ness of moving to a foreign country. I hope this note finds you well!
-Hannah
It seems that no country has really escaped the economic crisis of this decade and the school is really being hit hard with budget cuts. Katie (a super cool grade 1 teacher from Minnesota), Makenzie (a super cool grade 4 teacher from Canada), Aubrey and I are considering pooling our money to get a car, preferably a VW van so we can be the coolest gringas in Guatemala. We still have a lot of time to consider it and plan on talking to the returning teachers about the necessity of having a vehicle but we are keeping an open mind in light of the inability for the bus to pick us up every morning.
We also got the keys to our very first classrooms today! Aubrey was sweet enough to take some cheesy pics of our excitement at getting one step closer to being real live teachers. My room is pretty tiny so I’ll have to get creative with 23 little guys in there. I also only have a chalkboard, which if you know me well you know that those things give me the creeps! I’m trying to be positive about it but am considering dressing like a ninja and hopping the barbed-wire fence in the middle of the night to steal a white board out of one of the high school classrooms. I’ll keep you posted.
It’s a little after 10pm while I’m writing this and, like clockwork, a pile of dogs are going nuts outside our apartment. It’s so bizarre! There are probably about 15 dogs that just sound like they are being murdered at 10pm every night. Last night Aubrey yelled from her room, “Is someone killing all the dogs in our neighborhood?!” I really don’t understand it and hope to get to the bottom of it sometime soon so I can steal one of the dogs and give it a nice, non-death-like home.
Tomorrow we are headed to Zona Viva (the nickname for Zone 10) for Laura’s birthday. I think all the new teachers are really looking forward to a night out and away from thoughts of curriculum maps, dying dogs, exploding washing machines (I’ll tell that story later), and the general overwhelming-ness of moving to a foreign country. I hope this note finds you well!
-Hannah
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Antigua (7/28)
Today we took a bus to Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala. I’ve heard many stories about this city and it definitely did not disappoint. It was about a 45 minute bus ride through intense vegetation and climbing and falling altitude with the end result of beautiful historic buildings, cobblestone streets, and incredible people. I think I could totally live in Antigua forever :) (don’t worry, Mom, I’m only half serious)
Elisa, Brandon (a secondary science teacher from Colorado), Aubrey and I rented bikes from a woman who went to CU and was living in Antigua with her Guatemalan boyfriend she met in college. She was incredibly friendly and is completely embracing the Guatemalan culture and lifestyle. The idea of owning a bike shop in a city like that sounded just too good to be true. I don’t know her but I kind of dig her life!
We took the bikes for a two hour ride around the city on the bumpy roads. We passed several old churches with the most beautiful architecture and a bunch of school kids taking a break for lunch. There is also a volcano just south of Antigua called Volcan de Agua that we hope to hike in the near future. The bike I was riding kept losing its chain so Aubrey and I headed back sooner than Elisa and Brandon but it was definitely well worth it. I usually like to spend my money on experiences rather than possessions but hopefully I don’t pass up too many things along the way.
Aubrey and I then went to an authentic Guatemalan restaurant and got the most amazing food. I approve of the Guate cuisine now that I’ve tried the real deal. I got a vegetarian soap with potatoes and green beans that had the most interesting spices and flavors. It was almost like a curry it was so intense. Then of course we hit up the ice cream shop and then went back to catch the bus. It was quite a lovely afternoon but we definitely have a lot more exploring to do in Antigua
Tomorrow is a looooong day of meetings at the school so we will probably be heading to bed early tonight. It is also Laura’s, our principal Colin’s wife and fellow primary teacher, birthday so apparently some plans are in the works for a fun celebration on Friday night. Elisa and I were thinking about doing a bike/kayak tour of Lake Atitlan this weekend but still have a bit of research to do before that can happen.
Hope all is well with you! I will be posting pictures and what not when I have internet in the apartment but we still have no idea when that will happen. Everything is on “Guatemalan time” from now on :)
-Hannah
Elisa, Brandon (a secondary science teacher from Colorado), Aubrey and I rented bikes from a woman who went to CU and was living in Antigua with her Guatemalan boyfriend she met in college. She was incredibly friendly and is completely embracing the Guatemalan culture and lifestyle. The idea of owning a bike shop in a city like that sounded just too good to be true. I don’t know her but I kind of dig her life!
We took the bikes for a two hour ride around the city on the bumpy roads. We passed several old churches with the most beautiful architecture and a bunch of school kids taking a break for lunch. There is also a volcano just south of Antigua called Volcan de Agua that we hope to hike in the near future. The bike I was riding kept losing its chain so Aubrey and I headed back sooner than Elisa and Brandon but it was definitely well worth it. I usually like to spend my money on experiences rather than possessions but hopefully I don’t pass up too many things along the way.
Aubrey and I then went to an authentic Guatemalan restaurant and got the most amazing food. I approve of the Guate cuisine now that I’ve tried the real deal. I got a vegetarian soap with potatoes and green beans that had the most interesting spices and flavors. It was almost like a curry it was so intense. Then of course we hit up the ice cream shop and then went back to catch the bus. It was quite a lovely afternoon but we definitely have a lot more exploring to do in Antigua
Tomorrow is a looooong day of meetings at the school so we will probably be heading to bed early tonight. It is also Laura’s, our principal Colin’s wife and fellow primary teacher, birthday so apparently some plans are in the works for a fun celebration on Friday night. Elisa and I were thinking about doing a bike/kayak tour of Lake Atitlan this weekend but still have a bit of research to do before that can happen.
Hope all is well with you! I will be posting pictures and what not when I have internet in the apartment but we still have no idea when that will happen. Everything is on “Guatemalan time” from now on :)
-Hannah
Ketchup (7/26)
*Sorry for submitting so many posts in one day. I've been writing at home each night but still have no internet access outside of school...
Wow, today was exhausting. We started the day with a tour of the school which was the perfect way to get us all pumped up for the rest of our time here. Some of the staff introduced themselves today and were incredibly kind and welcoming. They all have such ambition in educating and are on the same page in regards to the expectations and goals of the school. All of the buildings are painted blue and white with outdoor hallways, lockers, cubbies, bathrooms, etc. Its so different living in a place where the weather is constant and the outdoors are accessible year round.
Speaking of weather… It. Is. Perfect! It never gets too hot during the day that you want to avoid the outdoors altogether and in the evenings a simple sweater will suffice in the city. Last night, we all took some cervezas y musica to the rooftop of our apartment and sat and watched the city. It may just be my new favorite location in the whole country. Sitting up there is so calm and relaxing yet we have the busy and hectic city to evaluate. We were talking about getting some lawn chairs to leave up there and laughing about planting a garden. We are essentially the only ones who live in the apartment so hopefully our claim of the patio will be a successful one.
After we toured the school this morning, we went to various shops to continue getting supplies for our homes and classrooms. I’m pretty shopped out to say the least. It’s been fun starting from scratch in a new house with money given to us from the school, however. I’ll post photos of our place as soon as we have internet connection. Right now, I am writing on a word document at home each evening, saving it on a jump drive, and then posting it at school when they allow us to use the computers.
All the new hires are getting along great. It’s been such an experience getting to know one another and finding out all the random things we have in common. We’ve all discovered that we’re all a little crazy considering we have some personality trait that makes us want to pack up and move to Guatemala but luckily it’s a kind of crazy that will make for some hilariously good times. I’m already so thankful for these girls.
We all got cell phones today at the mall from a local company. We have pay-as-you-go plans so we will just have to remember to purchase minutes at the gas station each week/month or they won’t work. I’ll keep everyone posted on how the phone thing works but I’m thinking the best option will be for me to call people and have them call me back on skype. I bought skype credit for $10 which I’m pretty sure it allows me to call cell phones internationally for $0.03 a minute. Meh, we’ll figure it out and get back with you.
Missing you all and hoping life is treating you well!
-Hannah
Wow, today was exhausting. We started the day with a tour of the school which was the perfect way to get us all pumped up for the rest of our time here. Some of the staff introduced themselves today and were incredibly kind and welcoming. They all have such ambition in educating and are on the same page in regards to the expectations and goals of the school. All of the buildings are painted blue and white with outdoor hallways, lockers, cubbies, bathrooms, etc. Its so different living in a place where the weather is constant and the outdoors are accessible year round.
Speaking of weather… It. Is. Perfect! It never gets too hot during the day that you want to avoid the outdoors altogether and in the evenings a simple sweater will suffice in the city. Last night, we all took some cervezas y musica to the rooftop of our apartment and sat and watched the city. It may just be my new favorite location in the whole country. Sitting up there is so calm and relaxing yet we have the busy and hectic city to evaluate. We were talking about getting some lawn chairs to leave up there and laughing about planting a garden. We are essentially the only ones who live in the apartment so hopefully our claim of the patio will be a successful one.
After we toured the school this morning, we went to various shops to continue getting supplies for our homes and classrooms. I’m pretty shopped out to say the least. It’s been fun starting from scratch in a new house with money given to us from the school, however. I’ll post photos of our place as soon as we have internet connection. Right now, I am writing on a word document at home each evening, saving it on a jump drive, and then posting it at school when they allow us to use the computers.
All the new hires are getting along great. It’s been such an experience getting to know one another and finding out all the random things we have in common. We’ve all discovered that we’re all a little crazy considering we have some personality trait that makes us want to pack up and move to Guatemala but luckily it’s a kind of crazy that will make for some hilariously good times. I’m already so thankful for these girls.
We all got cell phones today at the mall from a local company. We have pay-as-you-go plans so we will just have to remember to purchase minutes at the gas station each week/month or they won’t work. I’ll keep everyone posted on how the phone thing works but I’m thinking the best option will be for me to call people and have them call me back on skype. I bought skype credit for $10 which I’m pretty sure it allows me to call cell phones internationally for $0.03 a minute. Meh, we’ll figure it out and get back with you.
Missing you all and hoping life is treating you well!
-Hannah
Mucho gusto, Guatemala!
Aqui estoy! I can hardly believe it is actually all happening but we’re now heading into our third day in our new home. So far, Guatemala is fascinating. I can’t really find a better word to describe it. The greenery, the volcanoes, the city layout, the school, the wealth disparities, the weather; everything is seriously amazing me. It’s only been two days and I already feel like this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now.
The trip over was certainly eventful. I was reminded just how small the world really is when I found out that a former teammate and fellow Washingtonian, Lisa Tilson, was on my same flight from Dallas to Guatemala. We lived in the same city for two years and were from the same county in Washington but yet we reunite in Central America? Man, I love being a Jayhawk… you can find them everywhere!
I was also on the same flight with Elisa from BC who is teaching grade 1 in Guatemala. She was recently married to another teacher named Graeme who will be coming to Guate in three weeks when he is finished with his Master’s degree program. It was such a relief to be on the plane with Elisa as we encouraged one another through customs (which ended up being hilariously easy, ex: “Do you have medicine? No? Okay go ahead”).
There are eleven new hires and almost all of us are living in the same apartments in Zona 15. Oh wait, did I say apartments? I meant suites. Seriously, these apartments are huge. Aubrey (my super awesome roomie from Wisconsin who will be teaching second grade) and I live in a three bedroom, two bathroom, fully furnished, washer/dryer included, fourth floor apartment. Though I am more than grateful with the living situation, my heart breaks a little when I look out my window and see entire families living in tin roof homes the size of my living room. It doesn’t feel right being a guest in this country and living so well but I guess this will just have to motivate me to get out there and do something about it.
Today we went to the supermarket to get some essentials for the apartments and then headed to our Directors home for lunch. The Director, Carl, is new to Colegio Interamericano (we call it Inter) this year as well and is super pumped about the upcoming year. He is incredibly passionate about educating and is honored to be a role model in the lives of students. And he is a total kick in the pants! I can’t stop cracking up at his antics. His wife is equally awesome and hilarious and I can tell they have big plans for the school.
Tomorrow we are going to take a tour of the school and then head to a different shopping area to get more odds and ends for our places. We don’t have internet access or cell phones (which, to be honest, is kind of freeing!) so we are borrowing the internet at the school whenever we have the chance. As soon as our apartments get hooked up with internet I’m planning on updating more and hopefully getting on skype frequently. In the meantime, know that I am learning A LOT and really loving it. I appreciate all the support and well wishes I’ve received from everyone while I chase this crazy dream.
Smile for me!
-Hannah
The trip over was certainly eventful. I was reminded just how small the world really is when I found out that a former teammate and fellow Washingtonian, Lisa Tilson, was on my same flight from Dallas to Guatemala. We lived in the same city for two years and were from the same county in Washington but yet we reunite in Central America? Man, I love being a Jayhawk… you can find them everywhere!
I was also on the same flight with Elisa from BC who is teaching grade 1 in Guatemala. She was recently married to another teacher named Graeme who will be coming to Guate in three weeks when he is finished with his Master’s degree program. It was such a relief to be on the plane with Elisa as we encouraged one another through customs (which ended up being hilariously easy, ex: “Do you have medicine? No? Okay go ahead”).
There are eleven new hires and almost all of us are living in the same apartments in Zona 15. Oh wait, did I say apartments? I meant suites. Seriously, these apartments are huge. Aubrey (my super awesome roomie from Wisconsin who will be teaching second grade) and I live in a three bedroom, two bathroom, fully furnished, washer/dryer included, fourth floor apartment. Though I am more than grateful with the living situation, my heart breaks a little when I look out my window and see entire families living in tin roof homes the size of my living room. It doesn’t feel right being a guest in this country and living so well but I guess this will just have to motivate me to get out there and do something about it.
Today we went to the supermarket to get some essentials for the apartments and then headed to our Directors home for lunch. The Director, Carl, is new to Colegio Interamericano (we call it Inter) this year as well and is super pumped about the upcoming year. He is incredibly passionate about educating and is honored to be a role model in the lives of students. And he is a total kick in the pants! I can’t stop cracking up at his antics. His wife is equally awesome and hilarious and I can tell they have big plans for the school.
Tomorrow we are going to take a tour of the school and then head to a different shopping area to get more odds and ends for our places. We don’t have internet access or cell phones (which, to be honest, is kind of freeing!) so we are borrowing the internet at the school whenever we have the chance. As soon as our apartments get hooked up with internet I’m planning on updating more and hopefully getting on skype frequently. In the meantime, know that I am learning A LOT and really loving it. I appreciate all the support and well wishes I’ve received from everyone while I chase this crazy dream.
Smile for me!
-Hannah
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
McBlogger
As promised, I have finally gotten around to creating a blog about my upcoming journey to Central America. I'm not a big fan of counting down the days because it reminds me too much of the future and not enough of the present (and its a bit terrifying!) but in less than a week I leave the good ol' USA for two years. For those who I have done a bad job updating, I am moving to Guatemala City to teach third grade at an international school called Colegio Interamericano. It's going to be crazy, awesome, scary, exciting, and no doubt life-changing. I am hoping to update this thing weekly (?) to keep friends and family and strangers in touch.
My creative juices haven't been flowing lately so please excuse the lame writing for now. Apparently finishing a Master's degree, driving from Kansas to Washington State alone, and then moving to a foreign country alone all within a month takes all the imagination out of me!
I'll leave you with a video that inspired the title of this blog. There's a particular verse in this song, Be Here Now by Mason Jennings, that means a whole lot to me right now. It goes a lil' somethin' like this: "Be here now, no other place to be. All the doubts that linger, just set them free. And let good things happen and let the future come into each moment like the rising sun." Thanks to my dear friend Megan Koontz for showing me this song and reminding me that the present is the most important of all times :)
<3
Hannah
My creative juices haven't been flowing lately so please excuse the lame writing for now. Apparently finishing a Master's degree, driving from Kansas to Washington State alone, and then moving to a foreign country alone all within a month takes all the imagination out of me!
I'll leave you with a video that inspired the title of this blog. There's a particular verse in this song, Be Here Now by Mason Jennings, that means a whole lot to me right now. It goes a lil' somethin' like this: "Be here now, no other place to be. All the doubts that linger, just set them free. And let good things happen and let the future come into each moment like the rising sun." Thanks to my dear friend Megan Koontz for showing me this song and reminding me that the present is the most important of all times :)
<3
Hannah
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