This country is beautiful!! The weather has been amazing so far and the landscape of Antigua is breathtaking! When I first arrived, I was taken here to Maximo Nivel to check in, and then brought to my "homestay"...I was under the impression that I would be living with a family, but I am actually living on a sort of private compound with about 15 other volunteers. There is a beautiful courtyard in the center, several rooms that hold up to 4 people each, a living area with a couple couches and a TV, a huge table where we all eat meals together and a rooftop patio where we can all hang out. There are two really wonderful Guatemalan women that cook our meals for us and a nice Guatemalan man who is our night guard. The other volunteers were all very nice and welcoming to me on my first day. It is always awkward being the newbie, but it's only my second full day and I already feel comfortable. We all watch out for each other and get along really well. Most of the other volunteers are from Australia, some from the US and some from Canada. Whenever I come to Maximo to use the internet or hang out, I end up meeting at least 1 new person everyday. Everyone is really awesome!
Orientation was yesterday and we were given some basic tips and then a tour around Antigua...the city is small and its a pretty simple grid, so I'm sure I'll get used to it in no time--I'm pretty good with directions and haven't gotten lost yet so that's a good sign! My volunteer placement is within walking distance from my home which is awesome! Some people have to take a bus an hour each way everyday to get to their placements so I am really fortunate that I can walk to mine. A member from Maximo showed me and another girl how to get there on our first day and it was the most awesome 3 hours! I cannot wait to go back there everyday! The place is a school during the daytime hours and from 2-5pm which are the hours I work, it turns into a special ed school where 160 students with varying levels of disabilities attend school. The classroom I was helping in yesterday had 2 students using wheelchairs and 8 others with mild disabilties. I will be working as a teachers assistant or paraprofessional in a sense. The teacher will plan everything and I will help facilitate the lessons and interact with the children...ALL in Spanish by the way! The teachers, students and principal speak 0 English so it will be the greatest immersion practice for me! The kids had gym class first thing and it was really fun to play jump rope and hula hoop with the kids. They all took to me right away and were hugging me and wanting me to play with them. They never tried pretzels before, so during snack when I took out my pretzels they all wanted to try it. Of course I shared! The sweetest thing was that most of the kids shared pieces of their snack with me too! One little boy handed me a piece of his sweet roll, and another girl gave me a cookie. These kids are so sweet and loving and I already know this is going to be the most rewarding thing I've ever done! Probably the best part of the day was an interaction with one of the boys in the wheelchair. He is nonverbal but has an incredible smile. I told him when I first met him that I loved his smile and then later on when he wasn't smiling, I asked "donde esta tu sonrisa?! Me gusta mucho tu sonrisa!"...where is your smile?! I really like your smile!" and he gave me the biggest smile and giggle and it was the most beautiful thing. I cannot wait to work at this school everyday and help make a difference with these children...even though, I have a feeling that they are going to change my life more than I will change theirs!
So yesterday evening back at home, all the volunteers ate dinner together as usual...The food has been really good so far! We have had quite a variety of dishes and I have enjoyed all of them! After dinner we all relaxed and talked as usual and then me and a few others decided to try our luck at basketball on the court across the street. The court was occupied so we ended up watching some Guatemalan news until around 930 when we decided to go out for a drink and some pizza. A group of about 15 of us walked down the street to a dark hipster bar where we got beers for $2.50 and unfortunately, the kitchen was closed so no pizza for us! It was my first time going out and even though we only stayed out for about an hour it was fun to go with a large group and socialize. We met some other people from other hostels so they tagged along and it just feels like everyone here is a big happy family. We are all traveling independently looking for new friends and experiences so its so awesome!
So my typical days will probably be breakfast at 7am, wander around town and come to Maximo to use the internet, lunch at 12, work from 130-5, maximo again for some internet, and then dinner at 6 and then bed or a couple drinks out. This weekend a lot of people from the house are going to El Salvador to hit the beach and try some surfing...One of the girls in the house is an avid surfer so she has been teaching everyone for free! So I am probably going to tag along and catch some rays and relax! Can't wait to see what the rest of the week holds!
