Blogs from Cobán, Verapaz Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 2

I had a wonderful first day at the office. The staff was very friendly and patient with my Spanish. Shortly after arriving we had an office meeting in the conference room where everyone introduced themselves. They then brought out a lovely cake to welcome me to the office. Next Enrique, the Coban Office Director, and Jorge, the Teams Coordinator then gave me an orientation to MTI’s work in Guatemala. Later in the day Jorge and I went into town to order the supplies that we would need for the upcoming group who will be building latrines. I spent the evening reading, chatting with other travelers in the Hostel, and watching the fireworks erupt over the city square. This morning we continued to make preparations for the upcoming group. Solidifying hotel arrangements and other fine details. Then ... read more

Well, I can gladly say I’ve only seen the poop man a few times since the last time I wrote. I actually thought he was finally gone and probably jinxed things by saying so. Yesterday, he was back. Although, I think I will now take him over the new guy. The new guy appeared before when we leaving for school this morning. Somehow, I find it a hard toss up between the guy that craps all over our grate and this guy who enjoys mornings with his hands clearly down his pants. I don’t just mean a little down there. I mean all the way down there, scratching and then bringing his hand back up, staring at whatever he found before flicking it in the air. Luckily, I wasn’t standing close enough to see what he ... read more

I think things are finally coming together for me. As most of you know, I’ve been working a crazy amount of hours everyday at both school and home. I was putting in 16 hour days most days. 8 hours at school and another 8 hours of lesson planning. It was definitely not my idea of a good time and there were days that I really thought I was going to crazy. But, I’m happy to say those days are pretty much out of the way now. My books finally came in and even though it’s only two books, it has already cut down on my lesson planning so much. The last few days, I’ve spent just as much time on lesson planning as I had been before, except this time I’m not stuck on doing just ... read more

I’m used to not having a lot of money. I didn’t grow up getting everything I want. Heck, sometimes I didn’t get anything I wanted. So, I feel like I’m pretty used to being frugal, only buying the necessities and splurging once in a while if I can. What I didn’t know about coming to Guatemala is that the word splurging would have to be redefined for me. For most people, splurging means they buy that really cute dress they’ve been eyeing. It could be that they buy a new movie, or possibly go to the movies. Not for me. Splurging has come down to standing in the canned food aisle in the grocery store and trying to figure out if I really need that can of tuna. To be honest, I don’t know who in ... read more

I feel like I've already been slacking when it comes to writing these blogs. But, that's only because I'm too busy writing a million other things to actually write something I want to write. Work has been really, really busy. Tuesday my day lasted 8 hours in class, plus another 7 planning. Wednesday 8 hours in class and add in another 8 hours of planning and by then I couldn't care less about writing a blog. But then came Friday and all was right with the world again. Things with work are going really good. Even though I've been crazy busy, I think it's like that for everyone at the beginning of the year. So far, the school is incredible. I adore the staff and I love how small and cozy the atmosphere is. It's a ... read more