Snippets of Life in Guatemala
Lots has been happening, and life is good! Here are a few
snippets, a few short stories or observations to give you a glimpse into our
life here in Guatemala.
–
On Sunday we went to travel to Guatemala City to
attend an English speaking church. Which turned out to be very prim and proper
compared to the overly energetic Guatemalan churches. This was noticed in full
force when Nancy, one of the children who, despite not being able to talk, is always
grunting and yelling with excitement. During the service was no different; she
was just so happy to be there she couldn’t control herself. We could all feel
the tension, but that’s just the Nancy we’ve come to know, and her enthusiasm
for life is endearing.
–
The children here are so well behaved! During
church, (which in Guatemala, church usually lasts upwards of 3-4 hours) the
children literally sit in their chairs for the entire service, just waiting and
listening patiently. And at meal times, they sit with their hands folded in the
laps, not touching anything on their plates until Daniel has led all of us in
prayer.
–
In addition to an orphanage, there is also a school
here. The teachers that work here are the most patient people I have ever met!
I have worked in the school a few days, and it’s all I can do to make it
through till snack time. School consists of learning things like a letter, a
color, or a shape. We spend about 2 hours learning one letter. We attempt to
make little balls of paper and glue them around the outline of the letter and
color the inside. Well, with some of the children, this means spending two
hours convincing them to sit in their chair, or with other children, it means
spending two hours physically moving their hands and doing the work for them.
It’s exhausting, but the teachers are amazing and do it everyday!
–
One afternoon, three clowns randomly appeared
and had a little dance party with the kids and gave them snacks and a drink.
They loved it!
–
After church in Guatemala City, we took the kids
to the American mall to ride on the carousel for the first time ever. Lyla was
so scared she almost didn’t go, but we convinced her to go and we could barely
pry her off of it afterwards!
–
We get Saturday’s off, and so far, I’ve gone to
visit Antigua and Lake Atitlan (rated one of the most, if not the most
beautiful lake in the world) and it was so relaxing and just really enjoyable
to see other parts of the country!
–
We have beans every night for dinner. Black
beans that are put in a blender, mixed with water, and served on our plate.
Sometimes alone, sometimes with anything that was left over from lunch. They
are pure liquid.
–
My favorite foods so far are fried plantain and
Jamaican rose tea! And I really wan to try the fried iguana that we saw at the
market.
That’s all for now! Hope you enjoyed the little glimpses
into life here in Guatemala! It’s so crazy to think that we are only here for
another week and a half!
