Lovin' on After School English

Today marks two weeks left here in Guatemala. Time passed so quickly while the summer volunteers were here! I feel like I just went to the airport to pick up session one, but in reality we sent the last group of summer volunteers home a week ago. So now we have to transition back to only having PDs in the house all the time. Not only is it strangely quiet in the Manna house, but we also had to go back to programs without an army of helpers. After eight weeks of wonderful help and support from the volunteers, going back to managing my two classes of English alone was a little daunting. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be in a classroom teaching by myself. My kids, of course, were full of energy and enthusiasm, but we made the transition back to one teacher just fine.

The kids got a little present at the end of class: the session two volunteers generously printed out pictures for the students and wrote them cards with words of encouragement about their English and ways to contact them. My students got especially attached to the volunteers in session two, and there were quite a few tears on their last day in class. It was really wonderful to see the volunteers get to know the students in my class, come to appreciate all of their funny quirks, and form relationships with them.

There are only four after school English classes left. When I watched the volunteers say goodbye to the students on their last day, I realized how hard it was going to be when I have to do that exact same thing. But as sad as it will be to say goodbye to them, I'm so thankful that I was able to teach and know this bright group of kids.

-Julie

Life in the Clouds

The mammoth Volcán Atitlán can either be seen clearly from our window in Sololá, or the view from our window can be nonexistent; the clouds can become so overpowering that you can’t even see anything at all. You could literally look out the window and see a world of white. This is due to the fact that it’s currently the rainy season in Guatemala, and the weather can change at the drop of the hat.

The weather in Sololá reminds me of the vast range of emotions that I’ve experienced during my four weeks working with Manna Project International. I have gone through waves of homesickness and have rode the highs of happiness, and even have had moments of steady coasting, floating through with moments of numbness that have resulted from seeing or learning things that I almost couldn’t fathom to even be real. Like riding down the highway in a pickup truck or chicken bus – never knowing if I will make it out alive! I have gone through some of the hardest and some of the best experiences of my life in these few, short weeks. From climbing Volcán Tajumulco – the tallest volcano in Central America – in the frigid, pouring rain, to the gratifying and heart swelling feeling of getting farewell hugs from the fourth graders after my last class teaching After School English, I’ve felt it all.

This last week in Guatemala started off with an adventure: zip lining (a first for me) and seeing some of the cutest jet-black monkeys swaying through the reserve at Lake Atitlán. The rest of the week has consisted of some last minute shopping, awesome restaurant excursions, teaching at the schools in Chaquijyá of course, and a final cultural competence training. Tomorrow we will leave bright and early for our day trip to Antigua, and then four of us interns will head back to the states bright and early Saturday morning.

I can’t believe that my time here in Guatemala has already come to a close. This trip cannot be summed up in one blog entry, let alone a few paragraphs. I have experienced a lot of intellectual as well as personal growth during these 4 weeks. Being thrust into a third world country and having to quickly adapt is tougher than I expected, but I am a lot stronger of a person now that I’ve come out on the other side. I have become a more grateful and appreciative person; I am truly blessed, and now I grown to value the little things in life. After seeing that the Mayan indigenous groups sometimes don’t even have running water has really put my life into perspective. Even my patience and tolerance have developed; I feel as if I am a more accepting person. I am very grateful for my experience here in Guatemala. I saw and lived in a new part of the world that many people will never have the pleasure of visiting. I truly am lucky, and even though homesickness was present at first, confidence and certainty quickly emerged from behind the clouds.

-Lauren T.

After-School English Updates!

2013 has begun full force and I can hardly believe that it is already February!  Since we got back after the holiday break we have been working to start fresh by re-organizing programs, including creating new ones and leaving others behind.  As life goes, nothing ever works out exactly as planned, so we have had to make various modifications to the goals we set before break.  Striking a balance between meeting the needs and requests of the community as well as using our knowledge and skills to best serve the community has been an interesting and sometimes trying process, but we are getting there. 

The after-school English classes have started up again, and although I will not be teaching that class this year since Julie is taking over, I went to the first class to introduce Julie as well as to cover rules and logistics.  It was wonderful to see the outcome; there were a total of about 30 students so we decided to split the class into two as we did last year including beginner’s and intermediate.  Seeing the eager faces of the students I taught was a wonderful reminder of how dedicated and inspiring these kids are.  There were a handful of new faces which is great since some of the primary students we had last year have now moved onto middle school.  Speaking of which, today I announced the new “before-school,” English class we will be starting for middle school students so that we can continue working with the students who have already taken classes with Manna for the past few years and have a good working base of the language.  It is essential for us to continue developing this skill within the group of determined students who we are already familiar with. 

It is exciting to have many new projects underway while continuing some old ones, which is certainly why the time is passing so quickly.  I look forward to seeing what shapes and forms these programs take throughout the quarter in this new year.

-Jess