Hello from Julie!

Hey there, my name is Julie Barwig. I have just joined Nicole, Ja, and Sarah here in Guatemala. This past December I graduated from the University of Georgia, where I learned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and International Affairs.  I’m so excited to be back in Central America. I spent the previous summer interning in Panama and a spring break in Nicaragua with the UGA campus chapter of Manna.

I’m going to be running the after-school intermediate English class for the students at primaria Coopertiva, the environment committee at basico Central, the healthy schools initiative, as well as working on setting up a community garden at both Central and Coopertiva. I’ll mainly be focusing on my English class as well as the environment committee at first. I’ve developed an avid interest the environment and conservation in the last few years, so these programs really reflect what I am passionate about; I am beyond thrilled to begin.

I arrived in Guatemala on January 5^th, so I’ve been here about a week already. It’s been a week of getting my bearings to how life runs down here. And so far, it’s honestly been truly a week full of laughter as well as learning. Nicole, Sarah, Ja, and Jess have welcomed me wholeheartedly and that has made the transition to living here almost seamless. With them, I have experienced some of my Guatemalan firsts: I used the back of a pick-up as legitimate transportation, I have seen the most amazing lake nestled within a couple of gorgeous mountains, and I spent an afternoon shucking corn with a Guatemalan family, just to name a few. 

 The beginning of my time here has been wonderful, and I can’t wait for programs to begin in a little over a week! 

-Julie 

One Month Guate-versary!

So, I realized that I never formally introduced myself to all of you, and I've been running the blog for about 2 weeks now. Awkward. Better late than never, right?

Here goes:
My name is Nicole. I grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and I just graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Human & Organizational Development (basically a business & psych combo). I've been to Guatemala on Spring Break trips twice in college, so I was so excited to return here for 13 months as a Program Director. I am particularly interested in social enterprise/microfinance/anything involving business + helping people, so I'm looking forward to having that opportunity here as we help a community microfinance organization get off its feet. I also LOVE blogging and social media in general, hence me managing this blog. I have a personal Guatemala blog as well, so feel free to check that out if you want even more inside scoop from my perspective. 

As I was getting ready for the day, I realized that today's date is August 13. That means tomorrow is August 14, which is exactly one month after we first arrived here in Guatemala. I actually cannot believe it. In some ways, it feels like longer. I feel acclimated to life here. We've already done so much with mini-camp, parades, and teaching classes. 

On the other hand, things still feel new. I'm still learning my students' names, we're still enrolled in Spanish School, and we're still learning more about Sololá (where we live). More importantly, there is so much more that I want to do, experience, and see during my time here. We have so many goals for our programs, places we want to visit, and even things we want to do near home. 

Regardless, the time itself has passed quickly. It's a little unnerving: if one month can pass this quickly, thirteen will come and go before we know it! But let's not think about that. ;)

Anyway, to say the least, I'm very excited to be chronicling the next 12 months of the MPI-G experience for all of you. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy posting it!

-Nicole

In case you want to know what I look like, here's a photo of me with our favorite little buddy, Cristian!