February in Review

Hello, hello everyone!  Long time, no posting, I apologize!

It’s been a whirlwind couple weeks, and to top it all off, we haven’t had electricity for several days or water for a week!  The water was first stopped last weekend to clean the city tanks, and that was only supposed to last three days.  But then a storm came through and wrecked the power lines, leaving us with no electricity and the city with no way to pump water.  The power failure is an interesting example of the farmers vs. electric company politicking that goes on here.  From what I can gather (for the rumor mill is vicious), our power comes from a line that runs through a neighboring community, San Lorenzo.  The farmers of this community have been fighting for lower electric costs for six months, both by refusing to pay and by accosting electric company workers with machetes.  It’s unclear whether the electric company refused to fix the line as a form of castigation, or the farmers merely wouldn’t let them into town, but either way the surrounding community has suffered as well.  Thankfully, it seems that electricity has returned (at least for now), and that water will be flowing tonight.

I’ll have to back up a few weeks, and tell you about all of my adventures.  It’s a bit confusing the way things post, but if you read the posts from bottom to top, they’ll go in order.  I’ll try to get them up as soon as I can!

Welcome to Music Class!

This week I had my first music classes!  I must admit that the exclamation point at the end of that sentence is indicative of both "Wow, it was fun!" and "Ahhhh!"  I certainly had an interesting first few classes...

To backtrack a moment, last week, I spent my days creating posters for my classroom and sprucing it up a bit.  Here's a quick peek!

It was fun to exercise my creative side, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out.  We also bought reed mats for the floor so that the kids would have something to sit on.

My first day of classes was Monday, the day I teach the fifth and sixth graders.  Each period lasts 40 minutes.  Both classes arrived with looks of great anticipation and eager attitudes.  After talking a little about ways to experience music, genres of music, and why music is important in our lives, we spent some time designing nametags.  I had forgotten how engaging coloring can be, even for older kids.  Next was an activity in which the kids had to mingle amongst each other to find classmates that fit descriptions they had listed on a worksheet, i.e. “Find someone who likes rock n’ roll,” “Find someone who wants to be a musician,” “Find someone who can salsa.”  It was fun to compare notes at the end of class—one boy wants to be a drum player in a band, no one has ever played an instrument, and lots of these kids can dance!

Encouraged with my success the first day, I walked into the second day, Wednesday, with hopeful (and looking back, delusional) expectations for the other grades.  Like before, each period lasts 40 minutes, and this day I teach four classes.  My first graders arrived like a bunch of banshees, as one might expect, but soon a nametag activity more or less kept their attention.

Here’s a picture, taken minutes before they (and by they, I really mean the boys, sorry guys) basically erupted into an elementary school brawl.  So much for that class!  We tried to do a little singing to recover, but the temptation to kick each other was just too great.  My second graders entered in much the same manner, and while there was thankfully no brawl, I had a lot of trouble keeping them productively engaged.  My classes are also complicated by the fact that, as you can see, my classroom has two huge windows (without glass) that open into the yard and into the school hallway.  Sound from every other point in the school (and the universe, it seems) enters the classroom, which provides ample distraction.  Thankfully, the rest of the day settled down a bit, and my third and fourth graders did their best to follow along and pay attention.  It was only the first day, and it’s going to take a little while to establish my presence and my class.

My fourth graders

However, it was a challenging day nonetheless, not only to teach, but also to come to terms with what it’s like to be a student here in Guatemala.  I was so easily frustrated with their behavior, and it’s hard not make mental comparisons to classes in the States.  Standards of attention and discipline are very different here—it’s not unusual for kids to be running around the school pell-mell, screaming out of windows, or constantly pestering each other. 

But I also try to remember that first, it’s only the first few weeks of school, kids are still adjusting to being in class all morning, and they can spot an easy target for misbehavior (me) when they see one. 

Second, the amount of training required for elementary school teachers here in Guatemala is zero.  They graduate from high school and move on to running a classroom.  I am struggling enough trying to teach with a college education under my belt, so it is difficult for me to imagine having to teach an entire grade with no instruction regarding teaching or discipline methods. 

Lastly, the community does not traditionally value education.  The prevalent attitude is, “Why learn it if I’ll never use it?  I don’t need that to work in the sugar cane fields.”  But this is where Juan Calvino School is trying to change both kids and their community—to show how education opens doors and prepare kids for a brighter future—and that is cool.  They're doing a lot of work to support teachers in furthering their education, and they try to constantly impress upon the students the importance of respecting themselves, each other, their school, and their environment.  It's a big task, but it's exciting to be part of a school that is really trying to invoke change.

I still have a lot to learn about teaching, but I’m also hoping I can inspire the kids to want to learn more than they want to, say, wrestle.  I’ll be praying for a lot of patience, and the strength to love every kid here, especially the crazy ones—because after all, who wants to listen if they don’t feel liked and appreciated?  It will be a difficult road, but each week I’ll give it another go, and we’ll get there somehow!

Birthdays and Playing Cards

Just wanted to quickly share two experiences from this weekend:

1)      If you thought you were a devout follower of any religion, you may want to reconsider.  Unless at three years old you were already hosting two-hour long church services as your birthday party, like the one we attended on Saturday night.  Also, the pastor must have screamed his entire sermon and talked about burning in hell and other pleasantries instead of saying anything about you.  An big surprise for me--when I heard we were going, all I was thinking was music and cake!  Luckily, I don't think this is a popular party choice in Dina and Angel's family.

2)      For all of the Cranes out there, I would just like you to know that “Spoons” has invaded and captivated one more household on this planet.  I introduced the game Saturday night, and we had all the kids, Angel, and even the visiting pastor playing.  I haven’t known this family long, but this is the hardest I have ever heard any of them laugh.  On Sunday, Angel, of all people, was the one begging to play (but in his mild and soft-spoken way would send Augustin over to ask me if we could play instead).  Angel was particularly funny because normally he is very quiet and reserved.  But this guy was not in it simply to have a good time with his grandsons.  He was in it to win.  While I was busy trying to “drop” spoons so the five-year-old could stay in, he was ready to rip a spoon out of anyone’s hands.  There’s something about this card game...it brings out the best and the worst in people in a hilarious way.  All in all, we were laughing until we were crying--I think we will be playing again soon!

MTV Cribs - Guatemala Edition

Hello everyone, and welcome to the lovely home of Dina and Angel!  

It's a beautiful house and I'm lucky to be living here.  I thought it'd be interesting to show you where I am everyday, as it's a lot harder for to me to explain and you to imagine.  Ah, the powers of modern technology!

Before we begin the tour, I'll add that this is not just a house.  It is more like a house/conference room/hostel. Both Angel and Dina are very active in the community, and so their home is a natural meeting place.  Often they have visitors over to discuss community projects, and many days people come from all over to ask for help.  This could mean driving them to the hospital, helping to pay for school books, recommendations for medical problems, etc.  Also, because traveling can be a bit of an ordeal here, they are always hosting visitors overnight.  I don't believe there's been a night since I've been here that I haven't stumbled across someone sleeping in the spare room or on the floor.  Everyone is always introduced as "the sister from this town" or the "brother from that town"--there's such a flurry of activity, it's hard to keep everyone straight!

Here we approach the front of the house.  As you can see, all the windows are barred, as none of the houses here have actual glass in them.  Their house has slatted, blinds-like windows that can be opened or shut, which help to slow, but not stop the dust or noise.  The garage is on the right, a great metal door that they swing open to let the cars in.  Angel owns one bus, which he uses as a taxi service for workers moving from home-work and vice versa, and Margoth also has a car (very handy and quite a luxury!).

Here's a look from inside the garage.  The house on the left is Margoth's, the house on the right is Dina and Angel's.

As you walk in the front door, you come upon the sitting room.  This is home to many of Dina's trinkets and books, and is also where they gather to watch television.  Also, you might notice that there is a computer on the desk, but it hasn't turned on in years, and I'm not sensing a desire to do so anytime in the near future.  The white curtain on the right denotes the entrance to my room.

Here's a peek into my room.  Surrounding my bed is a regal-looking mosquito net, which is necessary to sleep comfortably at night.  I had to laugh when I first saw it, because as a little girl I always secretly admired the decorative ones we have in the States.  Little did I know all I had to do was come to Guatemala to have my wish come true.  As you can also see, I am privileged to have two beds, one of which serves as my desk, chair, fainting couch, etc.  Hidden behind the pillar is a wardrobe and another window.

Walk further into the house, and you come upon the hammock room.  It takes up just about the whole space, but it's a great place to relax.  Its favorite occupant is Angel, who can often be seen snoozing away there.  In the far left corner are the doors to the toilet and the bathing room.  Behind you is a small guest room.

Moving onward still, you come across Dina's kitchen.  This is where she cooks some of the food (the rest is cooked outside) and where we eat our meals.  It's really a cozy little place to eat and chat.

If you keep moving back, you go out the door into the back yard.  The structure in the back is the second kitchen, where Dina cooks over a wood fire, as opposed to the natural gas in the kitchen.

Directly outside the back door of the house is Dina's kitchen sink.  She drains water into the sink on the right each night (the time when running water is available) to have dish water for the next day.

This is a continuation of the yard looking to the right, which leads to Margoth's house.

This concludes our tour, thanks for coming along.  Hope you enjoyed the newest and most popular edition of MTV Cribs!

Mi Familia

I believe some introductions are in order!

This is Angel and Dina, the couple with whom I live.  Both are pastors of one of the Presbyterian churches here in Santo Domingo, and are also notable leaders in their community.  Both have huge hearts, not only for their community and family, but also for their third gringo daughter.

This is Margoth, one of Dina and Angel's daughters, pictured here as she works as the secretary for Juan Calvino Elementary School.  Margoth lives next door with her three sons, and has been invaluable in helping to show me around and get settled.  

Here are Margoth's three sons, Geovanny (12), Augustin (9), and Cesar (5).  They keep me in trouble, while Margoth keeps me out.  We spend most of our time playing cards and shooting each other with bows and suction-cup arrows.

It is such a pleasure to live with such a dynamic and compassionate family--as time goes on, I'm sure I'll have many stories to share about our adventures!

Sorry for the Confusion!

I'm not sure why this didn't post correctly, but the order of the posts is:
1) Week with group - Coyolate
2) Week with group - Santo Domingo
3) First day of school
That might make more sense if you read it in that order!

A Week with Covenant Presbyterian Church -- Coyolate

Hello everyone!  I'm afraid I'm far behind in my updates, but the internet has been a bit sporadic.  The group from Covenant arrived Saturday, January 9th, and spent a week here in Santo Domingo and one other community working, sweating, visiting, laughing, and praying.  Everyone agreed it was a good week, not just because of the work we accomplished, but also because of the things we learned and reflected upon.

Here are some highlights of the trip starting with our trip to Coyolate:

We spent Sunday and Monday in the small, rural town of Coyolate.  As I understand it, this place has both an interesting and somewhat troubled history.  Over a decade ago, it was a finca, or a large rural farm, often owned by someone very rich who employs people who are very poor.  Then it was bought by the government as a place to relocate people from the countryside, and since then these varying groups of relocated people have had a very difficult time getting along, especially when it comes to the issue of water.
When we arrived, we were greeted with a church service, including beautiful music and a great sermon by Pastor Mario, the leader of the Covenant group.

And who can end a church service without coffee hour?!  Here we enjoyed a rice drink and pan dulce, or "sweet bread."

I took this picture after coffee hour, not to censure, but to bring up an important issue:

As you can see, on the whole, the world is your garbage can here in Guatemala.  Garbage line the streets, the grass, and pretty much anywhere else you might be in possession of something disposable.  People depend on the heavy summer rains to wash away all of the trash, which causes lots of problems, as you might imagine.  Many places offer garbage pick-up, but because it costs money, many people view that as a service they can forgo.  Fortunately, there is some work being done on this problem, which I will get to later...

Here is the church, which is lined with beautiful flowers and has a very picturesque volcano background:

And here it is transformed into our bedroom!

We traveled to Coyolate with the intention of helping one sector of the town with a water project, namely to help install a pump and lay tubing that would bring spring water up to the homes.  However, upon arrival, we found out that the pump, nor the pipes, had arrived, and the gorge leading down to the river and the cistern itself were too dangerous to work on.  This kind of miscommunication was a bit disappointing, to say the least, but is is not an uncommon occurrence.  Many in the group were very frustrated because there was little we could do to be helpful.  We decided to leave a day early, but before we left, we toured another water project in a different sector.  What they have accomplished really is amazing--they pump water every three days from here:

to a tank here,

which (and I am very bad at guestimates) is several hundred hards away.  People can use the water, which is metered at each house.  It was exciting to see such an impressive project, and we enjoyed listening to them talk about all of the logistics.  It is hard to imagine carrying water that far to your home every day...not to mention the convenience of having our washing machines in our houses...