Jan 31 2011 Fireworks! Oh Fireworks

In true latino fashion, Guatemalans LOVE bombas (fireworks). If its your birthday, bombas, if its Christmas, bombas, if there is a parade, bombas, if you have a party, bombas! So last night, we were in bed at our usual before 10pm bedtime here....and then spent then next 4 hours listening to BOOM, BOOM and smelling gun powder. There was a local parade (to celebrate some combination of Catholic & Mayan holiday....I would say it is like Corpus Cristi, or something). The locals parade around with a band and a statue of the virgin Mary and perform special dances. About every 5 to 10 minutes, they stop walking and let of SEVERAL fireworks...extremely loud ones, some with no light just noise, others right in the street and not in the sky, and others much like Canadian fireworks (in the size with booms and lights). Because of the mountains and because the houses aren't insulated, the noise is intense! Surprisingly, Seth didn't wake up until about 2 hours into the noise and Eden only stirred for ever big BOOM. I jumped into bed with Seth to cover his ears (hoping to save him from hearing loss) and Seth and I just giggled listening to the music, followed by quiet, and then unexpected shockingly loud BOOMs!
Needless to say, we made it through the school day with little sleep. Seth asked at one point today "Mama, are we going to stay in Guatemala forever?" This was at the end of the school day and came from one tired little boy. He has lots of smiles and good times, but school for him is a lot of girls tickling him and pinching his cheeks - all day long - while he tries to make friends with his few Spanish words.
Early to bed tonight!

Jan25-26

January 25^th -26^th

Our regular schedule has set in...we are up by no later than 6am everyday and out the door by 7am. We make the hike up the hill with Heath pushing Seth in the stroller (Seth only lasts about 5 minutes walking and slows things up) and I carry Eden in the sling. By 7:25am we are at school ready for a nap and soaked with sweat! 110 kids arrive on the school bus (yes a normal school bus that we typically put around 50 kids in) the other 70 kids hike up that hill to school just like us! We have worship and devotional time from 7:30 to 8am, and then all the kids eat soup (amazingly Seth eats it all, even though he has a full breakfast at 6:30am at our house). Classes then run from 8:30 to 1:30pm. I float between classes helping or observing while Heath mops, sweeps, cleans up toilet leaks and other various tasks! Heath then takes Seth down the hill at 1:30pm for lunch at home. I stay and help the teachers plan and develop the school reading program. Surprisingly, I've even been helping the English teachers with their planning. By the time I walk home with Eden at 3:00ish, we are all exhausted but happy.

School Starts!

January 22^nd (Saturday):

Inauguration Fiesta: Saturday morning everyone, EVERYONE (paid workers, teachers, all Canadians with Global Shore, and many more) cleaned up and finished things in the building for the grand opening. We cleaned windows and mopped, while toilets were being installed and final bricks laid! In true Guatemalan fashion the ceremony, scheduled for 4:00pm Saturday, started at 5:30pm! Around 400 people attended and got to see what God has done in 1 year. 1 year ago, the location of the new school was an empty lot. In 1 year, with man power only (and 1 backhoe) a huge school was built, a well dug, and a road paved. I've seen the progress of building in Canada, with machinery and money to spare, and what has been done here is only possible by God's great hand.

The celebration continued until dark and ended with fireworks (por su puesto/of course) and cake (yes enough cake for 400 people).

We walked down the big hill to our home in the dark with several other new Guatemalan friends.

Seth's adjustment:

• Seth has become so much more outgoing in just 2 weeks! He is always making eyes with strangers so that they will pay attention to him or talk to him. He says he has amigos at school and loves Clara and Marco (our host family). Although he is unable to speak Spanish, he still communicates with the Guatemalan kids through gestures and laughter. His behaviour is also a lot better – he still has a lot of moments but overall he is doing really well. Oh, and he is eating more than ever! He goes to bed easily and very early – I guess the heat and activity level here is tiring him out!

January 24^th 2011 (monday)

• First day of school Colegio Cristiano Avivando el Fuego. The group of 30 Canadians were present for the first day of classes. We all welcomed 180 kids to the new school building. Anytime a child (grade JK to 5)saw a teacher or any adult, they would come to great us with a hug. The day starts with devotion time every morning. So this morning, the routine was explained to the kids. And in true Guatemalan style, una fiesta (a party) broke out during worship (even at 7:30am!).
• Seth made it through about 30 minutes without crying, then he saw Heath and I and broke down. The teachers kept hugging him and carried him around for awhile trying to comfort them. At one point, Paula – the SK teacher who is also the school translator (so she speaks English), was holding Seth and he said “You don't understand me. I need my mommy. She's right over there.” Paula told him in English that she does understand but that he needed to be strong and stay with his class. Eventually he calmed down and was fine all day!
• We'll include some photos of the school and kids. They are all lovely. 1/3 of the kids are sponsored to attend the school, which is fabulous! The vision of the school is to build up disciples in Christ and provide high quality education. The education is fabulous and the teachers are so dedicated. If anyone is interested is sponsoring a child it is about $450 a year (roughly) for everything (materials, books for the child, daily food, toothbrushes, and all the costs of daily education). The school will not turn away any children (up to the classroom capacity) so Global Shore pays for kids who are not sponsored. This is fabulous but it also takes $ away from expanding the school programs (for example adding more books to the school). http://www.globalshore.org/ has a catalogue page and an area that you can sponsor a child. You will get art work from your child 3 times a year and a picture. Your picture will go on the school wall in the auditorium with a photo of your sponsor child. If you let us know who your sponsor child is, we can bring more photos or information back for you.

Guatemalan Life:

Most things are different in Guate, with a few things that stand out. Bathing the kids is a bit of an adventure. There are no tubs and the shower heads are a bit 'different' so what Heath does is holds up a blow up tub to the shower head to fill the tub. The water doesn't really spray straight down so it would take forever to fill otherwise. Once it is full enough (or too unsteady to hold) he lets it down and we both bathe Eden. At this point Eden usually pees in the tub so Heath has to go through the same process for Seth's water. At the end of the entire process Heath no longer needs a shower as he is soaked to the gills.

Another very different component of Guatemalan life is transportation. Where do we start? Firstly lets talk about chicken buses. These actually have nothing to do with chickens. They are basically 'hand me down' buses from North America that no longer pass code. This should give you an idea of where I am going with this. They are then decorated in a variety of colors and decals. Most have something that ranges from women's names to religious sayings in Spanish. Lastly, there are often some looney tunes characters scattered about. Seriously. Anyway, these buses travel on set routes but there are no real schedules. They come every so often and you better be there when they go by, or else you have to wait for the next one. They have the names of the towns they travel to/from painted on the top. Once on the bus, they travel at breakneck speeds and are constantly either accelerating or braking...no steady pace. They do not collect the fare when you get on the bus...they collect it mid way, even if the bus is overpacked and they basically have to climb over people to get all the way to the back. The helper or 'ayudante' collects the money and makes change along the way. If he doesn't have enough change he will keep going along to the back of the bus and give you the correct change on the way back up. The rates are dirt cheap. To take the 20 minute trip from Tizate to Antigua it is 2.5 quetzal which is approximately 32 cents. It's quite a bargain, and a bit of a rush at the same time.

One last note about the chicken buses...it can get a little cramped during 'rush hour'. Do you know that 'don't stand in front of this yellow line' line in buses? Well, a bus I was on once was so packed that I counted no less than 11 people crammed in front of that yellow line...no word of a lie! :)

The second and final transportation note I will make is about pickup trucks. As it should be in Canada, riding in the back of a pickup truck is completely legal in Guate. Today we had to move a bunch of stuff from the old school to the new one, and we had 7 'gringos' (white people) in the back PLUS a pickup truck completely full of stuff (including a commercial photocopier in the passenger seat...it didn't interfere with the driver as long as he didn't need 4^th or 5^th gear with the stick. :) Everything you do here has a hint of danger involved and it is awesome...keeps life interesting! It's nice to see a culture that is more concerned with getting things done than liability. :)

Stage in Auditorium of new school

Clara & Marco - our host family

During the Grand Opening Celebration

Grand Opening of Colegio Cristiano Avivando el Fuego, Global Shore project

Seth passed out on the Chicken Bus - he is sleeping so well here!

Eden getting some head control, finally!

Seth's first day of Kinder (aka JK)

Walking up the hill/road on Seth's 1st day of school - this is a flat part

Morning worship at school

Gym class - Seth with the long t-shirt

Prepa classroom - SK

Quinto - Grade 5 classroom

Kinder (JK) classroom - Seth's class

Heath had to take this - the bus needed work - check out how they raised it up!

January 25^th -26^th

Our regular schedule has set in...we are up by no later than 6am everyday and out the door by 7am. We make the hike up the hill with Heath pushing Seth in the stroller (Seth only lasts about 5 minutes walking and slows things up) and I carry Eden in the sling. By 7:25am we are at school ready for a nap and soaked with sweat! 110 kids arrive on the school bus (yes a normal school bus that we typically put around 50 kids in) the other 70 kids hike up that hill to school just like us! We have worship and devotional time from 7:30 to 8am, and then all the kids eat soup (amazingly Seth eats it all, even though he has a full breakfast at 6am at our house). Classes then run from 8:30 to 1:30pm. I float between classes helping or observing while Heath mops, sweeps, and cleans up toilet leaks! Heath then takes Seth down the hill at 1:30pm for lunch at home. I stay and help the teachers plan and develop the school reading program. Surprisingly, I've even been helping the English teachers with their planning. By the time I walk home with Eden at 3:00ish, we are all exhausted but happy. Gracias a Dios :) 

Jan 19th - 21st

Blog 3:

Jan 19^th (Day 8):

Quiet day today. We catalogued the new books that we brought for the library. Heath helped bring the school supplies up to the new building.

Seth's adjustments: Amazing, he is sleeping until 6:30 or 7am everyday and by 7pm is exhausted! He has been asking to go to bed, and falls asleep within minutes – always before 8pm. He naps when we are able to get back to the house before 3pm and still goes to bed early.

Guatemala Life:

• Food – Seth's favourites include – pasta, rice, eggs, bread, meatballs, all meats, leche, and more. He is finally eating well and a lot (another growth spurt?). I LOVE the food. Clara is a wonderful cook, so my hope to lose weight may not happen. She has made something different for every meal for 8 days, amazing. The vegetables are so fresh and everything is cooked in a healthy way. She made broccoli without butter or anything taste extraordinary! I will be trying to learn how to cook rice like she does and several other dishes. She makes 'chow mein' – a vegetable stir fry served with rice, that is healthy and 100 times better than 'chow mein'.
• Free Time: In Guatemala, there is often a lot of spare time. Which is such a blessing and good lesson for we Canadians. So in our spare time we as a family do some of the following
  – tiendas (stores) we go to the store for treats (tortrix – lime flavoured corn chips & ice-cream treats), we try to limit this to no more than once a day or less....mind you a bag of chips is 27grams (about 7 normal sized chips).

• Go for walks...up and down hills!
• Sit on random steps or sides of people's houses to hangout (and eat tortrix)
• play soccer with Seth
• draw and colour a lot
• do Bible Study (as Seth calls it), we read Bible stories to calm Seth down
  January 20^th Thursday (Day 9):

Today we made some decorations for the school Grand Opening on Saturday. I, Diane, got a chance to get to know some of the teachers more and hear about their methods of teaching etc. All the teachers are sooo excited to implement our new reading program. It's going to be interesting, as space and resources are limited.

In the afternoon, we went with Julianna and her family (her girls are 4 and 2 years old and Seth loves them) to a Coffee Farm tour. Our pictures should tell the story! Basically the kids bathed themselves in coffee beans and we adults enjoyed a fine cup of coffee. Although, it is worth noting that most Coffee farms under pay their workers...the workers that pick the beans get paid by the amount they pick. Keep that in mind when buying non-fair trade coffee.

January 21^st Friday (Day 10):

Today had an early start and we climbed our way up the massive hill to the new school. The workers were there already, but we had to kill a bit of time until the teachers got there so we knew what needed to be done. We ended up doing quite a bit of cleaning of tables and chairs in order to prepare them for the kids on Monday. There is so much dirt around that they will probably need to be cleaned again on Sunday. The rest of the day was fairly relaxed and not much to write about...although Heath is thinking of boycotting a certain tienda as he is sure the prices suddenly go up when they see him. :)

Here are a few more pics...

Bamboo trees at the coffee finca

'Bird of Paradise' Flower

Los Ninos

Seth 'Turning' the coffee beans

Seth and his friend Genesis

Baby Jail

That's all for today!

January 18th update and pics

January 15^th Saturday – Day 4:

Fuemos al mercado en Antigua. Aventura in Antigua. We all went into the tourist city of Antigua to buy some supplies and change some money. Our first family trip on a Chicken Bus! Chicken bus = old school bus that is pimped out with odd stickers and paintings. The bus drives as fast as possible and fills up far beyond comfort levels. Seth thought it was great the he could stand up on the bus seat during the drive! Chicken buses are as close to videogames as Seth will get while in Guate ... the driving is just like he drives on Mario Kart Wii.

We met up with friends from Outta Town, Lance and Sheri, for coffee and then hit MacDonald's for lunch. Seth bought a ball in the grocery store and we all got a lot of sun!

In the future, we plan to do shopping trips without the kids. Antigua is beautiful but very busy and boring for kids. Live and learn!

January 16^th – Sunday (Day 5):

We got to attend the Church that is associated with Global Shore (El Calvario – Avivando el Fuego). We ended up attending 2 services today, as we did not realize that the evening service was geared to the Canadians and was translated. Seth was a champ, making it through a total of 6 HOURS of church in 1 day!

Canadians in Guatemala right now – a group of 30 Canadians arrived on January 15^th for the grand opening of the new school. These Canadians are the heads of Global Shore (Robert & Carolyn Conrad and Julie & Ken Wall) as well as all of Julianna's brothers and sisters and some of her aunts and uncles. Other Canadians in the group of 30 include the school's 2 English teachers who will be here all year and other Canadians who have volunteered with Global Shore in the past. They have all come to celebrate the opening of the new school building (and help get it set for classes to start on January 24^th). Most of the people are staying until January 25^th!

Church in Guatemala – We'll give you a little description of church in Guatemala....it is alive and very refreshing. There is a strong sense of God's presence and freedom to worship HIM. Worship is very heartfelt as the whole congregation dances, sings, shouts, runs, and claps to honour Christ. Seth has really enjoyed the services, as he loves to dance and use his maracas (shaker) to praise God.

January 17^th – Monday (Day 6):

Today started the work we came to do. We all (Heath, Seth, Eden and I) were at the old school building bright and early to get ready to move things to the new school building. Heath was charged with harvesting coffee beans while I worked on translating my literacy workshop into Spanish with one of the school teachers. Seth found a new Canadian friend – Ethan (age 9?) who played soccer and Nintendo DS with Seth all day! Eden, as usual, hung around (literally hung in the snuggli or slept in the stroller) while I prepared the workshop for the 7 Guatemalan teachers who teach in the school.

In the afternoon, Julie Wall, gave her portion of the workshop on literacy while Julianna (Global Shore head in Guatemala) translated. Seth and Julie's 2 children (Ethan and Mackenzie – both aroudn 10 years old) helped Julie demonstrate how we teacher early literacy skills in Canada. The Guatemalan teachers were very receptive!

Seth's adjustment to Guatemala – by supper time (6:30pm) Seth was asking to go to bed. Exhausted from playing all day and not napping, he has been falling asleep within minutes of lying down!

January 18^th - Tuesday (day 7)

Heath breaks a sweat! Diane, Seth and Eden got through the rest of the play and literacy workshops with all the teachers today. I was able to give most of the presentation in Spanish with some help from my dear friend Paula (aka translator). Slowly, but surely my Spanish is coming back. The teachers are excited for this school year as we plan to develop reading centres, shared reading, guided reading, and establish classroom libraries....plus more!

Heath got to work like a Guatemalan today! For whatever reason (possibly the fact that the workers are being paid by the hour), thousands of bricks were unloaded off of the delivery trucks into a pile right onto the spot that they needed to be laid down on the ground...so he and 3 other men had to move the piles of bricks from one location to another. It took over 7 hours and they moved about half of the bricks...guess what he is doing tomorrow??

Life in Guatemala – Seth has been learning to play like a local! He has been outside roughly 8 hours a day, climbing trees, running around in circles, covering himself with sand, and just having fun. He has made several friends (yes, Seth IS coming out of his shell). Today as I spoke to the teachers for several hours, Seth and several children played as the older children took care of the younger children. It is such a different approach than in Canada, where we schedule our kids so strictly.

Here are some pics of the week's events as well as the status of the school.

Beautiful Eden

Old School building classroom at the top of the building (up several flights of stairs)

Old school building - 1 set of stairs

Kids playing in old school building

Mackenzie, Ethan & Seth - Canadian kids

Literacy workshop for all the teachers

Seth climbing tree

New school building entry way view from inside (parking area)

New school building - looking at a house (where the arches are, Julianna & family will be living there)

New school building - notice brick floor/ground, these are the bricks Heath was moving

Inside New school building - this is the large meeting room, auditorium

Inside building - notice partial roof...almost there, and yes we start classes on Jan 24th!

Roof



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Workers having pizza at the end of the day

New building - looking at hall way and courtyard..almost done The bottome floor will have 7 classrooms and then the top floor will have another 7...for Jan 24th we need the bottom 7 rooms ready!

courtyard, notice 2nd floor

Lots of bricks

Inside new building, hallway and doors on the Right are classrooms

Metal sheets for the roof....notice that they are on the ground still :)

Here are the pics that are a better size...