Antigua

Yesterday, Marie and I went to Antigua, Guatemala with our wonderful family. Antigua is a very popular tourist location if people visit Guatemala. It used to be the capital city before an earthquake ruined the city enough to move the capital to a different city.

First, Marie and I ate very yummy sandwiches and cake with our family and then we were free to explore for a few hours.

We visited a "souvenirs market" to buy some souvenirs because Antigua has many options. :) It was my first time bartering for gifts. It was a fun experience. Plus, many of the shop owners thought Marie and I had excellent Spanish accents (Marie more than me of course...) because most of the tourists spoke very little Spanish. Marie even helped a shop owner learn how to say "Anything else?"

Here are some of the frequent phrases you hear in a place like this as you walk through (for those of you that have never experienced like me...):
-"Special price just for you!"
-English speakers (new for us)
-"Anything else?"
-"Both for (insert lower price)."
-"What are you looking for?"

Of course, many of the phrases are spoken in Spanish or sometimes in English. It makes for a very interesting experience. :)

We did not have much time after our shopping, but we did get to see a famous arch in the entryway. We also took a peek inside the Catholic Church in Guatemala.

It was definitely interesting being around so many gringos (white people) and English! It was a wonderful experience. It's interesting to think, however, that many Americans or tourists experience so little of Guatemala when they visit!

Oh, and our family blessed us with traditional Guatemalan dresses in our favorite color!! See a picture below! :) 

Here are some pictures!

 Marie and I in front of the famous arch.

 The outside of the Catholic church

 View of some of the buildings in Antigua, many of them were very bright colors!

 View of the main street with the arch in the background

 Park in the center of the city

Buildings and city, notice the volcano covered by the clouds!

Marie and I in our traditional Guatemalan dresses! :)

En la escuela (In the school)

Marie and I have now taught for 4 days in the school here in Sumpango. Let me remind you that it is the beginning of the school year for this children (they started last Thursday). So far it has been a success (at least we think so!). Many of the teachers are on strike, so many students do not have class. Strikes here are normal, though, because the teachers are not part of a union. I think this will make it more difficult next week when Marie and I start teaching our own classes and are literally a week ahead in some classes. Oh well, welcome to the life of a teacher. :)

This week, Marie and I have been teaching all the grades together wherever there are teachers present. We have taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. It has been good to get some practice in together. We have been reviewing the alphabet and numbers mainly. Many of these students have been taught by other English teachers from the states (many from Wisconsin!). One hard part is when half the class has been taught and the other class knows no English. Pray for wisdom for decisions around these ideas.

Here are some differences that I have noticed at the schools in Guatemala!
-classes start at 7:30 and are done by 12:30 with a break in the middle of they day for a snack
-the classrooms needed to be painted, so they painted while we were teaching!
-it is not uncommon to see younger brothers and sisters in the class (one little sister was so cute!!! I could even understand her Spanish)
-Marie and I were trying to find the classroom we were going to and found some second graders (I think). They were so excited to see us and gave us a huge group hug after they helped us find our class.
-The school is almost entirely outside, it is surrounded by a fence and a gate that is locked during the day.
-It is not uncommon for students to miss school for teacher strikes and many holidays (much more than the states)!

My Spanish has definitely been improving! It helps to be surrounded by it all day, speaking it during instruction, listening to students, teachers, and family members speaking it, and watching movies and T.V. shows en Espanol with Spanish subtitles. I've only been here for one week! I can't imagine how well I will be able to speak Spanish (I hope) if I continue to study and intentionally listen and speak it!

From Guatemala!

Llegaramos!

(We arrived!)
Hello from the frigid cold in Guatemala (okay, 57 degrees, but for here it's cold!!!).

Yesterday, Marie and I safely arrived to Guatemala even through some potential complications. We praise the Lord for that. We were greeted with open arms by the family we will be staying with. The two-year-old even had roses for us!

Travel: After we arrived in Guatemala City, we stopped at McDonalds for a quick bite to eat (the menu looks very different I might add!) and traveled along close, fast-moving traffic to the grocery store. It was fun playing and practicing our Spanish with the two-year-old while we shopped. :)

Home: Then we arrived at home, which is located on a steep, cobblestone street in Sumpango. I was very impressed when we were able to back into the garage located on the steep hill! We entered a beautiful home (it may even be nicer than my house in Wisconsin...sorry Mom!). The yard esta muy pequeño (is very small) but very beautiful with ivy, grass and a fountain. Marie and I are sharing a very small room about the size of a closet with a bathroom attached. It's a good thing we like each other! Our family has already helped us feel welcome and we enjoy playing with the 7-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.

Dinner: Dinner is a small meal because lunch is the "big" meal in Guatemala. We had tacos with small, warm, yummy tortillas, chicken, fresh avocados, and other toppings. They were muy delicioso (very delicious). After dinner, we cleaned up together and then listened while Oscar (the father) read the Bible and explained the passage when Jesus was crucified and the curtain was torn symbolizing that we no longer need a high priest to have access to the Father.

Marie and I then went to bed after a long day of traveling (we left our apartment at 10:45pm and arrived in Guatemala about 12:45pm the next day). Thankfully, Guatemala is in the same time zone, so we don't have that to adjust to. It was definitely nice to get a good night's sleep!

Escuela: This morning, Marie and I went to school at 7:30. Today was the first day of school. The parents and students assembled together. The principal talked to all the parents and students and then introduced all the teachers of the school, including Marie and I. Then we talked with the teachers of the school. I am very thankful that Marie knows as much Spanish as she does, because I was fairly lost, although I started to improve even in the short time I was listening.

Later, a teacher showed us around the school and introduced us to the classes we will be teaching. I was able to understand the idea of what she was saying, which was a huge improvement compared to earlier in the day. It was fun to watch the students' reactions to us being there. They were very excited! The students and teachers have a hard time saying both my name and Marie's name, so they call us Brita and Maria or Mary. Some of the students were able to say my name; I think these students had one of Marie's friends as an English teacher earlier.

After we met some of our classes, we went to watch the kids run around during recess on their snack break. Because the students get out in the early afternoon for their lunch, they have a snack around 10:00 and a recess break. As we walked through groups of students, I already had students holding my hands and asking me to play ball with them. I made some small talk with the students using what I know ("Como te llamas?" "Como estan?"). They seemed to be pleased that we were even talking with them.

Now: The students and teachers left school early on the first day, so Marie and I were home by 11:30. We just ate lunch and are using this time to catch up on e-mails and communication home. Tonight we will meet some of Oscar's family at his parent's house for his brother-in-law's birthday dinner.

Marie and I appreciate your prayers and interest in what we are doing here to serve the Lord! Keep praying and reading! Let me know if you would like an e-mail update every so often (it could be a reminder to pray!).

Love from Guatemala

T-3 Days and Counting

In a little over three days, we will be headed to the airport to leave for Guatemala. :) Our scheduled departure time is early in the morning on Wednesday.

Praises

• God's provision in funding the trip and providing transportation

Prayers as we go

• Complications with the airport and Orbitz would be resolved
• God would continue to prepare our hearts to serve him well

"When [the rulers and elders] saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." ~Acts 4:13

May others see that these two weak and needy women have been with Jesus, who has transformed our lives and given us hope.