Las despedidas (Farewells)

Wednesday was the day of farewells. A bittersweet day at best.

The beginning of the day was normal, I spent time with each class giving them stickers, taking pictures, sharing a brief verse from the Bible to challenge them, and in some classes playing BINGO. The last class, however, I entered, took a picture and then we were called to an assembly (surprise, surprise).

This assembly, however, was to honor Marie and I for the work we had done in the school. As we waited for it to start, I stood to the side looking at the students I had just invested in for 4 months. I looked down at the two girls embracing my sides and prayed for them. I looked up at the students waiting for the assembly to start and prayed for them. As I considered the impact and work that I had just accomplished, tears started to form in my eyes. A little piece of my heart was going to stay here in Guatemala with these kids.

The assembly started with a brief introduction of Marie and I, the work we had done, and the appreciation the school and the teachers wanted to share with us. The students and teachers then presented us with a gift for our time....typical outfits "trajes." The principal then shared a bit and reassured us that the gifts they gave were only small, but that we would be richly rewarded in heaven.

Marie and I then briefly shared before students from each class gave thanks for us. By the end of this time both Marie and I had tears in our eyes. The students were then released for recess, but many of them chose to come give us a hug. I lost a shoe because of the incredible pressure from the mass of students hugging and pushing.

We then celebrated with a snack of meat, potatoes, tortillas, and cake in the principal's office. We felt like celebrities with all the pictures we took with teachers afterwards. Finally, Marie and I went to the remaining classrooms to say good-bye. And then it was the end of the last school day. A sad time for sure.

Some of our other good-byes included:
-our group of jovenes (youth), which included a lunch, a gift, and many hugs.
- our group of niños, which was a farewell planned by 12-year-olds, included a scavenger hunt, and a bunch of treats (chips, soda, candy, and personal gifts).
-lunch in Antigua with our host family
-praying with our host mom during the mother's day service at church and crying over the experiences and love we had shared
-time with our neighbors eating ice cream and chatting, including pictures and watching the youngest brother sob over our departure

It was sad to say good-bye to a whole family of people who we had grown to love and care for deeply. We will miss this place, but we will keep praying for what the Lord is doing there and anticipate the time when we get to return.

Two of my students

The principal and the gifts

Teacher appreciation

Student appreciation

Us and Olga enjoying our "snack" :)

the teachers at Escuela No. 1

After our lunch in Antigua

Sacapulas & Holy Week

Holy Week is a big deal here in Guatemala. Part of the reason is wide-spread Catholic faith in the country. The whole country has the week of Holy Week off, so we went to Sacapulas, the home town of Karla.

The trip there was very difficult. There were many beautiful sights that I unfortunately did not get to see because I was car sick and spent most of my time sleeping. Through this I did experience my first time throwing up in a car because of motion sickness, but that's okay! :(

Our week was spent mostly relaxing and enjoying a different town of Guatemala. Karla's family owns and runs a bakery from their house, so it was fun to be a part of that. For this reason, there are people in and out of their house all the time. We enjoyed traditional food made by Karla's family, including fresh turkey that was slaughtered the day we ate it for my birthday. Marie and I also spent some time in local internet cafes applying for jobs. It was a new experience for us, but made the experience more authentic.

The house is very big and open. It is almost like living in a courtyard with rooms. Two of Karla's siblings live there with their families along with some of the girls that work for Karla's family and Karla's parents. One of the girls was our cook in Obrahuelo, so Marie and I had a chance to visit with her again and meet her sister. It was fun to reconnect with her!

Karla's parents are also hosting a volunteer in the Peace Corps, so we were able to spend some time exploring with her. One of these times was when we enjoyed watching the festivities of Holy Week that are celebrated in Sacapulas, including an re-enactment of the crucifixion. Below are some pictures of that.

One night we also played soccer against Karla's sister and family. We won!! I also scored my first goal!! I was so excited! :)

Overall, it was a very refreshing, relaxing, enjoyable week filled with peace and relaxation. It was a great way to celebrate the Easter season.

One of the "floats" of the processional

Me, Marie, and the Peace Corps volunteer 

High-tech trial complete with microphone and video camera

beaten and bruised Jesus

Jesus with his cross and the catholic church in the background

Hanging on the cross

Landscape in Sacapulas

Guatemalan birthday

I had the opportunity to spend my 23rd birthday in Guatemala!

The day started pretty normal, with a trip to an internet cafe and breakfast. At breakfast I did receive a hug and blessing from my family and Karla's mom.

We then ate lunch, which was a delicious, traditional Guatemalan dish called Pepián. The turkey that was cooked was killed fresh in our backyard. It was a new experience to see them plucking the feathers off the turkey and then put it in the pot to cook. It was very good, though! Below is a picture. This is a typical dish eaten on Holy Thursday (I think...).

A Traditional Guatmelan Dish: Pepián

We then enjoyed a cake made by Karla's sister, the professional baker! It was a rico (delicious) chocolate cake with ice cream in the center (because my favorite type of cake is ice cream cake). As you can see, it was beautifully decorated! Notice the two little eyes in the background ready to eat...

"Congratulations Britta!"

The day ended with a tour around town to eat some Gringas (the name of a type of taco and the word for "white person" in Spanish). We also were able to see the "Jews" searching for Jesus, which is a traditional re-enactment done in Sacapulas. The Jews travel around to different stops in the town. Notice, the Jews are actually Romans. :)  What a beautiful end to a beautiful birthday. :)

"Jews" looking for Jesus

An example of one of the stops of the "Jews"

"Gringas" eating "Gringas"

Fun Facts & Splash

Here are some fun facts and stories that have happened recently to Marie and I:

-We saw a snail out of its shell. :) It was in our garden.

-We had the opportunity to live through a volcano eruption. It wasn't close enough to affect our daily lives, but we did hear and feel periodic eruptions. (However, we didn't know they were eruptions and thought they were part of the Holy Week festivities.)

-Today we were "jumping roping" with a shoe string. Emmanuel brought me a shoe string and started twirling it like a jump rope. Then he wanted Marie to come jump (which we knew wasn't going to work because she was too big). She started jumping to the side while Emmanuel and I turned the rope. He was satisfied. :)

-The day before the Holy Week vacation, the teachers went to a water park called Splash (yes, in English). It was a blast! It was much smaller than the ones I have been to in the United States, but Marie and I had fun with the other teachers and our friend Diana, one of the teacher's daughters. Below are some pictures:

Hello from Mr. Frog

Wave Pool and a little Guatemalan landscape

Can you find Britta?

Wave Pool!

The slide to be conquered!

end of a wonderful day!