Guatever Day 2

Hai. We began the day with B-Carve’s velvety soft voice telling us to rise and shine at a whopping 6:00 A.M.  We ate a breakfast of yogurt and granola and PAMCAKES! The staff here is so very kind and generous to us. After breakfast, we hopped into the mystery machine with Victor The Great Russian Spy (he’s actually Guatemalan hoohoo). We drove the hour drive to Guatemala City. It’s still shocking to see the enormous economic gap between the wealthy few and the impoverished many.

We arrived at Safe Passage ready to help in any way we could. We met in the Garden of TranQUILity where we were greeted by two of the teachers of the english department who proceeded to divide us up into groups of five. Our job for the morning was to assist in the classroom by only speaking in english and trying to generate conversation. We worked in small groups with one of us to every five kids. The kids were seventh graders– aged 15 to 18– and were much more reserved than the niños of the Guardería. It was a challenge to facilitate a continuous conversation within their language capability. It was obviously outside of both of our comfort zones but it was a good learning experience. We also gained a unique perspective of the “Trials of a Foreign Language Teacher”. teehee.

Our next job was to go to a seventh grade class we will be working with for the remainder of the week. After a name game, Caroline did an awesome job instructing the class on how to build rotocopters while Victor The Great translated. The kids were so excited to do a tactile activity. After assembling them, the kids decorated each one with their names, favorite colors, and preferred soccer team, which spurred some contention between Barcelona and Real Madrid fans. Squabbles ensued. We then dropped them (the rotocoptors, not the kiddos) from the second-floor balcony. The rotocopter with the most hang-time received a typical Guatemalan sweet. The kids had such a blast dropping the rotocopter that they would sprint down the stairs falling over each other to retrieve them and sprint up to the second floor in order to drop them again. After our rotocopter project we went on a tour of the Safe Passage art program. The director of creative expression showed us the art work of the students. Everyone but MARGO bought shirts made by the students in the creative expression program. We then proceeded to help make lunch in the kitchen with the Safe Passage chefs, dancing and chopping up Guat zuchs. It was guat-ever. Victor The Great and the Angelic Kitchen Staff danced and sang… Victor had a beautiful (sensual)  voice.

We did lots of other emotionally rewarding stuff. The end. (we tired and we go bed NOWZ finnishhh in da morning)

P.S. Miles sends his love to his parents and Angela 😉

P.P.S. Shout out of glee to Dawn Howland for the M&M’s we all love you. jajajja