Quinceañera Only Happens Once a Year

Yesterday was the big day...Quinceañeras had finally arrived. When I looked at my calendar back in January--May 28th seemed so far away, but now it has come and gone. It went flawlessly and was a day to remember.

The morning started off with the girls getting their hair and makeup done and getting all dressed up in their dresses and heels. Each girl was able to pick the color of their dress and the style and color of their shoes. The colors varied from pink, to purple, to blue, to white and the heels were a force to be reckoned with. The day was scheduled to begin at 3pm with a mass for the house, the girls and their guests. As we were arriving to the comedor for mass it began to downpour, thunder and lightening...within minutes we had lost electricity. We continued on with mass, since it was still light out we did not need any electricity at the moment. The girls sat up in the front of the church, where gifts were given, prayers were said, songs were sung and communion was taken. When mass was finished the rain had stopped and everyone moved outside. It was time to clear the comedor for the waltz...what we had been working on so hard for the past few months. One downside we could not go on without electricity---quickly generators were found and put into place. The generators only gave enough electricity for the music--so their were no lights.

The boys--so handsome!

The girls all done up in their dresses and heals!

Group shot!

Erika, Molly and I got the kids together for a pep talk before their entrance into the comedor for the waltz. They all lined up with their partners and waited for the music to start. As the music started my heart began beating so hard and my stomach was doing somersaults..I felt like a nervous/proud mother watching her children. After the first turn the applause began and I could not wipe the smile off my face. They were doing it perfectly---everything we had worked on and all the hours we put into practice were paying off. As the music ended and the boys got down on one knee the crowd erupted into cheers and an applause. The kids walked out of the comedor and we were greeted with shreeks of excitement and smiles and hugs of accomplishment and pride. It could not have gone better!

Karla and Beyby waiting with nervousness and
excitement for the waltz to begin.

Vicky and Elmer--so proud!

All lined up and ready to go!

The day continued (without electricity/lights) and the comedor was transformed into a beautiful dinning hall with white linen table clothes, candles and flowers. Each girl had a place to sit with a vase of flowers and their picture and their five visitors/family members/friends could sit with them. An amazing dinner was served and the girls were in their element. After dinner was the cutting of the cake--a cake may I say that was taller then me. All of the girls got to help cut and give out the cake...and then the party really started.

The five layer cake--made by the kids and the baker in
 the panadería

A toast to all the quiceañeras!

When dinner and the cake were finished the DJ began playing and the kids, their friends and family danced the night away--literally. The DJ began playing after dinner and played until midnight--throwing out balloons, hats, whistles and flashing all different color lights. Everyone was having a blast!

Yesterday was an amazing day--it was so fascinating and exciting to see the traditions in another culture come to life. I feel so honored to have been a part of this day and I am so proud of the girls (and their caballeros) for all their hard work and accomplishments.

Group shots outside--once the rain had stopped.

Dania, Adela, and me!

Girls from my section supporting and cheering
on Dania and Marta.

Seeing family and friends was great!
Vicky, Selena and their mom.

Rocio and Dania!

Estoy agradecida de...

Quinceañera has finally arrived...

Today is the day these 12 girls have been waiting for for so long. It is the day that they get to get all dressed up in dresses and heals, wear make up and fancy hair styles and the whole house celebrates their transition from childhood to women hood. This is a day all about them.

Last night we had our final practice and we made the final changes on the waltz that will be danced today in front of the house, family and friends. The kids have all been working so hard over the past few months we decided to treat them to pizza and a little celebration after our last practice. When practice was finished we all made our way over to the library to enjoy some pizza!

Before we began we asked each quinceañera and their partner to say what this big day meant to them and something they were thankful for. As we went around the circle each girl sincerely shared how much this all meant to them. Some spoke about how at first they did not want to partake in quinceañera because they did not have any family to share it with, but then they realized this is a once in a life opportunity that not everyone was given. Many spoke about how they were thankful to the house because if they were not at NPH they would not be having a quinceañera. Others spoke about how proud they felt that they had or were turning fifteen and got to partake in this ceremony and...not one failed to mention how thankful they were that Molly, Erika and I took our personal time to help them with the waltz that they are going to preform this afternoon. They all recognized that we have other things we could be doing and how appreciative and loved they felt that we chose to dedicate hours to practicing with them. These kids have all come so far over the past few months and I know Molly, Erika and I could not be more proud.

To express how proud we were and how we noticed that each person brought something to the group we decided to make awards for each quinceañera and their partner. The awards ranged from how much they had improved, to if they had been a leader or how enthusiastic they might have been. Before the pizza party we handed out the awards, some of which were:

-La que más ha mejorado/El que más ha mejorado (The most improved couple)
-El premio de liderazgo (The leadership award)
-Más dedicado (Most dedicated)
-La más sonriente/El más sonriente (The "always smiling" award)
-La pareja más Unida (The best teamwork)
-La persona con más entusiasmo (Most enthusiastic/spirit award)

The night could not have been more of a success and I can't wait to see what today brings.

The whole group with their awards!

Quinceañera

3 days until.....

The Quinceañera is a celebration, in Latin American cultures, of a girl's 15th birthday and of the transition between childhood and women hood. It consists of a church service, a waltz danced by the girl (or girls) turning fifteen and her friends, a fancy meal, a big cake, and a party... and don't forget the poofy dresses and high heals.

Here at NPH we want our children to have a chance to participate in traditional events and coming of age ceremonies in their culture and the Quinceañera is no exception. All the girls turning fifteen within the year partake in the Quinceañera celebration. Each girl picks a caballero (a boy to be their "date"/dance partner for the day), an entregador (someone to walk them into the event and "give them away"/hand them off to the boys) and five family members or friends from the home to attend the event with them. Donations have been made so each girl is able to pick the color and style of their dress and the color of their insanely high heeled shoes. Whats left...learning a waltz!

Somehow I got roped into helping choreograph the waltz for the Quinceañera with Molly and Erika. Which at times has been tiring and at times has been stressful, but overall has been one of my fondest memories at NPH this far. You all know as well as I do that I can't dance and I am certainly not the waltz type, but you would be surprised what watching a few youtube videos and brainstorming can do. We have been practicing for the past three months with a group of 22 girls and boys to try and perfect the dance for the Quinceañera. There have been days I have not wanted to go and their have been practices we just canceled because the kids would not listen, but I am amazed at how far the kids have come and how great the dance looks. I am so proud of all the kids and how hard they have all worked.

Two more practices left and then its showtime!
Here is a clip of one of our practices this week (first time with the orchestra). I took the video on my flipcam, but had trouble uploading it. Check it out on Molly's blog!

Projects Projects and more Projects!

Here are some photos from my family projects over the last two months. The projects included baking a cake, a trip to Parramos, yummy snacks, a competitive game of UNO, a soccer game, movies and a trip to Chimaltenango to the movie theatre.

Cindy, Christian and Jorge after our trip to Parramos!

Gustavo and Isabel in Chimaltenango after the movie!

Family of six!

Just the girls!

The girls enjoying our cake baking!

Not so bad...

Coming back from an amazing vacation was a harsh reality. Vacation was so amazing and as it drew to an end I felt as if I should of been returning home (to the states) and not to NPH. Returning to NPH and getting back in to the routine of teaching and all of the activities was challenging. I began to miss home, the comforts it offers, and my friends and family. Up until now I have not been very homesick, but walking back into NPH on Saturday all I wanted was to see my family and friends who I have not seen for four months---and still another eight more to go. 

On Monday my classes were challenging and the kids were not motivated to do much after a week long break. It was a long day followed by an evening full of quinceañera practices and activities. I decided even though I was not having the best day I would head down to my section to see my girls since I had been gone for a week---I really missed them!

When I arrived they were all eating dinner outside and I could hear my name being shouted from across the field. I was greeted by screams of laughter, hugs and smiles. As they finished dinner it had gotten dark and we all got in a circle to pray (they pray before and after every meal---yet I have not idea what they are saying) and I was quickly surrounded by girls hanging on my arms, holding my hands and leaning against my legs. As we stood there in the dark huddled together I looked up at the sky full of stars, took a deep breath and remembered this is why I am here.

All of my notions of homesickness began to fade and I felt once again as if I am exactly where I am supposed to be. We spent the rest of the night cuddled on their beds talking about my vacation, sharing photos, doing homework and playing cards. As I left the section after saying "buenas noches" to all the girls and walked across the field back to my house I realized----coming back from vacation is not so bad after all.

How could you not smile when greeted by these faces?

A Little Piece of Paradise

After spending a few days in San Cristobal we hopped on a 7 hour bus ride down to the south of Mexico, on some very windy roads, to the city of Tapachula. Who did we find there, but Jose's parents, there amazing home and their amazing generosity and hospitality.

We spent the next four days relaxing and enjoying our vacation to the extreme. Jose's parents were nice enough to host us in their beautiful home in Tapachula as well as bring us to their breathtaking beach house 30 minutes outside the city. Their house is high on a hill in the city and surrounded by the most tropical trees and plants (my favorites being the avocado tree and mango tree). We spent the evenings playing cards on the terrace, enjoying Mexican beers, and eating delicious food! We spent the days at the BEACH!

We woke up every morning and enjoyed the most amazing breakfast, of eggs, fruit, bread, mango juice and coffee, out on the patio. After breakfast we were off to the beach! We spent all day at the beach house...I literally spent all day on the beach, but Yvonne and Erika enjoyed lounging on the rafts in the pool. We literally did nothing--it could not have been more relaxing. I read, slept, swam and walked the beach--picture perfect. The beach house is mostly outside under the shade of a thatched roof where we lounged in the hammocks and enjoyed lunch. We tried all different types of traditional Mexican food and traditional dishes from the area...I found some new favorites!

Hours spent by the pool!

Erika and Yvonne enjoying the pool!

Daily spread of amazing food for lunch!

Nothing like an ice cold Mexican beer after hours on the beach.

Favorite new snack: Coconut (knocked out of a tree with a large stick of course and then cut open with a machete) sprinkled with lime juice and salt.

Step 1: Knock a coconut out of a tree with a large stick

Step 2: Squeeze fresh lime juice over the coconut

Step 3: Sprinkle a little salt over the coconut and enjoy!

Favorite new drink: Mango juice (from the mangos off the tree outside the house)

Breakfast on the patio--fresh mango juice and all!

Favorite new desert: Boli -- which is ice cream, milk and ice blended together (like a frappe) and then it is put in a small plastic bag and frozen. They come in all different flavors, but my favorites are cafe (coffee) and cacacuate (peanut). So refreshing while out in the sun all day!

Enjoying our bolis!

We stayed at the beach until the sun went down each night and it was even hard to leave then. We could not have been more lucky to be welcomed by Jose's parents and been able to share in this beautiful place with them....literally a little piece of paradise!

Who would want to leave this?

Oh, Mexico!

James Taylor could not have summed it up better when he sang...

Oh, Mexico

I've never really been, but I'd sure like to go

Oh, Mexico

I guess I'll have to go

Oh, Mexico

It sounds so sweet with the sun sinking low

Moon's so bright like to light up the night

Make everything all right

So I took his advice and after working and living Guatemala for four months I felt it was time for a much needed vacation and I just had to go. Where to you ask? MEXICO! Last Friday, Yvonne, Erika and I took off for a week in Mexico. We planned to travel up to San Cristobal de las Casas for a few days and then make our way back down to Tapachula to go to the beach.

We arrived in San Cristobal Friday evening, after a long 12 hour drive, in time to check in to our hotel and head out for a fun dinner. When we arrived at our hotel it was not exactly what we expected and we were put in a room that was hardly big enough for one, let alone three. We decided to stay for the night and figure out another option in the morning. We walked through the cobblestone streets lined with restaurants and cafes and lit up by little white lights and enjoyed a flavorful Mexican dinner.

After changing hotels we spent the next three days wandering the streets, exploring the city, visiting the different markets, eating, reading and relaxing. We spent hours at the amazing artisan and textile market that was set up outside of an old church. We walked through the isles and isles of colorful fabrics, clothes, jewelry and bags.

Following the textile and artisan market we made our way through the streets to the traditional food market. The food market was packed with people and we had to squeeze through..I guess that is part of the experience. There was everything from fruit and vegetables to spices and meat. They arrange all of the food in little pyramids at each market stand and there was every fruit you could think of, from mangos and pineapples to strawberries and blackberries. And...yes the women in the last picture is carrying a live chicken tied around her arms.

After two amazing days spent in the city we decided to take a day tour to one of the many attractions outside of the city. We headed out early one morning to take a boat tour through el Cañón del Sumidero, which is about a 45 minute drive outside of the city. The tour was amazing---first of all I had never seen a canyon before and second of all the cliffs were 900 meters above sea level and were towering over us. The river flows through the middle of the canyon and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Three great days in San Cristobal exploring the city and enjoying a break from work and life at NPH. From there the vacation continued and only got better.....

Check back for another blog post on part two of our trip to Mexico.