To the Finca we go...

Every year the school takes the kids on an excursion for the day and this past Thursday we went to a finca, which consisted of a big pool, a river with a rushing current and waterfalls, a beautiful hike in the woods, basketball courts, mango trees and more.

Waterfall fun!

Time for the pool!

We left school at 8am and set off for the day with over a 100 children and 15 teachers. I was excited, but nervous because we were going to a place where the kids could swim and many of the children at NPH do not know how to swim. I had a feeling that I was going to be playing lifeguard for the day. We arrived about an hour later and the kids were off the bus and in the water before we could even put the buses in park. Luckily the pools were not to deep so even the kids who could not swim were able to wade in the pools and enjoy the water.

Fun in the pool--fully dressed in their
"educación fisica" uniforms.

Meghan and Molly jumped right in! 

Group shot in the pool!

The only scare of the day was when I was swimming with a few kids in the river and we were racing against the current to see who could make it the fastest. There were a few kids watching us who could not swim, but wanted to be part of the group. One girl was wading in the water when she got caught in the current and started to head down river over the sharp rocks. Her face said it all---she was scared and could not stop  because the current was too strong. I jumped over the rocks to try to reach her and was able to grab her hand. It was not until I came out of the water that I realized my legs were all cut up and bleeding. Needless to say it was time to get out and take a break.

Waterfall jumping!

My turn!

We spent the morning running back and forth between the pool and the river. The river had a strong current and waterfalls that you could jump off of. The kids could not get enough of it. Oh yah and let me add-- that everyone here swims in their clothes. So we are all fully dressed in shorts and t-shirts and throwing ourselves into the water. Apart from the minor incident was a girl being swept down stream...we all made it out alive and it was a blast!

Resting and enjoying lunch after a morning of swimming.

The Adventures of Brayan & Marvin...

Trying out mine and Franny's shades.

Today I had project with two of the cutest boys/brothers here at NPH. Brayan (3) and Marvin (2) were ready to play and have some fun when Francesca and I picked them up from their section in the babies house this morning. Marvin was a little hesitant at first, but as we began to play he warmed up little by little and by the end he was having a ball. As we discussed the many options of things we could do with the boys for the morning we decided to let them give their imput and the decision was....everything.

We went to the English office and the boys picked out a soccer ball, books, chalk, stickers, paper, crayons and a CD player. Wow...they were ready to have a good time. We spent the morning doing just that! We listened to music while we drew and made pictures with crayons, then we moved on to chalk and we read a book or two in between. After a snack of a million cookies (these boys can eat) we went and ran around on the playground, played soccer, waved to the cars that passed by and picked flowers.

Coloring fun! They LOVE stickers!

Franny and Brayan drawimg their picture!

Enjoying our cookies!

Cookie number five...uh oh.

Brayan showing off his  "fútbol" skills!

Monkey bar madness....otra vez, otra vez!

Playing on the playground... too cool
 for school!

The morning did not have a dull second and we all had a blast. After a morning of running around in the sun we headed back down to the house. Franny and I each had a boy on our shoulders and we walked down the dirt path to the babies house singing a song and listening to the boys laugh and say "otra vez tia" over and over again.

Group shot!

Once Upon a Time...

For the past two weeks my tercero básico class (9th grade) has been learning about the different parts of a story or book. We have been reading different short stories to help them gain the understanding of a plot, setting, characters, author and title. This week they were given the opportunity to write their own stories, using a setting and characters given to them by their peers.

Here is a sneak peak into what they came up with!

 The Challenge from the Witch 
 Authors: Lucía and Mercedes
 Setting: A house at night
 Characters: Girls, witch, chef

In the night one witch lived in one house far from the city. She has one black car. She left the house when the three girls saw the witch fall. Soon the three girls ran into the street. They were scared of the witch because the witch wanted to kill them. The chef save the girls from the witch. The girls went to the house of the chef and they all ate pizza together. The end.

The Beach

 Authors: Vilma and Albertina
 Setting: A beach on a sunny day
 Characters: fish, people, children

In the summer all of the people travel to the beach. Many go during the time when it is very warm. Others go to visit the sea. One day there were big waves and the people were frightened because all of the fish died underneath the sea. The people went to recover them in a lifeboat and put them in the sea again. The waves were so big the children drowned. The people saved the children and they lived happily forever.

The Woods
 Authors: Wilver, Henry and José
 Setting: forest, tree, night
 Characters: animals, friends

The squirrel is jumping from the branch when it is stopped in the claws of a lion. With the lion's speed she seized the squirrel, but did not eat it. The lion thought about it and decided it was not worth it. The squirrel is thankful and they become friends. They live happily every day and construct a house in the woods. They have many friends to entertain in the woods. They live in the woods forever.

What books are on the Guatemalan bookshelf?

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The first of the three books in the Hunger Game series where you are introduced to Katniss, Peeta and  their families and the life they live in district 12. When reaping day comes around is when everyones jaws drop!









2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The second of the three book Hunger Game series is where you realize that the people of Panem will never be safe and how the love between famiy and friends is what will pull you through or destroy you.

3. Mockingjay by Sizanne Collins
The third book in the Hunger Games series, but I am still waiting to get it in the mail. I am dying to find out what happens next.









4. Little Bee  by Chris Cleave
A story that captures the hard times of a Nigerian girl and a British mother and wife. The story follows them as they find each other and help to ease each others pain.

5. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout
The story of a retired school teacher, on the coast of Maine, who through challenges and problems in the town begins to understand her life and herself on a deeper level.








6. Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls
Written through the eyes of her grandmother Jeanette Walls tells the story of her grandmother's life from childhood to adulthood. She describes in detail what she has accomplished and the hardships she has overcome from moves, to marriages, to natural disasters and children.







7. Unless it Moves the Human Heart (The Art and Craft of Writing) by Roger Rosenblatt
This story follows one semester of Professor Rosenblatts "Writing is Everything" class. If profiles the students and follows their conversations, interactions and their work.

8.The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
This novel is about the disappearance of two 9 year old best friends, Calli and Petra and the toll the investigation takes on their families.






If anyone has any suggestions for what else to read while I am here please pass them along!

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!