Pictures: Ben and I on Saturday hike overlooking valley, dancing with Miguelito at his birthday party, my host family in Nebaj - Top (L-R): me, Pedro (Pedrito), Jenna, Anna, Pedro, Anita, Jose, Bottom (L-R): Gaspar, Jacinta, my bed, the house in Nebaj.
Hi everyone,
I'm down to 2 full more days left in Nebaj! We're all pretty excited, and that might be an understatement. Ha. The end of last week we taught English classes in the morning, though even those classes are becoming challenging because different students show up each day, and at all different times. The classes are supposed to start at 9:00, the first students usually show up at 9:15 and trickle in until 9:45, and the class is supposed to end at 10, but we usually go till 10:15 or 10:30. I can't remember what all I've written, but we've taught time, family members, question words, the verbs to have, to like, and to be, colors, numbers, introductions, months, days, seasons, alphabet, and today we even did contratractions because that's what the students wanted to learn, which was so hard to teach because they have such limited knowledge of English. The English classes have been a great experience, and we are thankful to be able to count on that small amount of work, and it's been fun to get to know some of the local youth here. Thursday and Friday afternoons I think we just hung out, read more, played more games, the usual, I can't quite remember. One of the afternoons we walked to the soccer field in Nebaj and had lunch near there, quite fun to do more exploring. Friday started the yearly 'Festival' in Nebaj, which lasts for a week. We hear that there is a lot of stuff going on, but we haven't seen too much. There are definitely more market booths set up, lots more food street vendors and soda shops, arcade games, and even 2 ferris wheels, lots of music, and lots of people. So we've spent some time just wandering through the various booths and sights. Saturday and Sunday the three of us went on 2 great hikes. Saturday we explored one trail up the same mountain that we hiked over to get to Acul, and we found this amazing lookout of the valley, looking towards Cotzal and Chajul. It was absolutely breath takingly gorgeous and unfortunately a camera just doesn't do anything around here justice. We had lunch at one of our favorite lunch spots, Popi's, owned by an exAmerican military guy who trained Guatemalan troops during the Civil War here, then retired and has stayed in Nebaj. He is quite the character and I swear has lived in at least half of the States, including Lynwood, Washington. Anyways, I can't remember if I wrote about him before or not. Saturday afternoon was the usual. Sunday morning I wanted to go exploring up the mountains opposite of the ones we hiked Saturday, on the other side of the valley behind my house. We found a fantastic little road and did some major climbing. We were surrounded by beautiful green and were able to get a few glimpses of the valley, but we were pretty much in trees the whole time. After lunch we played more games, then at 4 went to Ben's house then to his grandmother's house for his cousin's ninth birthday party. There were about 10 children running around, they played musical chairs and had a piñata. It was so cute and hilarious. Then the boys were told to find girls to dance with, and I was lucky enough to be picked by the birthday boy himself, Miguelito. Oh man do I have some too cute pictures of that experience. It was awesome. Later we ate tamales and a hot coconut fruit punch, apparently a common birthday celebration dinner, and of course, cake. Though here is a random fact about Guatemala. How does one cut a cake in Guatemala you ask? Well let me tell you. A cup or a plate, or some other circular object is placed in the center of the cake and cut around. Then slices of cake, which are tiny, are cut from around this inner circle. It's so interesting, and all of us cannot figure out what the heck happens to that inner circle. But that's how everyone cuts cake, my host mom, Ben's host mom, all the cake shops. We then walked around some Sunday night through the festival, which was awesome. Lots of activity, lights, people, and food. This morning, Monday, we taught English class, then hung out in central park, then tried a new place for lunch, and now here I sit in our favorite Internet cafe. So we'll hang out this afternoon, then we have English class tomorrow, might go for another hike tomorrow afternoon, then English class on Wednesday, pack, and leave Nebaj for Guatemala City early Thursday morning. We'll spend Thursday afternoon and Friday morning doing evaluations and debreifing, and lots of story sharing, then I leave for Aurora International Airport at 5 am on SATURDAY! I don't think it seems real to any of us that this experience is coming to an end. Has it really been 11 weeks? Though May does seem like forever ago.
Here is a little more information about my family, I can't remember (again) what all I've shared. Host parents: Anna and Pedro, very warm and welcoming individuals, both a little ecentric but hilarious. They have 6 children: Olivia (currently studying and living in Spain, but is here now visiting, she is so nice and treats us like sisters, teasing us about boys who are apparently our boyfriends, etc, but she talks SO fast), Gaspar (president of the Q'anil Association for which we are working, he likes to make jokes and laughs a lot, he is married to Jacinta, also very nice and interested in what we are doing, she takes care of the house and cooks with Anna and also teaches kindergarten and a local school, though we just learned that they actually live in their own house and spend the days at Anna and Pedro's, though a day means 6 am to 11 pm, no wonder we had no clue they didn't live at our house), Anita (just had a baby a month ago, he was 2 months early, and she is very sick so her and her husband, Jose, are living at the house right now, we don't see Anita much, but Jose might be my favorite person at the house, he talks to us all the time and is so sweet, and I might just add very attractive), Luis (currently working in Georgia and the family hasn't seen him in four years, though they talk on the phone often), Heraldo (currently studying in Shelah, Guatemala though he comes home on Saturdays and Sundays, he is also quite nice, and showed us family pictures one time, but is quite shy), and Pedro (called Pedrito, he is the youngest at 18, has apparently 5 girlfriends, one for each weekday, and is also a teacher, and lives at the house, also nice and hilarious, though doesn't talk to us much).
The weather has been much better recently, quite sunny and bright and not so cold at night. All the better for enjoying the beautiful green mountains surrounding Nebaj. This will probably be the last time I write from Nebaj, but I'll definitely post more in Guatemala City when I get back there on Thursday before I go home. So close! Thanks again for all the comments, emails, prayers, love, and support. I can't wait to see everyone! Enjoy the end of summer!
Much love,
Rachel
I'm down to 2 full more days left in Nebaj! We're all pretty excited, and that might be an understatement. Ha. The end of last week we taught English classes in the morning, though even those classes are becoming challenging because different students show up each day, and at all different times. The classes are supposed to start at 9:00, the first students usually show up at 9:15 and trickle in until 9:45, and the class is supposed to end at 10, but we usually go till 10:15 or 10:30. I can't remember what all I've written, but we've taught time, family members, question words, the verbs to have, to like, and to be, colors, numbers, introductions, months, days, seasons, alphabet, and today we even did contratractions because that's what the students wanted to learn, which was so hard to teach because they have such limited knowledge of English. The English classes have been a great experience, and we are thankful to be able to count on that small amount of work, and it's been fun to get to know some of the local youth here. Thursday and Friday afternoons I think we just hung out, read more, played more games, the usual, I can't quite remember. One of the afternoons we walked to the soccer field in Nebaj and had lunch near there, quite fun to do more exploring. Friday started the yearly 'Festival' in Nebaj, which lasts for a week. We hear that there is a lot of stuff going on, but we haven't seen too much. There are definitely more market booths set up, lots more food street vendors and soda shops, arcade games, and even 2 ferris wheels, lots of music, and lots of people. So we've spent some time just wandering through the various booths and sights. Saturday and Sunday the three of us went on 2 great hikes. Saturday we explored one trail up the same mountain that we hiked over to get to Acul, and we found this amazing lookout of the valley, looking towards Cotzal and Chajul. It was absolutely breath takingly gorgeous and unfortunately a camera just doesn't do anything around here justice. We had lunch at one of our favorite lunch spots, Popi's, owned by an exAmerican military guy who trained Guatemalan troops during the Civil War here, then retired and has stayed in Nebaj. He is quite the character and I swear has lived in at least half of the States, including Lynwood, Washington. Anyways, I can't remember if I wrote about him before or not. Saturday afternoon was the usual. Sunday morning I wanted to go exploring up the mountains opposite of the ones we hiked Saturday, on the other side of the valley behind my house. We found a fantastic little road and did some major climbing. We were surrounded by beautiful green and were able to get a few glimpses of the valley, but we were pretty much in trees the whole time. After lunch we played more games, then at 4 went to Ben's house then to his grandmother's house for his cousin's ninth birthday party. There were about 10 children running around, they played musical chairs and had a piñata. It was so cute and hilarious. Then the boys were told to find girls to dance with, and I was lucky enough to be picked by the birthday boy himself, Miguelito. Oh man do I have some too cute pictures of that experience. It was awesome. Later we ate tamales and a hot coconut fruit punch, apparently a common birthday celebration dinner, and of course, cake. Though here is a random fact about Guatemala. How does one cut a cake in Guatemala you ask? Well let me tell you. A cup or a plate, or some other circular object is placed in the center of the cake and cut around. Then slices of cake, which are tiny, are cut from around this inner circle. It's so interesting, and all of us cannot figure out what the heck happens to that inner circle. But that's how everyone cuts cake, my host mom, Ben's host mom, all the cake shops. We then walked around some Sunday night through the festival, which was awesome. Lots of activity, lights, people, and food. This morning, Monday, we taught English class, then hung out in central park, then tried a new place for lunch, and now here I sit in our favorite Internet cafe. So we'll hang out this afternoon, then we have English class tomorrow, might go for another hike tomorrow afternoon, then English class on Wednesday, pack, and leave Nebaj for Guatemala City early Thursday morning. We'll spend Thursday afternoon and Friday morning doing evaluations and debreifing, and lots of story sharing, then I leave for Aurora International Airport at 5 am on SATURDAY! I don't think it seems real to any of us that this experience is coming to an end. Has it really been 11 weeks? Though May does seem like forever ago.
Here is a little more information about my family, I can't remember (again) what all I've shared. Host parents: Anna and Pedro, very warm and welcoming individuals, both a little ecentric but hilarious. They have 6 children: Olivia (currently studying and living in Spain, but is here now visiting, she is so nice and treats us like sisters, teasing us about boys who are apparently our boyfriends, etc, but she talks SO fast), Gaspar (president of the Q'anil Association for which we are working, he likes to make jokes and laughs a lot, he is married to Jacinta, also very nice and interested in what we are doing, she takes care of the house and cooks with Anna and also teaches kindergarten and a local school, though we just learned that they actually live in their own house and spend the days at Anna and Pedro's, though a day means 6 am to 11 pm, no wonder we had no clue they didn't live at our house), Anita (just had a baby a month ago, he was 2 months early, and she is very sick so her and her husband, Jose, are living at the house right now, we don't see Anita much, but Jose might be my favorite person at the house, he talks to us all the time and is so sweet, and I might just add very attractive), Luis (currently working in Georgia and the family hasn't seen him in four years, though they talk on the phone often), Heraldo (currently studying in Shelah, Guatemala though he comes home on Saturdays and Sundays, he is also quite nice, and showed us family pictures one time, but is quite shy), and Pedro (called Pedrito, he is the youngest at 18, has apparently 5 girlfriends, one for each weekday, and is also a teacher, and lives at the house, also nice and hilarious, though doesn't talk to us much).
The weather has been much better recently, quite sunny and bright and not so cold at night. All the better for enjoying the beautiful green mountains surrounding Nebaj. This will probably be the last time I write from Nebaj, but I'll definitely post more in Guatemala City when I get back there on Thursday before I go home. So close! Thanks again for all the comments, emails, prayers, love, and support. I can't wait to see everyone! Enjoy the end of summer!
Much love,
Rachel
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