Officially back on the wonderous road to the unknown.

     Today is day five here in Guatemala, and I feel like I am almost settled back into the swing of things. Currently sitting in a toursity resturant, where I can get WIFI, and listening to Oasis and Radiohead coming from the kitchen. My spanish is (slowly) coming back, and my mind is starting to relax back into the Guatemalan style of things. I wake up when the sunrises, and I am winding down shortly after sunset. Despite just being here a few days, I have actually been quite busy! A few trips to the school, and school supply stores aren't made easy when you are walking everwhere, but they are quite enjoyable with the view of a giant volcanoe in your backyard.

     School officially starts tommorow, however I won't start teaching English until the following week. Next week I will be passing out the backpacks and few school supplies for the students and just introducing myself and such. As of today, I will also be doing my observational hours for my college at home in an American Accredited school in Panajachel-a town just across the lake, once a week! The school is pretty amazing, as it is 80% local  students who are sponsored by people all over the world, and all of the cirriculum is in English. I am very exited to have the opportunity to work with these students, and hopefully take learning techniques and such, and bring it to our school in San Pedro. 

     

     The house that I will be staying at the next few months is quite magical. I wish I had pictures to show, however being phoneless makes it a little more difficult. I just have one that I snapped with my tablet. I still have my big DSLR camera that I will  bring to the school next week, it just is less than discrete. Anyways, the house is a little cabana located in a piece of land that is a mixture of The Secret Garden and Narnia so to say.

    Well just a quick update so that anyone,or everyone knows I'm alive and well. Typing on this mini keyboard will take alot getting used to, I try not even thinkinga about my beloved Macbook anymore. A little boy in the resturant I'm in was like "Look dad! A mini computer and a mini keyboard, it's so cute and tiny." Haha. He also said that I had very beautiful hair, and was rather confused how I got "all those things" to stay in it. :)

Ps: Finding Childrens books here has been less than easy- any suggestions, please contact below !! ( anywhere in Guatemala, really)

XX SLW

Aldea Yanapay

       I originally came to Peru to volunteer at Aldea Yanapay, an after school type center for kids that was located in Cusco. I found the school after hours and days and weeks of researching for a free school to volunteer at. Yanapay was perfect for me, and I really enjoyed my time there! The project is for ages 5-16, and even offers some adult classes teaching English. They have a hostel and a restaurant which both help to support the project. It was my first time really seeing the real life of another country, and how the school systems are run there. The children loved their time at Yanapay so much, that they wouldn't want to go home on Fridays knowing they had a two day break. In Cusco, many kids starting at really young ages, such as five years old, work the streets hustling art work and candy, anything they can to the tourist to get money. Yanapay and other social projects try to keep the ninos de la calle, out of the street and teach them that there is another way of life out there. Some of the children there are just so innocent and sweet that it is really hard knowing that some of them go home to really hard lives. I kept thinking that I wish that there was something more that I can do, however I realized that you aren't going to be able to change the life of every child out there- but you can teach them to be a better person, and to make a better life for their future. A lot of these kids are so bright and have so much potential! These social programs really help to aid the kids in their growth, I aspire to have something similar of my own someday. The volunteers at the school are all like a big family, and help make you feel very welcome! I actually became pretty good friends with a few of the volunteers, and appreciated how friendly everyone was. Here is a link to their facebook page for more information. 

        https://www.facebook.com/AldeaYanapay  

xx SLW