Thursday we got a ton done at the site. It was the five of us UMass kids, around 5 kids from Kansas University, and a bunch of the local volunteers who were there on Tuesday. It was nice because although not everyone knows each other's names (you get introduced to a LOT of people down here) everyone was enjoying each other's company and working hard on the house, laughing and joking around with each other. Because this particular house is going to have 2 floors, the big task of the day was going to be putting the supports up that would hold up the 2nd floor. These were massive, awkwardly-shaped, 25 feet long, and had to be lifted up by a group of people passing it along up ladders across the house until it was even. Then, it had to be nailed in by hand across the entire length of the house. Repeat this a bunch of times, and it would create a sturdy base for the 2nd floor.
Now, I'm talking about it although I helped with this project. Unfortunately, I am pretty weak and would have tripped multiple times and only brought down everyone else trying to carry the beam. In fact, none of us helped carry the beams except Mike. Now, Mike was the favorite person of EVERYONE we encountered this week, so although this is obviously good he was always the first person people ran to to ask for help. Mike's a good sport and would do almost anything asked of him. So, props to Mike! He had to sit on the very first ladder and essentially guide the beams across the house to the waiting hands of everyone; so he probably had the hardest job all day.
While Mike was busy being awesome, the girls, myself, and 2 boys from KU, Danny and Zach, were busy constructing a shed on the side of the house. We had to nail in the walls, make sure they were level, and fix the multiple mistakes we made in measuring (nothing serious - just needed the sledgehammer to make sure the walls were tight against each other). This might sound like a simple project but I assure you, it was not. It was really hot out, but we were all so engrossed in getting this little shed no one really noticed.
After work, we rushed back to the church to shower and get ready for dinner. We went to Susan's church for a community dinner, and got to sit down again with people of the community. At first, things are always pretty awkward but once you get talking to people it's fairly easy to make conversation. Melissa, Faith and I sat at a table where I ended up talking to an older couple who moved here last year from Florida. They talked to me about their grand kids and how they liked Maryville so far. They also told me they were very happy to hear of students going and doing a service trip over their spring break - they emphasized that they seem to only hear of bad kids, and hearing of a few good ones really made them happy. Melissa had a long conversation with another women who sat alone at our table - her name was Clara, and apparently she had owned the land that the new Habitat houses were being built on. She was pretty old, and told Melissa some really interesting stories about herself and her family. The one thing that they had in common that was great was that they both love dancing :P
After dinner everyone went back to the church and hung out. We did a run to Target to get snacks because we WENT TO THE HUNGER GAMES PREMIER! It was so much fun going to a crowded theatre on opening night. We got there early and hung out and talked, and saw a bunch of the KU kids too. What was really funny was that one of the trivia questions before the previews had UMass Amherst in it!! We cheered when we saw it, and a few of the KU kids yelled as well. Although we got home really late, the movie was so much fun :)
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday March 21, 2012
Wednesday the 5 of us went to Habitat's ReStore and helped out there for the day. The ReStore is similar to a Salvation Army or Goodwill Store - it is run strictly on donations, and almost all of the profits go towards Habitat builds. There is a really, really small full-time staff, and a few part-time workers, but a majority of the people who help out in the ReStore are regular volunteers. They sell almost anything they think will sell, from clothes to furniture, to stuffed animals and books. One man's trash is another man's treasure!
The first thing we did when we got there was to help sort through clothes. There are piles upon piles of clothes in the back of the warehouse that hosts the ReStore - I'm not joking when I say its a mountain. The massive amount of garments goes from floor to ceiling, and precariously tips if you grab a bag too close to the base. Our job was simple; we had to open up bags of clothes and see what we thought would sell and what wouldn't. Proceed to separate them into piles, and continually empty the bin that housed the clothes we didn't think would sell. All of the excess clothes would be sent to another organization which uses them for something else, so nothing goes to waste! The 5 of us were wholly entertained while going through bags because I honestly don't think any of us could have imagined some of the outfits that we came across. Mike put on a BEAUTIFUL girl's shirt, complete with a sparkly butterfly. Faith, Melissa, and I all sported suit jackets over jeans (quite the fashion statement) and Melissa found a full-length blue dress, that was made almost completely out of velvet. Although we decided to toss some of our fashion statements, it was really fun :)
After sorting clothes we went out to the back patio where we proceeded to spend the rest of the day power washing a donated fence. The fence's condition is fine - it was just a little green and dirty from being outside. Power washing was fun not only because you get sprayed with a cool mist (it was REALLY hot out) but you also got to see the immediate difference in the fence. We had a BBQ lunch with Fred, the manager of the ReStore. He talked to us about the ReStore, Habitat, and just the area in general. As I have said before, it's really nice to just connect with people.
After work, we went in search of someplace to go swimming. We had heard about a 'beach' along a small river in the Smoky Mountains and decided it would be a good place to spend a lazy afternoon. We accidentally drove by the 'beach' but continued along the road following the river until there was a pull-off, and got out. It was one of the most tranquil places I have ever been. The river's current was strong so there wasn't anyway that we could pass across, but we all found spots on rocks to lay down and hang out.
We stayed there for a few hours. just enjoying the beautiful weather. We finished off the night by treating ourselves to dinner at the Brewery (1/2 priced burgers YUM) and then playing cards in our room til we all fell asleep. It was a great day :)
The first thing we did when we got there was to help sort through clothes. There are piles upon piles of clothes in the back of the warehouse that hosts the ReStore - I'm not joking when I say its a mountain. The massive amount of garments goes from floor to ceiling, and precariously tips if you grab a bag too close to the base. Our job was simple; we had to open up bags of clothes and see what we thought would sell and what wouldn't. Proceed to separate them into piles, and continually empty the bin that housed the clothes we didn't think would sell. All of the excess clothes would be sent to another organization which uses them for something else, so nothing goes to waste! The 5 of us were wholly entertained while going through bags because I honestly don't think any of us could have imagined some of the outfits that we came across. Mike put on a BEAUTIFUL girl's shirt, complete with a sparkly butterfly. Faith, Melissa, and I all sported suit jackets over jeans (quite the fashion statement) and Melissa found a full-length blue dress, that was made almost completely out of velvet. Although we decided to toss some of our fashion statements, it was really fun :)
After sorting clothes we went out to the back patio where we proceeded to spend the rest of the day power washing a donated fence. The fence's condition is fine - it was just a little green and dirty from being outside. Power washing was fun not only because you get sprayed with a cool mist (it was REALLY hot out) but you also got to see the immediate difference in the fence. We had a BBQ lunch with Fred, the manager of the ReStore. He talked to us about the ReStore, Habitat, and just the area in general. As I have said before, it's really nice to just connect with people.
After work, we went in search of someplace to go swimming. We had heard about a 'beach' along a small river in the Smoky Mountains and decided it would be a good place to spend a lazy afternoon. We accidentally drove by the 'beach' but continued along the road following the river until there was a pull-off, and got out. It was one of the most tranquil places I have ever been. The river's current was strong so there wasn't anyway that we could pass across, but we all found spots on rocks to lay down and hang out.
We stayed there for a few hours. just enjoying the beautiful weather. We finished off the night by treating ourselves to dinner at the Brewery (1/2 priced burgers YUM) and then playing cards in our room til we all fell asleep. It was a great day :)
Tuesday March 20, 2012
On Tuesday Melissa and Faith joined Mike, Steph and I at the site we had been working on on Monday. The 5 of us along with a few of the Kansas University kids helped to start to build a shed and help to build and install interior walls. The house we're working on is really coming together - it's only been in progress for a few weeks, but generally Habitat houses are finished between 8 and 12 weeks. There was a lot of extra people at the site today - Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are local volunteer days, so there was a bunch of extra guys at our site. They were all older men who came from the same church, who were sponsoring this particular build. They were all really nice, and would joke around a lot with us and each other.
Although there was a lot to get done on the site, we (the student volunteers) only helped with so much. The experienced guys really got into working, and took complete control. We were helpful, but not critical on the build - but this was good because it allowed more time to talk to others on the site. We were able to have conversations with either other students or the other older volunteers while helping out with the work. That's what I love about things like this spring break - you're able to talk and connect with people you otherwise wouldn't. I got talking to one of the oldest men at my job site and we talked about everything from how he became an engineer to what book he was currently reading. He asked me about my plans after college, and encouraged me to join the Peace Corp saying "you want to see as much of the world as you can!". It's great to talk to people who come from a different background, and even a different generation - you can only continue learning.
After we got off work, we rushed back to the church to beat the Kansas University group to the showers. After we had cleaned up, the girls headed off to find the movie theater that is down the street from our church. The Hunger Games movie premiers on Thursday night at midnight, and the KU group all decided to buy tickets - so we decided to too :) Melissa read the Hunger Games on the 16 hour drive down, and Faith, Steph, and I have all read the books. Mike is currently being forced to read as much as he can before the movie, and so far he likes it! After we bought our tickets, it was time for dinner back at the church.
Every Tuesday, the church that we're staying at hosts a dinner. Volunteers prepare the food and set up the gym to serve up to 250 people - and it's not simply tables and chairs but tablecloths, centerpieces, and silverware on every table. At 5pm they open the doors to the community and anyone who wants a hot meal is welcome. Faith, Melissa, and I sat with a group of 4 older regulars to the Tuesday night dinners. One women in particular was hilarious - she kept telling us how if we wanted to keep any of our fried chicken 'for a snack later' we could just go back to the kitchen and grab sandwich bags. We just talked about our trip and asked questions about how everyone had settled into Maryville, because not everyone was originally from Tennessee. Following dinner all of the volunteers helped to clean up the gym by wiping down tables, stacking chairs, and rolling up the tablecloths. It was fun to be around different people, and to see the community coming together as a whole. We'll be attending another dinner at a different church on Thursday night.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday March 19, 2012
Monday was our first day put to work on the construction sites! We woke up early, ate a quick breakfast, and headed off to a job site about 2 miles away from where we're staying. Once there, the three groups were split up - so Mike, Steph, and I went with one of the contractors, Bill, to a site a few miles away from the two main sites. We were with 5 kids from Kansas University and a few of the boys from the Randolph High School.
At our site we got a lot of work done. When we arrived, there were 2 walls already finished by volunteers last week, so our first project was to ready the two other walls to be put up. We had to nail along the supporting 2 by 4's, and cut out two windows in the sides. We also had to cut out a door frame, and once all of that was finished everyone consolidated to help raise the side walls. That was my favorite part of the entire day - everyone who was working at the site had to grab hold of the wall and slowly walk it forward until it was perpendicular to the ground, and then some kids would go around and secure it with nails. Once we put up the two walls, what we were working on finally started to look like a real house!
It was really cool to interact with other kids from different parts of the country too. Our group of five had talked about accents and how each area of the country was different, so we ended up talking to a few kids from Kansas about accents and what they thought. We all traveled back to the two main sites and met with Melissa and Faith had been working, and everyone ate the lunch that was provided by Habitat. Yum!
After work, we all decided to go hiking in the Smoky Mountains :) They are so beautiful! Where we're staying is a bit away from the mountains - probably a 45 minute drive, but SO worth it. Actually, on our drive to the mountains we had to drive through what we think is "Dollyville". It was a complete strip of neon lights and mini amusement parks overwhelming a small valley in between the mountains. It was weird to see such a tourist trap nestled in between the mountains. There was a restaurant that was shaped like the Titanic (ice berg and all) and an upside-down mansion. Very weird!
Once we got to the Smoky Mountain's National Park, we headed into the visitors center to inquire about a nice, leisurely hike. A ranger told us about a short hike around 3/4 of a mile that ended in a waterfall, so we decided to pack up our sandwiches and head in that direction. The woods were BEAUTIFUL; right now it's springtime, so things are just starting to come alive. We did a much longer hike than we had intended, but the woods were gorgeous, and the waterfall was too. When we got back to the church, we all showered and hung out for the night. It was a great first day :)
At our site we got a lot of work done. When we arrived, there were 2 walls already finished by volunteers last week, so our first project was to ready the two other walls to be put up. We had to nail along the supporting 2 by 4's, and cut out two windows in the sides. We also had to cut out a door frame, and once all of that was finished everyone consolidated to help raise the side walls. That was my favorite part of the entire day - everyone who was working at the site had to grab hold of the wall and slowly walk it forward until it was perpendicular to the ground, and then some kids would go around and secure it with nails. Once we put up the two walls, what we were working on finally started to look like a real house!
It was really cool to interact with other kids from different parts of the country too. Our group of five had talked about accents and how each area of the country was different, so we ended up talking to a few kids from Kansas about accents and what they thought. We all traveled back to the two main sites and met with Melissa and Faith had been working, and everyone ate the lunch that was provided by Habitat. Yum!
After work, we all decided to go hiking in the Smoky Mountains :) They are so beautiful! Where we're staying is a bit away from the mountains - probably a 45 minute drive, but SO worth it. Actually, on our drive to the mountains we had to drive through what we think is "Dollyville". It was a complete strip of neon lights and mini amusement parks overwhelming a small valley in between the mountains. It was weird to see such a tourist trap nestled in between the mountains. There was a restaurant that was shaped like the Titanic (ice berg and all) and an upside-down mansion. Very weird!
Once we got to the Smoky Mountain's National Park, we headed into the visitors center to inquire about a nice, leisurely hike. A ranger told us about a short hike around 3/4 of a mile that ended in a waterfall, so we decided to pack up our sandwiches and head in that direction. The woods were BEAUTIFUL; right now it's springtime, so things are just starting to come alive. We did a much longer hike than we had intended, but the woods were gorgeous, and the waterfall was too. When we got back to the church, we all showered and hung out for the night. It was a great first day :)
Sunday, March 18, 2012
We're Here!
WE MADE IT! We arrived in the state of Tennessee around 8:00 last night after a full day in the car. Surprisingly, no one went crazy after the 16 hour day, although Steph came pretty close; if we didn't get to Tennessee when we did I think she might've had a slight breakdown. 7 hours in the car to just drive through Virginia was making her go a little nuts. Mike was an absolute champ and drove the ENTIRE TRIP. Our AIS time Saturday morning (Ass In Seat) was 5am, and we were in our seats at 5:08. Mike was going to drive until we passed New York and New Jersey because neither Steph nor Faith felt comfortable driving where would be a lot of cars. But once we passed through (miraculously without hitting ANY traffic) Mike said he didn't mind continuing to drive. Although we periodically asked him if he wanted a break, he insisted on driving and eventually made it clear that he was going to be the only one driving. Once we were in the vicinity of Maryville, we called our Habitat for Humanity Contact, Susan. We had wandered around for probably 45 minutes attempting to find the church but had only succeeded in driving around in circles and getting frustrated when Susan came to our rescue. Susan has been in contact with our group over the last few months via email and has been answering our many questions. We followed her to the Habitat for Humanity's office, and spent the night on the floor of one of their conference rooms because the church we would be staying out wasn't available to us Saturday night. We woke up, packed up the car, and headed to Knoxville this morning. Knoxville is a small city (probably around the same size as Worcester) that is home to the University of Tennessee. We wandered around the downtown area until we found the Visitors Center. We picked up a map and headed off to the river, where we had a nice lunch outside :) It was almost 80 here today, so although I'm loving the warm weather it's going to be rough at the construction site. We're FINALLY settled into the church we'll be staying at - two other groups are also going to be staying here; one group of 10 high school students with two chaperones, and a group of 19 other colelge students from Kansas. Not really sure how they're going to divvy up the work to the different groups, but I'm excited to find out! Tomorrow we're hopefully going to be going hiking after our workday, so we'll see how tomorrow goes! |
Friday, March 16, 2012
AND WE'RE OFF!
The day has finally come. We are finally going to be on our way Tennessee, leaving Amherst at 5am tomorrow morning. Right now, we are about to sit down to a lovely dinner prepared by Steph and Mike (thanks guys) and start talking about our upcoming adventure! This trip has been in the works since early October, and I would like to thank my WONDERFUL team members, and all of our AMAZING friends and family that donated to help us to fund this trip :)
These past few weeks have been insanely crazy, with a lot of problems that made it seem as though this would not be possible. Issues with renting a van, insurance, money...you name it, and it probably came up. There was a breaking point a few weeks ago where it seemed as though the entire world was determined to stop us from going South, but with hard work by everyone, everything worked out! We had two fundraisers last week - the first being a fundraising night at Bertucci's, where Steph works. All of the money raised at that fundraiser is going to go directly to the Blount County Habitat for Humanity, which is where we'll be working all week. The second fundraiser was Trivia Night at the Harp, an awesome Irish bar down the street from UMass that donates half of the proceeds of their weekly trivia night to a local club or charity. The money raised there is going to strictly go to our gas money...because we know that is going to probably be the most expensive part of getting to and from.
We have officially loaded up our 12 person van (with the backseats taken out) with our sleeping gear, work boots, and tool boxes! I am looking forward to the 15 hour drive because although I have my CDL license, I can't drive the van because I'm only 20. So: my plan is to keep everyone awake, and wave enthusiastically at people that we pass. I also plan on taking an obscene amount of pictures, because I think the scenery that we pass is going to be phenomenal.
Hopefully I will update ASAP with pictures and stories of our crazy car ride - everyone enjoy St. Patrick's Day, and for those of you who are on break; HAVE FUN with whatever you're doing!
These past few weeks have been insanely crazy, with a lot of problems that made it seem as though this would not be possible. Issues with renting a van, insurance, money...you name it, and it probably came up. There was a breaking point a few weeks ago where it seemed as though the entire world was determined to stop us from going South, but with hard work by everyone, everything worked out! We had two fundraisers last week - the first being a fundraising night at Bertucci's, where Steph works. All of the money raised at that fundraiser is going to go directly to the Blount County Habitat for Humanity, which is where we'll be working all week. The second fundraiser was Trivia Night at the Harp, an awesome Irish bar down the street from UMass that donates half of the proceeds of their weekly trivia night to a local club or charity. The money raised there is going to strictly go to our gas money...because we know that is going to probably be the most expensive part of getting to and from.
We have officially loaded up our 12 person van (with the backseats taken out) with our sleeping gear, work boots, and tool boxes! I am looking forward to the 15 hour drive because although I have my CDL license, I can't drive the van because I'm only 20. So: my plan is to keep everyone awake, and wave enthusiastically at people that we pass. I also plan on taking an obscene amount of pictures, because I think the scenery that we pass is going to be phenomenal.
Hopefully I will update ASAP with pictures and stories of our crazy car ride - everyone enjoy St. Patrick's Day, and for those of you who are on break; HAVE FUN with whatever you're doing!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Here We Go Again!
Well, I decided to start posting before my next trip - to get a head start! :)
There are quite a few differences between my trip to Guatemala and my upcoming trip to Maryville, Tennessee. The trip to Tennessee will be taking place over the course of my week-long Spring Break, from March 17th to March 24th. Unlike my trip to Guatemala which I embarked on alone, I'll be heading to Tennessee with 4 of my friends; Faith, Melissa, Steph, and Mike. I was lucky enough to meet these guys last year on my Alternative Spring Break, which all of us (minus Mike) participated in through UMass.
Last year, Faith, Melissa, Steph, and I all went down to Georgetown, South Carolina to help renovate an older woman's house. We had no idea what to expect! Our friend Danielle (who unfortunately can't join us on our trip this year) and our 'Team Leader' (who will remain unnamed) and the 4 of us ventured down to the South, making the trip over the course of two days. Once there, we were introduced to the church members of the Methodist church that we would be staying in; and welcomed with open arms. We became very close with a few members of the parish, because once we got there it was discovered that the showers that had been arranged for us had broken. We were welcomed everyday into the homes of some wonderful people to let us shower once we were done working. Without them, we would have been a miserable, smelly bunch of college students!
We also made some great relationships with our contractors, Sean and Lee, who helped teach us how to rip up floorboards, use the table saw (Melissa's favorite activity), secure the outside of the house from animals, and many other skills to help improve the house. One very important person we met on our trip was Ms. Rue, who's house we were working on. Ms. Rue was an older, African-American woman who lived on her own in a small house in a poorer neighborhood. All of the houses along her street were very small, and they were all built in the middle of the 20th century to house workers for the giant paper mill that operated close by. Many of the houses had not been updated in a very long time, and clearly showed the wear and tear of time. Ms. Rue's house required a lot of work; we worked Monday to Thursday from around 9am until 3pm until we had finished all of the work that was scheduled to be completed that week. We even bought Ms. Rue paint, and surprised her by painting her living room for her! The trip was eye-opening, which is why we decided to go again this year.
We decided that although we had great experiences going through ASB, we did not want to travel with the program again this year for a few reasons. So we took it into our own hands to find a way to volunteer over our Spring Break, and then we found the Collegiate Challenge through Habitat for Humanity.
The Collegiate Challenge is a program specifically for college students; essentially any group of college students can create a team and choose a place to go to volunteer over their break. The catch is; the groups themselves are responsible for all of the finances of the trip. WHOA. Although we realized that we would face many struggles from finding transportation to actually raising the amount of money necessary to make this possible, we decided to go for it. I don't mean to brag; but I will say we are very determined college students. So far, we have cashed in bottles from a friend's party for money, written countless letters to friends and family, sold pizza in the dorm, will be hosting Trivia Night at The Harp, and having a Bertucci's Fundraising night. We have organized transportation (which will be official tomorrow!) and also been in contact with our host in Blount County, Tennessee.
None of this would be possible without the love and support of our family and friends; so this is a shout out to all of you who have encouraged us either with words or donations! Without you guys, our goal of helping to build affordable housing in low-income areas of the United States would not be possible. So THANKS :)
I will continue to update this blog as we get closer to the trip, and while we're on it.
Party Llama, World Traveler says: Tennessee, here we come!
There are quite a few differences between my trip to Guatemala and my upcoming trip to Maryville, Tennessee. The trip to Tennessee will be taking place over the course of my week-long Spring Break, from March 17th to March 24th. Unlike my trip to Guatemala which I embarked on alone, I'll be heading to Tennessee with 4 of my friends; Faith, Melissa, Steph, and Mike. I was lucky enough to meet these guys last year on my Alternative Spring Break, which all of us (minus Mike) participated in through UMass.
Last year, Faith, Melissa, Steph, and I all went down to Georgetown, South Carolina to help renovate an older woman's house. We had no idea what to expect! Our friend Danielle (who unfortunately can't join us on our trip this year) and our 'Team Leader' (who will remain unnamed) and the 4 of us ventured down to the South, making the trip over the course of two days. Once there, we were introduced to the church members of the Methodist church that we would be staying in; and welcomed with open arms. We became very close with a few members of the parish, because once we got there it was discovered that the showers that had been arranged for us had broken. We were welcomed everyday into the homes of some wonderful people to let us shower once we were done working. Without them, we would have been a miserable, smelly bunch of college students!
We also made some great relationships with our contractors, Sean and Lee, who helped teach us how to rip up floorboards, use the table saw (Melissa's favorite activity), secure the outside of the house from animals, and many other skills to help improve the house. One very important person we met on our trip was Ms. Rue, who's house we were working on. Ms. Rue was an older, African-American woman who lived on her own in a small house in a poorer neighborhood. All of the houses along her street were very small, and they were all built in the middle of the 20th century to house workers for the giant paper mill that operated close by. Many of the houses had not been updated in a very long time, and clearly showed the wear and tear of time. Ms. Rue's house required a lot of work; we worked Monday to Thursday from around 9am until 3pm until we had finished all of the work that was scheduled to be completed that week. We even bought Ms. Rue paint, and surprised her by painting her living room for her! The trip was eye-opening, which is why we decided to go again this year.
We decided that although we had great experiences going through ASB, we did not want to travel with the program again this year for a few reasons. So we took it into our own hands to find a way to volunteer over our Spring Break, and then we found the Collegiate Challenge through Habitat for Humanity.
The Collegiate Challenge is a program specifically for college students; essentially any group of college students can create a team and choose a place to go to volunteer over their break. The catch is; the groups themselves are responsible for all of the finances of the trip. WHOA. Although we realized that we would face many struggles from finding transportation to actually raising the amount of money necessary to make this possible, we decided to go for it. I don't mean to brag; but I will say we are very determined college students. So far, we have cashed in bottles from a friend's party for money, written countless letters to friends and family, sold pizza in the dorm, will be hosting Trivia Night at The Harp, and having a Bertucci's Fundraising night. We have organized transportation (which will be official tomorrow!) and also been in contact with our host in Blount County, Tennessee.
None of this would be possible without the love and support of our family and friends; so this is a shout out to all of you who have encouraged us either with words or donations! Without you guys, our goal of helping to build affordable housing in low-income areas of the United States would not be possible. So THANKS :)
I will continue to update this blog as we get closer to the trip, and while we're on it.
Party Llama, World Traveler says: Tennessee, here we come!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Santiago
So, since I'm home now and have more free time that I'm able to use the internet, I figured I'd post a few little stories about a couple of the kids that I met at Hogar Madre Anna Vitello. 
This is Santiago. He's 8 years old.
Santiago is an outgoing 8 year old that I met on my first day at the orphanage. My friend Nikki had been working at the orphanage for 2 weeks before myself and 2 other volunteers got there, so she introduced us to almost everyone. The one thing that was different about Santiago right away that he was determined to learn our names and remember them. A lot of the kids constantly ask our names, and will almost immediately forget and come running back to ask again. But, Santiago rarely got my name name wrong and every morning when we got to the orphanage he would run over and say hi to all of us individually.
On one of the first few days, Santiago saw me sitting alone just watching the kids play on the playground. He come over and motioned to see the little green book that was sticking out of my sweatshirt pocket. It was my Spanish to English pocket dictionary, so he started flipping through it. When I explained to him that the front half of the book had English words so I could find the Spanish meaning, he just kept flipping through and showing me different words. He found the translations of the numbers from 1 to 10 in the back, and proceeded to read them to me in English! Once he reached 10, he calmly handed me my book back and pointed to his head and said "cabeza". He repeated it twice until I repeated it back to him, mimicking his movements. We went through almost all of the body parts, and he was impressed when I would beat him to a body part and already know the word for it in Spanish. Sometimes, I would repeat the word in English and he would also repeat it, but he was more set on him teaching me rather than the other way around.
Another day, Santiago was kicking around a soccer ball and we started playing pass. Now anyone who knows me understands that I have no foot/eye coordination. I quit soccer when I was probably Santiago's age; after we switched to the "big kid's" field I didn't see the fun in running back and forth all the time. (I'd like to blame my asthma for this, but it really was irrelevant. I just didn't really like soccer). Anyways, we started playing pass and gradually started running up and down the playground. Eventually we tried juggling the ball up into the air, and passing it. That didn't work out so well, but it was fun.
Santiago is the little boy I played cards with that I mentioned briefly in a post earlier. We had a little crowd watching us play War, and then the next day we had a group of kids playing Uno. What I failed to mention was that after Santiago realized that I understood exactly how War worked and that I really knew how to play (Jackie and I used to play all the time when we were kids) he decided to take matters into his own hands. He started cheating!!! Anyone who plays War knows that the Ace's are what will eventually win you the game, if you throw them at the right time. So, Santiago held onto his Ace's and pretended to drop his cards to mix them up when he realized he would have to give up one of them. The kicker was that he knew that I knew that he was cheating, but he also realized that I had no idea how to say that he was cheating in Spanish! I kept throwing him looks, and he just kept laughing. Needless to say, I lost (technically) but that wasn't really the point. It was just fun :)
Santiago is a sweet kid, and I was lucky to have met him. He was one of the few people I met while in Guatemala who didn't see lack of knowledge in Spanish as an obstacle; but more as a fun challenge.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
1/12
Today was a very, very slow day at the orphanage. My friends Nikki, Diana, Tae and I started off the morning by hanging up a ridiculous amount of laundry to dry. Because it's not the rainy season, which is generally April through November (I think at least), it's sunny in Guatemala every day so the kid's laundry is always outside on the lines drying. After we finished, Nikki and I went to go see the younger kids ages 2, 3, and 4. They are by far the cutest kids, but they fight with each other constantly. Almost as soon as we walked into the room 3 kids began to wrestle over a small toy, which obviously resulted in the 3 of them yelling and crying. We walked with the little kids to a room across the orphanage where they were going to get their diapers changed, but as soon as we got their the nun that takes care of them suggested that we go and hang out with the older kids.
Some of the nuns at the orphanage are more friendly than others, but it's hard to tell because of the language barrier. I think with this nun particularly, she doesn't enjoy having volunteers with the younger kids because it can do more harm than good. When we're around the younger kids, they're constantly fighting each other for our attention or they're trying to pull us away somewhere else. Having us around probably causes a bigger disruption to their day, although they are fun to hang around with.
After that, we pretty much just wandered the orphanage not really doing anything in particular. We helped out in the kitchen for a while, played soccer with a few of the boys, and just walked around. This weekend is the last weekend of the summer vacation for all of the kids in the orphanage and the village, so a lot of them were helping to clean out the 3 classrooms that occupy one half of Hogar Madre Anna Vitello's complex. The orphange hosts the local village's school, and students are split up from 1st to 5th grade, and then 6th, 7th and 8th. Somewhere around 6th grade, public school stops and if the kids want to continue their education they must pay to go to a private school.
Tomorrow is the last day at the orphange, which is insane. We're hopefully going to take the kids for a walk to a little store down the street from the complex, and just spend the morning saying our goodbyes. Hopefully update soon, I'll be stateside again in only 3 days! Once I'm back in the state's I'm hopefully going to add pictures to this blog and continue writing. I only have so much time to write while I'm here, but I really want to try and describe this experience, because I have yet to do it justice.
:)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
It's Tuesday?
I can't really believe that I've already been Antigua for over a week, and my time is here is quickly coming to an end. Today was my last Spanish class, and for the rest of the week my friends and I are going to try and do as many different things as possible. I walked around the local market for gifts for my friends and family before class today, and realized that I'm no better at negotiating in Spanish than I am in English (I generally just say "okay" rather than bargaining), but it was still really fun.
Today at the orphanage it was pretty hot out, so my friend Tae and I started off the morning by hanging up all of the wet laundry to dry during the day. After that, we went to watch a fútbol game that the boys ages 8-12 had started on the basketball court. I'm no good at soccer, but one of the 8 year old boys was determined to teach me how to juggle a ball on my foot successfully. Today was almost a lazy day at the orphanage; most of the kids wanted to just hang out in the shade rather than run around. At one point, my friend Diana and I found ourself sitting in the shade with at least 20 of the orphans on our laps or sitting right next to us. I started to play a card game with Santiago, who's 8, called guerra. Guerra means war in Spanish- so luckily I actually knew how to play! After a while we had a large crowd of kids watching, everyone getting involved too. I ended up losing, but it was a really fun game :) While we were playing, Diana had her ipod out and was playing Shakira and other music that the kids knew - some of them knew all of the words! It was relaxing but very fun.
The one thing I'm still amazed at is that the kids always just enjoy sitting on our laps and pulling us around the orphanage to show us things. Although my Spanish has improved and I know enough to get by, a lot of the kids enjoy teaching me words and don't mind when I point to something and ask how to say it in Spanish. Some of them do laugh at my pronounciations sometimes, but they will always repeat it until I get it right.
It's going to be really weird saying goodbye to all of the kids knowing that I'll be flying back home to my family and friends, and then leaving to go to school when I know that all of the kids will be in the orphanage for an indefinite amount of time. As I said before, this trip has been extremely eye opening. It's been a lot of fun, and not exactly what I expected either.
Today at the orphanage it was pretty hot out, so my friend Tae and I started off the morning by hanging up all of the wet laundry to dry during the day. After that, we went to watch a fútbol game that the boys ages 8-12 had started on the basketball court. I'm no good at soccer, but one of the 8 year old boys was determined to teach me how to juggle a ball on my foot successfully. Today was almost a lazy day at the orphanage; most of the kids wanted to just hang out in the shade rather than run around. At one point, my friend Diana and I found ourself sitting in the shade with at least 20 of the orphans on our laps or sitting right next to us. I started to play a card game with Santiago, who's 8, called guerra. Guerra means war in Spanish- so luckily I actually knew how to play! After a while we had a large crowd of kids watching, everyone getting involved too. I ended up losing, but it was a really fun game :) While we were playing, Diana had her ipod out and was playing Shakira and other music that the kids knew - some of them knew all of the words! It was relaxing but very fun.
The one thing I'm still amazed at is that the kids always just enjoy sitting on our laps and pulling us around the orphanage to show us things. Although my Spanish has improved and I know enough to get by, a lot of the kids enjoy teaching me words and don't mind when I point to something and ask how to say it in Spanish. Some of them do laugh at my pronounciations sometimes, but they will always repeat it until I get it right.
It's going to be really weird saying goodbye to all of the kids knowing that I'll be flying back home to my family and friends, and then leaving to go to school when I know that all of the kids will be in the orphanage for an indefinite amount of time. As I said before, this trip has been extremely eye opening. It's been a lot of fun, and not exactly what I expected either.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Tikal Ruins
This past weekend I was able to travel all across Guatemala to the Mayan Ruins in Tikal. Tikal was one of the largest Mayans city, and was in use for over 1,000 years. Archeologists believe that Tikal was home to around a half million people at it's peak, and it was eventually abandoned because the Mayan's destroyed the jungle around the city and lost all of their resources. We were able to climb to the top of Temple 4, which is the largest temple currently uncovered. We were able to see over the jungle to the other few ruins that are visible above the tree line.
One thing that I found insanely interesting was that so far archeologists have found around 3,000 different Mayan structures in Tikal, but they estimate that there are still around 7,000 more that have been covered by the jungle. The jungle is extremely dense; it's hard to tell where one tree starts and another begins. At one point, there were no trees in Tikal, and all of the buildings were painted different colors.
Our tour guide let us in on a secret - a few months ago, archeologists discovered a subterranean city a little ways away from Tikal, deep in the jungle. A large storm knocked some trees down, which exposed a hole that led arceologists to colored paintings from they Mayan's time. New ruins and artifacts are being discovered and processed everyday in Tikal.
Unfortunately, thats all I have time for right now. Off to Spanish Class!
P.S. All of the Guatemalan's and Mayan's living near Tikal do not believe the world will end in 2012 - it's just a new beginning of the Mayan Calendar, and will be a time of big celebration here! :)
One thing that I found insanely interesting was that so far archeologists have found around 3,000 different Mayan structures in Tikal, but they estimate that there are still around 7,000 more that have been covered by the jungle. The jungle is extremely dense; it's hard to tell where one tree starts and another begins. At one point, there were no trees in Tikal, and all of the buildings were painted different colors.
Our tour guide let us in on a secret - a few months ago, archeologists discovered a subterranean city a little ways away from Tikal, deep in the jungle. A large storm knocked some trees down, which exposed a hole that led arceologists to colored paintings from they Mayan's time. New ruins and artifacts are being discovered and processed everyday in Tikal.
Unfortunately, thats all I have time for right now. Off to Spanish Class!
P.S. All of the Guatemalan's and Mayan's living near Tikal do not believe the world will end in 2012 - it's just a new beginning of the Mayan Calendar, and will be a time of big celebration here! :)
Picaya Volcano
The great thing about going through an organization like Maximo Nivel is that they don't only set up tour homestay and volunteer work, but they also offer many other opportunities. During my stay here I've been able to take Spanish lessons with a Spanish teacher originally from Guatemala (she speaks very little English- forces me to actually try my Spanish) and also take different excursions to see other parts of Guatemala. The excursion I'm going to talk about right now was a hike to the top of Picaya, a volcano 45 minutes away from Antigua. After our morning volunteer work Thursday afternoon, myself and 8 other volunteers with a guide from one of the villages located on Picaya trekked a steep incline 3 kilometers to the summit. The hike was pretty difficult, and unfortunately my asthma/allergies finally got the best of me and I had to stop climbing. The good thing was that I didn't need to turn back and go down the mountain, I just had to grab a 'taxi'. A 'taxi' up Picaya actually meant grabbing a ride on a horse and being led up the mountain. Local boys follow groups of hikers up the trail with their horses, just waiting for opportunities to say "taxi for you miss?" and offering their services for cheap. Myself and two other girls who weren't feeling well rode up the trail on our horses while the rest of our group trekked onward. Once we got close to the summit, we were forced to drop our horses and walk up the wasteland that was at one point molten lava. The last eruption on Picaya was in 2010, and prior to that was an eruption in 2006. The eruption in 2006 left a lot of hard molten rock covering the summit, and the ash covering the rock was from the more recent eruption. It was a crazy site - it looked as though we were on another planet. There were no plants or animal life anywhere, and we were up so high that you could only see the tops of the other mountains in the distance. There was a small shack at the top of the mountain where they sell jewlery and other little trinkets that involve lava from the eruption in 2010. I bought a 5 cent coin (which is actually less than an American penny) that had lava covering the majority of it - the only visible part was the palm tree symbol. The also allowed the hikers to roast marshmallows over a campfire; not many people can say they roasted a marshmallow at the top of a volcano! It was an exhausting day, but absolutely amazing. |
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Busy!
Hey everyone! These few days have been pretty busy and intense, and I honestly barely have time to write right now so I'm just going to quickly describe the orphanage I've been at the last two days.
The name of the orphanage is Hogar Madre Ana Vitiello, and it is in a small village 45 minutes by bus from Antigua. There are around 50 kids in the orphanage ranging from a few months old to a little older than 12. The orphange itself is a small complex surrounded by high walls; and it is fairly new so all of the buildings are bright and colorful. There are dormitorios where the kids sleep, and separate rooms for the nuns who run the orphanage. There is a small cafeteria, a kitchen, a classroom/school which kids from the village also can attend, and a playground. There is also a small church where the kids have Mass every day at 6, right when they wake up. The one thing that makes this orphanage different than the others in the area is that all of the kids here are HIV positive. This isn't a problem for us, as long as the kids aren't bleeding anywhere or anything and just in case we carry gloves with us. The one advantage of this orphanage is that because all of the children are HIV positive, they get a decent amount of international support. There are a bunch of flags hanging in the main office representing the different countries.
It's funny because although I don't speak Spanish, it was obvious right away that regardless of the language they speak the kids are exactly like all of the kids I've ever babysat or worked with in the US. The younger kids enjoy running around, incoherently yelling, and occasionally hitting each other with toys. The older kids ride bikes, play with old toys, and run around the complex playing games. I mostly hang out with the younger kids, the 2, 3 and 4 year olds. They're crazy! It's especially funny because one second they'll be talking rapidly in Spanish, and then turn to gibberish. They're all adorable. Usually they'll run right over and grab my hand, or try to get me to pick them up. Playing with the kids at the orphanage is essentially allowing myself to be turned into a jungle gym.
The name of the orphanage is Hogar Madre Ana Vitiello, and it is in a small village 45 minutes by bus from Antigua. There are around 50 kids in the orphanage ranging from a few months old to a little older than 12. The orphange itself is a small complex surrounded by high walls; and it is fairly new so all of the buildings are bright and colorful. There are dormitorios where the kids sleep, and separate rooms for the nuns who run the orphanage. There is a small cafeteria, a kitchen, a classroom/school which kids from the village also can attend, and a playground. There is also a small church where the kids have Mass every day at 6, right when they wake up. The one thing that makes this orphanage different than the others in the area is that all of the kids here are HIV positive. This isn't a problem for us, as long as the kids aren't bleeding anywhere or anything and just in case we carry gloves with us. The one advantage of this orphanage is that because all of the children are HIV positive, they get a decent amount of international support. There are a bunch of flags hanging in the main office representing the different countries.
It's funny because although I don't speak Spanish, it was obvious right away that regardless of the language they speak the kids are exactly like all of the kids I've ever babysat or worked with in the US. The younger kids enjoy running around, incoherently yelling, and occasionally hitting each other with toys. The older kids ride bikes, play with old toys, and run around the complex playing games. I mostly hang out with the younger kids, the 2, 3 and 4 year olds. They're crazy! It's especially funny because one second they'll be talking rapidly in Spanish, and then turn to gibberish. They're all adorable. Usually they'll run right over and grab my hand, or try to get me to pick them up. Playing with the kids at the orphanage is essentially allowing myself to be turned into a jungle gym.
Unfortunately, I don't have time to begin to describe all of the kids that I've met or any of the funny stories right now, but TOMORROW I'm going to try to write a decent amount. Anyone reading, I highly suggest an experience like this, it's been eye opening.
Have to go though, going to hike Pakaya, an active volcano 45 minutes from Antigua :) Adiós!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Hola!
Hola! I am writing from the office of Máximo Nivel, the wonderful organization that I am going through here. So far, everything has been amazing. Here's a little recap on the full 24 hours that I've been in Guatemala.
I left Easton, MA to head to the airport at 330am on New Years day - did not sleep, and was too excited to sleep once I got to the airport. Had a flight from Logan to Miami, then had a 3 hour lay-over and then I left on a full plane with probably 5 other Americans to head for la Ciudad de Guatemala. Guatemala City is the capital of Guatemala, and from what I've learned not exactly the safest city. It was a very small airport although it is international, and flying in I remember seeing a soldier walking around with a gun as my plane landed.
I was pretty nervous getting off of the plane, because that was when it really hit me that no one speaks English. Spanish is such a gorgeous language, and I was overwhelmed listening to the other passengers talking quickly to one another. I was able to pick up a few words here and there, but did not understand any of the full conversations. I made my way through customs, got my lovely visa stamped onto my passport, and headed outside where I was supposed to look for a representative from Máximo that would be holding a sign with my name on it.
Outside I go, and lovely; cannot find anyone holding a sign with my name on it. I must've looked extremely confused because an older man who worked for the airport came over to me and was trying to help me, but the language barrier made it difficult. Luckily, I spotted my name in the crowd of people and mimed that I had found my ride, said "gracias" to him and headed off. My driver was very nice, but he also spoke very little English. He pointed out the sites as we passed them leaving Guatemala City, and enjoyed pointing out the numerous McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Subways along the road to Antigua.
The scenery we passed on our ride from Guatemala City to Antigua was breathtaking. I sat in awe as we passed through valleys and up mountains, and was astonished to see a volcanoe off in the distance. There are a few volcanoes surrounding Antigua, which I didn't know until I got here. The largest one is called Volcanoe de Agua and is directly south of the city. The other volcanoe that I have heard about is known as Volcanoe de Fuego, and is an active volcanoe. Guides have told me that it erupts anywhere from 15 to 25 times a day, which is why people are not allowed to hike up to the very top. The mountains are nothing like I have ever seen before; it's really hard to even describe how beautiful the landscape here is so hopefully I'll be able to post a few pictures sometime this week.
We stopped quickly at Máximo where I got a folder telling me my instructions for my orientation the following morning, and then off to my homestay. The women who answered the door was not the owner of the house, Olga, but a friend of her's who often helps serve meals to the many volunteers. She did not speak English either but after miming and my broken Spanish, she gave me two keys; one to the front of the house and one to my room, and then took me to where I was staying. I met the 3 other girls who are sharing my room, and had a relaxing night overall.
This morning I had an orientation introducing me to Guatemala, Antigua, and the different options for Spanish courses and adventure outings that we can do in the time that we aren't volunteering. We did a small walking tour of the city, which is fairly small, and then went home for lunch. The interesting thing about Antigua is that there are ruins from a large earthquake that happened almost 300 years ago still in the city, so I walk past a few of these everyday when I go to Máximo. After lunch was when I finally got to go see the orphanage I'll be working at for the next two weeks.
This particular orphanage is a Catholic orphanage run by nuns, and almost all of the children there are HIV positive. There are around 60 kids living in the orphanage ranging from new borns to 12 years old, and the majority of them are boys. We got a tour of the orphanage, which is aabout 45 minutes out of Antigua, and learned about what sort of work we will be doing. I'm going to be working in a class room with kids ages 2, 3, and 4 years old starting tomorrow morning. Two other girls who are working there with me will be dividing time between the nursery and helping to clean and cook.
Thats all that I have time for today, but I will be sure to blog again soon and describe the kids I'll be working with and what a typical day is. But for now, I am off to a salsa class with a few of the friends I've made :)
I left Easton, MA to head to the airport at 330am on New Years day - did not sleep, and was too excited to sleep once I got to the airport. Had a flight from Logan to Miami, then had a 3 hour lay-over and then I left on a full plane with probably 5 other Americans to head for la Ciudad de Guatemala. Guatemala City is the capital of Guatemala, and from what I've learned not exactly the safest city. It was a very small airport although it is international, and flying in I remember seeing a soldier walking around with a gun as my plane landed.
I was pretty nervous getting off of the plane, because that was when it really hit me that no one speaks English. Spanish is such a gorgeous language, and I was overwhelmed listening to the other passengers talking quickly to one another. I was able to pick up a few words here and there, but did not understand any of the full conversations. I made my way through customs, got my lovely visa stamped onto my passport, and headed outside where I was supposed to look for a representative from Máximo that would be holding a sign with my name on it.
Outside I go, and lovely; cannot find anyone holding a sign with my name on it. I must've looked extremely confused because an older man who worked for the airport came over to me and was trying to help me, but the language barrier made it difficult. Luckily, I spotted my name in the crowd of people and mimed that I had found my ride, said "gracias" to him and headed off. My driver was very nice, but he also spoke very little English. He pointed out the sites as we passed them leaving Guatemala City, and enjoyed pointing out the numerous McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Subways along the road to Antigua.
The scenery we passed on our ride from Guatemala City to Antigua was breathtaking. I sat in awe as we passed through valleys and up mountains, and was astonished to see a volcanoe off in the distance. There are a few volcanoes surrounding Antigua, which I didn't know until I got here. The largest one is called Volcanoe de Agua and is directly south of the city. The other volcanoe that I have heard about is known as Volcanoe de Fuego, and is an active volcanoe. Guides have told me that it erupts anywhere from 15 to 25 times a day, which is why people are not allowed to hike up to the very top. The mountains are nothing like I have ever seen before; it's really hard to even describe how beautiful the landscape here is so hopefully I'll be able to post a few pictures sometime this week.
We stopped quickly at Máximo where I got a folder telling me my instructions for my orientation the following morning, and then off to my homestay. The women who answered the door was not the owner of the house, Olga, but a friend of her's who often helps serve meals to the many volunteers. She did not speak English either but after miming and my broken Spanish, she gave me two keys; one to the front of the house and one to my room, and then took me to where I was staying. I met the 3 other girls who are sharing my room, and had a relaxing night overall.
This morning I had an orientation introducing me to Guatemala, Antigua, and the different options for Spanish courses and adventure outings that we can do in the time that we aren't volunteering. We did a small walking tour of the city, which is fairly small, and then went home for lunch. The interesting thing about Antigua is that there are ruins from a large earthquake that happened almost 300 years ago still in the city, so I walk past a few of these everyday when I go to Máximo. After lunch was when I finally got to go see the orphanage I'll be working at for the next two weeks.
This particular orphanage is a Catholic orphanage run by nuns, and almost all of the children there are HIV positive. There are around 60 kids living in the orphanage ranging from new borns to 12 years old, and the majority of them are boys. We got a tour of the orphanage, which is aabout 45 minutes out of Antigua, and learned about what sort of work we will be doing. I'm going to be working in a class room with kids ages 2, 3, and 4 years old starting tomorrow morning. Two other girls who are working there with me will be dividing time between the nursery and helping to clean and cook.
Thats all that I have time for today, but I will be sure to blog again soon and describe the kids I'll be working with and what a typical day is. But for now, I am off to a salsa class with a few of the friends I've made :)
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