My Kids

Brown Day (wear brown to school)

Formal Wear for our Thanksgiving event.  What handsome and beautiful boys and girls :)  Of course, the one who forgets is smack dab in the middle of the photo.

Monterrico

Last weekend we took advantage of the four days we had off of school and went to the beach!  Normally I am not a beach person, but it was a relaxing time and nice to be somewhere hot.  This is Monterrico, in the southwest of Guatemala.

A kitty!  I was sharing my lunch with her :)



Luna adopted us and followed us down the beach.  Here she's waiting patiently while we stopped to take pictures of the sunset.

The 5th mannequin

Black sand beach

Our hotel room.  Notice the thatched roofs.  In this part of the country, because of the heat, they have this type of roof to help with ventilation.  Unfortunately, this also means bugs and other critters have easy access to your house and fall on you at night.

Hammocks at our hotel.



Charlotte and Kristen enjoying a Coke.

Sunset- something you can never quite capture on film.

Church with thatched roof.



Me sleeping in a mosquito net.


We released baby sea turtles into the ocean!




"Awwww" My baby sea turtle. 



I hope he makes it.  He didn't want to move and was the last one to reach the ocean.

Early Saturday morning we took a boat ride through the mangroves.  It was so peaceful.

2+ hour drive from Antigua and we can still see all 3 volcanoes

Tranquilo

6.5

Aghhhh... another one!  I don't like this!!

I was standing with a friend today and felt that shaking again.  So I ask, "Is this an earthquake?"  And she's like "No, I don't feel anything."  Everybody around us was shopping as normal, so I just thought that I was crazy. 

But it turns out there was one, right at that time!  I've been "feeling" them all week- when a truck rolls by, when a large group of tourists walks past, a strong wind...

I don't know what to believe anymore!

A helpful tip from one of my student's parents:  In the event of an earthquake, the first thing to do is Open The Door.  Even if you don't have to evacuate the room.  Because sometimes it can cause the ground to move and shift the door frame, leaving the door unable to open and you unable to leave.  I think he has his daughter well trained, so in the event that I'm panicking too much to think, my 5 year old student can take charge :)

7.4

It's always significant when something you experience makes the front page of USA Today. 

If you heard about the earthquake in Guatemala this afternoon, I am fine.  We were just starting Writing class and I was talking with Ms. Gaby, my aide, when we feel the ground begin to shake.  I think it took me a moment to realize what was going on- a moment before I realized how scary it was! 

This was the third earthquake since I've been here, but the first one I felt.  (Though it seemed that some of my students didn't notice anything... even an earthquake can't get their attention, what chance do I have?!)  The last two times (nowhere near as strong) the other teacher I was standing by would feel it and I didn't.  The second time, Ms. Lisa was talking about an earthquake and I asked "When was this?"  "Right now!"

"Earthquake drills" being non-existent in Wisconsin, I had no idea what to do.  It lasted a while so we had to lead the students outside.  There was no damage or anything at school, or in Antigua that I know of.  As we were circled up, one of my girls asked me "Is this for vacation?"  I guess they're a little more used to "temblores" :)

Barriletes en Sumpango / Kites in Sumpango

This past weekend was Día de los Muertos and a holiday weekend in Guatemala.  We had off school Thursday and Friday :)  It was a much needed break. 

On Thursday there were two big kite festivals in Guatemala- one in Santiago and one in Sumpango.  A couple of friends and I went to Sumpango with my Spanish school. 

We visited the cementario to see where the families have decorated the gravesites and bring offerings. 

Our private chicken bus

 

The tradition of the kites says that on Day of the Dead the souls of departed family members come back to visit those on earth.  They fly kites to reach up and guide the souls down from heaven, to find their loved ones. 

 

 

 

These are the large kites on display.  Different groups spend months making them.  Only the front-row kites were flown, as the others were too large.  

Late in the afternoon, they had a contest where each of these "smaller" kites had two chances to fly (if they didn't crash on the first attempt!)  and see how long they could stay in the air and how high they could get.  You had to be careful where you stood; some of the kites made a gentle landing, but not all!   

 

 

Detail of a kite



Butterfly Kite



Kite crash

cooking Blue Corn tortillas.  Tasty??