Semana Santa: Working as a Tía, Round 2

The local employees get Semana Santa (Holy Week) off, which means the volunteers step in as tíos and tías. Even though this was my second time being a tía after having worked in the sections in December, I was still a little nervous going into the experience. This time, I was going to be caring for the teenage boys from the section that I normally accompany rather than the younger ones from Christmastime. I was worried the boys wouldn't listen to me, but overall it ended up being really... easy! I think there were a few factors that made the difference this time around. First, I did have experience on my side- I'd already worked as a tía! Secondly, it was only for a few days, a long weekend really, rather than a full month. The kids were relaxed, we were relaxed. It was like when your cool aunt comes over for the weekend to care for you while your parents are out of town. Things don't have to be quite as strict as they normally would be. Finally, all the kids were there at NPH together. December was hard because some kids got to go their homes, while the ones that couldn't (or didn't have anywhere to go) were obviously back at NPH and a bit sad at times. This time though, everyone was there together and no one was sad, yaaaay!

Smiling, happy pequeños. SUCCESS.

So yeah, overall it was a very "thumbs up" experience. It took me a bit to get used to the long days, but after that it was fine. We played A LOT of Bancopoly in the section, which is the Guatemalan knock-off version of Monopoly. The boys also played a fair amount of soccer while I cheered them on from the sidelines.

Bancopoly: LIVE!

frolicking fun on the futbol field

One day we took a nice little walk to Parramos and hung out in central park... The mango snack pretty much topped off the outing. SOLID. I was grateful that the days were so relaxed and just chill.

chilling in the park

mango mania nom

Even though Easter wasn't as bad as Christmas, it was still a hard to miss another big holiday at home with my family. Thus, I really appreciated it when the volunteer community got together Easter evening and did a DELICIOUS fondue dinner (the perks of having volunteers from Switzerland- cheese and fondue know-how!). It was a bit nontraditional for an Easter meal, but hey, why not?

yummy yummy yummy!

Of course you eat fondue on Easter...

The days were long, but before I knew it, Easter week has passed. It was a little sad knowing that I would never again work as a tía. I guess you call it "the first last". Luckily, I got to end with a very positive experience and it was a great opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with my own boys as my time with NPH winds down.