Learning Spanish, poco a poco

Learning another language es un poco difícil. There is a wide range of Spanish levels in our group of volunteers, so making small talk when we all arrived wasn’t the easiest. There was A LOT of awkward silence for the first day or two. Very quickly, we exhausted the basic (and easy to ask in Spanish!) questions about family, age, nationality, and our jobs this year. Things started to improve once we got into orientation and had something else to talk about. Fortunately for me, everyone understands English mildly well so our volunteer coordinator, Erika (from Switzerland), would generally translate the essential stuff from Spanish to English after she talked. (I’m so impressed and jealous of all the Europeans’ multilingual-ness! I wish there was a better system for learning foreign languages in the States.)

At times, the Spanish can be very frustrating. I generally feel like I can understand the gist of almost everything, but it’s so much harder to talk on my own. (Lets just forget about the few times where the topic involved more exotic vocabulary or the person spoke quickly and my comprehension went out the window…) Expressing your personality is tough, and it’s hard to really get to know someone. I think most of the volunteers would reach a point in the day where we simply could not absorb any more Spanish. It’s tiring stuff, man. Thank goodness for body language and Erika’s translations! In the midst of all the brain-melting Spanish, there were definitely some funny moments too. For example, once during lunch the conversation actually got somewhat animated and at one point I was surrounded by three languages (English, Spanish, and German). My brain was overloaded with languages. Also, I had to laugh when I caught myself intensely concentrating to understand what Laurenz (a German) was saying in Spanish until I realized he was speaking German. Duh, Jess. Just because it doesn’t sound like English doesn’t mean it’s Spanish. :)

The old volunteers have told us they were all in the same position with Spanish when they arrived. It’s incredible to watch someone who didn’t speak any Spanish when she started converse fluently in it a year later. I definitely hope I’m lucky enough to have that happen to me too! If I’m in Guatemala for a year, I definitely sure as heck better master Spanish by the end of it or I'm going to be mad at myself. Now, when the old volunteers talk to us in Spanish and translate to English, they mix up the languages. (Ex: They do things como painting and drawing… They have to compartir everything…) The phrase the old volunteers use a lot is “poco a poco”, or “little by little”. Although I wish I could just learn everything right away, I know that poco a poco it will come. Hopefully in a few months, I’ll be mixing up my languages too!

Language School- All Done!

After 40 hours of instruction (8 hours/day, Monday-Friday), I am now officially done with language school! A typical day consisted of 4 hours of studying in the morning, a 2-hour lunch (and mental) break, and 4 more hours of studying in the afternoon. My days ended at 6 PM. It was definitely an intensive experience, but I am so happy that I did it! While I appreciated the opportunity language school gave me to check out Antigua for a week, more importantly it allowed me to “break and then rebuild” my Spanish as one of my professors said. Improving my Spanish will only make things easier at NPH, and I’m grateful for this chance to really dive into the language.

I’m not sure what exactly I had in mind for language school, but it was not at all what I expected. There really wasn’t a lot of “textbook time”, which I appreciated because that is something I can do on my own. The majority of the time was spent in conversation with my professors, and I also got to take a few awesome excursions with them. I really enjoyed the complex topics we got into this week. Some good ones included corruption in government, legalization of marijuana, Catholic social teaching, faith and God, social issues of Guatemala, and oh so much more! It was much more exciting and stimulating than discussing what I had for breakfast or my favorite types of movies, which is what a lot of my previous Spanish conversations consisted of. There were a few moments where I thought, “Wow, I cannot believe I am talking about this in Spanish right now.” For example, I had that thought when one of my professors asked me to explain why God allows bad things to happen in the world. As if that’s easy to talk about in English, let alone in Spanish! Here’s a rough breakdown of my progress through language school:

• Monday- I didn’t say much besides “Sí!” and nod my head fervently during conversations.
• Tuesday- I felt like I could express my personality a bit more in the afternoon.
• Wednesday- Caught myself actually initiating conversation with my professor in the morning! (*GASP*)
• Thursday- Regressed a bit, definitely frustrated. All the verbs were a mess in my head. Grammar overload. In the afternoon, Humberto and I just took a walk.
• Friday- Realized it’s all gonna be good and had a great last day at school, including some awesome excursions!

I had two different professors for the week: one for the mornings and one for the afternoons. In the mornings, I worked with Francisco. Francisco has a really interesting background. He is very politically active and participated in lots of protests when he was younger. He has fought extensively for the rights of the Indigenous people of Guatemala. Francisco told me all about the awful social situation they are in, how many Guatemalans are actually unaware of this issue, and the dirty details of the social classes. If you want to know more, ask me and I’ll tell you! Even though the topics were very heavy, I am so glad I got to learn about the “real Guatemala” and not just what is displayed in some glossy tourist brochure. Some highlights from my time with Francisco:

• “Jesús es un verbo, no es un sustantivo.”= “Jesus is a verb, not a noun.”
• Watching a documentary about how the monoculture African palm is wrecking the environment and the Indigenous people’s lives. The extremely rich of Guatemala (<1% of the population) own 80% of the cultivatable land, which is one of highest rates of land concentration in the world. SOCIAL ISSUES, MAN, SOCIAL ISSUES.
• “No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.”= “There is no worse blind man than the one who doesn’t want to see.”
• Drinking wine from native Guatemalan fruits!
• Discovering Francisco dabbles in the art of bonsai and that he has a baby pineapple tree, whaaat?

Wine tasting. Best language school excursion ever? I think so.

Not that I didn't already think Francisco's whole bonsai thing was cool, but it went to a whole new level when I saw the baby pineapples. Too cute! Or as Carolyn Bates would say, TMTH (too much to handle).

In the afternoons, I worked with Humberto. As much as Francisco engaged me at a social concerns level, Humberto pushed me in matters of faith. He loved hearing about the Catholic Worker and we swapped stories of faith in the real world. He also has some rather creepy ghost stories up his sleeve! I loved that Humberto said that I “saque el jugo” (take out the juice from him, think squeezing an orange) meaning that I push and engage him as an instructor. He said he greatly enjoyed the depth and topics of our conversations. In turn, he said he was going to make sure he took the juice out of me as his student! Some highlights from my time with Humberto:

• Hearing about his work in orphanages and other social service agencies, and the prominent role faith plays in his life. What an awesome man, seriously!
• Hearing about his training for a half-marathon in two weeks. YOU GOT THIS, HUMBERTO!
• His affirmation of my Spanish abilities at a time when I needed to hear some praise. Thanks, bud.
• Learning a ton of Guatemala proverbs! “Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente.”= “Shrimp that fall asleep are carried away by the current.”
• Visiting Cerro de La Cruz with him.

Cerro de la Cruz. Sweet vantage point for Antigua and an awesome break from Spanish grammar.

At Cerro de la Cruz, I met this kiddo named Kevin and got to pet his adorable puppy! It felt great to finally interact with a kid.

Both of my professors were models of patience. I definitely made a lot of mistakes when I talked this whole week, and I know I will continue to do so for a long, long time. I tried to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that this was definitely helping me. At a minimum, it felt great to know that I had engaged in conversation at a high level for 8 hours for a day! It wasn’t perfect, but hey, I got by and people knew what I was trying to say. Sounds like a win to me! (Even when I speak English, I’ve noticed that I now use my hands A TON. I can only imagine the extreme facial expressions I must have haha.)

Both of my professors said that it was very evident that I had a strong desire to simply learn, not only about Spanish but also about Guatemala. It meant a lot to me that they could see that, because it’s true! I feel like somebody was watching out for me when He (catch that?) paired me up with Francisco and Humberto this week. I cannot think of a better pair of instructors for me to have had! I’d like to thank all the staff of Academia de Español Continental that made my language school experience so spectacular. Even after just one week of essentially being a tourist, I feel like I already have been changed for the better (and definitely have a lot of things to think about this year). My time in Antigua has been wonderful, but I can’t wait leave for the NPH orphanage today and continue to learn more about Spanish and LIFE!

Humberto giving me my diploma. I'm at a level "advancado", woohoo! :)

Happy Birthday, America!

While I was a little sad to be away for the Fourth of July, celebrating it in Antigua wasn’t bad! At school that day, Sister Cecelia bought some pan dulces (sweet bread) for everbody and wrote a cute little sign that said “Happy Birthday, America”.

Pan dulces! :)

Also, there were three students/teachers living in the house by this point in the week- Matt (American), Karen (Norwegian), and me. As traveling will do to a group of people, we had all become pretty fast friends. I think we would have been friends anyways though since Karen and Matt were both awesome! Anyways, Matt and I definitely wanted to celebrate America's special day, and Karen was game to go out with us. So, that night we wandered down to a local bar and had a drink in honor of America. We were even lucky enough to catch a few "bombas" (fireworks) in the sky on the way back. Thank goodness Antigua has a significant expat population!

"Gallo", a Guatemalan beer. I liked it, especially because every sip I took was for liberty and justice for all.

Bomba/firework! And checkout the backsides of Matt and Karen- looking good, guys.

Spanish Mass

If you didn’t know this about me, I’m Catholic and I enjoy going to Mass. I had wandered through some beautiful catholic churches during my exploration time on Sunday, and I had particularly loved la Iglesia de la Merced. The exterior was gorgeous and the inside was equally as stunning. Also, I loved that it was hundreds of years old! Originally built in 1546, la Iglesia de Merced has undergone a series of destructions (from earthquakes) and reconstructions since then. It was cool to think back on the thousands of people who have spent a few moments with God in this really old place, and that now I was part of that history too. I decided I wanted to experience Mass in there before I left Antigua, and luckily it was only about 5 minutes from the house I was staying in.

By Tuesday, I was feeling comfortable enough with my surroundings (and ready to have something to do at night) to take on this adventure. So, that evening after dinner, I ventured out to catch the 7 P.M. service. It was a good experience and I’m glad I went. I think I was a little tired and “Spanished-out” after 8 hours of class that day, so I’ll admit I caught myself zoning out a bit during the service. When I managed to make myself focus, I was able to get the gist of what was being said. (I love that Mass has the same format wherever you go in the world!) Aside from the long day of school, a few other things distracted me during the service. First of all, they had these cute little kids being altar boys. Like me, the boys also seemed a little disengaged and they were making me laugh with their fidgeting. Additionally, the lady in front of me was singing the Mass parts with full heart and voice (any of my Domers catch that Father Rocca shoutout?) but she was so off key! That also made me smile, but only because I thought it was awesome that she was singing with such gusto. Finally, during communion the altar boys kept sticking these silver plates on sticks under people's mouth. I was so confused by them at first, but eventually I realized that they must be doing that to catch the Host in case it drops. That was another difference- the norm was to have the priest put the Host directly in your mouth rather than your hands. So overall, Mass is unsurprisingly the same here in Guatemala but there were a few differences to keep it interesting and make me laugh. I need to learn some Spanish hymns!

Hopefully I make it back for another Mass that I’m a bit more attentive in, but I’m glad I got to go at least one time. I’m looking forward to experiencing Mass at NPH with the kiddos!

La Iglesia de Merced. PRETTY.

Oooo, very nice inside too!

One of many spots for candles before a devotion to a saint.

No Hay Agua- The First Morning

This post needs to start with a background story. By the time I arrived in Antigua on Sunday after all the traveling, I was pretty grimy and ready for a shower. Flor (my hostess) had explained to me which shower knob to turn and in which direction (an emphatic “A LA IZQUIERDA!”) to get hot water. Also, fun fact: hot water was only available from 6 P.M.-9 A.M. A few hours later, I was ENTIRELY ALONE IN THE HOUSE FOR THE NIGHT (scary business) and ready to take my first shower in Guatemala. This turned out to be easier said than done.

The adventure began as soon as I undressed and grabbed the towel I had been given. It was so tiny- I would probably use it to swaddle an infant. It really didn’t cover everything that a towel should cover, but since I was alone I just scurried over to the bathroom and figured I could air dry a little if I needed. In the shower, I followed the instructions exactly, turning the left knob all the way to the left. I expected a nice stream of hot water to come pouring out. You know, standard business. Nah-ah, my friend, nah-ah. What I got instead was a dribble of freezing cold water. I started fiddling with the right knob hoping I had heard the directions wrong. I was able to get a volume of water that was almost semi-decent, but was still so cold. After standing there shivering for a few minutes, I gave up and washed up as best I could. I was going to have to man up fast (or just be really smelly) if this was the norm for showering. Wishing I had savored a little more in America what was possibly my last hot shower for a long time, I got out of the shower with my mini-towel. I was semi-clean and semi-dry, but still totally okay with life as I climbed into bed to catch up on sleep after traveling. It was all good, I could deal.

The next morning, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I turned the faucet tap on the sink, but no water came out! Since turning the sink on is so hard, I figured I might have done something wrong and tried again. Still nothing. I tried the shower. Nada. I tried the toiled. Zip. I tried other bathrooms. Zilch. (My thoughts: “Guatemala, I don’t play these games. Knock it off.”) Feeling entirely silly, I asked the maid, Rosaria, if she knew why there wasn’t water. She just said sometimes that happens and that it will be back in a few hours. Alrightyyyyy then, sounds good- gracias Rosaria! All I could do was smile and shake my head- this was so different than home. And hey, it wasn’t going to last forever. I know a lack of running water is not something to laugh at, but in the moment the difference between home and here was kind of fun, just a new little part of the journey.

Rosaria was spot on with her prediction- the water did come back in a few hours. Even better, I think my awful shower situation the previous night was tied up with the water issues the following morning. I tried the shower again tonight and was able to get a decent stream of hot water- YES! I don’t really know what the deal with the water was but I’m glad it worked itself out. Not that I couldn’t have handled it if I had to go without hot showers for a year, but I won’t lie that I’m grateful that I don’t have to. Also, as I was getting dressed that morning I couldn’t help but realize the irony of one of my favorite ND t-shirts. It says, “1 in 6 people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water.” Luckily, I do have drinking water and the shortage on running water was only a few hours, but I know there are many people who are not as fortunate as I am. I had never felt closer to being a part of that statistic than I did that morning. Anyways, say a little prayer of gratitude next time you turn your sink on because you never know when it might just take a break for a bit!

¡Un milagro! Never again will I take this for granted :)

First Steps in a New World- Exploring Antigua

Once I got the tour of the home, I sensed Flor (my hostess) encouraging me to go out and explore. She gave me a map and some safety tips and then kind of left me to do my own thing, which was great. I realized that this Sunday was probably going to be my only day to check out Antigua since I would have 8 hours of class a day for the rest of the week and it’s not safe to be out at night. So, I set off in the mid-afternoon to see what I could find!

Yeah, that's right. I stomped on those uneven cobblestones.

I was really struck by how old this city is- you can definitely tell that some parts are actually hundreds of years old. For example, I just walked by some ruins of colonial buildings three minutes from the house, no big deal. I eventually hit the plaza square where a bunch of shops were. I met a tour guide named Louis who was excited to be what he thought was my first friend in Antigua. (I didn’t burst his bubble by telling him about Flor and Hugo who I was already BFFs with…) Eventually, a live band started playing and couples began dancing on the sidewalk (too sweet!). Horses pulled carriages around the plaza, which had this big, attractive fountain centerpiece. I could tell I was in a touristy area since I could still hear lots of English around me, but I was using my Spanish so I was happy!

Ruins. Casual.

Everything was all really cool, but the one thing I had associated with Antigua (thank you, college Spanish class) and wanted to see was El Arco de Santa Catalina. I was just thinking about asking for directions when I turned a corner and there it was in all its historical and architectural glory! Apart from being visually beautifully, the arch is neat because it allowed nuns to cross the street without being seen back in the 1600s and 1700s. I was elated that I had unexpectedly stumbled upon the crown jewel of Antigua. I couldn’t resist splurging on a beautiful little watercolor of El Arco painted by a street artist as a souvenir. I love it so much and I can’t stop looking at it. It’s going to look great on my bedroom wall this year!

EL ARCO DE SANTA CATALINA!!!

Still riding my “I love traveling” high, I decided to sample some local cuisine. I had this FANTASTIC roasted corn on the cob served with a lime slice and salt (which I also think was flavored with lime). I had forgotten to eat lunch that day, so I basically devoured it. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering into shops, exploring old churches, and snapping a few pictures. It was a bit of a surreal feeling to be so “off the grid”. I didn’t have a phone, no one knew anything about me, and no one in the world knew where I was. For a few hours, I was responsible for just me, myself, and I. I definitely savored the moment knowing that soon enough A LOT more responsibility will be coming my way, which I can’t wait for! I think I was just acknowledging and appreciating this personal time before things really kick into gear.

Before.

After. I was just a little starving.

I know today probably won’t be representative of my year with NPH. I doubt I will be traveling and exploring all the time like I did today, and that’s okay.  That’s not what my time with NPH is supposed to be about. This isn’t another semester of study abroad, it’s a year of service to the kids. All that being said, I’m glad I got a little independent adventure Jess time in before many hours of language school this week. That also doesn’t mean I won’t whip out my Nalgene and boots (AKA “adventure gear”) as soon as I get the chance again either! (BOTH OF THEM WERE SO WORTH PURCHASING- check ‘em out!)

Boots+Nalgene=Happy Jess :)

The "Getting There" Part

I love everything about traveling except the actual traveling. I’m talking about the part where you’re hauling around more over packed bags than you have arms for and all the waiting that generally has to occur. While I couldn’t wait to get to Guatemala, I was definitely a little grim-faced when I departed for the Las Vegas airport Saturday night. I felt like I was preparing for a personal war with airports- they could not break me, I would not get stressed. Really though, I could not have asked for a smother travel experience. My first flight was a little delayed. However, that left time for a conversation with a slightly inebriated man from Texas who kissed my hand in farewell. I was definitely going in for the handshake but oooooh well, it was an experience! All that matters is I made it to Guatemala and I am so grateful my luggage arrived, customs and immigration were a breeze, and finding my ride was as easy as walking outside!

My super nice driver’s name was Hugo, and he was in charge of delivering me to my language school in Antigua. We didn’t talk too much during the hour drive from Guatemala City to Antigua, but I didn’t mind. I kind of just wanted to watch out the window and take in the country that is going to be my new home for this year. First impressions:

• Very green and lush. I immediately thought of the Jurassic Park movies and would have been relatively unphased if some dinosaurs just happened to pop out alongside the road.
• Hilly and mountainous. Hugo said standard transmission is preferred here because of the terrain. Not that I’m planning on driving much, but I’m so pumped I learned how to drive stick before I left just in case!
• Definitely a “developing” country, about on par with Bali and Fiji. Lots of tin roofs.
• Stray dogs all over the place. The dog lover in me is going to have a hard time not wanting to pet them this year.
• Presence of military/security forces evident. I saw a fair amount of intimidating men with big guns just chilling on the side of the road.
• Cultural! I saw ladies in indigenous garb balancing massive baskets of who knows what on their heads just casually walk on the street. HOW COOL IS THAT?
• When I inevitably get tired of beans, rice, and tortillas, it will be okay. There were lots of American fast food chains to turn to in times of craving crises.

I had no idea how Hugo knew where he was going because street signage didn’t really exist off the main highway, but he certainly knew his way around. Once we reached Antigua, he weaved deeper into the local streets. I started to get SUPER nervous about my lodgings- I had no idea what to expect. We finally stopped in front of “Casa Bella”, and it is actually the cutest thing and perfect! I’ve got my own room, it’s clean, and there’s plenty of drinking water. What more could I ask for? To top all my good fortune off, my hostess, Flor, is so sweet and nice to me.

I also really like the layout of the house, which is quite different from any residential home I’ve seen in the United States. What makes it so unique is the third floor, which is really just a rooftop patio/terrace kind of situation. The third floor has a large skylight in it, except there is no covering! So, the second floor has this fenced off area where the skylight drops down through it, and on the first floor there is a cement area with plants underneath the skylight opening. The whole thing gives the house a very open feeling, lets in tons of light to all stories, and brings the outdoors in. I’m looking forward to the rain so I can just sit in the living room and have it fall down through the skylight. Oh, I forgot to mention three volcanoes ring the area and I can see them from the roof! I’m a happy camper to be safely settled in such a great place.

Third floor/terrace

Second floor- my room is the farthest door!

First floor