I went on another vacation to Lago de Atitlan (wikipedia it), which is a really famous lake here and I went swimming and just hung out. We were are this village called Jibalito, which is tiny and mostly indigenous, so we got to see how the local Mayan population lives which was really neat. I did some hiking, swam in the lake, and just rested with the other volunteers...very sweet!
This weekend was independence day for Guatemala so there was a torch run which the orphanage did for about 10 miles! I didn't run the whole way because the altitude is super high here and its hard to run sometimes, but I ran a good chunk. There was also a parade, but I was down with the flu that day so I didn't get to attend. However, I will post pictures from other people soon.
Work has been...intense. The more I work with my kids, the more I discover the hidden problems with the administration here, the reality of my students' capabilities, and the attitudes of other people in the Guatemalan society towards disability. The people here have two main attitudes towards people with disabilities: 1) They believe that disabled individuals can't achieve anything so they refuse to assist with medical care, education, or advocacy, 2) They freely hand out money and gifts to disabled people without training them in any way. Both attitudes are harmful to the kids. I struggle to find a balance between work and daily life, as my kids require an INFINITE amount of therapies every day. However, in spite of it all, I LOVE my kids very much and enjoy spending so much time with them.
Pictures soon....not only of the lake, but also more of my kids and the house.
7 comments:
That picture is AMAZING! Wow...sure beats the Ohio River with dead fish and trash in it...MISS YOU!
Hello Anjali,
hope your flu wasnt too bad. nice to hear you are doing fine. i just got back from a weekend in newyork with my med school friends, celebrating our 50th birthdays(that was the excuse!), had a great time. but the best bit was when usha turned up there...didnt expect that at all!! couldnt manage to meet ashwin tho. Viv nd roo are fine here, roo does his driving test in 2 hrs(8am here now) but hasnt woken up yet!
dont get too fond of gautemala...we want you back next year! love you, uma
Hi Anjali,
Glad to hear you are doing fine. We really missed you last week when the rest of your family was here.. we all had a great time. Supriya and the kids will be here by the end of the month. We both are doing fine.
Enjoyed seeing your pictures, keep them coming.
Elizabeth
hi anjali
I really surprised Uma! she thought I couldn't do it! ha, ha.
Where is your next trip to??
Miss you
love
mom
dear anjali
here's wishing you a very happy b'day.great to know that you are having a good time in guatemala.have a fantastic year ahead.
love,anita and arun
Dear Anjali
Wish you a very Happy Birthday !
Have a great day.
Love
Mom and Dad
Hi Anjali
It is Radhikedthi from Seychelles. Maniedthi passed your blog info to me. It sounds like you are having a fulfilling time and you sure seem to be doing some great work out there.
A teacher from the international school here has also taken a year out to work in Antigua. She works with kids at the hospital there. Her name is Nayna Kennedy. She too has a blog - it is naynak.blogspot.com. Just in case you meet her.
Will watch this space
Love
R
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