Volunteer Orientation- The orphanage

NPH, the orphanage, is situated in a little village called Parramos, about an hour outside of Guatemala City. It is tiny and there is really nothing here- but I like that because I see the same faces every day. The house itself has over 300 children and 24 volunteers in addition to the local staff. The NPH orphanage is not just a home.... the organization runs a school, medical clinic, beauty salon, bakery, and carpentry workshop, making it perpetually its own microcosm. The children learn vocational skills in addition to traditional subjects to better prepare them for life on the ¨outside.¨

My first week here was spent getting aquainted with the other volunteers. There was alot of information and ¨getting to know you¨ activities which were somewhat tedious. For now, I am living in the guest house with 5 other girls, but I will be moving in a couple weeks to a different volunteer house with a girl who was raised in the USA, but has Guatemalan roots in her family. It should be a good time.... I can´t wait to start working.

Interesting things that happened this week- a dog rummaged through the trash can outside our house in the nighttime. I woke up to a yard full of trash which was gross! Also, I started running every morning just to relieve some stress. Finally, I watched many reruns of the Office and Sex And The City in Spanish with my new roommates. Here are some pictures from the week!

Pictures from Antigua

My host parents, their home, and general sites of Antigua!

More Antigua!

So I have been here for over a week now, and I´m starting to settle in. I am a little homesick because there are so many new places and things, but I think that´s actually a good thing because once I get through the initial homesickness, it´ll be alot easier.

Bad news... the pictures wont upload in the lab here in antigua, so I will have to wait till I am in Parramos to upload more!

Other than language school, I have gone out with the other volunteers who are here in Antigua about 3 times, taken a salsa class, tried about 20 different foods, and watched the soccer finals with new friends.... Not too bad for one week!

The first few days in Guatemala!

Well I´m here!! The flight was totally fine, and I got all my baggage on time. I went to the orphanage which was about an hour away, and one of the girls there was having a going-away party to celebrate the end of her NPH term. So I went out in Antigua! It was really fun- good drinks and bands.

The next day, I got up and hung out with the other volunteers some, and I arrived at my host family´s house at about 4pm. I was a little sad when I got there because it felt wierd staying with some family I didnt even know. But the house is beautiful and it has an open area in the middle with a garden. The dad took me on a walk through Antigua which was also awesome. They are very nice, but pretty busy with their grandma, who lives with them and is 96 years old and quite ill.

I met my new class today... the students have pretty severe disabilities, but they seem like they are able to communicate in some capacity. Also, the volunteer speech therapist, OT, and PT are really open to ideas. It seems about like what I expected.

So far, it has been kind of a whirlwind because there are lots of new people, everyone speaks spanish, and I have no clue where I am. But on the other hand, everyone pretty much understands my spanish, so thats a start. Language school has been relatively easy and the teacher is very patient with me.

Pictures of my host family and antigua to come soon...

My last few days in Columbus/Cincinnati

Last week, I packed up the last 5 years in Columbus and moved home to begin my pre-trip preparations. It was extremely difficult to say goodbye to my friends in Columbus, who have been a second family to me throughout college. That being said, we had some GREAT nights on campus and around the shorth north as a send-off! Back in Cincinnati, my parents threw me a Latin fiesta to say goodbye. OLE! It is so encouraging to know that I have the support of my family and friends when I decide to do crazy things like this. What would I do without these people?

Map of Guatemala

Note the cities of Antigua and Chimaltenango!

My first post!!

Esperanza- (n.) hope, expectation, anticipation

Hi Everyone!!! I am starting this blog to keep my friends and family up to date on my activities in Guatemala. I guess I'll start with the basics... Having just completed my master's degree in Special Education from Ohio State, I am leaving for a 13-month volunteer position in an orphanage in Antigua (the city in Guatemala, not the tropical island) on June 21st. I will be attending language school there for 2 weeks and staying with a host family until July 4th. Afterwards, I will travel to the orphange in the nearby city of Chimaltenango to begin my orientation and placement.

The link below (posted on May 31st) for NPH international describes where I will be living and the orphanage itself. There are 360 children at the house. I will have a classroom of 8-10 children with moderate-severe disabilities- The Castillo Magico, as this section of the orphanage is called, provides education, therapy, and medical care for children with a full range of intensive special needs.

The orphanage will be providing me with food, lodging ,and a monthly stipend to cover my expenses in Guatemala. I will be paying health insurance, travel, and language school out-of-pocket.

More information to come as I actually figure it out myself...