Rocking that *International* Paradise

“So what do you think?  Mini or full adventure?” Chris asked me via messenger on Thursday afternoon.  Before I knew Chris would be in town this weekend, I had already made plans with my co-workers for Saturday evening.  But an adventure with Chris is something no one should pass up when given the chance. Full adventure was the obvious choice.  I backed out of my Saturday plans, and Chris and I left that morning bound for Mixco Viejo to be followed by a surprise which I only knew entailed a road/village that Chris had never been to.  We left the city and wound up the hills, through an area Chris calls the furniture capital of Guatemala, towards San Juan Sacatepequez.    The views were simply stunning.  The skies were clear, and we pulled over to take a few photos of Guatemala City spread out in the distance.  As our road curved over ridges, the view on either side of the truck kept changing.  With sweeping valley...

I’ve been back in Guate for two weeks now, but both weeks seemed to pass in the flash of an eye, leaving me today, for the first time, with a chance to catch my breath and reflect on them. There’s a reason I felt so occupied the first two weeks; I had a lot going on.  Two days after returning to Guatemala, my dear friend G-Money (of college marching band and Peru adventure fame) arrived to visit.  Unfortunately, her arrival coincided perfectly with my return to work.  While I scrambled to get my classroom ready for the arrival of my new students, G-Money spent her first two days in the country relaxing and exploring the area around my neighborhood.  She mastered ordering coffee in Spanish, visited the grocery store 3 days running (with different people each time), and explored Cayalá.  On Saturday morning, my first day off, our adventure really began.  We set off before dawn to make it to Lake Atitlan as early as possible.  The trip was pe...

A new school year has officially started, and with it, a new crop of 7 th graders.  This week has been full of briefing kids on routines and procedures as well as getting to know them and building community.  Each year I have an advisory group.  These 10-15 students come to my room for 10 minutes each morning, and for 40 minutes on Monday afternoon.  I act as their advocate, checking in with them about everything from their grades to their social well-being, making sure no one falls through the cracks.  This first week of school, my advisory spent a lot of time together. One thing I’ve learned: if you want a recipe for instant unity, the secret is to introduce a team mascot.  Enter Bob, the Flying Pejelagarto.  I had this furry frog/lizard stuffed animal in my classroom, left over from last year.  As my kids and I started to brainstorm names for our group (each advisory gives themselves a name, writes a chant or cheer, and compet...