My 16th and final entry....I'm coming home!!

It’s gonna be strange getting up in the mornings and not checking my shoes for scorpions.
Not being woken up each day at 6am by the strange but beautiful howl of the baby cockerel learning how to crow.
I’ll miss my easy and wonderful 5 minute commute to work through the bumpy and uneven cobbled town to the busy market.







'Some not so busy'

Where I pass, Juanita and Katrina the bread ladies, Juan the nut seller, Brenda the juice girl and Maurice the builder who is always resting on his front step.
He greets me in English now as we have been practicing together daily and watching the world go by.
Apart from Maurice everyone greats me in Spanish obviously, but EVERYONE says either good morning, afternoon or evening every time our paths cross. It’s such a friendly town and I love it.



'Getting around San Pedro'

Every day I stand on the steps to the school and welcome and watch my students arrive. Some as young at 4yrs old climb the steep hill alone, back packs on backs. Somehow their little minds are programmed to get to school and then find their way home at the end of the day. Some come with parents and those parents always say, good morning, thank you, kiss me or hug me as their way of saying ‘thanks I appreciate what you are doing here’.



'A child walking to one of the posh schools with uniforms'

I’ll miss that warm feeling of being connected to the people and of being appreciated for the work that I do.
I’ve crossed over from tourist to teacher, working for them within their town and with that come all the politics too which I was trying to avoid. But you get sucked into their sad stories and religious divide.
Some only ever coming together to protest for peace, which they did for 10yrs till 1996 when the war here ended. Or in the natural disasters of Hurricane Stan in 2005 or the mud slides of last year that killed 2000 people around the lake. Or after death when they all finally lay side by side in San Pedro’s only cemetery.



'The Ice cream mans in town'

The first 10 pages of the local paper ‘El Dario’ informs us of the deaths and murders of the previous day all over Guatemala. The national average for murderers is 8 per day here. But somehow we are in our own little world 4hrs from the City and 3hrs from the hospital only connected by El Dario and a few handed down old US school busses which charge around from Town to Town driven by lunatics. Most people in our town can’t read Spanish as their first language is T’Zutahil and most of the tourists can’t so we all look at the pictures instead and make our own news happy in our naivety.



'My Guatemalan Mum and Sister Sarita'

That’s when I realize I’m a long way from home on Thursday when I was getting some supplies for school I asked the lady in the shop for a receipt but she said she couldn’t. I explained that it wasn’t my money and that it was for the school. She simply replied “I understand totally but I can’t write’. It’s as simple as that! I love the fact that my family had no idea who Walt Disney was or Paris Hilton or that they are not the pioneers of the bendy bus, it’s beautiful.



'La Lancha'

I’ll definitely miss getting around from town to town by boat, Panajachel, San Marcos, Santa Cruz, San Juan, Santiago Atitlan and of course San Pedro. It’s such a great feeling speeding over the waves with the wind in my hair dodging the volcanoes.



'Me in San Marcos on my mini break in the 2nd weekend here'

The lakes, mountains and 3 volcanoes are just stunning. It’s impossible to take a 2D photo of them you just have to see it for yourself.
Sometime I forget about them for a bit, then I turn around in town and I’m standing at the foot of a 1500m volcano.



'Volcano San Pedro in the clouds'

The lake is like glass in the morning and perfect for swimming and if the clouds are low it looks magical and mysterious as the volcanoes hide in the smoke which just touches the water. In the afternoon however it’s like the sea. It’s so big that it becomes our own sea as the children play in the waves.



'Local kids playing while their parents do their laundry on the rocks nearby'

I’m gonna miss every single thing from here, there’s nothing about my personal journey I would change. It’s been an amazing adventure from start to finish. It’s been a fore filing experience in every way, feeding my soul and making my heat smile.



'Dad keeps girl from buring'

I have flexed some of the creative muscles that have been lying dormant in me since University, even if it is only drawing Zebras,



'Did someone say Zebras!!!!'

sharks, forests and deserts.
I also now have the imprint in my memory of 390 little smiling faces to take home with me and treasure forever (apart from this morning when they tried to kill me as I gave out the last of my pencils ‘Seno dame lapiz, dame lapiz’, they knocked me off my feet)!!

I’ve had my moments definitely!! Where I’ve been stressed or frustrated. When I’ve felt like I’m just one person and it’s not really making any difference. And in those moments I’ve been guided by the other volunteers around San Pedro to be positive, to look at the bigger long term picture. That I am part of a bigger team and like my friend Tish said a snowflake in an avalanche of change.



'My kids on a demonstration yesterday afternoon to keep their school open'

The bigger picture is that by teaching the youngest kids about the importance of their environment and the effects that doing too much of one thing or not enough of another will have. That by taking baby steps together hand in hand we can make a difference and it can filter through to their families and in time through the generations therefore having an impact on their lives.
We will never be able to stop them chopping down the forests (which cause terrible effects in the rainy season) as its their income, but we can educate, plant new trees and by training them on the computers we are supplying we can give them an alternative future should the forests not be there (as predicted) by the time they need to work.
I’m definitely leaving here now feeling positive and feeling like I have achieved my part in the bigger picture in the time I have had available. So I’ll hand over my babies and the town to other volunteers as they, like me, for as long as they can too, help Down 2 Earth achieve their mission to continue

‘SOWING THE SEADS OF POSITIVE CHANGE’



'Peace'

Thanks to both my families the one in San Pedro and my real one back home and to all my friends for your lovely comments and support big warm love to all………See you all soon, I’m coming home!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seño Lucia

Well Seno Lucia has hung up her teachers robe for the last time in San Pedro.
Slight sense of relief I have to admit!!!!! It was MUCH harder work then I had ever imagined short days long holidays and all that, it’s all a myth. They look cute in the pictures but don’t let that fool you; they are hard work and need constant attention and discipline.
But that aside, I have enjoyed every single second that I have been with them, they have filled my head with stories that I will remember forever.



We have covered Ecology, Habitats, Carnivores, Herbivores and Omnivores. Ecosystems, communities and food chains. We have made worlds, stickers, posters, animals on elastic and much much more. I have been with the oldest at 14yrs down to the youngest at 4yrs old and have adapted my lessons to suit.



In my final lesson with the youngest class ‘Primario’ I was with Paola who is a real Miss chatterbox she never stops. I drew the outline in marker pen for their habitat so that they could colour the animals and stick them in (after gluing each others heads together first).



As always the deal is, if you stick in an animal, you have to colour and stick another for it to eat in order to survive in that habitat. So she coloured her possum in Orange and when I asked her what it was she replied ‘it’s a possum of course’, ‘and what does a Possum eat’ I asked not being sure of the answer myself. She went silent for a few minutes (which was a relief all be it short silence) before replying, ‘I’m not sure but I will make it a cake’. So she drew a circle, coloured it in pink and stuck it in our Forest Habitat. I wasn’t gonna challenge her as I had no idea of the correct answer so we left the cake there and only she and I know that it’s actually a cake and not something living in that habitat.



I have to leave my fan club behind too which consists of 5 little girls that follow me everywhere during break time and before and after school. They have figured out finally that I only have 2 hands so now take it in turns to hold my hand whilst quibbling with each other as apposed to ripping my arms out of their sockets which is what they did for the first month!



This is us just after a game of ‘Que Hora es Seno Lobo’ which translates as ‘what’s the time Mr. Wolf’!
They enjoyed that game as well as platting my hair and checking it for lice and just generally petting me until the bell goes for class.

I will miss my red pen and black pen, giving out gold stars to the first ten to finish copying my notes and diagrams off the board. Ill miss confiscating little bits of paper with scribblings on and Ill miss the mornings as I stand at the steps welcoming them all while I slurp my coffee and the occational one that just stands there until I lean down for a kiss.



Ill miss the buzz of the lessons and the mad crazy race to get it all taught, create a piece of art and clear up in time for a quick photo of the kids and volunteers.



These are the boys cleaning the classroom as we have no cleaner or caretaker anymore.



And me doing my bit!!

This morning I was sat at the dock waiting for a boat and I saw 3 of my little students wispering ´look its teacher´I said hello and asked what the bag of water was with black things in they were clutching and they told me they were going fishing and that the bag was full of worms which are part of our environment!!!

Ill miss all of these things but I will leave a little part of my heart here for them always in San Pedro.

The Future of Our School

On 15th November 2006, our school was severely and violently vandalized by the local Mayor and police. All of the windows were destroyed and the classrooms left in ruins and ontop of this the destruction took place while the teachers and children were inside.

They also cut off all water supplies to the school meaning that every Thursday the parents and children from all over the town and mountains have to bring their own water to school in any containers they have in order to fill up the tanks for the toilets.



Since I have been here ´Down 2 Earth´ have managed to get hold of an injunction from the City Officials against any further destruction ´for now´ but no one really knows if this small piece of paper will prevent long term plans for the expansion of the market.

If the planned expansion of the market goes ahead in order to bring in tourists it will not only mean that the kids dont have a school but the poorest people from the mountains will not be able to afford a spot in the new improved market in order to sell their fruits and crafts.

For the 3 months from Nov 06 - Jan 07 that the school was on break ´los padres de la escuela´ (The Parents of the school) have been camped inside the school 24hrs a day to make sure that their children are secured an education and the mayor doesnt come back to finish off the job.

The influence of the mayor has also meant that the school is no longer recognised as a enducation center by the govenment so all funds, including teachers wages have been stopped meaning they have all been working for free.

Its such a hard political state which really has the town split in two. Our project is one of education, the environment and human rights by protecting whats left of the Mayan population.

Im scared now to leave the kids as no one really knows what the future of the school is. I feel like they have started to trust and except me and now that I am going, I feel so torn.
They are used to seeing me around the school and town and even at weekends I hear their little voices in the street shouting ´Seño Lucia´ as I walk by. I think I am going to have to be bound and gagged and thrown onto a chicken bus when the time comes to finally leave them behind!!!!

This is my last week teaching them in the school so Im just gonna make the most of every second I still have with them.

I have been invited back whenever I want so my plan is to continue working freelance and come back each year when it gets quiet in the industry.

I hope thats the right thing to do, who knows, part of me wants to tear up my ticket home (ok partly because I´m shit scared of flying) but so I can stay with my Niños de San Pedro.

Maybe, all of my favourites, I know I am not suposed to have them, but all teachers and parents do right? I know this as I am told secretly all the time by my parents, oh yes I am, Oh yes I am, its my blog!! Anyway, I could bring them all home with me so that is not so hard to leave!!!!!

There´s only 6 kids, no hang on 7, either 7 or 8 which really isnt that much as they are only small and my Dad is already building a house in Spain which would be perfect as they all speak Spanish and are totally sweet Daaaaaaaaaaaaad!!!

Hmmm, anyway,take your time, Im not leaving till the 4th March so... have a litle think, read through this entry again, check out their tiny little faces in the picture bellow Dad and get back to me!!!!



Just kiddin, Love you!!

San Valentin, Feliz Dia Del Amor

I have had a fever for the past few days so no blog, one of the little kids gave me some bug on valentines day as a special present that I just couldnt shake.
I was freezing for 2 days and shivering so got sent to bed so that I didnt pass it on to any of the kids that cant afford the medicine needed to get better!!! Its crazy expensive here, by the time I had visited the only reliable medic in the town (who can therefore charge what he likes) and paid for my prescription I was 23 Pounds less well off which they definately could not afford and therefore just have to sit it out.

Other than that all has been going incredibly well.
We have now completed our first section of the course with all of the different age groups so are preparing this weekend for the next activity.
I have spent the best part of the morning drawing sharks and rabbits and lady birds and all sorts of other animals for them to stick tissue paper too and decorate. Its just so exciting and nothing like work.... Im happier then ever. I sat next to the lake in the sun drawing for hours, I mean how different is that from 16hrs in a blacked out studio wondering when the producer is finally gonna pull the plug!! (you know who you are!!)

The kids have loved us being there and as well as our project the kids spent the week rehearsing for their show which was held at the school on Wednesday night for San Valentin or El dia de Cariño.



The 390 children put on a performance for the 200 or so parents and it was so much fun.
Myself and Nicole the other volunteer dressed in traditional mayan clothing including aprons (which they use here as bags to fill at the market) but we filled ours with sweets and handed them out to the 390 pairs of little grubby hands!!!



It was so lovely the parents thought It was lovely that we made the effort as its not the most comfortable thing to ware and I felt like I fit in completely. When it came time to give back the clothes I was a bit reluctant I want to ware them every day and be part of this comunity!!!



This is Samual the 70yr Old head master (that came out of retirement as his school was under threat) he gave a speach which included thanking all the ´Down To Earth´ Volunteers individually for all our support to keep the school open to which we recieved thunderous applause from the happy parents!!



It was amazing and the kids loved every second. This is Nicole and I with one of the kids.



Each class, (there are 12) gave a performance of sort mainly dancing & singing while the parents watched on. Some of the parents of the school (which is the group that have been occupying the school 24hrs a day in order to protect it) took part by providing the music too.



It was a great night, I felt totally accepted and at home amongst all the locals and it felt so good to understand the Spanish finally and speak it too, even if it was mostly to tell the kids to sit down and be quiet!!!!

The whole event was a great success!! We showed the Mayor and the people that want to destroy our school that what ever they try to do we will be strong and come together.
They have broken it, we are reparing it, they want it empty, we will not leave it, they cut off our water supply, we bring our own. Where there is a will there is a way and its great to see the results of the project happening infront of my eyes and be part of it.

I am really, really, really going to miss being part of this wonderful town full of amazing, kind hearted and beautiful people.

It really is an honour to be part of it for a short space of time.

Its the future

I think the adverage student stays with a family for a maximum of 2 weeks before getting bored of learning Spanish and moving on. However, since my entire stay is several months which I have paid for upfront, my family have decided to invest in a few luxuries.

I arrived back on Sunday from Panajachel and a brand new colour TV has appeared in the kitchen taking pride of place on the work surface.
Life continues in much the same way as before, a few small adjustments are made to the seating plan around the table for meal times so that we can all watch the news at breakfast.

So this mornings news, Guatemala city is conducting a small experiment and has bought itself 5 bendy buses. Now picture for a moment San Pedro which is 4 hours from the city, the roads are dusty, the buses are big and loud and transport the people from the smaller rural towns in the mountains to the bigger towns around the lake. From 5am they chug along beeping loudly to indicate their arrival. Then as they pull up child workers waist no time as they spring down from the roof tossing down crates of chickens while other kids post themselves though the glassless windows to make a few Quetzal saving seats for the adults. Everyone has their job to done and its done quickly and chaotically until the bus is packed to absolute bursting including any amount of animals, people and furniture on its roof. Once its ready it pulls away beeping madly as more people cling on to the back for dear life therefore advoiding payment.



So back to the bendy bus, its one of those news items where they have filmed a little trailor before hand which goes somthing like this. The big green bendy bus pulls up into shot and a long and orderly que of locals are waiting. The doors open automatically and the people walk in slowly one by one as the news reporter explains how this amazing new futuristic bus will work. Then when all the people are sat down safely she waves to the driver and it gently pulls away through the shot. We cut to a wide shot of the bus driving past in all its glory. At this point the father of my family Antonio says to the mother who is sat quietly sowing in the corner "Mira, mira el nuevo autobus' she looks up unimpressed then smiles at me raising her eyebrows. He looks back at the other student and myself with the same expression and says ' Mmm i dont think it will catch on....do you!".
We fell on the floor laughing and so did he completely oblivious that there are actually more than 5 buses in existance eleswhere!!!!



Yet another technological breakthrough, the hand powered big wheel, we're streets ahead in San Pedro!!!

Spanglish Lessons begin

Wow, I feel like Im Flying!!
Thursday we gave our first class alone totally in Spanish teaching Ecology to the toughest of audiences..... thirty 11yr olds kids. It was a bit like dying a slow and painful death, we had a guide line of what we needed to say but I couldnt think on my feet quick enough for them. I didnt really understand the English Version totally so the Spanish was tough. I had been asured that I would just be an assistant and that I didnt need to give the class but this was a big fat lie, and from a charity organisation too!!!! I looked around the class at one point at lots of little hands waving in the air and I had a moment where it sounded like they had all decided to speak in German as I joke, I just didnt understand a word they were saying!!

Deep breath!! Friday however, was a different story all together.
I decided to take matters into my own hands and if I was to be the teacher delivering the lesson I needed to be prepared. So I needed everything I would want to ask the kids translated, including my introduction if i got stuck as well as every animal I could think of so I would have them to hand.
After 4 long hours I emerged from my bedroom my head in a spin and I gathered my family togther in the kitchen. They were to be.... my test audience. They sat at the kitchen table listening as I explained Ecology, Ecosystems and Habitats and pretended to write on the black board and ask them questions, Antonio the father thought It was hilarious when I told him he would have to wait outside the class if he kept talking to his wife while I was speaking.
I had to make a few changes of course but on the whole they understood and thought it was great especially my over enthusiastic animal impressions.
So on Friday morning when the bell went at 7.30am myself and Anna the other volunteer marched into our new classroom with purpose, my globe and torch in hand!!

It went fantastically, what a reaction, they even understood my explaination and demonstration of the world spinning and the fact that when its the day in Guatemala its night in India, for this I used my globe and the big new heavy mag light Id bought in London to double up as a self defense wepon if needed.
I did the whole thing in Spaninsh and it felt amazing. The director of the school Samual who is in his 70's and was in retirement until our school was half destroyed came to watch the class aswell. I think one of the teachers had let slip that we were a bit rubish the day before so he came to witness our humiliation for himself.

Of course I felt under even more pressure when he was there so I didnt let on that I had no idea what the kids were saying back to me. We were playing a game where I throw the ball and when they catch it they have to name an animal, where its lives and what it would eat. As I said I had looked up all the animals but of course those little overactive imaginations thought up new ones for us that I had no Idea about. So with no other option, I congratulated them, repeated the word with enthusiasm and said Y donde Vibe ese animal, y que come ese animal my bien muy bien. They could have been naming a hoover or egg timer for all I knew but It sounded right and they went along with it.
It was all so much fun, Ive thought about nothing else all weekend and I cant wait till Tuesday Morning for our next class. It will be the 3rd time we give the same lesson but to another class and so we will be very well practised by then.



This is the second part of the 4hr class when each group chooses a habitat and we all get to colour in for 2hrs, ah what a relief!!!! Am so much better with colouring pencils and a bit of glitter!!



and thse are the kids with my little globe!!

I have definately found the thing that I soooooooooo love doing that I have decided to give myself a further challenge by training up next week to teach Dylexia Mind Gym. This will be a weeks training but at the end of it I will be able to be....

... an English Dyslexic teacher teaching Spainsh Dyslexic kids about the world!!!!!

You couldn't make this stuff up!!!!!

Mi Casa, Mi Familia y San Pedro

The family I live with here in San Pedro are fantastic they couldn’t be any nicer. Antonio Pop is the Father he is a Pastor and works in another town 4 hours away but commutes each day. Every night when he gets home from work he gives me a big hug as if he hasn´t seen me for days, he´s so sweet.
Vicenta is the mother she is a real ´MUM´ she stays at home to cook and look after us all. She´s a really strong woman both in stature and mentally and can carry heavier things on her head then I think the average man back home could.
Deborah is the eldest daughter at 14 and Sarita is the youngest at 9.



This is them this afternoon after lunch.
Vicenta, Antonio Pop and Sarita. We are missing Deborah as it’s her turn to go to school in the afternoons. Sarita is waring her new uniform, she goes to a better school then most. As they rent their rooms out to students therefore having 2 good incomes, they can afford to send her to a school costing 60Q per month (there are 13Q to the Pound now I think).

I am teaching her English for 2 hours a day Mondays and Tuesdays and she loves it.



Their house is very basic and straight forward, it has a dry kitchen which is a room with a cooker, cupboards and table. An outdoor patio (pictured above) which has the cold water sink, toilet and shower yeek!!!!!!!!! still haven´t got used to that one yet and off the patio are the 3 bedrooms (mine is straight ahead behind the net door). They have rented the girls bedroom out to a student from Belgium now so they are all in together I´m guessing.



This is ´Mi Casa´, Vicenta’s sister lives next door (the door on the right) with her family. They have compromised on space by using the front as a shop as her Husband is a tailor and works from home, so we share our outdoor bathroom and sink with them like one big happy family.



This is my street my house is towards the top on the right.



And this is the market in San Pedro, my school wall is the right of the picture. Its a bit old and tatty but this is something that we never mention as it would mean joining the opposing side who want to knock down our school in order to improve it.
I think its beautiful as it is!!



San Pedro itself nestles at the bottom of Volcano San Pedro (pictured above), it’s not active right now so it just looks like a mountain but there are 2 more around the lake which can be seen together on the approach from Panajachel it´s really stunning but as yet I have only had my camera with me at night.



So more pictures will follow.......

Break Time Today

My 4 Star Pupils at break time eating their bananas dipped in chocolate.


The Tuc Shop where the kids buy their treats.


Myself and some of my pupils this morning just after our first class of the day. We had just had our inspection for ´piojos´ (head lice)!! I was included in the fun but had to kneel down to be checked as I was too tall!!


The very naughty Boys from my class, they are exhausting to say the least.
Once they have lost interest (which doesnt take very long) they either jump out of the glass free windows or bash each other over the head repeatedly with empty plactic bottles, both of which I have now learnt to ignore as they eventually get bored with that too!!

No school tomorrow for me, we are spending the day
´Blue Peter Style´ making things for the class.
I need to make a 3D world so that together with my torch, I can demonstrate how the earth spins and how plants and animals all get their share of the sun.

That will be interesting when it´s time for me to lable it without a map, (something which you can´t buy in San Pedro).... Oh well, at least they won´t have the resources to check up on me!!

Hmmm....Think I know roughly where all the Countries belong, bit too scared to ask anyone here. No problema, panic over, I just rembered I have the world wide web!!