Every day, in every way it´s getting better and better--John Lenon

There is a tradition here on Valentine´s Day, but it has nothing to do with love and friendship. In fact, at my house, it´s all-out war.
Cascarones. Eggs cleaned out and filled with pica pica. Confetti. The idea is to sneak up behind your unsuspecting victim and break the egg on his or her head. Then run for your life. So far my sisters are winning, but I´ve got a secret stash and I´m pretty sure they are all out. As they said to me, she who laughs last laughs loudest.

February has been busy. It started with the end of our last retreat (in Monterrico, where we released baby sea turtles!). Then the next day was my first class at CEIPA. I LOVE CEIPA! It´s hard work, but I enjoy it. We have about 40 students in our little primary school, the youngest is 12 (in first grade) and the oldest is 17 (in 6th grade). We never have 40 students all at once, usually more like 25 or 30. It can be hard for the students to get to school every day, because of transportation issues or if they cant get off work, so it´s hard to keep a class going. But we manage. Im working in the class with the 4th 5th and 6th graders (yes, all in one class). Like I said, I love it, but I ache to be able to talk to the children. My Spanish is getting better, but it´s still a struggle. The kids are patient with me, but I´m afriad I´m not much help. Yet. I know it will get better.

On my third day of work a boy showed up with a Valle Crucis, NC Mast General Store T-shirt! I was so excited to see a piece of home here in Guatemala, I almost laughed and cried at the same time!

The next day he wore it again.

And the next. And the next

He has worn that shirt every day. So many of the children wear the same clothes every day. They dont have anything else. My soccer-playing friends here in San Juan ask me whenever I see them when I am going to bring them shoes and clothes and toys. What can I do? It hurts to be so powerless. In our school there arent enough desks. Our students sit in the dark every day so we dont have to pay an electricity bill. They need so much but they are so happy to be in school. I wish I could do more for them. I don´t know what it´s like to live the way they do, but I want to know, I want to understand, and I want to care for them.

My English class has started. This is a class at the Mam Clinic for adults who weren´t able to go to school when they were younger. Let me just say I have gained a huge respect for teachers. Don´t get me wrong, I love getting up in front of people and being the center of attention- but only when my lines are scripted and memorized and I don´t have to rely on audience participation! My students are so nervous and shy that getting them to repeat anything in English is like pulling teeth. Oh, did I mention that they don´t speak very much Spanish, that they mostly only speak Mam? Also did I mention that I have no training as a teacher? But you´d be surprised how far my camp-counselor skills have gotten me. Almost any game can be turned into an English lesson.

I have reached my half-way point in my year here. At the moment I am not struggling with the painful homesickness that was strangling me in my first few months. Now it´s more like home-annoyance, Im not sick from missing my home, just sort of annoyed. But not very often. In a lot of ways, I feel vey at home here. My sister Sara traded rooms with me so I now have a door! That was a joyous day, and it did wonders for my feeling more at home here. I can also tell that I have changed in some ways, For example, my English class. This time last year I could not have handled doing anything without exact instructions and perfect execution. Here, I´m lucky if I get any intructions and perfection is just a hazy memory. But I´m ok with it. I do my best and I generally find that people are thrilled, but if they aren´t, there´s nothing I can do about it. This way of life is a lot less exhausting, but I´m glad I didnt discover it until after undergrad.

OK, Today instead of a top and bottom list, Im going to give you my Top Ten Reasons to Praise the Lord!
1. The toilet is working
2. There´s toilet paper in the bathroom
3. A good seat on the microbus
4. Chocobananos (these are bananas covered in chocolate.)
5. A non-Tigo text message (Tigo is the phone company, it´s very dissapointing to see you have a text message, only to find it´s about changing your ring-tone)
6. A song I know comes on the radio (in Spanish!)
7. A hug from a CEIPA student
8. I can understand the sermon!
9. Seeing someone walking a farm animal. Like it´s a dog.
and finally, last but not least:
10. FRIENDS!
yes, I´m finally making some real friends here. And I even go out and do things with them. LIke dinner on Valentine´s day or go see a movie! I cannot express how precious these friendships are to me. And that´s why I find myself randomly praising the Lord.

Oh, and, I milked a cow for the first time! Check that off the life goal list.

March is looking very promising, with a retreat in Belize and then a week with my parents. I miss you all and hope you are well!