Cooking, Windows, Doors and Disco Denial

Hola a todos! Today waking up was just hard as all the other days. The girls’ alarm clock refused to work/ Anne forgot to set it but she magically woke up at 7:26. Katie’s cell phone went off at 6:30 (way too early.) Breakfast was super exciting because we got mango and pancakes. The trucks came earlier than usual because Oscar, who works right along side Joe Collins, told us that we needed to start loading up the trucks at 8:30 versus our usual 9:00 because today was our last hard work day. Driving up to the site, the girl’s truck discussed how we are living in a “phenomenal” time where our world is changing. Not only are we seeing changes within Westminster (new teachers and new traveling opportunities) but also we will be the first new generation to live in such dynamic times. At the worksite both build teams got to it right away. Our goal for the end of the day was to finish 4 more rows of cinder blocks all the way around and an extra row and a half on one wall so that the roof would ultimately slant. We finally saw the door and window take shape and watched the walls rise above our heads. This was honestly the best part of working today. Because the height of the walls was escaping our reach, we resulted to create higher scaffolding only accessible via a ladder. On Monday, we will put up the roof and possibly create the concrete floor. The second half of the two groups visited the school and played with the kids as the first half did yesterday. Julia-Bowen and I walked around while Daniel (soon to be called Mr. Searl again when we return to campus), Weston, Wiley, Dylan, and Stephen played basketball with the boys. It was fascinating to see that they are learning pretty much the same thing that U.S. elementary school students are learning back home. Dry erase boards, cursive, and name cards are just a few of the similarities. The kids and I got really excited when we took pictures of them and showed them their faces. We noticed that it didn’t take much at all to make them smile. One of the boys took me to his classroom so we could take pictures of him and his friends. We returned to the basketball court to see all kids watching Dylan dunk. To our surprise they were not very excited by the dunking – they just wanted to play. Basketball is less important to Guatemalans than fútbol aquí. After shooting some hoops we came outside to see some of kiddies practicing for El Quince de Septiembre, Guatemala’s Independence Day. Then we walked backed with Faustino, one of the children from the other house we are working on. After a quick lunch, we continued our tradition of sharing our extra food with the children of the families and the Guatemalan workers who help us and direct us. Ashley gave her chips and orange juice to a small girl who proceeded to run to her crying sister to share the bounty. The two groups got back to work and quickly finished what had to be done. The final stretch was, in my opinion, the hardest we had to work all week, but I was happy to see our work pay off. After returning to Antigua and taking a quick shower, we continued on to Spanish school. Half of us carried on with our usual lessons, but the other half went into the kitchen and cooked diner for the rest of the group. The master cooks were Dylan, Weston, Kohler, and the two of us. We prepared Pollo en Jacón, a traditional Guatemalan dish consisting of chicken in a green vegetable sauce (containing parsley, onions, tomatoes, miltomates, and peppers to name a few). This was served on rice, mixed with red peppers and onions, with guacamole and beans. The most interesting moment of the afternoon was when we were making corn tortillas and Dylan dropped two on the floor…he was the only one who encountered this problem. The table was set, and dinner was served (very nice.) For dessert, we visited a McGahan family favorite pastry shop just off the main square. The coffee was slightly disappointing (seeing as the menu said “el mejor café de Antigua”) but not too shabby. An interesting side note, the restaurant served pays, also know as pie (the word pay, as those who study Spanish know, is actually the Spanish phonetic interpretation of the English word pie). There was apple pay, pecan pay and even pumpkin pay. Now everyone loves a good piece of apple pie, but I must say that, compared to previous pie eating experience, this was a salty let down. After dessert, we returned to the hotel to freshen up before our big night on the town. Our plan was to visit a local discoteca and party the night away…but we were immediately rejected from two clubs and gave up (side note: they let the girls in.) overall the day was a great success just as all the others have been and will be. I hope that life in the ATL is as exciting as life in the ANT…I…GUA. Hasta mañana.

With love,
Annsley and Seb
p.s. Happy birthday papa Lucas!!!!