My Goodbye Speech
This was my goodbye speech on Thursday of my last day of class. This is what students do when they are leaving the school.
Here is the English translation:
Today is a sad day for me because I have been here for three months. When I came here I had a very basic level of Spanish. Now, I feel that I have much more confidence in my knowledge and ability to speak.
I would like to thank all of my teachers:
Lili, because she taught me to have latin rhythm for a white man.
General Don Victor, Salute!, because he taught me the word “seminude”.
Anabella, “OH MY BROTHER”, because with her I believed that my humor worked in Spanish also.
Luis, because he is a nerd like me.
Erika, because of her interesting stories.
And Claudia because of her profound conversations.
Thanks to all the people in the office. Especially Teresa because she permits me to work with the kids at La Pedrera. And, of course, my love, Erlinda, because she works very hard every day and has a lot of wisdom.
My time here has been very good. I have met many great people both Guatemalans and students also. And I have built a small community here in Xela, my home away from home. Thank you.
I Heart Borrachas
Yesterday in Cafe Baviera, I was minding my own when I hear “Hey You” from the table next to me. I look over to start talking to two women who were on their way to being three sheets to the wind.
So then one of them said “¿Quieres ser mi novio?” and then they start giggling and ask me how do I say that in English, so I say “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”. Then they start laughing again.
Apparently one of the girls found it necessary to be getting drunk because her boyfriend broke up with her. And from what I got out of the conversation he was jealous because her and her friend were very hot. Of course you are. I’m surprised “We’re bringing sexy back” has not infiltrated the Spanish language. But I’m going to start it:
“¡Estoy trayendo sexy detrás!”
One of the girls knew a little bit of English, but this began a comical lesson for the brokenhearted woman on how to say vulgar things about her ex-boyfriend in English.
Definitely an exciting afternoon in the cafe!
First of My Lasts
I recently had my last day teaching the kids at La Pedrera. The first of my lasts as my trip starts coming to an end.
The kids at the school have been incredible. Very respectful, welcoming, and willing to learn everyday. It is a wonderful heart warming feeling to see young faces light up as they realize they are learning and creating something new. It just fuels my want to teach again someday.
In my time here, we have learned different things in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and web development. It is a completely different atmosphere because none of the kids have computers in their homes, so they are so excited and interested in what you have to teach them. Very different than in the US just because computers are so commonplace.
I see different kids in the street around the city and they are always coming up to me, shaking my hand, and wanting to talk. It’s great.
Theresa, the representative for the project at Casa Xelaju, has been climbing the hill everyday to assist the kids in their homework and learning for 12 years. She is a very special person and I’m glad that I have met her. She allowed me to teach the kids without restrictions and was very appreciative of all the time that I put in there.
For my last day we did some Powerpoint presentations where they learned how to animate text in their presentations. I had made print outs of all pictures for each student and gave the to them as gifts for the end of class. You would have thought it was like Christmas. They were so excited to get pictures of themselves.
Friday, Theresa called me into her office to talk about my time here, etc. and gave me cards that were made from many of the students, including drawings and little messages from them. A very special moment for me.
