Day 6: May 27th

We started the day with another breakfast with pancakes. I love the pancakes because they are so big and fluffy. My host sister, Mafer, cooked them for us, so I will definitely have to learn from her how to cook better pancakes. We traveled to the school and started the morning by meeting for our practicum class. While we were meeting my third grade class was working on their cross-stitching once more. We actually learned that it is for Father’s Day. It is suppose to be some kind of wrap for their fathers.

When it was time for recess, I had my book and notebook out as I talked to the kids. The kids have been so intrigued with my little Spanish book. Since I don’t know much Spanish, I would point to a phrase in the book, say it in Spanish and then say it in English. We eventually got to body parts and colors. The students knew colors really well, but body parts not as much. I would point to a part of my body, say it in Spanish and then say it in English and they would repeat. It was just so much fun sitting with the kids and communicating with them in some form or another. The kids have been so happy to have us here. They love to hug us and just get affection from us. I have even had a few little boys give me a small kiss on the cheek. It is so different from the United States because we are told over and over again to be careful when coming in contact with the kids because it may be seen as something inappropriate. All we have been told to do is a side hug. Here, it is so different and I actually really like being able to give the kids a big hug. I think that a lot of these kids the attention they need back home so if a hug can brighten their day than I am more than happy to do it!

After recess, the third graders took a Geography test of Guatemala. The test I believe was still part of the ‘standardized’ testing. Similar to the Religion test, this test had multiple ways to assess the students. The first part, the students had to unscramble letters to make a word related to Geography: olga=lago=lake. They would then draw a picture of that specific feature. The next part was a word search of some sort. Next, the students had to label certain states in Guatemala. Finally, the students had to identify what type of map the picture was displaying: relief map, physical, etc.

For the rest of the day, the students worked on their cross-stitching, for the third day in a row. We actually learned that the piece that they are making is for Father’s Day coming up in June. It is suppose to be some type of shall to go over their shoulders. The design does not have any significance; it is just a neat design that the teacher created for the kids to replicate. A little before noon, a few students left to get snacks for the class. The students brought back a container of water filled what was called ‘mush’ and a basket full of bread. Soon after their snacks it was time for the daily prayer.

After school, Jenny and Ashley came with our host family for the afternoon. It was nice for them because they had the chance to use the internet and communicate with their family. While the girls were working on the internet, Luisa took me outside to see their backyard. It is a small yard, but it has an amazing view. Large hills served as a backdrop for the backyard. It was just incredible and I really enjoyed the view. The family also has a small fruit tree that they use in many of their meals. The fruits look orange but they actually taste like a lemon or a lime. I am not sure of name of the fruits, but I know that they are tasty.

We had some time to work on our school work and soon after, we went to the mall. The mall was huge. It was called MocoFlores, I think. It had a lot of American stores like Tommy Hilfiger and Victoria’s Secret. I actually went into the book store to look at the children’s books. I bought three children’s books for four dollars each. I thought most of the books were a pretty good price in comparison to the prices in the United States. I later found out that it wasn’t just the books that had a good price, but the movies as well.

All of the host families got together to go to the movies at the mall we were shopping at. Apparently, Wednesday is half price movies, which was 19 queiztalas or less than three dollars! I was absolutely shocked! It was such a cheap price to go to a movie. In the US, it is fun to go to the movies, but it is so expensive that it really isn’t a popular past time for a lot of people. We waited around after we got our tickets in the food court area. I was so excited because one of the stores sold crepes. I love crepes so much and the last time I had a Nutella crepe was in Paris, so I was definitely excited to have another one! The price of the food was really cheap as well. To buy a large popcorn and two drinks it was six dollars. It usually costs an arm and a leg to get some kind of snack, but it was not the case here.

The movie we choose to see was “Night at the Museum.” There were previews just like any other movie, but some of them were already released and out on DVD like, “Mad Money.” The movie was in English with Spanish subtitles. I thought it was such a cute movie, and everyone in the group seemed to enjoy it as well. One of the things that a lot in the group talked about was if the jokes that were said in English translated well in Spanish. It was a really cute movie and I hope that all of our families found it funny and entertaining as well.