While most of these expectations appear that they will come true (still waiting to see about the language), one lesson that I didn't see coming was how to deal with kids, or, as some of the volunteers say here, how to be a parent. I have had to learn and use patience like I have never had to before. At one point in time, for about a week, there were twenty children either living with me or my extended family. At least 15 of these 20 were were under the age of 12, and 13 of them were girls. It is really something that I am not used to in the least, but I think I'm starting to learn how they think. I also know their schedules, so it's easier to find the "me" time that I lacked in the beginning.
It helps a lot, though, that most of the kids are really good kids. They have their moments when they don't want to listen or when they resort to pouting if they don't get their way, but what kids don't do that every now and then? I've especially become close with my two oldest nephews. They come to my room most nights when the younger kids are either at church or in bed. For the most part, they kind of just hang out and do their own thing, but its really cool to see when they learn something new about themselves. They both have discovered that they really enjoy drawing and coloring, and they're actually pretty good, at least when it comes to drawing a picture from a coloring book. One of them, Manuel, has even picked up cribbage and beat me in a game. It's awesome to provide them with resources that they didn't have before, seeing them grow as a result. Manuel even came up with a design for a Halloween mask all by himself. I honestly would have never thought to make a mask like he did.
Despite the fact that these are my two oldest nephews that live at home full time, it's still funny to remember that they're actually still kids. The other day, Manuel and I were going through my movies. The first one that caught his eye was Bambi. I was a little confused and went through some of my other Disney favorites before Manuel again insisted that we watch Bambi. Okay, if you say so. We got through 18 minutes of the movie before my computer died, but during that 18 minutes he was giggling at all sorts of little things. If Bambi took a misstep and stumbled or slurred through a word, Manuel was giggling. It's actually good to know that he's still a kid, something that can't be said about a lot of 13 year olds.
Learning isn't just reserved for the kids, though. I recently have accidentally acquired a puppy. Technically, it's not my puppy. I'm just keeping it so that it doesn't die. It all began when some pups were born behind my house. Naturally, I started to keep and eye on them, and eventually mentioned to my host family that I'd like to adopt one once they were old enough. It was fine with my family so I found the one I liked and told the kids about it. Automatically, that became my dog, despite the fact that it was far from my dog. I didn't even know who owned the puppies. Well the puppies eventually go taken away, at which point, the kids said that the owners couldn't take "my dog." To try and alleviate the situation, they left one of the puppies instead of taking it with the mother. The dog was just going to die if I didn't take care of it, so I brought it into my room and fed it. I told my family I would do that until it found a new home or was reunited with its mother. That first night, after it cried all night and had to be taken out three times, I realized I was not ready to adopt a puppy. The second night was not much better. Hopefully, it will have a permanent home soon. The funny part to me, though, is that this all started when I told my kids which pup I thought was pretty over two weeks ago...
When I'm not at home, though, I'm at the school. It has been my biggest resource to this point and I look forward to going and hanging out with the kids everyday. The way I see it, if I can get an in with the kids at the school, then I can get to know there families. Once I do that, I can really begin to do community work. I'm already starting to see this work, as I am now fairly close to a few of the families in the village. Even had an awkward handshake the other day when a Q'eqchi woman that I've gotten to know pretty well gave me a wave. To me, it looked more like a high five, so I went to finish the high five when I thought, "Hey, Q'eqchi women don't high five." At that point, I quickly resorted to the awkward left handed hand shake. Got a few laughs from her and the observers.
The school has also allowed me to start teaching some health lessons with the teachers. I've gotten to give hand washing lessons to the younger students. I'm going to give more lessons to some of the other young ones, too. I'm also trying to set up a pen pal program with my second grade teacher back in the states. On top of that, there will hopefully be student leaders that will be elected by their peers and be the voice of the students. Right now, there are over 20 students that want to run. I'll talk with the teachers and they'll choose the kids that will become the nominees. I'm very excited about this, so I hope that it works. The integration I'm experiencing among the students is also manifested through the fact that I am no longer "Li Saq," or in English, the White. I am pleased to say that I am now Maq' Daniel, Mr. Daniel.
Overall, things are going very well. Yes, there are stressful days, but I feel like I'm becoming more of a member of the village. Though my Q'eqchi isn't perfect, it is improving and I can have small conversations with the people of the village. I'm starting to see the communities needs and get ideas for how to address these needs in the future. Latrines are something that I think many people in the village could benefit from. I also think that the midwife can be a huge resource, and look forward to working with her more in the future. The more time I spend out in the village, the more I see these needs and the greater the impact I believe I can have.
The school has also allowed me to start teaching some health lessons with the teachers. I've gotten to give hand washing lessons to the younger students. I'm going to give more lessons to some of the other young ones, too. I'm also trying to set up a pen pal program with my second grade teacher back in the states. On top of that, there will hopefully be student leaders that will be elected by their peers and be the voice of the students. Right now, there are over 20 students that want to run. I'll talk with the teachers and they'll choose the kids that will become the nominees. I'm very excited about this, so I hope that it works. The integration I'm experiencing among the students is also manifested through the fact that I am no longer "Li Saq," or in English, the White. I am pleased to say that I am now Maq' Daniel, Mr. Daniel.
Overall, things are going very well. Yes, there are stressful days, but I feel like I'm becoming more of a member of the village. Though my Q'eqchi isn't perfect, it is improving and I can have small conversations with the people of the village. I'm starting to see the communities needs and get ideas for how to address these needs in the future. Latrines are something that I think many people in the village could benefit from. I also think that the midwife can be a huge resource, and look forward to working with her more in the future. The more time I spend out in the village, the more I see these needs and the greater the impact I believe I can have.
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