So as much as I try to disconnect I still get daily updates from the states. I know that traveling with kids especially those who aren’t mine comes with a great deal of responsibility and sometimes with criticism from others who say that I am crazy to come to Guatemala, and even crazier for taking kids who don’t belong to me.  I’ve been entrusted with the most precious of cargo and I take that responsibility very seriously.

While the news portrays much of Central America as a collection of violent countries, the news as we’ve learned, often times gets it wrong.  I am not saying that there isn’t a great deal of political discourse here,  nor am I saying that this place is immune to violence or evil.  What I am saying is that life and anywhere it takes you comes with risk.  While my morning news out of Antigua reports car accidents or road work, my morning news from the states is a stark contrast of mass shootings,  kidnappings,  serial killings,  racism, restricting of human rights…. and the list goes on.  I am by no means downplaying what is happening around Guatemala, I simply am bringing to light that danger and risk is all relevant and exist everywhere.  If we shy away from experiences out of fear we will miss out on so much in life.  Here I tell the kids that we don’t have rules but rather we make smart choices.  For instance I don’t have a rule about not having phones out when we walk… but rather we make smart choices and put our phones away when we walk the city to reduce any possibility of exposing ourselves to a threat. We make smart choices and never go anywhere alone.  We make smart choices and always have a plan.  We do things that keep us as safe as possible while allowing us still to experience life.

It feels like forever since I’ve blogged. Me… the pusher of the blogs has been the most absent for a couple of reasons. Mostly because the kids have surprised me with blogs without being asked to do them… and also because I haven’t stopped long enough to have a moment to reflect. I’ve been so busy living in the moment, the day, the memories that there hasn’t been much time to pause and blog.

Ohhhh but there’s been so many moments that I have wanted to share. Not the moments that one might expect… like the cool things we’ve been doing, but rather the more unexpected unplanned moments.

Yesterday concluded my last day of school. While I am so excited to be done with the school days (and looking forward to the days to wander the city) I am far from being done learning.

One of my favorite things about traveling internationally are the people you meet and the unexpected connections you make. Wednesday I went back to the dance studio I started taking lessons at 5 years ago…. and to my surprise all the kids wanted to go along. So Nicole got a nice nap while we all got to dance. The instructor I had was a student when I first took lessons 5 years ago and he’s now an instructor. Life comes full circle. Also Nicole came to our school yesterday for our food presentation and was chatting with someone and made the connection that she knows my brother and lived at the Finca during the same time my brother was there (small world)

Ugh, the moments. I am trying to convey what the moments are like here. While they seem so simple, they are really pretty magical. To watch the kids being kids with actual human interaction; where clothing, technology, and the latest fads matter not. Where asking them to not be in their phones hasn’t had to happen because they are naturally engaged with each other and the people around them. To see them interacting with others, they have just met and finding common ground with people we would have probably never encountered in any other setting. There are a few families here with interesting backgrounds and reasons for being here. Including a couple of stories of adoptions and one of the girls having been adopted from here and coming back here for the first time. To not have to “parent” or nag them about getting up for school at 7am… because they are getting to on their own because this is their experience, and they want it. We have spent hours playing cards, or doing each other hair, or coming up with games to play, and even studying (Spanish) on their own. Life before technology has returned here…. and I am soaking it up.

The time here is flying by and I want nothing more than for it to slow down.

A night of fire, games, cooking in the dark and all kinds of random goodness…..

Kayla

– Lights out
– No one steal my title
– I wanted two, but one will do
– Love hate relationship with – French toast
– Movie night turned into candlelit rummy
– Luca, the problem solver
– Mmmmm, Nutella
– I have a question If I have a card
– Patience is key

Luca

– Don’t touch everything in the garden
– Burned by the mysterious plant
– Uh, My hands
– Candles
– Man of the house
– Rain and lightning storm
– Tia made the best chicken
– It’s hard being 8 3/4
– Someone forgot to oil their car
– late night food
– Ancient times
– Whyyyyy
– Don’t act stanky

Kianna

– Plantains are life
– Yum
– 501 Spanish verbs
– Corregir
– Flaming rosemary
– Es tu turno
– I have an answer, maybe

Michele

– Naked and afraid
– Light the torch
– Dona sed
– Fire starter
– Alone at the meat counter
– Happiest in the kitchen
– Joyful in the grocery store
– These OG candles are the best
– Validation is everything
– Been cooking in the dark
– Who you texting

Nicole

– Mosquitos laundry and hydration
– The Florida weather followed us
– Hellooooo
– You cut that in the dark Doña sed ?
– I didn’t know I had to wait
– You’re a hard working woman Doña sed
– How do you know you’ve wiped well when there’s no power

Michele writes….. “My kitchen is my happy place.” In most cultures, the kitchen is the heart of the house. While Nicole’s happy place has proven to be the garden hanging laundry, mine is by far the kitchen. I love everything about my kitchen. From the gas stove/ oven to the view out of my window that overlooks the back garden and Volcan Agua to the kitchen table where the kids or Nicole will come to chat while I cook.  Having kids around who love eating vegetables and trying new food has been so much fun for me.  I also have gotten so at “home” at the grocery store.  I can now order my own meat at the counter, a necessity since Nicole refuses to enter the meat section 😆. Not gonna lie. While it’s not as overwhelming as the meat section at the market,  it’s still a very different experience.  I have had so much fun learning typical food dishes here and being able to replicate them at home.  On my past trips, we have simply avoided vegetables that weren’t cooked, but I am so proud to say that I have learned to appropriately wash vegetables here so that we are able to eat them without worry.

And when the lights went out…. my kitchen prevailed. Gas powered stove and water heater means that life can continue despite the blackout.

…without technology. It never sounded so sweet.

Luca writes…

Mi presentación hoy es el tomate (my presentation today is the tomato). It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life and I don’t want to do any presentation ever again. Kianna and Kayla did so good, they were so brave. Tia chickened out. She didn’t even go up there!

Mi maestra made my favorite, pico de gallo. I ate it with a big round tortilla chip. It was delicioso. I love tomatoes. I can’t stop thinking about how I wish they had chipotle here. I can’t wait to eat it.

We went to dinner on a mountain. There was up and down. We went up first and it was pretty but when we went down it was more pretty. It had beds on a hammock that was hanging over the mountain. Mommy almost didn’t do it, but she did it.

I just wanted to make a blog about my lovely teacher Rosa Maria. Its only been about a week but I can tell shes a such a genuine, kind-hearted lady. From the stories about her grandkids to the way she explains things when I don’t understand; I love learning Spanish with Rosa. I told Kayla today that this is the only school I actually enjoy. When I look back I remember leaving college classes feeling drained but after class with Rosa today I felt energized. I have a feeling I’m gonna be a lil sad come next Friday when we have to go ):

Also not to flex or anything but she told me today I’m her favorite student 😎 and of course I followed with “eres mi maestra favorita”. I added a photo Michele took of us today during class isn’t she so cute lol

Luca writes…

Mi cuarto día de escuela

We woke up. We did our morning routine. We got ready for escuela (school). Then walked to the escuela. I like playing monkey in the middle so I asked mi maestra (my teacher) how to say it in español (Spanish) , mono en medio. I learned some words hoy (today). I hit a piñata in one hit and all the candy fell out.

Then we took a 10 or 15 minute walk to see some vegetables with our maestras. We got tomates (tomatos) from the market also with mi maestras. After the market we went back to escuela and I noticed that my writing skills have improved since last year.

When school ended we walked all the way to (2 minutes) to Monoloco which is a restaurante (restaurant). I was super hungry and ate a hamburger and Papas fritas (French fries). It was so delicioso, then we went home for about treinta minutos (thirty minutes). Me and Kayla went to the basketball court. Then we ate dinner and I ate 2 hotdogs and a bowl of pasta. Then we did our night routine. Thennn I went to bed. That’s my blog.

My first blogggg Okay guys I’m a little late but ima try to sum everything up so basically the first few days we stayed at this Airbnb and it was soooo niceee they bring you tu comidaaaa oh also im kayla btw i forgot to say that but yeah that was nice the view was soooo pretty like omg insane. We saw so so many doggos it was amazing i was in doggy heaven. We took a boat to go to this one part of the lake wher there was rocks you can jump off of, so we went and the water was cold at first but it actually felt really gooddd

Okay guys that’s all for #kaylasblogsss hasta mañanaaaaa:))

Luca writes…

Every day we do peaks (good stuff) and valleys (not good stuff). Today I had no valleys, only peaks!

I woke up and ate and got dressed. Caminamos a la escuela (we walked to school). En el primer minuto (in the first minute) escuchamos música (we listened to music). I learned a little bit, I played a game of catch using verbos (verbs) with a boy named Leo. It was divertido (fun). Leo, me, and our teachers played hide and seek with cards with words on it. Leo is shorter than me and he wears a cowboy hat. I learned some more. Mommy surprised me with a new bag because my bag was ripped. She got it at the mercado (market). She also got me a basketball and I was so happy!

I was thinking about the rock road. Mom said it’s cobblestone. There was no cement so they had to make mud and water to make paste to stick the rocks in. It must have been hard and took 5 hours. And the people who built buildings had to get the wood from trees. It is hard work.

I ate pasta and pollo for lunch and 3 hot dogs and French fries for dinner. I snuggled with Kianna and watched tv. I caught a butterfly with my hands and it landed on my camisa (shirt) and flew away even after I touched it. It was a great day. I did my night routine and am in bed. That’s the blog.