Day 7: Another Day of Hard Work in Guatemala City

We kicked off the day with reflection and ate breakfast at 7:30 in preparation for our third day of service. After the daily hour long traffic jam on the way, half of us arrived at the Coll school, and the other half went to the nursery. The seven students who went to the nursery interacted with 3 to 5 year olds. Their job was to play with the children and function as a role model for them. Many of the kids became very attached to us. The principal of the nursery is retiring soon, so those that served there had the opportunity to meet the mayor of Guatemala City and his wife in a ceremony to celebrate the principal’s dedication to the nursery.  It was actually a pretty important, grand affair.  Mr. Cabrera was particularly excited to meet the “First Lady” of Guatemala City.

Those that went to the Coll school were split into groups and taught first, third, fourth, and fifth graders English.  They were able to directly interact with students from the community and were given large responsibilities as the teachers gave them complete autonomy over the classes. The students were ecstatic at our presence, but they were still able to learn even though there were often forty students in a classroom. The teachers at the school did not speak English, so they were entirely reliant on us to teach their students. We taught them several relatively basic but important English words, such as parts of the body and objects in a classroom. For some, it was difficult to communicate because there was a prominent language barrier. Still, they were able to connect with the kids through hand motions, drawings, and facial expressions. Those that were able to speak Spanish were able to play games (such as Simon Says) and read with the students. Many were eager to learn about English culture: the translation for their names, or daily life in the United States.

Once the bell rang, kids rushed out into the courtyard. Both groups were able to play with the kids during recess. They enjoyed putting together puzzles, playing tag, climbing on the monkey bars, playing instruments, and best of all, riding on the backs of “Caballos,” which drew the comparison between us and horses.  

After that, we all regrouped for lunch at the Coll School where we were treated to sandwiches and snacks and talked about the day up to that point. We then moved on to manual labor where we once again divided into two groups. One group helped Don Lolo, the intimidating yet friendly chief ground’s man. They shoveled, mixed, and carried cement until they finished the difficult three-day project: a sidewalk around the school. We celebrated our hard work by carving our names into the concrete and taking a picture with the legendary Don Lolo.

The other students worked more directly with the people, heading into the community around the dump. They helped plaster a house for a disparaged family. They had the help of Don Julio, another hardworking, committed ground’s man. He was very adept and efficient at laying down dry wall, but sacrificed his time by allowing us to get the firsthand experience of plastering the walls ourselves. We plastered a newly built second story, balancing on a floorless balcony with just a plank of wood as well as three cinder blocks stacked on top of each other. The family was extremely grateful for our help and we left both jobs feeling exhausted but satisfied. In the dump, we saved a stray cat and took it back to the retreat house where Mrs. Cabrera washed and fed it, and named him Kronos.   Our guide, Andres, who has been looking for a cat for his family, will take it home and give it to his father.

Once we arrived back at the retreat house, we played our third daily soccer tournament where Team Dane emerged victorious over Team Cabrera. We then enjoyed a nice dinner, celebrating the Cabrera’s third anniversary with a Tres Leches cake. After dinner, we engaged in our fourth reflection session, where we had a lengthy discussion about what we have gained from this trip and what happiness means to us. Then, we began practicing for our grand farewell performance for the Coll School.

 Today marked a climactic moment for the trip as we began to think about what life will be like when we return. With only two days of service remaining, we are hoping to leave a significant impact on the Guatemalan community as well as on ourselves.

Written By Alex and Humza