Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened...

I've been putting this post off, but I feel like it needs to be written.

Most people reading already know this news, some don't, but my grandma passed away last Saturday.  I wrote in a previous post of her surgery and the struggle I had with being here through that.  How hard it was to know this was going on and not to be there or be able to do anything.  But she made it through that, and I believed she was going to pull through.  And indeed, the Lord gave our family a tremendous gift by allowing her to have a few really good last days after that surgery to say goodbye.  I was able to skype with her while she was still doing okay in the hospital.   And then I woke up Saturday morning to news that my grandma had had a incredibly difficult night and had made the decision that she wanted to go home to be with the Lord.  She was tired of fighting and knew that the quality of her life here on earth would be incomparable to what she would experience united with the Lord.  And with great strength and courage, she told the family that she had no fear and was ready.  Total peace.  Complete faith.  Utter surrender. 
What a tremendous woman.  As I was home and spending time remembering with my extended family, I was just struck what an incredible family I have.  And how, this is in large part, to my grandpa and grandma.  Their love for each other.  Their love for their children.  Which in turn, led my aunts and uncles to marry who they married and raise their children they way they raised them.  My grandma was a woman of faith and strength.  And what stands out the most is how much she gave of herself in total humility.   Even in her death, she gave a tremendous gift to those left behind by choosing to die in such a courageous and peaceful way that allowed all of us to be comforted.  She knew what lay ahead and embraced it. 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest..."  Matthew 11:28.

My grandma knew this truth and knows it in an even more real way now that she has experienced complete restoration. 
It has been a little difficult to get back into the swing of things here in Guatemala.  A little tough to accept that my Grandma is gone.  I'm a little tired physically, emotionally, spiritually.

 But that verse holds truth for me also...

Valentine's Day- Guatemalan style

Valentine's Day was fun this year!  Got to celebrate it old school style with the kiddos...handmade Valentine's and all.
I spent entirely too much time making cards and a special treat for my kids.  Apparently I'm six years old, a person who has no life, or just have a case of the first year teacher syndrome.  Or perhaps all of the above. 
I made a giant chocolate chip cookie bar and then individually carved out 14 heart shapes because they couldn't just be normal bars.  They had to be special Valentine's Day bars. 
And here were the cards I made... 



And on the inside they said, "My love for you 'grows' more and more each day!"  Get it?  "Grows" like a flower "grows".  :)

 My students were, of course, insanely energetic the entire day which drove me fairly nuts.  But we made it through. 
The morning began with some of the high school seniors delivering Val-o-grams to the different classrooms.  And, being high school senior boys, they decided to spice things up a bit by clothing themselves as Cupids.  Think white sheets diaper style and bare chests.  Oh boy.  My girls were screaming, "Ewww!" at the top of their lungs and the boys were shouting about how they were in their underwears like it was the coolest thing ever.  And yes, that "s" on underwear is there intentionally because that's how my kids say it. 

Then we made mailbags for delivering treats later in the day. 
The school had a special hot lunch of pizza and cake and coke for everyone.  And there was where the sugar crazed excitement intensified.  Of course, it was all downhill from there.
The fourth grade decided to have a bake sale at recess that day.  More sugar.
My high sugar chocolate chip cookie treat followed.
And then it was time to pass out our Valentine's and candy.  It was a little different than traditional Valentine's you would see in the US, but quite fun.   I had encouraged several of them to make their own, which they did. 
However, worst gift idea... one girl gave everyone those small little heart shaped balloon things that are attached to stick things.  Um, instant sword for 2nd grade boys.  Battles ensued.  Head bopping followed. 
I got quite a few nice gifts-- some earrings, a bracelet, a coffee mug (not Valentine's themed, but actually a really nice solid purple one), and of course, plenty of chocolate.
At the end of the day all of the teachers couldn't even stand to look at another sweet thing.  There were cakes and cupcakes and cookies and candy.  And as soon as I got home, I was experiencing a strong sugar crash and proceeded to end my day by watching a movie curled up in bed. 
I do have to say that I appreciated that here in Guatemala the day seemed to have a little bit different meaning than in the States.  Here, its more so a day of celebrating love in all forms, especially friendship.  As a gift to my host mom,  I told her that I would treat her to a little coffee date...which I think has turned into a dinner date.  We were supposed to go tonight, but she is under the weather so we are planning to go Friday.  Should be fun!
A few more pictures to leave you with...

Hope Rain.

It rained today.

Now, to you, that might not sound like a big deal.  But it is dry season.  It hasn't rained in months.  Everything is dusty and dry.  And I got home from school this afternoon, after a long couple of days, laid down in my bed and heard the sound of rain starting to patter against the roof.  And I smiled.

Now, rain and I have a history.  I asked a LIFT friend one summer what emotion she associated with rain.   I think more along the lines of how does God see rain.  Weird question, I know.  Is it a sad thing?  And for the two of us, it had seemed that every bad day we had that semester, it rained.  And it just fit with how we were feeling.  But on the particular day that we were having this discussion, there was a warm, summer storm brewing.  And the skies opened up and it began to rain.  And not just a sprinkling...a downpour.  The two of us had the same idea at once.  We just took off running down the beach, right in the middle of it.  Clothes on and everything.  And in that instance, it just felt freeing.  It felt like renewal. And as granola as I'm about to sound, it was a moment of connecting with creation.  (Side note- if you feel like reading something interesting to that affect, read Chapter 2 of Rob Bell's Sex God.)
All that to say, I have this thing where I think the rain can elicit and connect with a myriad of emotions.

And today that emotion, for lack of a better term for it at the moment, was hope.

Let me go back a few steps.

Yesterday was one of my toughest days here in Guatemala.   I received news that my grandma had been rushed to the hospital and was having emergency surgery.  Her health has been deteriorating in the past few years, and the doctors were concerned for her even making it through this surgery.  I was scared.  And I was hundreds of miles away and by myself.  And it was terrible.  I felt helpless. 
I spent the whole day just waiting for news. 
And praise the Lord, when the news came, it was good news.  But only after a heavy day full of thinking and worrying and praying on my part.

So today, when I heard that comforting sound of rain hitting the roof,  I was just reminded of hope.  Just as the land was probably sighing a breath of relief as it soaked up the much needed rain,  I was renewed with peace of heart and-- hope. 
Rain.  Hope. 


I'll write about the rest of the Valentine's Day shenanigans tomorrow :)

Well, there goes perfect attendance!

I took my first sick day last week.  I had been sick with a nasty cold all week, but toughed it out until Thursday morning when I woke up with the body aches feeling incredibly nauseous.  I felt miserable and knew I wasn't going to make it to school.  With a little sadness, I emailed detailed sub plans to the principal, and went back to sleep.  I basically didn't leave my bed all day and couldn't eat anything. 
Finally, my host mom decided we needed to go to the doctor.  So another new thing for me-- Guatemalan doctor visit.  Praise the Lord they didn't make me give a "stool sample" which I've been hearing from others they do quite frequently.  Gross.   He did tap on my stomach several times and then listen to it... It kind of seemed like he was waking up the creatures and then listening for them or something.   Egh!  Apparently there was something wrong in there, and he diagnosed me with some intestinal issue-- couldn't understand much more than that.  And gave me an antibiotic.  Along with 3 other medications...  But I think he over prescribed.  Each one was for a seperate symptom, but I think the antibiotic is really all that I needed.
I did feel better after starting the medicine, although I'm still not back to normal.  I had to cancel plans to travel this weekend, which was a bummer.  But I think a weekend of rest will be good.  And I was proud that my Spanish held up enough to explain everything to the doctor. 
Oh, and by the way, this was in relation to the cold, not the intestinal stuff, but I got lectured by my host mom and the doctor about how bad I am for taking showers in the morning and leaving with wet hair.  (It is freezing here in the mornings) I've been getting those lectures my whole life, but it was a little humbling to get a double dose of it in Spanish.  Oops.  I still showered the next morning, but I got up early enough to dry my hair before I left :)

Another when in Guatemala moment:
You know you are in Guatemala when you show up to a birthday party over 45 minutes late and prepare to apologize to the host, when you realize...you are one of the first people there.  There is such a thing called "Guatemalan time" and it runs about 30 minutes- 1 hr. behind normal time! 

I'll probably be spending today making Valentine's for my class :) 
Up for this week...Valentine's Day or as the Guatemalans call it  Dia de Carino.  (That n should have a little squiggly line over top, but I don't know how to make that on my computer)

Things I miss...

So last night was the Super Bowl.  My host mom didn't know what it was so the only way I could think to explain it was that it was kind of like the World Cup...but for American Football, and once a year.  To compare the Super Bowl to the World Cup is blasphemy to all the soccer lovers, I know.  I'm sorry.
A bunch of the teachers gathered to watch it--  I was glad we got to see it.  Although the commercials were sorely missed.  And it was a sad ending for me.  But there's always next year.

I've also been pretty sick since being back from the retreat.  A lot of the teachers are sick at the moment.  As I was walking home today feeling pretty miserable I thought to myself how I probably would take a sick day if I was in the States in a regular school.  But not here.  Too much work.

Also today I was thinking about somethings I miss from home.  I've talked a lot about all that I've gained from this experience and the things that I love.  But today I thought I'd dedicate a little time to some things I miss.  And of course I miss family and friends, but this list is of those obscure things that you might not normally think of.  In no particular order...
I miss...
1) My puppies.  Okay, this probably is number one.  I miss those little stinkers so much.
2) Food Network.  I basically never watch television here, and I don't particularly miss it either.  Except for the Food Network.  That I miss.
3) Going to Dave Barnes shows. 
4) Sushi.  Strangely.  I didn't really eat sushi on a regular basis in the States, but for some reason I CRAVE it here, like a crazy person.
5) Being able to walk alone at night and feel safe.
6) A church community.

Guatemalan Extremes.

This weekend was one of ups and downs.  Moments of seeing Guatemala as a whole-- across the spectrum.  Reminders that I'm definitely outside of the states...In the most horrible ways and the most delightful.  And then moments where the lines where blurred altogether. 
We had our staff retreat this weekend.
We left Friday morning.  (No school that day, nice).  All 20+ of us headed to the coast.  Now when I say coast, its just near the coast.  Not quite to the beach.  But its HOT there.  And totally different than in Xela. 
We went to a waterpark called Xocomil for the day.  My students knew we were going and gave me all kinds of suggestions on how fun it was and what to ride.   And a bunch of the teachers and I spent most of the morning on rides-- lazy river and lots of slides.  It was quite fun--until the climax of the day.  A bunch of us went to ride something we referred to as the toilet bowl.  You get into a raft with a friend and go down a slide into a large basin-- kind of like a funnel (or toilet bowl) where you swirl around a few times and then "flush" down the hole into another slide to finish the ride.  There were about 8 of us in the group at this point-including a lady that not many of us really knew, but who is the former principal who had come for a visit.  I was in one of the first pairs to go, and it was fun.  We got stuck trying to go down the whole and flipped our raft when we got to the pool at the bottom, but that just added to the fun.   We all waited at the bottom to watch the others come out.  All of the sudden we heard a really loud boom come from the ride.  Startlingly loud.  And as we pondered what it was, about a few seconds later we heard a whistle blow.  Followed by subsequent whistles.  Followed by "lifegaurds" running towards the ride.  Not good--sinking stomach feeling ensued as nobody was coming down the slide and we tried to figure out which of us hadn't come out yet.  Meanwhile, the ride never gets turned off, water is still spewing as these so called "lifegaurds" try to walk up the slide to the basin--which was not visible to where we were standing on the ground.  Minutes pass and we continue to worry.
Finally, the lady from our group, the former principal, comes out of the slide on a raft, by HERSELF looking very dazed and confused. 
One of the other teachers came down a minute later, totally okay, and told us what had happened.   Somehow, their raft had flipped in the basin and both had fallen out.  He thought all was fine, and was laughing, but then he looked at the woman who was face down, limp, and continuing to swirl around in the bowl.   He realized she was passed out and that he needed to get to her, especially since she was face down in water.  He held her in the bowl until the "lifeguards" came, and she remained passed out for over a minute.  She had hit her head in the fall.  Now, I don't know much about injuries and lifeguard or any of that, but I do know that there are certain procedures for head injuries.  And these "lifeguards" did not do a very good job.  They never turned the ride off the entire time.  They kind of awkwardly ran around when the whistles were blown and didn't seem like they knew what they were doing. And then when she came to, they sent her on a tube raft, by herself, down the hole through the rest of the slide!  When she got to the pool area, and clearly looked very out of it and was crying, and in pain, and couldn't remember things, and had spotted vision...they asked her if she thought she needed to go to the doctor.  She was obviously in pretty bad shape, and in no place to be making that decision for herself.  Then they basically handed her over to us.  And we decided she needed to go to the doctor at the park.  And she had to walk!  The doctor there decided she did, indeed, have a concussion and released her.
Hours later when she was still in miserable shape, looked and felt terrible, and still couldn't remember things, the friend she was visiting decided to take her to a hospital in Xela.  She was vomiting the whole way there, and it turns out her brain was bleeding and it was quite a serious concussion.  They kept her in the hospital, and she should be fine, but it was quite a scary day.  And one of those moments where you get frustrated with Guatemala.  Everyone from our group was pretty appalled with how the water park handled, or really, didn't handle the situation.  I don't think it ever would have happened the way that it did in the States.  It just didn't seem right to me.
Anyway, the group that experienced this craziness decided we weren't exactly up for riding any more rides after that, so we spent the rest of the day lounging poolside.   That evening the staff had a really nice devotion time and dinner together.  It was a really fun evening.
We were staying at a resort called Irtra, which I mentioned in a post waaay back at the beginning of the year.  I had visited the pools there before, but never spent the night.  And it was pretty extravagant.  Incredibly beautiful-- like a little paradise.  Pools, flowers, and peacocks.  Peacocks were everywhere!   They just roam the place and make these loud sounds, kind of like what you might imagine a dinosaur to sound like. And its mating season so all the males kept raising their feathers.  They really are incredible creatures.


The one male, feathers down, surrounded by a flock of females.




And there he is, in all his glory.

 There also happens to be a spa at this place and so a bunch of the girls signed up for massages.  This was my first massage/spa experience and I might be hooked.  It was incredible.  And it was expensive for Guatemalan standards, but a)totally worth it and b)rather cheap when converted to US dollars.  Only about 20 dollars.  For which I got an hour to use the giant jacuzzi or sauna.   And then a 45 minute hot rock massage.  When I was making the reservation the day before and asking the receptionist which massage to choose, she described the hot rock one as "deliciosa"-- meaning, delicious.  And I would have to agree.  It was fantastic.  And cool little Guatemalan perk, as we were climbing into the jacuzzi we looked out the window and got a beautiful view of a nearby volcano erupting.  I do have to say, that it was quite ironic and mind boggling that I was having my first massage in Guatemala, a third world country.  In fact, the whole weekend was a little strange to be in such luxury, knowing how many of the people in this country live.  At points it definitely felt like I wasn't in Guatemala at all.  Very strange, but at the same time, nice to escape for a little while.
We headed back to Xela this afternoon, much more relaxed.  And tomorrow is the Super Bowl!  A group of us are going to watch it here, only sad thing is that since it is being broadcast on Fox it will be in Spanish and without the commercials.  Lame.   But still fun, I'm sure.