Let the Xmas celebrations begin!

As decorations are being sold and going up NPH is getting ready for Xmas. 

The volunteers held a two hour event for the kids. We had Xmas music, books, coloring, cookies, and even Santa!  I was at the cookie station. 

Nona (Spain) and I in our 'matching' outfits:

Shawn played the role of Santa and I helped him get ready for the big event. We put flour all over his beard and hair, the kids loved it!

Jose Luis (Spain), Shawn (NY) and Jack (Naperville), chicos locos:

Payless Event

Members from Payless shoes came to NPH and had activities, gifts, candy and even clowns for the kids. They even gave out new shoes! Check it out:

Some of the volunteers got called on to play dress up as clowns:

The kids loved the piñatas:

  

Some of the kids with the Payless Santa:

Special needs kids with Santa:

Gustavo, enjoying the face paint and food:

Work in December

My normal M-F job is on hold throughout December and I am currently taking care of the kids with special needs. The tíos (caretakers) of the kids are on vacation and the volunteers are in charge of filling in. My work schedule consists of working a 48 hour period, followed by a 48 hour break. 

Let me introduce you to some of the kids I work with:

Odilia: She loves playing outside and making funny faces.

Alvaro: He is the cuddle king and loves to give hugs and kisses.  

Delmi: She is the queen bee of the section and loves to look fashionable.  

Leo and Paty: Leo loves to listen to music and Paty loves to dance.  

Lupe: She loves to give a helping hand. 

Special Olympics

The kids from NPH were finally able to participate in a tournament with the Special Olympics. It was a lot of fun and a great experience for our kids with special needs. Not only were they able to compete but they were able to meet and exchange experiences with other kids just like them. Enjoy the pictures.

Everyone's excited and we are on our way:

The track, how beautiful:

Sitting around and waiting our turn: 

Preparing with stretches:

 Time to compete, Isa:

 Get ready, set, go!

       

The athletes and their coaches:

The group, supporters and all:

LAGO

Lago de Atitlán, November 3^rd & 4^th:

A group of volunteers and I had the chance to vacation at the Lake. We stayed at an NPH employee’s house and it was stunning, it felt like we were the only people on the lake. The house was set far away from all other houses/villages. Minus the spiders, fire-ants, scorpions and iguanas it was a good trip. 

The house we stayed at was really unique, it had a house with all the bed rooms and then separate house with the living room, dining room and kitchen. Here are some of the volunteers hanging out, eating breakfast on the patio.

The Lake was relaxing and then we had the trip home. Not only did we have the spare tire fall from the van, we ran into a river which covered the road.  

Barriletes

Barriletes, November 1^st

All saints day, the first of November, is a unique celebration that I am happy I got to experience. The tradition includes making kites out of bamboo and tissue paper. The kites are covered head to toe in different designs and images. Thousands of people came to see the kites and the crowds were absolutely insane.

I found out later that the kites take months to make. Let me try to paint a picture, imagine a semi-truck standing vertically in the air, that’s about how big these kites were. I could be over exaggerating, but not by much.

The other interesting part of this festival is that it was held in a cemetery. Everyone was happy, drinking, taking pictures, socializing and having a good time on top of graves! The cemetery was so colorful and full of life, it's the opposite of what we think of cemeteries in the US.

Halloween

Halloween 2012:

Halloween was nothing like what I’m used to in Madison, WI, but it was memorable. It was the first Halloween I made a costume by hand, Nona and I spent four hours constructing them. Our ying & yang costumes consisted of a box of corn flakes and milk, together we made the perfect breakfast. In the end, we both found out that we are perfectionists… check out our “boxes” and the originals.

Some of the NPH employees and volunteers ended up going to a bar in Chimal (the next town over) to celebrate. I cannot complain because we had beer, music and good company, but my nick-name for the night consisted of “leche,” which I found annoying. Let me just add I did try to dance salsa in my costume and it was difficult.  

16th Anniversary of NPHG:

For the anniversary and celebration of the creation of the NPH home in Guatemala we had a week full of activities. The activities included creating a dance based on a style of music, competitive games, and a disco to top off the anniversary. The preparation for the anniversary started Monday, October 8^th and lasted till Friday the 12^th.  The actual celebration was held Saturday, October 13^th.

The kids, staff, and volunteers were split up in teams and each assigned a different style of dance. In total there were around 14 teams. The different styles consisted of waltz, rock, pop, samba, salsa and more. Since school is officially out, the teams were able to prepare and practice a dance routine for four hours a day during the week before the 13^th.

I was assigned to the waltz team. I could have gone for a faster style but I enjoyed my time with my teammates and meeting new kids.  

On the actual day of the celebration, we had a morning full of competitive games including relay races, memory, climbing greased polls, tug-of-war, and more. After the games we all changed into costumes and preformed our dances with our teams. To end the long day we had a D.J. and a dance for all the kids. In the end “Rock and Roll” came in 1^st for the best dance performance and “Waltz” placed 1^st in the games.

Here are some of the games:

Aftermath of tug of war:

The beginning of the dance competition:

 The volunteers getting ready to dance:

    

 Ever, a palm tree:

Rock n' Roll preforming:

Passing the time with the kiddos:

The Chicago girls:

The años de servicios from the Especiales section and I: