One more day

Well... One more day and we are on our way home. This trip has been filled with hardships as well as fun. I will give you a more detailed post while we are in Toronto tomorrow... I have 8 hours to kill there, and not much time left here!

xoxoxoxoxox, see you all soon.

- M

4 more full days

I went to the orphanage with another girl staying in the house this morning.. It was good! Got to spend 4 hours with the kiddlets instead of 2.5... I unfortunately can't post pictures from my iPad, but I will get them up in the next week... When I'll be home...!

Sick Sunday

So... Kelsey is sick and I'm sending her to bed to sleep it off. Hoping she's better by tomorrow.... Because I will not travel to the orphanage alone, it is just too scary! No pedis and manis yesterday, the place we went to didn't take visa and we then got distracted with shopping.. We are definitely helping out the Guatemalan locals by all the gifts we are buying..!

We went out for crepes this morning and I will probably walk around exploring the city with a girl who just arrived in Antigua yesterday. I'll report back soon!

Spa Saturday

The first work week has gone by in a flash... Sort of. We are up so early daily that our days feel long. The day at the orphanage yesterday was really great-- the more time we spend with the kids, the more comfortable all of us are-- who would have thought?

Today we are staying in Antigua, on the hunt for a spa.... Massages, manis and pedis....I'll let you know how it goes. There are multiple spas on every avenue so we are not sure which to choose...

Day 5

Yesterday Kels and I were sick all morning, so we slept. A lot. With great regret, we couldn't make the trek to the orphanage in the state we were in-- so we slept more, then ended up going to the market and out for crepes with some of our roommates in the evening (when we started to feel better).
Today we were both up bright and early and we are going to do the most with our day... The orphanage is a hard place to be. Hard because we don't speak Spanish, hard to see the lack of structure in the lives of the children. The first day by ourselves at Casa Alleluya was frustrating for us both, but today we are prepared with coloring pages and stickers and have learned how to say "Do you need help?" in Spanish. It is part of their culture to never ask for help with the fear of being rude, so it is our responsibility to always ask. We are not girls who give up, so it will get better with time!


- Meg

how will I ever enjoy coffee in Canada again?

Buenos Dias everyone!
My sincerest apologies for not updating until now, things have been hectic (but great) here in Guate! Arriving at night on Sunday, we had no idea that our surroundings for the next two weeks were going to be as breathtaking as they are! The architecture here is simple, rustic, beautiful--  and nothing like these two little Canadian girls have ever seen!

Our accommodations are in a volunteer home, where we are staying with 19 other volunteers. Everyone is so friendly, we have a really great group! Our house mom is so lovely and tries so hard to speak English to us.

Casa alleluya is the orphanage we are volunteering at. It is about 20 mins outside of Antigua, in a rural community. The hardest thing we have experienced so far is the bus ride there. The buses are old American school buses, they drive with the door open so that they can fit as many people on the bus as possible... And you better know where you are going and when to get off because you have to get to the front quickly and ask the bus driver to stop..... And he might say no....

Yesterday the trip to the orphanage was good but exhausting. We at first went to the office, our organizer telling us how the community is conservative and religious.....and then we over heard "who let the dogs out".... Turns out they were having a little dance party.... Next we were off to the baby room and right away a little girl waddled right over to me with her arms spread wide, wanting to be picked up..... And the rest is history..... Hehe she wanted to be held for most of the three hours, until she took a turn on the slide and trampoline.

Our placement is from 2 to 5:30, so we have the morning to explore. Oh and, the coffee is soooooo good! Canadian coffee = dirty kitchen water in comparison.

Almost there...

We have arrived in Costa Rica and are sitting in front of our gate to Guatemala! Need coffee......

ready or not...

We are in Toronto! Leaving T.O in approx. 35 minutes on route San Salvador, El Salvador. Wish us luck...

and the packing begins...

Since returning from vacation at the beginning of July I have had two days off and absolutely no time to worry about my upcoming trip to Guatemala. Thankfully enough, my mom has. Worry plaugued her when she noticed we only had a half hour to get from one plane to the next while in San Salvador... so she called the airline and got our flights changed, ensuring that Kelsey and I will safely and surely make all of our connections. 

Stress becomes my being the day before I leave home, therefore I have decided to gather and pack everything ahead of time. Who knew that trying to pack light would be such a difficulty for this girl....

takin' the time to discover

http://www.guinness-travel.com/yaluOneDay.html

Zip-lining, horseback-riding, hiking, blackberry picking and more in one day? Yes please!

We work in the orphanage from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM... what will we do with all our free time?!

Espanol

We know all the Spanish we need... No entiendo Espanol, Un momento por favor! .... As we look to our Spanish/English dictionary! 15 days!

Map of Guat

18 days prior

Hello friends! As promised to my mother, I have created this blog so that all of you at home can check in on me and how my trip is going in Central America. 

I am taking the opportunity in this first post to give you all an adequate introduction as to what I will be doing in Guatemala-- and do not worry, I will not leave the other 4 w's out(who, when, where and why?). Here goes...

Who? The organization I will be volunteering under is International Volunteer HQ, a program based out of New Zealand that is dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals to volunteer abroad. The partner organization that will be taking care of me in Guatemala is called Maximo Nivel. Travelling and volunteering with me is a co-worker of mine, Kelsey Medlicott. Whenever I say "we" in this blog, it will most likely be regarding the two of us, since we will be experiencing everything together!

What? While in Guatemala I will be working in an orphanage placement-- helping in schools, on the streets and/or in orphanages. A lot of the country's children are/have been part of broken homes and have been abandoned and uncared for. Not only do I want to help in any way that I can by getting these beautiful kids off the streets, I want to do what I can to help show them the dignity and honour that they were born with. 

When? Leaving Winnipeg at about 5 am on August 5th, arriving in Guatemala at 3:30 pm. We are scheduled to leave Guatemala at 1 pm on August 18th, arriving home at 8:00 am on August 19th. This means, we will be out of the country for 14 days, 13 nights.

Where? Antigua, Guatemala is where we will be staying and working. Included above this post is a general map of the country. Antigua is in the highlands of Guatemala. We will have a lot of spare time to explore the country-- safety first, of course. :)

Why? As many of you know, I have always had a heart for others and hope to dedicate my life to caring for them by becoming a doctor. Giving my time and effort to show love to the people of this world is what inspires me, and this summer I am REALLY craving some inspiration. Not only do I hope to make some great connections during my trip, have some wonderful experience to put on my resume and medical school applications, I also am looking forward to all the ways that this experience will change my heart for the better. 

Every opportunity I get while in Antigua, I will post and fill you all in on my experiences, adventures, struggles and my safety. 

peace and love,

Meg <3