Last day in Guatemala

Today we left Quetzantenango (Xela) to visit Antigua by a private bus. The public buses are referred to as 'chicken buses' because people take everything, including chickens, on the bus. They are really colourful and are given names and are often adorned with the driver's personal touch.

We and arrived at Antigua at about 2pm and most of the group wanted to settle into their hotel. Val I had to return to Guatemala City at 8pm and so we set off to see some of the town. We visited the most amazing market and we spent ages and most of our money there.

I was keen (as usual) to see the church and there was a wedding taking place. A decorated horse and cart was waiting outside to take the bride and groom from the church. Val and I sat at the back of church for a while. In Guatemala the churches are really well used and on Saturdays there is a huge queue outside the confession box. The country may be poor but most churches have flat screen TVs around church and the churches are full on Sunday mornings.

Val and I made our way back to the group's hotel for 8pm where we were due to be collected for our journey and the whole group were waiting for us. They presented us with medals. They tried to tell us that the plastic was really silver! It was lovely and everyone said really nice things to us before all standing in the street to wave us off. I feel very blessed to have shared the past three weeks with such wonderful people.

I'm now in the hotel in Guatemala City and have a whole room to myself after sharing for the past three weeks - luxury. However, I am being collected and taken to the airport at 4am and really looking forward to going home.

Final goodbye to the children

Our final day was spent saying goodbye to the children at all three schools. It was really emotional and lots of tears were shed. The children put on performances for us at two of the schools and treated us to traditional dances and invited us to join them. We were made to feel like royalty and had seats of honour at the front. Hundreds of photographs were taken and many speeches were made. It's been quite a day and I now feel a bit deflated.

We performed Snow White again and the children really enjoyed it. The Mums brought us food at all three schools and we didn't like to refuse. Hot chocolate, Guatemalan style at four in the afternoon - my sort of snack!

Most of the group are spending all next week travelling around Guatemala but I didn't have any annual leave left so tomorrow I will be travelling to Antigua with them and spending the day there. Then Val and myself will be returning to Guatemala City. I will be staying overnight and then setting off for home very early the next day (Sunday) and returning to the UK on Monday. It's a long, tiring journey and I'm not looking forward to it. I am looking forward to going home though and have missed everyone so much.

What a day!

Today has been busy and exhausting. We were off bright and early to take a lesson at Manuel C. Figueroa school and the numbers had gone up again. We had a good lesson and I gave them all a piece of fruit. We finished early so that we could grab a bite to eat and then set off to Holanda school. The school has very little land and so we used the grounds of the local church to perform our play about Snow White. I played Snow White's mother and I had FIVE lines, all in Spanish. It went really well. The children know us really well now and they call out our names all of the time. They are really affectionate, even the boys and I am really fond of them all - even the naughty ones.

After the play we played games with them and the flip-flop game once again went down a treat. When the games ended there was an earth tremour. I wouldn't call it an earthquake but I felt the ground move. Really exciting for those of us not used to such things. Our driver, Ivan, said it's natural for Guatemala and that he doesn't notice them.

When the games were over we went straight to the 'circus on ice'. Over 300 children from all three schools arrived and we put them into groups and gave them a hat so that we could recognise them easily. Things went really well considering that practically everyone of them needed the toilet at some time. The show was really good and the children really enjoyed themselves.

After the show we were taken to the nicest restaurant in Xela and we had a really nice meal. I'm hoping that tomorrow isn't as hectice but we've been told that breakfast is at 6.30am.

Wednesday

This morning at breakfast one of the group, Magaly, treated us to a traditional chocolate drink. It is made with cereal and is served with bread and cheese, both of which are dipped into the chocolate. It was interesting!

We stayed at the hotel this morning to work on costumes for a play we will be performing and we have been busy making crowns for the children to where for the circus on ice. This is so we can identify their groups. Only ten of us have groups and I have been made the official photographer/videographer. I was pleased with that as the alternative was taking children to the toilet!

We only have two days left to work with the children and tomorrow will be our busiest day yet. It's another early start to get to Manuel C. Figueroa school where we will be doing a normal lesson, a quick lunch and then it is over to Holanda school where we will be doing our first performance of Snow White.

Most days we pass communal washing areas where the women wash their clothes and each time I try to take a photograph it never turns out. So today I asked Ivan, our driver, if he would stop and let me get my photograph, see above. When we teach at the home of one of the Holanda children I noticed that no pegs were used to hang the washing up. Instead the washing line is doubled and twisted and the clothes are poked through the holes. In the countryside the washing can often be seen draped over stones on the ground.

Fruitas

Four of our group, Erika, Angel, Magaly and Margarita went for a midnight hike up to the top of a local volcanoe with the intention of capturing the sunrise from the top. They took some fantastic photographs and the colours were spectacular. They were very tired when the returned at about 12:00 and they had to teach classes in the afternoon.

This morning we had time to plan lessons for the next three classes. I decided to buy some fruit for the children and set off to find some. I walked up to the modern part of town and saw a lady selling fruit and so I bought a good selection from her. Her eyes opened wide when I said the I wanted ten of each. I think I might have been her best sale of the day. I got lost on the way back (not a surprise to those who know me well) and had no idea which direction I was supposed to go and it took me ages to find a street I recognised. The walk was very interesting and the people are so friendly. I stopped a woman and asked directions and I thought she was going to hug me. She smiled a lot and gave my arm a rub. I probably said something inappropriate in Spanish to her!

In the English class I used the fruit to get them to point out letters, then we did some counting with them and finally I got them, one by one, to say their name, how old they were and which was their favourite fruit. I then gave them the piece of fruit which they devoured straight away.

Tomorrow morning we are planning a play that we will be performing for the schools later on in the week. I'm playing the Queen and have made a crown. In the afternoon we will repeat this afternoon's lesson at one of the other schools.

Time is going quickly and we only have a few days left.

A mixed day

This morning we set out on a drive to a picnic spot way above the city of Xela. It is a beautiful place and was the venue for our meeting with the teachers from Chiucavioc (not the parents that I mentioned yesterday). It was like a team building event and they were treating us to lunch there. It started ok and we each had to say our name and what our favourite fruit was. Then we had to go into further details and I didn't fully understand. As each person said their bit, everyone laughed and I knew that my limited Spanish wasn't up to it. I felt really isolated and out of my comfort zone, so before they got round to me I just left them to it. I felt a bit upset and annoyed with myself so I went for a walk. I came across a huge cross which overlooked the city of Xela.

The view was magnificent so I sat at the foot of the cross and soaked up the wonderful views and felt totally at peace. Butterflies were fluttering around and I managed to capture some of them, see photos. The quiet time away was just what I needed and it wasn't long before I rejoined the group.

Some of the group went down some huge slides but I preferred to take on the role of photographer. The teachers then cooked us dinner on the bbq, which was really nice.

This afternoon we were back in the classroom with the children. We sang 'Old Macdonald had a farm' which they seemed to like. The children are really special and love to get involved. They are really building in confidence as they get to know us.

When we got back to the hotel we were ushered across the centre of town where we boarded a special bus for a guided tour of the City of Xela. It was really good. To round off the evening five of us had a very pleasant meal.

Lake Atitlan

We had the earliest start this morning and my alarm went off at 4.45. We were on our way for 5.30am. The lake is surrounded by volcanoes and mountains and is really beautiful. We had a boat ride which took us to four villages around the lake.

There was a market in three out of the four villages and we were pestered by people wanting us to buy from them. As usual there were lots of children working in the markets. I find it very difficult to buy from them. Do I refuse to buy because I don't believe in child labour or do I buy from them in preference to the adults so that I'm supporting them? It's a dilemma.

The children who live by the lake seem quite well educated and can speak some English. Tourists bring money into the area and the children are expected to sell goods to supplement the family income after they finish school for the day.

The goods here are all very colourful and Guatemala is renown for its weaving. Every where we go we are offered colourful scarves.

It was a long day but very enjoyable. Tomorrow we have been invited to eat with the parents from one of the schools.