Guatemala Documentaries, Lost Count.

I haven't written in a while, and I feel substantially bad about this. Each day has been filled with so much, however, that it's been hard to center my thoughts on just one topic.

On Sunday, I moved into my new place in Antigua, Guatemala. Living here is kind of like living in a dream. It's just strange to wake up each day, walk outside only to be met by cobblestone streets, colonial architecture and a huge volcano presiding over it all.

The place I'm living at in itself is quite an adventure. I live with two girls from Canada, a girl from Taiwan and a an American. It's kind of exciting because I get to practice French, which is a huge, unexpected bonus. Not to mention, there is a Parisian-owned creperie right down the road. Oh, and did I mention a German-owned beer and German food place as our next-door-neighbors? That's not even mentioning the many, many good local restaurants and cafes littering the sidewalks every which way we turn.

On Monday, Sarah and I started volunteering at "Los Patojos," an organization that helps children and adults in the tiny village of Jocotenango improve themselves in simple ways; their focus is completely internal, meaning they don't give them material things. As the owner and founder explained, they want to empower each individual to realize their own worth, intrinsic worth obtained not through external possessions, but their own capacities and abilities.

I've already experienced and realized so much while being there so far this week that it'd be impossible to put it all in words. But today, while doing dishes duty with a jolly-green-giantish kid from Holland, I realized why I love Guatemalans so much. At some point he said, "What I love best about being here is how cheerful Guatemalans are. Even the poorest people are always smiling and so friendly to everyone."

Watching the kids run around like wild animals at the school, you can't help but feel just at peace. Today they ate a smile lunch of two pancakes each, and they were so happy and then set about running and laughing and just being silly kids. They all come from extremely poor families, but they are nevertheless some enlightening kids.

Watching the people we work with interact with the kids is also fulfilling. Our team of fellow volunteers includes three Spanish girls, one Swiss girl, one German, one Dutch and three Americans. We range in Spanish abilities from pretty basic to fluent, yet we all interact so well with one another. The kids are so lovable too and come up and hug you and start talking with you for any reason.

Sarah and I are going to develop small activities we're supposed to carry out on our own in this next week and a half. We are pretty excited!

Anyway, enough for today I suppose! I am going to explore all morning tomorrow!