I live in Guate now...what?

The view from the roof of our "apart-hotel."

I'm finding my Spanish a little lacking, so just imagine this post with a spiffy and celebratory "we made it to Guate!" title in Spanish. I also considered "First Impressions" but I'm not sure Ms. Austen would be pleased with my knock-off.

After an 8 hour plane ride, we arrived in Guatemala and crashed at our "apart-hotel" which is essentially a glorified extended stay hotel with thatched roofs and a live-in cat named Edmond. Our principal Debbie said it was a "very nice place" and while the office staff is friendly, its construction isn't "very nice." Case and point: hail stabbed holes in the roof and caused quite a lake in the lobby yesterday.

Today was our first day of work. We found our Guatemalan colleagues to live up to their glowing reputation of friendliness. They are so sweet and eager to help us with Spanish (if we help them with their English:). There are about 15 teachers at Han Al to manage 200 students, grades K-12 (mostly Korean, go figure), and there are only 5 American teachers. Each of us has a challenging class load; I'm teaching middle school social studies and science, which amounts to five classes out of a five period day. There is also a serious lack of technology in the classroom--no computers, no projectors, and no tvs. Goodbye, Powerpoint:( At least we have electricity!

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything. It's a lot to take on for a first-year teacher in a new culture. Also, I'm imaging my students to be monsters in adolescent Korean bodies after the reports of the summer staff, so that's a factor. But I always find that, in my most nervous moments, God reveals himself in powerful ways. Notes from home, a promising new church to try on Sunday, finding an unexpected copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in my backpack, and a beautiful view from Han Al's third floor.

More to come. Te amo!