Hello everyone. Sorry I havent posted for a while! Been very busy recently lesson planning and teaching aswell as going out! Ive been up at the school every day this week teaching roughly about 30-40 kids a day. Its been pretty manic and incredibly testing on my spanish but luckily im teaching with another girl so its not too much pressure. I havent really felt like i have been supported by the gvi staff though, feel like i have really been thrown in the deep end. I have no curriculum to work from and am competely making up my own lessons to cater for many different ages and abilities. But the kids are absolutely amazing. They are so lovely and loving and very very cute. Its very hard to tell them off! The project is incredible and does so much for the indigenous community. Ive also never met so many friendly people all in one place. The community leader does so much for everyone especially the children and its incredibly amazing especially that we are able to work with her. You can see the admiration a mile off with everyone in the community especially the kids in the school. Last night I went out but was so tired after a week of teaching that came home almost straight away. Cant believe how much hard work teaching is! Tomorrow I am going to a place called Earth Lodge with a few of the other volunteers. Dont really know what it is but I have heard that it is an amazing place. Going to go back to my home now and do a bit more lesson planning and then maybe go out later. Ill try and update the blog again soon, however its hard to find the time to get to the internet cafe! Hope all is well with everyone at home.

Hello! Just got back from climbing the Pacaya volcano which is a couple of hours drive from Antigua. It was really hard work, but the views were absolutely amazing. We ate marshmellows which had been toasted on a kind of lava pit... very tasty! Just been having Spanish lessons all week really, but my spanish is still really awful! Kind of understand a little bit more, but not very good at speaking! Going to start teaching on Monday with my own class and Im also teaching with another english girl. Im very excited however there is alot of work to be done! Tomorrow im probably going to be lesson planning all day and just probably walking around antigua. I will try and get as much sleep as possible tonight, didnt get much sleep last night as there was a spider in my room! haha.

Ive been in Antigua for three days now, but it feels like ive been here for a very long time! Not because im not enjoying it, but because im doing so much in a day. Been having 6 hours of spanish lessons today and yesterday, and been trying to practice as much as possible, but im living with another guy who is very good at spanish so im not really talking very much to my host family. My host family are lovely. Im living with a woman called theresa, her 70 year old mother and her son, as well as a dog called chopper and some other random family members who pop in and out of the house. The house is also amazing, it doesnt have a roof in the hall which gives you a wonderful view of one a of the volcanoes (which sometimes emits smoke, bit scary haha). Im now going to go to the market with some of the other volunteers then back to the house to practice a bit more of my spanish, and hopefully relax. Last night I went out for drinks in a local restaurant and the night before, and ive been having to get up at 20 to 6 every morning so i am very tired!

Hello all. Arrived here safely. Got here last night at around half 8. It was a bit stressful when trying to change planes at Dallas, but managed to change planes alright and finally arrived in Guatemala City. When I arrived GVI wasnt there to pick me up, so after having an initial panic, a really friendly Guatemalan gave me his phone so that I could phone them. The lady ended up coming half an hour later, but by that time I had bumped into another GVI volunteer, so just sat in a cafe with him waiting for GVI to arrive. We had to wait for other volunteers to arrive, so didnt get to Antigua until midnight. All of us stayed in a really lovely hotel overnight and then this morning I went to meet my host family. Everyone is incredibly friendly here. Antigua is also an incredibly beautiful place. Its surrounded by forest and three volcanoes. Its amazing. Sitting in an internet cafe now after having a hige lunch. Think that all of us are going to do a bit more exploring of Antigua now. Tomorrow I am starting my first spanish lessons. Quite looking forward to them. Ill update soon.