hola de xela!

Mis queridos,

Paz y bien a todos, and hello from my new home in Xela, Guatemala! After a wonderful summer at home in Florida and many tearful goodbyes to those I love all over the world, I boarded the plane this past Wednesday to begin the first part of my adventure of service at the Farm of the Child. My travels went smoothly, and I arrived safe and sound into the outstretched arms of my host family and my new community here at Escuela Juan Sisay.

Words can’t even begin to describe my gratitude for the kindness, the generosity and the support I have experienced from all those at home and all over the world who are walking with me in this journey over the next few years. Over and over again, as I spoke, wrote and shared the Finca with all of you this summer, I was completely overwhelmed by the goodness of your hearts and your desire to share in this mission with me. You offered your prayers, your encouragement, your financial support, and your own gifts and talents to support me. You had me over for dinner; you helped me practice Spanish; you sent me forth with your love, your hugs, your song, your blessing, and your affirmation. Over and over again, your kindness has completely surpassed my expectations. I wish I could wrap my arms around each of you individually and let you know how touched I have been by the generosity and goodness of your hearts. Please know that I will do my best to live out my gratitude for your kindness by loving and serving the kids at the Finca well… and that I will never stop whispering my ceaseless prayers of gratitude to whatever divine forces in heaven hold us all together in Love.

As for my new life in Xela… so far, I love it! The city is full of bright colors and tiny winding cobblestone streets with narrow sidewalks, and the coffee and hot chocolate flow freely at the city’s endless cafes where we spend our afternoons huddled over our textbooks and notebooks. Needless to say, I might leave a little more “gordita” than I arrived, especially since our host mom is an excellent cook and serves us delicious breads at EVERY meal. Speaking of la familia, they are wonderful. I’m living with la familia Loaraca - Veronica, her husband Carlos and their grown daughter Maria - but there is also a “monton” of extended family that comes over for meals and after school pretty regularly, including the grandchildren, who include Andrea, Andres, and Andre. (Veronica told me: “no habia otros nombres!” = “there weren’t any other names!” hah.) The family has been very kind, generous and patient with us and our baby Spanish, which has provided many opportunities for laughter and confusion.

I began classes at Juan Sisay this past Friday and am so excited to be back in school! Although I do speak a bit more than some of the other students already, I still have a LOT to learn and will be working hard to study and practice whenever I can. Our school tries to foster a sense of social awareness in its students, and helps us get connected with opportunities to tutor in the community, visit local social service agencies, and learn about issues facing the people of Guatemala. Since I just arrived I haven’t been able to do any of this yet, but it looks like I might be able to help at a local domestic violence shelter and tutor a few girls in math on Wednesdays. This will be a great chance to get to know the community and work on improving my Spanish in more real-world situations. Our classes are one-on-one with the teachers, which provides great individualized attention, and it’s very student-oriented, so if we want to take a walk, go visit a store, or study somewhere besides the school, etc, we can. The teachers are relatively young and often hang out with us outside of school… this Friday, after the school‘s weekly “graduation“ for the departing students, we all went to a local discoteca to shake our gringo hips to some latino music… though I do have to admit, I was a little surprised to hear the YMCA playing! (One advantage to being light-haired and green-eyed in Guatemala: there’s never a lack of local men eager to dance with you…)

I have so much more to tell you about, including the crazy and wonderful cast of character that comprises my new community (we are 5 strong now, with 3 still in the states)… but this will have to wait until my next update. Until then, please know that you all are ALWAYS in my thoughts and prayers, and I would love to hear who and what fills your days and your hearts. Know how much I miss and love you all, and how strengthened and encouraged I am to know of the wonderful work you are doing all around the world. What a blessing to be part of such a big, beautiful family of good-hearted people. Your support and your prayers are deeply felt. Know that I carry you with me in my backpack and in my heart, hoping and praying that your days and your hearts are full of good things.

with so much love,
Erin

“I am part and parcel of the whole and cannot find God apart from the rest of humanity.” - Gandhi

ps: I won't be sending updates very often - once a month or so - but if you'd rather not be on my email list, please don't hesitate to let me know, mark me as spam, etc etc :) These updates will also be available on my blog - http://erinramsey.blogspot.com - so if you'd rather peruse there at your leisure, let me know! Conversely, let me know if you're reading this on my blog and would rather get it through email. My internet access is much better now than it will be in Honduras, so I can take care of all those little details now before I get to the Finca.