A New Look

You are probably asking yourself how in the world I was able to hire a web designer to amp up this page with my meager Peace Corps salary...
Well I did not hire an MIT web designer, nor any web designer. This beautiful piece of cyber art is thanks to my own creative and technological genius.
Actually it was pretty simple... The website sets it up so just about anyone can make a very flashy page. It's just that I am not quite up to speed with all of these modern cyber luxuries.
I thought the map of Guatemala might be useful because then the folks at home can get a better idea of where I am. I live in the department of Chimaltenango, just to the west of Guatemala, it's the light purple patch on the map. If you look very closely you will see the Aldea in which I live (Estancia de la Virgen) and if you REALLY squint, you will see my house (the white one, -just there on the hill).

  I have also added a link to some headlines from Democracy Now! to the sidebar. This is the news that I listen to here and I have been so fascinated to hear all that has been going on in Egypt and the Middle East. If any of you lovely readers feels left in the dark about world news, I highly recommend giving this site a read or a listen. You may even find it a delightful side dish to your nightly helping of Glenn BLECK...

-I mean, Beck.

I will not make excuses for neglecting this page for so long. I haven't really been up to much in these past few weeks. I had a sprained ankle and was out of work for awhile and it has been a slow start to the new school year. This year is looking very promising however, and there is a lot in the works. I am planning on helping with some curriculum writing and project planning for our program which may not be so entertaining for you all to read about but it is certainly exciting for us here in Guatemala. Our program is forever changing and evolving and it is really great to be a part of that.

I am hoping to bring more of the arts and critical thinking to the kids here... I plan to do drawing, painting, creative writing, sculpture, music, theatre, and dance. I have some projects in mind; making musical insturments out of recycled materials, for example... The idea would be for each kid to find something they really enjoy in the arts, -something they feel accomplished in. Then maybe later on in the year we can have an Art Ehibition in which each student submits at least one work. The drawings, painting, sculptures we can put up on display and then the kids interested in performing arts can put together a few acts or numbers to perform live.
I think it would be a great way to boost kid's self-esteem and introduce them to the world of creative thinking. It would also be a nice event to bring the community together... I guess we'll see.

Please feel free to share with me any ideas you may have for projects, or activities I can do with the kids.
I really appreciate it!