A Day in the Life of a Latin Link Short Term Coordinator 1

Lots of people ask me what my typical day is like. That's a question which is quite difficult to answer as my work isn't at all regular. But I've decided to write a few blogs over the next couple of months to describe my days which will hopefully give you a better idea of what I do.

When I first started this job in Guatemala, I moved into a 3 bedroom house. It's more space than I need, but I really wanted my home to be a place of refuge for the Steppers and Striders here - so I give the Striders keys to my house and they know that they are welcome to come whenever they need to crash out, or have a break from speaking Spanish all day, or just want a English cup of tea! I don't actually like tea -but everyone who comes out assumes that that's what I'm missing most from England -so I always have a good supply to provide comfort and solace to home-sick Striders! -- (Of course the Swiss Striders would be equally comforted if I had a good supply of Swiss chocolate!!!!!.......)

So anyway this first 'Day in the Life' is when I've got a fairly full house - there's 5 people here; 2 new Striders, who arrived earlier this week and are staying with me for their orientation this week, 2 'old' Striders who are around this weekend to help introduce the newbies to Guatemalan life.

Saturday 16th January 2010
7.30am

My alarm goes off - although I've been half aware of the buses going past since about 5.30am. I sit up in bed and read my Bible for a bit. I have a 'rota' of people I pray for regularly -- some days it's difficult but a few incidents recently have focused my mind more.

7.50am

I'm just thinking about getting up but listen to noises outside my room that tell me that someone else is in the bathroom. The noises get stranger -and more squeelier - and I can make out Anna (who is quite excitable at the best of times) saying "Amy, get up! You've got to come and look! There's poo in the shower!". So I get up and discover that there is in fact poo in the shower and that both the toilet and the shower are draining very very slowly.

I think that the newbies didn't quite believe me when I told them that the Guatemalan drainage system can't cope with toilet paper being flushed down the toilet. (It has to go in the bin instead.) I think they believe me now!

8am

So I've got dressed quickly and crossed the road to the local hardwear shop - thankfully it's open and I buy two bottles of the magic unblocker stuff (that worked when the toilet was blocked on Boxing Day) - thinking that it'll be a good idea to have a spare bottle in the cupboard. But in fact I need both bottles and the plunger to unblock the pipes and then bleach the shower.

9.30am

We all leave and get the bus to Antigua. As usual that means squishing 3 people to a seat. I sit next to Gina, one of the newbies and chat about some of her concerns about starting her work placement next week.

10am

We meet a few of the other 'oldies' on the outskirts of Antigua. We'd arranged to meet up for a day out so that the newbies can get to know the oldies -and Antigua. After waiting for Hannah, whose bus comes from the other direction and has had to walk across Antigua, we all walk to El Pilar. I walk with Amy and we chat about how her placement is going and the recent changes that they've experienced.

10.45am

we get to El Pilar, a nature reserve with a set of 3 swimming pools fed by fresh mountain spring water. Thankfully there's not many other people there (Guatemalans seem to think that the water is cold!) so we enjoy a nice couple of hours swimming, chatting, relaxing and sunbathing, then make our way back to Antigua for lunch.

3pm.

We all split up. Some go to the market in search of cheap trainers, others to show the newbies the important sites of Antigua (where they'll be studying Spanish from Monday) - ie the best internet cafes with skype! I get the bus back with (Swiss) Mirjam, who has a concert with her church youth group to go to, and Trish. I chat with Trish about how she's coping with her host family, and commuting from there to her work placement, about an hours journey across the city.

4pm

At home I check my emails and start to write to another Latin Link missionary with some of my thoughts after a meeting we had the previous day with the ministry she works with. .... but soon the others return to the house.

During the next couple of hours Anna uses the computer to transfer some Spanish songs she's learning from a CD onto her ipod, Amy uses it to check out the website of an organisation she wants to work for when she returns to the UK, Hannah skype chats with a friend who'll be visiting her next week, (German) Mirjam has a sleep upstairs, I make a carrot cake as I realise that the previous cake has mysteriously disappeared, and Gina and Maddie continue to question the others about their experiences. Hannah's story of saying the word 'fart' (pedo) every time she wants to say 'but' (pero) keeps them particularly entertained and everyone compares their ability to roll their r's.

7.30pm

Most of them go out to my church youth group - so I enjoy a bit of peace and quiet with Hannah.

9.30pm
They all return home excited about their youth group deciding to organise prayer pairs -to pray for each other throughout the week. We finish the evening with some luxuries -- eating cake and Minstrels (which the newbies brought over for the oldies) whilst watching a few episodes of Gavin and Stacey (from a parcel from some of Anna's friends!)

new year's eve 2009

This year I spent New Years Eve with the Ortiz Family and some other friends. Every celebration in Guatemala is marked with fireworks. From near their house we could see all the fireworks from all over Guatemala City -- and of course had a few of our own to entertain us.

(Health and Safety doesn't exist in Guatemala!)