Being taught to Fly

"When you have come to the edge of all light and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown, Faith is knowing one of two things will happen; There will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly"

-Unknown

 My view of the lake :)

One week ago, I had just moved in with my host family, was anxious about starting my first full day in Panajachel, and was ready to pack my bags and go back home where everything was just how I left it. Thank

goodness I didn’t.  While a lot of things are still kind of uncertain, as I’m sure they will be for most of the trip,

I think I am finally starting to adjust to things here.

 During a typical day here in Panajachel, I start my mornings at 7:30 with breakfast and head to my internship which is with a nonprofit organization called Fundabiem. This is a national organization that provides therapy for mentally and physically handicapped children. Here in pana, I have been given the opportunity to work with the speech therapist and I get to love on little Guatemalan kids all morning, and of course help them too.  If you know me at all, you know that I am absolutely loving being around these kids and secretly wanting to take one home with me/ saying oh my lanta every five seconds. J

Some of the kids outside the clinic

my desk :) 

I then usually head back to the house for lunch around 12 and then head to Spanish class from 1-5. Yes four

hours of Spanish… they sometimes feel like they will be the death of me.

           

My spanish school is called Jardin America

            Then comes my favorite part of the day, I get to talk to my family and friends from back home for about an hour then once again head back to the house to eat dinner and hang out with the host family who I have really grown to enjoy spending time with.

            On the weekends, I get to join back together with my group from NC State and take weekend excursions or adventures as we like to call them haha. Yesterday I actually got to experience Market Day in Chichicastenango.  It was absolutely crazy! There were people everywhere and you literally had to push your way through the streets to make it to the stands. I worked my bargaining skills :) haha but it was a wonderful experience and there were so many beautiful things to see! 

The beginning of Chichi.. I didnt know what I was about to walk into

some of the beautiful fabrics handmade by Guatemalan women

baby chicks! :)

            I decided to title this entry “being taught to fly” because I feel like that’s exactly what I’m doing. Obviously not literally, that comes the last weekend of the trip when we get to go zip lining J But literally everything about this experience has seemed to fall into the category of “unknown” or “different” and let me just tell you, there was nothing solid to stand on to be found in Guatemala. Which may or may not have been one of the reasons I was so divinely placed here this summer?

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

             I didn’t need anything more than I already had to stand on, I just hadn’t realized it yet.