River Days

Hello to our TTS21 Extended Family,

It´s hard to believe that we are in Mexico, with the first leg of our trip in Guatemala already over!  We just got off the Lacanja river this week after splashing over waterfalls and paddling for several hours through the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico.  The girls were all shouting and laughing as our guides directed us, "Adelante, fuerte, adelante, fuerte," which means strong, forward!  Each boat of 5 would paddle hard with nervous laughter until we were told, "Abajo!"  Everyone grabbed the side line and dropped to the bottom of the boat fast as lightening as we approached the tip of each mini-waterfall.  After landing on smooth water again, the team would hoist their paddles in the air and then slap them on the river in true whitewater rafting style.  Following several hours on the river and enjoying the view of some Maya ruins tucked deep into the jungle we trudged through, our campsite alongside a waterfall awaited us.  Everyone enjoyed a refreshing swim to cool down, then talked for hours around the campfire.  It truly was a perfect trip.

I better not go into further detail, as each of the TTS21 girls are putting together their own interpretations of our journey thus far.  So, to avoid ruining any surprises, I will simply say that this group of young woman are amazing.  The entire group supports one another, giving hugs, sharing laughs, or lending a needed ear to listen.  The energy is always positive, even when a majority of the girls is ready to fall asleep standing up after a full day of hiking through the ruins of Tikal.  I admire their willingness to use their Spanish and talk with our guides or new friends we meet along the way.  I respect their courage for leaving the comfort of home to explore the world and take a chance, and I thank each of them for sharing their voice with the group and for being willing to show their true selves.  Each day has brought forth new challenges, and the whole group faces each one with wide smiles and determined hearts.  Each of the TTS21 family brings so much to offer the world; we have already learned so much just from each other.

Ava shares her love of music and even taught the group a few marching band moves.  Mikaela wins over any crowd with her smile and taught the group about weaving when we visited one of the local Woman´s co-ops.  Annalise compares photography shots and regularly catches a rare moment on film.  Kathryn´s Spanish-speaking skills have helped the group learn medicinal plants as well as kept us laughing with her witty sense of humor.  Ruth´s enthusiastic curiosity and love for science have taught us to keep our eyes open and pay attention to even the littlest plants around us.  Simone is always ready to talk about records, and her unbreakable spirit keeps everyone positive even in a hot humid jungle.  Abby´s love for travel and experiencing everything to the fullest has helped several girls in a moment of homesickness.  Emelia´s desire to speak Spanish with anyone has opened up doors to the world of Salsa dancing and Maya ghost stories around the campfire.  Anna´s ability to speak from her heart and take chances has helped many of the girls find their courage as well.  Eliza´s humor and desire to get to know everyone as individuals has encouraged the entire group to take more time getting to know each other on a more personal level.  Maggie´s energy and warmth make each and every girl feel welcome and important. 

This group of woman are all unbelievable travelers, willing to make the most of each and every day.  Be sure to visit the blog throughout next week, as tales from the road are all headed your way!

Que le vaya bien,

Jen

Civil War in Guatemala

For almost four decades, civil war ravaged and divided the nation of Guatemala. The warfare permanently scarred and changed the people of Guatemala, creating a cultural divide between old and new. Isabelle, an indigenous Mayan woman from Solola, spoke with the entire TTS21 group about her personal experiences with the war, her life as a teacher, and her vast knowledge of Mayan culture. When Isabelle was a young girl in Guatemala she faced the oppressive government and culture prejudice. She struggled through situations as a woman but was able to push herself to achieve goals many women do not reach. Growing up in a large family was something normal for Isabelle, and they were all very supportive of her dreams to become a teacher. Now Isabelle is a teacher in her local community and continues to advocate for education.
When asked to go into detail about her experience growing up in a country filled with civil turmoil, Isabelle began to tear up just thinking about the terrible things she witnessed. At one point in her past women were forced to stay in their homes from 6am until 6pm, giving them no freedom.
Several of the TTS21 girls reacted to Isabelle´s emotions when she spoke about her past. They were all able to understand the difficulty of being a woman in such a terrible situation. TTS21 student Ruth mentioned, "I never even knew about the Guatemalan Civil War, let alone how difficult it was."

Emelia tries a Trata

After the conversation with Isabelle, all of the TTS21 girls were offered the chance to try on Tratas, traditional Mayan outfits that women wear in Guatemala. All of the girls described the Tratas as beautiful works of art considering they were hand woven. --Annalise, Senior from WY

Isabelle looking on with a smile

Praise Poems

I. Eye.
my eyes. I am
Not one color, brown, blue, green
   Not one
emotion, though, choice.
I see the world and
I draw
on paper blends
(dreams) color
my eyes. I am not
a size, a test score, an object
I will not and will never
   be.
So I feel,
       think,
       try,
       travel,
       laugh and smile all the way to
my eyes.
My body is not perfect
   built not for grace
   but to move, to fly
My body is perfect.
My heart is not perfect.
   quick to love to care about
   people, academics, change
My heart is perfect.
My smile is not perfect
   quick to come, too often
   changes to laughter
My smile is perfect.
   For me.
   An Individual.
   I,
who sings louder than she should,
who plays guitar with untrained enthusiasm,
who is not curvy,
who cries and laughs equally
   because the world is complex
complex like me.
I won´t be put
               in a box
               in a corner.
because I believe
   I.
   I am.
   Eye.
I am My Eyes.

Eliza, TN

Different

Horrible kids stare,
they point,
and snicker
when you walk by.

You won't be one of them.
Why would you join those who hurt you?

You don't wear the right clothes,
don't have the right look.
Can't be one of them.

Can't be one of the onlookers.
One of the ones that looks but doesn't see.

That hears but doesn't listen.

Sometimes you want to give in,
be able to end the suffering.

But you can't once you see,
there is no going back

you are different.

You see the real world,
not the fakeafied happy one the onlookers see.

You want to close your eyes,
but you can't.

You need to keep them open,
so that you can change the world.

Mikaela, CT


The mirror reveals lightness
Reveals jubilance
Then only then is it met with approbation
Then only then is it valid
Then only then is it comfortable to share
But I see anger, anguish, fear, jealousy and sadness too
These are right too
These are human
These are honest
These are authentic
Yet a latent disapproval on these downer feelings lingers hauntingly
I do not let the social mores dominate me and my expression of me
of my whole person
of my complete self
I am all of me

Anna, NY

Semuc Champey

Kan-Ba Caves by Candlelight (not our girls)

Our five days at Semuc Champey were punctuated by learning and adventure. After class on a Sunday afternoon, the TTS21 girls strapped on their Chacos and headlamps and trekked their way down to the Kan-Ba Caves. There they were given a candle that would be used to light their way through the near darkness of the cave. With Carlos as our seasoned guide, we descended under the earth into cool dark pools. Some parts of the cave were shallow with stable rocks to stand on, but other parts were deep pools where the girls had to swim with their candles above water. Their afternoon was spent scaling underground waterfalls, climbing up ladders and jumping into dark pools by candlelight. Emelia was equipped with her waterproof camera. "The pictures and videos that I got are amazing! The candles created such a cool glow- I can't believe I just spent my Sunday afternoon in a cave!" With the help of Carlos, the girls successfully and safely made it through the cave and back. "That was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced," said Abby, "I felt like I was Indiana Jones!"

Kathryn, VA, reporting

Advanced Conversational Spanish Update

Advanced Conversational Spanish has been full of experiential learning. The girls have been practicing their Spanish by reading/summarizing local articles, translating speakers for the group, playing with local children, and speaking one-on-one with the local Maya and Guatemalans.  All the ladies have a strong command for vocabulary and grammar and are fearless when it comes to speaking.  Anna is usually first to volunteer with translating, and although it's not perfect, her enthusiasm and courage to speak will take her far this semester.  Emelia's warm smile is contagious, and she was the first to get dressed up in Isabel's traditional traje (Maya dress) and is making strong connections with the local people.  Annalise shows constant courage when asked to speak and translate...she doesn't shy away and gives it her all.  I call Kathryn my sweep...when translating and speaking she can usually pick up what the other girls miss.  Just in the past two weeks the girls have improved so much.  They are enjoying speaking and learning about everything around them.  They all have the goal to speak as much Spanish as possible and if they keep this up, they're sure to reach this goal.   

Hasta proximo!   

Liz

Visiting Safe Passages and the Guatemala City Dump

After a few days of adjustment and orientation, TTS21 took a day to experience another side of Guatemala. The Guatemala City dump (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRW1jlLACxk) is the largest dump in Central America and it employs many people of the lower class. Men and women have used trash as their means of income for decades as they sell their daily findings on the streets. On the edge of a drop off overlooking an enormous pool of garbage, the girls of TTS listened as a volunteer from Safe Passages explained the scene. Our guide told us about how scavenging has become the norm for these families and how Safe Passages has made an effort to care for the children involved. Safe Passages (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0PKnCU4hlA) is an after school program for school aged children, as well as 2 to 6 year olds. They also offer adult literacy programs, tutoring, and jewelry making (http://creamosfuturos.com/Home_Page.html) in effort to improve the lives of families that have fallen into the trap of the Guatemala City dump. Safe Passages was an encouraging aspect of the day as the girls witnessed poverty like they had never seen before. This humbling experience made each girl feel even more grateful for this amazing opportunity they have.
By Kathryn, Senior,VA

Children Pickers in the Guatemala City Dump

Heather's Class Updates

Precalculus
On our first day of Precalculus this semester, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and near-perfect temperature up at Earth Lodge outside of Antigua, Guatemala, we jump-started our mathematical thinking by deriving the formula used to convert between temperatures in Celsius and Fahrenheit. Then Ruth and Emelia began individualized work to address their needs based on what was covered at their home high schools during first semester. Ruth is working with matrices. She has learned to solve systems of equations using algebraic and graphing techniques and is doing a good job connecting her previous knowledge with the new methods of solving systems of equations using matrices. Emelia is working with equations and graphs of polynomials. She has investigated the relationship between solutions to quadratic equations and the graphs of the graphs of parabolas, and has explored graphs of polynomials of higher degrees. Later in the semester, Ruth and Emelia's studies will come back together when they both work with solving trigonometric equations.

Beginning Conversational Spanish
The beginning Spanish class is filled with the energy of seven girls eager to learn as much as possible in order to interact with people on a daily basis here in Guatemala. Speaking a new language can be intimidating for beginners, but these girls are to be commended for their willingness to jump in and try out their Spanish in order to connect with people. Through these interactions, they are learning new expressions and vocabulary constantly. In class, we are focusing on basic conversation skills including topics such as greetings and introductions, pronunciation, numbers, and subject pronouns, but we also spend some of each class to address the many questions the girls naturally have as a result of being immersed in the language. We learned some clothing vocabulary when a local woman gave a demonstration of washing clothes by hand. Today, the girls teamed up with members of the advanced class to complete a scavenger hunt of Antigua. They used their Spanish to ask directions and find famous landmarks. Each team of girls also interviewed a tourist police officer and asked about the craziest story he had about a tourist in Antigua. Great stories!

Academic Updates from Jen Herdina

The TTS21 family has settled into the routine of days filled with experiential learning and regular conversations in Spanish.  Earth Lodge greeted everyone with lush green mountainsides and a view of 3 volcanoes encircling the city of Antigua.  The girls were smiling ear to ear as el Fuego regularly puffed its ash and smoke into the sky.  By night, the volcanoes feel behind evening clouds and the lights of Antigua slowly lit up the ground far below our cozy home.  The first week of our adventure began with group games and visits to the local elementary school, el Hato.  Every student quickly settled down with the young children, practicing Spanish and communicating with smiles and laughter.  As the week progressed, the girls’ confidence in Spanish grew immensely.  Today, the whole TTS21 family is comfortable exploring Antigua in small groups, completing scavenger hunts and navigating the busy cobblestone streets.  As we leave Antigua, the girls are looking forward to their first big transit experience, and swimming in the calm waters of northeastern Guatemala.

Goodbye Cake for Gennifre

Algebra 2:

The students in Algebra 2 began the semester with a review assessment while appreciating their incredible outdoor classroom and its views.  The class discussed strengths, fears, and areas needing improvement before embarking on polynomial equations.  Already in the second week of the semester, the class has completed several assignments involving multiplication and division of polynomial functions, while simultaneously reviewing concepts from earlier in the year.  As the students leave Antigua later this week, the class looks forward to solving some practice problems while soaking their feet in the beautiful turquoise waters of a Guatemalan river.

Natural Science:

Science in TTS21 began with an exercise in observation as students, working in pairs, were blindfolded and led to a random tree around Earth Lodge where each student had to describe their tree in as much detail as possible.  After an adventurous walk back to our starting place, the girls removed their blindfolds and had to locate their specific tree.  The class quickly learned how using all of your senses and paying close attention to minute details can make all the difference in identification of similar species.  Students are now expected to complete weekly field journal entries, again practicing their observation skills as they actively explore the various biomes we will be visiting this semester.  Students have also completed sense journals, cloud tutorials involving interpretive dance, and are currently working on biome presentations.  Each student brings such immense enthusiasm and curiosity to class discussions, and the ambition of the group has led to a class generated assignment of regularly graded sensory observation reports.  As we leave the cloud forest above Antigua and enter the rainforest, we will continue to explore our surroundings and dive into complex research questions.

Math Concepts:

The math concepts curriculum began with a discussion of the decision-making process and a full analysis of how each student chose to participate in TTS this semester.  Students studied and then acted out the various strategies a person can use while making decisions.  The facial expressions and voice alternations kept everyone laughing as students demonstrated their own methods of chosing to study abroad: spontaneity, agonizing, and critical analysis.  The unit of study continued with a review and discussion of the various influences that affect different people when facing complex decisions.  Following practice scenarios, the students each created their own list and shared them with their peers.  As the class has now begun to visit the local markets of Antigua, the curriculum will be continuing into the world of budgets, savings and checking accounts, and how to track spending throughout the TTS semester. 

Visiting El Hato

While staying at Earth Lodge in breathtaking Guatemala, the girls of TTS21 were offered the unique opportunity to visit El Hato school. The school is located in the small town just outside Antigua. The educational program at El Hato is run by the non-profit organization Las Manos de Christine. Las Manos de Christine also provides education for impoverished children in Guatemala City. The school provides basic education for children ages 5-14 and English classes for young adults ages 13-22. Visiting El Hato provided us the opportunity to improve our Spanish skills by speaking with the children there. We were able to play with some of the younger children during our first visit, and during our second visit we helped older students read books in English. The school was filled with positive energy from the children's smiles and optimistic attitudes. Several of the TTS21 students described the experience as enlightening and inspirational. We were able to speak one-on-one with several of the children and learn the hardships and challenges of their lives. It brought us to realize how lucky and fortunate we are to have a good education. Unfortunately, good education in Guatemala is very expensive for families with lots of children so usually only a few are sent to private school and the rest attend public school. Students in rural areas often walk hours to go to school each day. In a developing nation, education helps those who need a job to have better skill and
help them be more successful. Visiting El Hato school was a very heartwarming experience that helped verify how lucky we are to have such good educational opportunities in our lives.
By Annalise, Senior, WY

Class Updates from Caroline

During the first few weeks of Literature and Composition, we began reading Ben Mikaelsen’s novel Tree Girl. The novel is a moving testimony of a young Maya girl's terrifying experience during the Guatemalan Civil War. The images of violence and horror Mikaelsen describes are haunting. Additionally, the students are working on their first drafts of a descriptive essay about a mentor. Along with honing their descriptive writing skills, they must identify a person in their lives who is a teacher, role model, and friend. The students have also been journaling extensively. We begin each class with ten minutes of reflective and creative journaling. Today in class we read and wrote praise poems that sing songs of who we are as part of our bi-monthly creative writing workshops. In the coming weeks, we look forward to exploring poetry and short stories by Central American authors.

We began our study of the History of Central America by looking at pre-Columbian America. We exploded the myth that before Columbus arrived, America was a lightly populated continent whose inhabitants did little to alter an Edenic landscape. Instead, we painted a picture of a vast and teeming continent rich in culture and civilization. We are currently looking at the rise and fall of the Maya empire in an effort to better understand the history and indigenous people of Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador.  The girls will begin giving oral presentations on different topics pertaining to our studies.  The first presentations will focus on various aspects of Maya culture. Finally, we explored how the study of history is as an interpretation of past events and the ways in which maps influence our perspective on the world. 

Travel Journalism students are learning to document events through image and written word. We are getting to know our cameras by experimenting with settings and trying out various ways of framing a photograph. The students are reading articles about journalistic writing and are honing their skills as journalists by completing short writing exercises and practicing writing with a deadline. Keep your eyes open for activity updates written by the TJ girls each week. 

P.E. and iLife has gotten off to a strong start. The girls have run and hiked the hilly trails around Earth Lodge; played capture the flag on a grassy field below the volcano Fuego; completed an 18 mile cross country bike ride through the outskirts of Antigua—visiting a women's textile co-op, a macadamia nut farm, and a jade factory; and roasted marshmallows on hot rocks after hiking up the volcano Pacaya. Additionally the students are working on creating SMART fitness goals and improving their strength and cardio through hiking, running, and plyometrics. iLife workshops focused on self-care and group living, personal safety, and creating and managing a budget. 

Global Studies is a class centered on discussing and understanding the invaluable experiences we have in and out of the classroom while traveling the world. Global Studies has thus far focused on orienting ourselves to Guatemalan culture, discussing cultural differences and the missteps that occur in trying to understand and interpret another culture, and debriefing our experiences at El Hato School and Safe Passage http://www.safepassage.org/, the educational non-profit operating around the Guatemala City Garbage dump. Additionally, two guest speakers, Diane and Isabelle, provided the group with insight into culture of present-day Maya people and the struggles they face in the modern world, specifically in regards to access to good healthcare. Diane, Liz's mom, lives and works in Antigua. She and her husband run clinics in remote Maya villages and help doctors and nurses from the United States reach patients in rural Guatemala. Her close friend, Isabelle, is an educated Maya woman trained as a school teacher. In addition to speaking about her own experiences in Guatemala and teaching about the Maya people, she dressed each girl up in traditional Maya clothes, much to their delight.  

As you can see, the academic component of The Traveling School can be found all around us. We have been quite busy these first two weeks and are looking forward to moving around Guatemala in search of more amazing people and places that will bring our classroom and textbook material to life!

Caroline Goodman

Books your girls are reading this semester

Antigua Jumping

Dear TTS21 Parents and Friends,

We've had a few parents request a reading list for this semester. Of course, as the Dean of Students and Academics, this request thrills me! I believe it will be a terrific way for you, as parents, to better understand you're daughter's journey this semester if you take a moment to read from some of the materials. So, here you go!

Early in Parque Central

Literature and Composition novels: 
Guatemala - Tree Girl by Ben Mikalsen
http://yareviews.wikispaces.com/Tree+Girl
El Salvador - One Day of Life by Manlio Argueta
http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/onedayoflife.html
At end of semester - Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/02/08/home/boyle-tortilla.html

History:
Guatemala - Bridge of Courage by Jennifer Harbury http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/jennifer-harbury

Global Studies: 
Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario, http://www.enriquesjourney.com/ 

Calls from your girls this week

Dear Parents,

After what sounds like an amazing stay at the Earth Lodge, the girls will be heading into town this week. They've finished up orientation activities such as self-defense classes and sessions on group living. They've begun to keep track of their individual budgets and spending each week and started classes. The ladies have begun to work on their communication skills with school kids and at the market.

Precalculus Class at Earth Lodge

I know you are eagerly awaiting your first phone call from your daughters this week. It sounds like the teachers have planned to set aside time for the girls to call home tomorrow morning between 10am and noon CST. If you miss your daughter's call tomorrow, the teachers will ensure that each student reaches their parents in the next few days while the group is in town.

Your daughters are excited and perhaps a little anxious to hear from you at home.  They may cry when they hear your voices, especially with the first call home, even if they were whispering and giggling with their new friends minutes before the call.  They want to hear about what they've missed at home, and they sometimes don't even know where to begin when you ask them how they've been or what they've done.

Here are some things you can do to help:

   Reassure your daughters that homesickness is normal and many people experience this when they leave home for a while. Remind her that  homesickness is usually short-lived.


        Listen to your child's challenges and concerns, but don't let the looking back hinder her moving forward. Remind her that she is there to learn, and make new friends and grow.

        Establish a regular contact time but limit the number of acceptable calls. We think calling home too much or too little can be the most difficult for our students. During the semester, public phone access is not consistent, so the teachers will try to set up phone calls every 10 days to two weeks.     Setting up a Skype account is greatly encouraged, as you may have the opportunity to actually see your daughters if there is Skype at the Internet cafe. If you need any assistance with this, please let me know.
        Encourage your daughter to become involved in her new life and her new community. Ask about her classes, activities, and the other students that she's met. Praise her for her efforts to make friends. In particular, ask her about the bike ride, her favorite Earth Lodge dish, to describe Antigua, and about her favorite classes.  Ask her to describe one of the other girls or tell you about Tree Girl, a book she's reading for her English class.
       If homesickness has not improved after several phone calls, encourage her to talk to her mentor. Please follow up with the home office yourself for a progress report.

It's true, that this might not happen with your daughter, but it's nice to think about it before your first phone call.  Feel free to call or email us in the office anytime if you have concerns during the semester.

Until then, I hope you successfully connect with your daughters tomorrow, but if you don't get through, we'll work it out for you to try again! Know in advance that orchestrating 11 phone calls will come with a few dropped calls and possibly some crackly connections. Know also that we've got our fingers crossed here in the office and are hoping this all goes smoothly! Let us know how things go.

Cheers,
Jennifer

Update from Jen

The breathtaking view of three volcanoes await the TTS21 family each morning as the group gathers by the main lodge for early morning PE workouts.  Each student pushes herself up the steep 250 meter hill, where they shout an energetic "Buenos Dias" to the local woman doing laundry at the community washing station called a pila.  I am in awe at the openness and willingness of these 11 caring ladies who have already opened their arms and hearts to each other and the people of neighboring El Hato.  Ruth B. just stopped by as I write this post, and when I asked what sticks out to her from this week, she states she has never seen a group of girls become such close friends so fast!  I have to agree, as any free moments are quickly filled with random games like "Wah" and "Signs" and the hand passing game.  The girls encourage everyone to join in and are ready to teach newbies all the strategies for success.

Yesterday, the whole group went into Antigua for the first time.  The girls split up into teams and practiced their Spanish as they purchased snacks at the market and then had to navigate the historic streets to El Parque Central. 

Today the girls completed another full day of classes-- situated on the open field in Crazy Creek chairs, in the shade at picnic tables and on the favorite comfy couch of the main lodge.  During free periods, several of the girls relaxed on hammocks while enjoying the view and a plate of chips and salsa.  The sun was hot and bright, which made the fresh mangoes taste even better during Global Studies.

It is unbelievable to think this is only our first full week!  I can only imagine what awaits these strong woman in the coming weeks. 

Hasta pronto,

Jen

What the girls have been up to . . .

 

According to Jen Herdina during our weekly check-in yesterday, the girls have enjoyed beautiful weather so far in Guatemala which has rewarded them with sights of the smoke from distant El Fuego. 

There have been birthday parties for Jen and Liz, hikes around the Earth Lodge, lots of yummy meals with homemade carrot-ginger soup and fresh salad topped with birthday cake. On Monday, the girls had their first shortened day of classes, visited a nearby school, and spent their first town time in colonial Antigua. The girls were sent on a scavenger hunt and in their Mentor groups visited the market. Later, they continued with orientation activities. There are trips to Safe Passages planned, a bike ride through the outskirts of Antigua, possibly to a macadamia nut farm and woman's cooperative in nearby communities. All this and more to come in the days the group is in and around Antigua. 

Though you're missing your girls, know they are busy and getting to know each other and their surroundings. I will let you know more about the plan for the upcoming phone call as soon as the teachers have worked out their schedule for Sunday or Monday.
Jennifer

February 2, 2013

¡Buen viaje! After uncountable hours of planning, paperwork, shopping, packing, and re-packing, TTS21 is finally on its way!

Yesterday pulsed with anticipation and excitement as girls arrived in Houston throughout the day from all over the country. The girls have been introduced to each other via Facebook and were eager to meet in person their fellow classmates and travelers for the semester ahead. The teachers were just as excited as the girls to meet all the students of TTS21 for whom they have spent many hours planning.

At the hotel, girls who arrived earlier in the day greeted girls arriving on later flights and helped them out with hints on how to somehow squeeze all those textbooks into already overflowing packs. After reorganizing and repacking packs one more time, TTS21 met for our first dinner together. Over Texas barbeque, the students, parents, and teachers got to know a little bit about each other and watched a slideshow to preview the adventure ahead of us.   

This morning the group is full of excitement and nervous energy as we set off on our semester in Central America. The photo below is our group ready to head to the airport to start our travels. To our family, friends, and pets in the USA, TTS21 says: ¡Les extrañaremos! (We will miss you!)

Ready? Set. Go!

 

Flight Touched Down

The flight arrived early to Guatemala and the girls have begun their trip to their first new home away from home looking out on the volcanoes surrounding Antigua. Mario, our local driver greeted them at the airport with a van which will carry the girls and all their backpacks and group gear up to where the road ends. From there, the students will be met by Briane and Drew, who will help the group lug their gear down to their rooms. From here, the students will have an early homemade dinner and turn in after a couple of big travel days. Stay tuned for updates from overseas by early next week as well as my commentary too. For now, sit back and relax. You deserve it. You have all worked hard to get your daughters ready for this amazing adventure. It's time to become flies on the wall, watching from home, supporting with your love and wishes, and waiting for their first calls home in a few short weeks. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns along the way.

Cheers,
Jennifer

What's Happening in Houston?

Dear TTS21 Parents,

The girls have been arriving in Houston since 8AM CST today. They're still trickling in, but here's a look at what they're greeted with once they depart their planes and enter the arrival area. The teachers greet the girls and shuttle them to the hotel.  Here students congregate in their suites, collect their books, and go through their packs to make sure they have everything for the semester. The girls are giddy with excitement and nervousness; they're in the most awkward stages of the semester. It's OK, because it has to start somewhere! The group will gather together for dinner, a preview of the semester PowerPoint and with formal introductions of the teachers. Eventually, they'll settle down to try to sleep before the flight tomorrow. We look forward to sharing their journey and adventures with you here and hope you'll join in on this blog too, to shared your thoughts and comments.

Bienvenidos!