NPH

Making choices for the first time!

A fellow SLP very generously gave me a laminator to use while I am here in Guatemala. My sister sent down some laminating pouches, and I bought a color printer. 8 hours and 200+ communication symbols later...several kids are going to have voices!

Having fun in speech therapy :)   

She speaks volumes with her eyes alone, doesn't she?

More fun! 

He asks me everyday if we're going to have therapy :)

I finally broke out the ND blanket. Feels like home :) 

Several of my fellow new volunteers helping me with my spanish homework! 

So realistic in his play...He lined up the three babies so they could nurse from the mama pig.

New Volunteers

Here is a picture of us new volunteers who arrived in July and will be here for the next year. We join 12 other "old" volunteers who have been here for 6 months already.

Picture update

Outside of my office :) 

A small speech therapy/social skills group

Rice and beans...

...and more beans! Good thing I love them :) 

The GIANT (4 inches in diameter) tarantula who was roaming outside of our front door.

Some wonderful new friends helped me make this alphabet for my office!

Having fun in speech therapy!

This little guy was worn out after our first speech therapy session!  He fell asleep on our walk back to his casita.

A few of the kiddos...

Montessori

The Montessori preprimary school here is incredible. It is brand new and is equipped with all of the authentic Montessori materials for the kids. We got such a warm welcome from the kids and teachers in the school last week. I wanted to share a few photos of the circle time we all shared. The lead teacher had each of the volunteers write our names on the whiteboard and then the kids practiced sounding out and saying our names. It was very sweet :) I'll be working with at least 6 kids from the Montessori school in individual speech therapy, and possibly more after I complete their requested evaluations.

Mi oficina

Here is a panoramic view of my office. I have spent the last two days deep cleaning it and am excited to start seeing kids in here for speech therapy!

Vivo en Guatemala!

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The main entrance. There is a guard there 24/7, and there is a bus (shown here) that passes by on its way to Antigua. 

Mi oficina es arriba en este edificio. 

La clinica

La oficina de la administración. 

Escuela primaria

The workshops where the middle schoolers learn a trade (panadería, carpintería, costura, albañilería, cocina, etc)

Cafetería

Where the rice and beans are made every day :) 

Muchos tostadas

More rice and beans! 

Recycling 

The reason why we have clean water for the entire ranch!

Where vegetables are grown for consumption here.

More crops inside this structure

Mas verduras. 

maíz

The really nice soccer field where the NPH tournament will be held in November

 

One of the houses where the girls live.

A house for the boys. 

Where the trash is kept during the week. It is removed every Friday.

The cows who provide milk for the baby house.

Just outside the NPH gates are huge rose gardens. Roses are exported to the US from here.

The chickens who provide more than 300 eggs for the ranch every day.

This one provides milk for the babies too.

There are more than 100 pigs here. They call them "coches"

You can see the neighboring pueblo just over the fence from the volunteer houses.

The outside of the house I am currently sharing with 12 other people. 

The steps that lead to the 6 volunteer houses. 

View from the top.

Inside the house

This is carrot juice that was served with a few meals. Pretty tasty.