This trip would NOT have been possible without the care and planning by several people:
Jacobo Nitzsch - Scholar, leader, phenomenal musician , care taker, soon to be father and good friend for life.
Mariela Zelada- Dean of the College of Education at UVG- Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.
You are a leader among leaders - your faculty support you and know you believe in them. You have vision that will have lasting impact on teacher education in Guatemala. What an honour to know you!
We absolutely could not have done this without the care of our driver Esmin who drove us through the most amazing traffic daily as well as drove 7 hours to pick us up in Livingston (not to mention the packing and unpacking of the luggage from the top of the bus) - you are a good and caring man - thank you so much!
And finally, Gilmar, who accompanied us everywhere - and who is beloved by the Livingston community (as well as us). You are constant and caring and knowing of what is good. We miss you already.
Jacobo Nitzsch - Scholar, leader, phenomenal musician , care taker, soon to be father and good friend for life.
Mariela Zelada- Dean of the College of Education at UVG- Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.
You are a leader among leaders - your faculty support you and know you believe in them. You have vision that will have lasting impact on teacher education in Guatemala. What an honour to know you!
We absolutely could not have done this without the care of our driver Esmin who drove us through the most amazing traffic daily as well as drove 7 hours to pick us up in Livingston (not to mention the packing and unpacking of the luggage from the top of the bus) - you are a good and caring man - thank you so much!
And finally, Gilmar, who accompanied us everywhere - and who is beloved by the Livingston community (as well as us). You are constant and caring and knowing of what is good. We miss you already.
Post reflections from students:
Now that I am home I find myself constantly comparing events, people and objects in my life here in Canada to the experiences I had in Guatemala. Simple things from the food I eat, the money I spend, the possessions I have, to bigger ideas such as my music education philosophy. This summer I will be leading some group music classes, and I think this experience has changed the way I will lead the classes. I plan to use less verbal instruction and more doing, like we did with our visits to schools on this trip. I am curious to see how this idea will transfer into another, but very similar situation. I have discovered a new awareness in speaking and interacting with others, as it is much easier when both persons involved speak the same language. I find myself more awake to the amazing little moments that happen each day that some people might not get to experience. I am thankful for the amazing people that went on this journey with me. We became close as a group, throughout the trip. We built a community together and I hope expanded that feeling of community onto those we worked with. It was odd to say goodbye to these people after being with them for two weeks straight.
Now that I am home I find myself constantly comparing events, people and objects in my life here in Canada to the experiences I had in Guatemala. Simple things from the food I eat, the money I spend, the possessions I have, to bigger ideas such as my music education philosophy. This summer I will be leading some group music classes, and I think this experience has changed the way I will lead the classes. I plan to use less verbal instruction and more doing, like we did with our visits to schools on this trip. I am curious to see how this idea will transfer into another, but very similar situation. I have discovered a new awareness in speaking and interacting with others, as it is much easier when both persons involved speak the same language. I find myself more awake to the amazing little moments that happen each day that some people might not get to experience. I am thankful for the amazing people that went on this journey with me. We became close as a group, throughout the trip. We built a community together and I hope expanded that feeling of community onto those we worked with. It was odd to say goodbye to these people after being with them for two weeks straight.