Whistle (or scream) while you work

My latest endeavor (besides looking for gainful employment) is to post on this blog all the videos I didn't have the right combination of bandwidth and patience to upload during my service. I've divided what I consider to be the best videos -- and those most representative of my experience in Guatemala -- into four categories. They are work, culture, travel and fun. I'll create a new entry for each category, and possibly several for each category, depending on how many clips Blogger can accomodate on each post. I realize no one is going to watch every second of every clip (although, if you've got the time and inclination, be my guest), but I figured you could watch all or parts of the ones that interest you.

You may notice that this entry, the work post, has the fewest number of videos. (Insert joke about Cuerpo de Paseo here.) While, it is true that I only worked in the schools approximately three to five hours, three to four days a week, the following clips are certainly not fully representative of my experience in the schools. The truth is, I don't even have a clip of a normal day at school. Part of the reason is because a normal day in the Guatemalan public school system doesn't exist. The schedules are extremely unregulated. Another reason is that on the rare occasion we were having a fully productive, uninterrupted day of classes, I wasn't inclined to take out my camera, which always proved to be a major distraction with the students.

Plus, we were constantly reminded by the Peace Corps administration that being a volunteer was a 24-hr/seven day-a-week job, so technically all these posts could fall into the work category. Disclaimer aside, below are clips of some of the highlights from my work in the schools.

Health parade: ¡Estamos sanos!
The following video is that of a health parade we held to kick off the 2009 school year with my big school in Buxup. We came up with cheers and the kids and teachers made signs and costumes. Yes, that's me screaming from behind the camera. Sorry. I don't know why I never realize how close I am to the microphone when I'm taking video.

Tree Huggers: The Next Generation
Clip No. 2 is of a skit about protecting the environment put on by my fifth graders last year. I showed Fern Gully in Spanish to all of the classes and each teacher then came up with an assignment related to the film. The girl playing the fairy was one of my favorites. (But don't tell anyone I said that.)

¡Adiós, Kristina!
And this final video is of my good friend Maria's fouth grade class bidding me adieu during one of my last days of class (see Projects and more despedidas, April 17, 2010). I don't know if they made up the song or if it's a standard, but either way, it was pretty darn cute.

Peace out,

Kristina