Happy tears...

Thursday was an emotional day with happy tears.  As I arrived into our house in Tecpan, my little guy, Wilson, peaked his head out of the door and ran into my arms.  Seconds later, his siblings all ran over.  I couldn't help but tear up realizing that I have made such good friends in Guatemala.  Friends that I know will always be in my life despite the language barrier.

Half an hour later, we drove over to the land where we are building the Children's Village and again I started to tear up.  So much progress has happened since I was here a year ago.  Of course, I see all of this in pictures, but pictures do not give it any justice.  We have built a perimeter wall surrounding the village, the interior walls of one house is finished, the vegetable garden is growing fiercely and now we have started painting the inside of one house...the list goes on and on!  

I feel blessed to be part of this Project.  I am reminded over and over again of the people that are less fortunate and I am grateful that I have found a project that I am in love with, so I can do my small part in this world and help out wherever I can.  

For comparisons sake, this photo was taken last August.  

And here it is now.

Just a few of the surrounding volcanoes.

Bamboo roof trusses

The interior of one of the homes

Heather and Tika performing tricks

Some wall decorations

Voila!  I love it here!

A Year Later...

And what a fabulous year it has been!  I am currently waiting at the airport on my way back to my happy place....Guatemala.  I look back at this year and am amazed by how blessed I have been.  My job has been fabulous.  I am lucky to to be working in the not-for-profit world, especially for Project Somos and getting paid to do so!  Honestly work does not feel like work most of the time.

I will be heading back to Guatemala for only a month this time around.  I am excited to see all the progress for the houses as well as reunite with all my friends there.  I can't wait!  My lil boy should be waiting at the house when I arrive!  :)

A few months, a friend asked me how I was doing....and for the first time in my life, I said "I am happy...like sincerely happy."   What a blessing.  :)

I will be updating this blog again regularly while in Guate so thank you in advance for following along!


Update:  Aug 8th
I just arrived into Guatemala City last night and it feels good.  I'm reminded of the little things....no hot water, get filtered water for brushing my teeth and throwing toilet paper into the garbage bin, not toilet.

On my flight from Dallas to Guate, I sat beside a fellow Guatemalan who spoke only Spanish and we had a full on conversation!  With my broken Spanish, we were able to talk about what I am doing in Guatemala, what he does....etc.  I was thoroughly pleased that I still remember a lot of my Spanish from last year....and he wanted my number and said I have a friend in the City....haha  :)

Today I will hang out with Ceci and then meet up with Heather and Greg in the afternoon.  Tomorrow we will head over to Tecpan.  I can't wait to see my lil kiddes as well as the construction of the village!

Day 112 - 117

A bit of a delayed post but I thought I'd finish off my blog with some closing messages!

I love everyone I met in Guatemala. Life is simple, life is good. I miss it. It's not about how much money someone makes but its about how much love you have in your life. You can have all the money in the world, but can it buy you happiness?

The world needs our help. The kids need our help. But ultimately, everyone I met in Guatemala is happy regardless of what they have.

Are you happy?

I doubt anyone has actually followed me this far....but if you ever come across this post, think about it.

Keep loving...don't ever stop.

Thank you for reading!

Day 103 - 112

Last week, we had a busy week with 3 events and then I ended it with a quick trip to Guatemala City. I have to admit, with all the crazy stories, I was a bit freaked out. I was told to never carry a purse because it may get slashed, to never show off your cellphone because someone may point a gun at you asking for your phone and to not open the windows in the car incase of robbery. So of course I was paranoid! But everything was all good. I got back into Tecpán safe and sound. The city is interesting, Cecilia drove me around showing me some cool monuments, the National Palace, Zona Vida and we ended off the day with dinner at Taco Bell! Yep...and it was delicious! hahahah

Some pictures of Guatemala City.

Check out the latest progress! We have added 12 bamboo roof trusses!! :) Super exciting times ahead! One step closer to bringing kids to live in the homes! And we also made these beautiful candle holders and vases from the same bamboo! I will be bringing these home!

Day 97 - 102

Ack my last 2 weeks. It's sad...but I also have a feeling that I'll be back. I don't know how or when but I know I will be back.

It's been interesting reminiscing the last 10 years of my life. And of course, 2011. I don't know who reads this blog...if anyone. In January, I would have never thought that I would be in Guatemala for 4 months. But the sad, yet happy truth is you lose some, you gain some. And I have gained many. It's bittersweet. I truly believe that everyone enters your life for a reason for a particular time period, whether it be short or long. But this led to my adventure in Guatemala which has changed me forever.

My last 10 years has been interesting...

2001 - moved to Kingston

2003 - moved to Toronto

2007 - moved to Hong Kong

2009 - moved to Vancouver

2011 - moved to Guatemala

I am turning 30 in just a few weeks and I wonder what my 30's would be like. I love adventure, you can't deny that...so it will probably be quite interesting.

Day 87 - 96

How time flies...I'm on my last 3 weeks here in Guatemala and extremely sad about it. I am slightly excited about the next phase of my life. The end of Guatemala also means the end of my 20's. And boy has it been an amazing decade.

This past weekend, I went on a trip to Rio Dulce and Livingston along the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. It was a 6.5 hour drive which is pretty crazy for just a weekend trip, but it was worth it. My favourite was going to Siete Altares which are naturally made pools of water in the middle of the forest. It was gorgeous. Turquoise blue waters. It was also nice to get some sun as it does get quite chilly in Tecpán but I do have to admit, it got so hot and humid that I was grateful to come back to cool weather.

I also wrote my last blog for Ethical Bean last week. It was bittersweet as it also means that the end of my journey is near....but I have learned a lot. And I wrote about that in my blog.

http://www.ethicalbean.com/2011/08/05/hasta-luego-guatemala-by-amy-yeung/

Day 80-86

Exactly 1 month left in Guatemala. I had quite the weekend. Expecting it to be quiet since everyone in the house is gone for the weekend, I ended up entertaining 3 kids, for 2 days for a total of 12 hours. I love them so much, but I am still exhausted and its Monday morning! I don't understand how they can have soooo much energy....

After they left on Sunday, I had one hour to rest until I went off to the cafe to help them out for a few hours. And of course, it just had to be one of their busiest nights!

I had quite the Guatemalan, spanish-speaking weekend! My brain is tired from all this Spanish!