The Kennys Conquer Guatemala

For Spring Break (March 18-24), Mom and Dad Kenny visited us from their hometown, Neosho, Missouri. We had been beyond excited to have their company, as they are our parents, our first visitors, and relatives with BIRTHDAY PRESENTS! :)

We picked them up with all their luggage from the airport, and went home for a typical Guatemalan lunch (corn tortillas, guacamole, refried beans, and dorito-like chips) and opened presents. It was so nice to get some new clothing! Clothes that are not available in size / length here. Not only that, but James and I both gave up chocolate for Lent this year, and our parents brought us plenty to eat once the fasting is over. It was a major sacrifice this year!

After lunch and a bit of repacking, we headed off for a visit to my school, and then drove to Antigua for the next two days.

Beautiful flowering plant and tree from my school, CAG.
It's only March!

Prom '08 Under the Sea

Teacher's Prom! Apparently no one got enough of this in high school, or maybe no one got a prom they could enjoy, or maybe (as we suspect) people want an excuse to dress up (see past blogs on the Goth Party, 80's Party, Halloween, Party, just to name a few).

I SPY
Can you find the large sunflower boutonniere, Guate Guy, sweater vest, fake tux, and an ill-fitting double-breasted suit?

As you have probably noticed from our past posts, teachers at international schools like to have a good time--or rather, they like to dress up while having a good time! And most teachers follow the Mildren Commandment,

Thou shalt go all out for theme parties.

Another theme party was again in action on Saturday, Prom. We knew it was going to be a big deal for several reasons...

Exhibit A) We were notified of the prom party in early December...yes, nearly 3 months early. Why the early invite? So that when people were home over Christmas break, they could remember to bring a prom dress or formal wear back. From the original email:

I am giving you this advanced notice so you can "shop" for your dress or pull out an old one while at home or while here for the Holidays. Choose your style however you desire... some are bringing 80's back, others may go all out sequins... whatever floats your boat!

James and I didn't use our suitcase space for prom regalia, assuming we would just find our outfits here, which I did at a ropa store. He decided to do the 'classy and crafty' look and drew his tux on a tee. My look ended up a bit more townie than high school prom date. (For those readers, Canadians, or aliens out there, a townie refers to a person who sticks around their hometown when everyone else goes off to college. These individuals are highly prone to: dating people still in high school, working at dead-end jobs, and gossiping about, or to, people who have left town).

Finally! We get to go to Prom together.

Exhibit B) Certain teachers acted out elaborate ways of asking their date to the prom....bringing in their entire class to get down on one knee to ask another teacher, for example.

Exhibit C) Earlier in the day, a group of teachers went over to the prom place (by the pool) to put up themed "Under the Sea" decorations. These included but were not limited to a backdrop for pictures and tape for where to stand, a game site, (possibly spiked) punch, cupcakes, and large music stereos for the playlist.

Scott and Katie hold a classic Prom Pose

Exhibit D) No one referred to this as "a prom party." People referred to it as "Prom." So instead of hearing, "Hey, are you going to the prom party?" It was, "So, when can I pick you for Prom? Do you have a date to Prom?" With a capital P.

Exhibit E) People did, in fact, bring their prom dresses back...some as far back as their 9th grade prom, actually! It was great to see what girls were wearing in 1990...purple sequins, black silk, lace, bows, the whole works. It was even more great to see them still fit into their dresses (those who could were very proud of this fact and rightfully so!)

Kari and Amy ... stunning in sequins
(Kari's is an original $450 prom dress from the Good Old Days)

Exhibit F) There were nominations for Prom King and Prom Queen. People voted for the nominees at the party. An actual tallied vote! Subsequentially, our friend Kelly won Prom queen and our friend Julian won Prom king. Kelly for her awesome dress, which she found in the back of a Guatemalan dump truck, and Julian for his overall popularity. Hey, some things about prom never change! The girl with the best dress and Mr. Popular win!

Exhibit G) Girls went to our friend Kari's house to get ready early. Why? So we could updo our hair, spray it down, slather on the heavy makeup, and gossip about our boyfriends (husbands, too, but for the sake of Prom, he was just my "date"), and help each other squeeze into our bedazzled Best before the Big Night.

Prom itself was really great! There was good music and dancing (slow dances included), and every single person present was dressed up! It makes it more fun when 100% of people at a party play along, and not just 1/2 of people feeling weird and overdressed. This was in true teacher form! And, as always, the weather cooperated and we were outside by the pool in nothing but our formal wear...no jacket required. It's great to be with a community of such fun-loving teachers.

Zoo Blues

This week, I accompanied my alumnos (students) to the Aurora Zoo in Guatemala City. I was really excited about this field trip because I usually love zoos and seeing exotic animals, and we had heard that the zoo is one of the few places in the city that has open, safe green areas for picnics and walking around outdoors.

Mister Lion

The visit itself was just great! The kids were really excited to see the animals (hippos, albino peacocks, monkeys, a leopard, elephant, giraffes, and zebras, to name a few) and their enthusiasm was invigorating! The zoo had beautiful, open grounds to walk around on, and you felt really safe.

An albino peacock struts his stuff :

Sadly, I left the zoo feeling depressed and heartbroken for the animals. Human walking space was much greater than the paltry areas the animals had as their homes. A cheetah, one of the world's fastest animals, had less than 1/2 a football field to walk around on, let alone run. The porcupine had the size of two large dining tables, and his area was nothing but dirt and concrete with a little hut to sleep in. The elephant paced back and forth on his tiny strip of land, and the lions were literally pawing on the steel doors to be let back into their sleeping quarters. The owls and other birds might as well have had their wings clipped. While they were in cages, this was no aviary; they were resigned to 2-story caged bedrooms. As an added affliction, the zoo is a stone's throw away from the airport, and twice while we were there, we had to cover our ears because the noise was so loud when planes took off. You could read the plane airline logo with the naked eye. This has to stress the animals out! It's something I assume they never get used to.

Crocodile and his shrunken surroundings

There is only a dirt ground for their walking area :(
You do have to love zebras and giraffes, though!

It is hard to enjoy the beauty of animals when you feel like they are being trapped in unnatural and cramped settings. My mom was telling me that this is how all zoos used to be until people got more progressive and tried to model animals' captive cages after their natural habitats; larger areas, more hiding places, and keeping pack animals in packs, etc. Sure, the children got to see every animal....I know I have felt disappointed in the past when I looked into a cage and didn't see the animals front and center, but I would take that disappointment over forcing animals into small spaces just so they can be seen at all times.

What a beautiful leopard! Look at the size of those paws!

I suppose all zoos by definition keep animals in captivity, but when you can tell that animals are unhappy and their surroundings are ill-suited, the zeal for the zoo quickly loses its zest.