Opal House From a New Point of View

Maren Talcott

22 Years Old

WSU Graduate

Elementary Education & Spanish Minor

Opal House Jan. - Mar. 2014

Hi there, my name is Maren and I am currently living with Will and Diane at Opal House. We decided it would be a good idea for me to do some blogging on Diane's blog, to give you all a new point of view and perspective of Opal House. I have already been here for a month, so I have a lot to catch you up on! I graduated from WSU in December 2013, and I decided to spend the next three months here in Guatemala for a few different reasons: 1) To improve/practice my Spanish 2) To help with the school 3) To discover and learn about myself.  For me, an experience like this pushes me out of my comfort zone every day. Almost every day I experience something new! I used to be someone that hated to feel uncomfortable, and would avoid those situations. For example, speaking Spanish makes me so nervous and I would always avoid it at home. Here, I had to get over that very quickly! I use my Spanish every day, all day long with Jackelyn. I am slowly improving, but still lacking some confidence. She is currently living here at Opal House with me for these three months. She makes it so easy on me because she is so patient, kind, and genuinely here to help me improve. I am grateful to have a friend, and a personal teacher during my trip here.

My dad came with me to Opal House for the first week, and it was amazing to share this opportunity with him. Pretty sure we bonded more in one week, than we have in our whole life. I however am here for a total of three months. After a little over a month, I can confidently say that it isn't going to be that hard to be away from home for that long. Originally, before I left, I was terrified! I thought three months was an eternity, and the fear of the unknown was taking over my emotions. Now that I am here, and I can truly appreciate the beauty of this place, the children, and the presence of God...I am confident that things are going to be much different than I ever expected. 

I was so excited to find out I have specific responsibilities and classes for the school. I am officially the Art, English, and Computer class teacher. We took the outdoor room, which was being used for storage and other things, and turned it into my classroom! Its a fun environment, and this was my first week of classes with the students. It went very well, and I embrace the challenge! Organizing and planning is easy for me with my education background, but teaching in SPANISH...is another story! But, I am truly loving it! It allows for Jackelyn and Diane to have less students in the classroom, and the students get more one-on-one assistance.

I have many stories and things I want to share with you all, stay posted!

My Classroom: 

BEFORE

AFTER