Farewell Asturias Academy, Hello Limitless Horizons Ixil!

After a whirlwind week helping out the wonderful kids at Asturias Academy, it’s time to move onto the next leg of our trip. We’d like to thank the amazing staff at Asturias, especially Mr. Jorge Chojolan, the school’s head administrator. Here’s a few mini retrospectives of our past week.

Check it Out: Book Lending in Guatemala

By Cynthia Palacios

Today was an important day for the 6th graders at the Asturias Academy. Volunteer Cynthia Palacios discussed with students the characteristics of lending libraries and how their library would start lending them books. Students participated in a demonstration of how to browse, select and check out a library book. In addition students also learned about proper maintenance of the books. Asturias Academy has a small collection compared to North American libraries, and reading books for pleasure in Guatemala is rare, making this initial lending event all the more significant. Students learned how to take care of the books, as damaged or lost books will be nearly impossible to replace. There was excitement in the air as students selected and checked out their books.

First Impressions: Day One at Asturias

By Cate Carlyle

My first impression of Xela was that of a bustling community full of storefronts, children playing in the streets, dogs wandering aimlessly and bicycle vendors selling fresh fruit. Walking to the Asturias Academy to meet the director, Jorge, for the first time, I had no idea what to expect. Once inside, I was enthralled with the school he has created in response to the poverty, violence and inequality plaguing his homeland. The Miguel Angel Asturias Library, and its wonderful librarian, Dorita, are supported by Librarians Without Borders and provide a wealth of resources for these kids who need it most. In a country where children may read one book a year at most, the Asturias students are reading five or six books a year. I am so honoured to be a part of this incredible journey.

My Thoughts on Library Day

by Rachel McDonald

The programming team has put our collective experience and knowledge together to come up with a fantastic slate of programs for the students at Miguel Angel Asturias Academy. Students in 4^th – 8^th grades participated in a comic jam, inspired by the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which is very popular here. Students were given comic templates with several prompts and asked to illustrate what they liked about the library. Each student had 2 minutes to fill in a panel on a comic before passing it to the next student.

As much as we loved our time in Xela (Quetzaltanango), we’re very excited to be heading to a new library in the mountain town of Chajul. We’ll spend the next few days with our new friends and partners Limitless Horizons Ixil. Check back soon for updates on the second leg of our trip!