The no habla Espanol “she” is Kerry Smith, a blogger from North Carolina who works in a school for the nonprofit Lemonade International. Kerry didn’t go to Guatemala to become a teacher; she want to be a student, in a Spanish language school this past January. However, after a trip to India fell through, a confluence of events led her to the work she is doing now in Guatemala City
The association with Lemonade International first came about coincidentally; she met Bill and Cherie Cummings when a mutual friend invited her to a gala. Although she knew at the time that her calling was to help the impoverished in developing countries, it wasn’t until she was in Guatemala that she reconnected with the Cummings’ to begin work with La Limonada. What had started as a study trip became a life-changing journey (corny as it sounds), for which she sacrificed her home in the US (including her cat) for the fulfillment of a personal goal in Guatemala City.
For such a dramatic change, the daily routine of prayer with fellow teachers followed by school and a bus ride around the city must bring some comfort. The La Limon School holds two class sessions, corresponding with those in the public schools; when not in the morning or afternoon session there, students come to La Limon. The lessons Kerry teaches cover anything from hygiene to the bible, English to tooth brushing.
The blog itself is an amalgamation of observations of life for Guatemalans, photographs and personal experiences. As Kerry’s faith is a defining part of her as well as her work, it is a common thread throughout the blog, which I felt lent a really wonderful sense of her; that you are not just reading the words on the page but the person writing them and their influences. I had a lot of fun reading it, and came away inspired. Though the ultimate outcome of her trip has been so much more meaningful than expected, she still gets what she came for: a little improvement of her Spanish, a day, a phrase, a prayer at a time.
To check out Kerry’s blog, please click here.
It’s great to hear someone else’s perspective on Kerry’s blog and her experiences in Guatemala. It has been a pleasure to help facilitate this opportunity for her to be serving at the school in La Limonada and it’s been great to have her as part of our Lemonade International family!