Day 7, Jan. 21: Sara

Today was our second day at work on the school. Although I was tired from yesterday’s work, I was so excited to see Nelson and all of the kids again. It’s amazing how close I feel to them all after spending one day with them. There’s one little boy named Nestor who commands all attention from the ladies. Although he was shy at the beginning, he quickly warmed up to us, and now he loves to bring us flowers and give hugs! I have really enjoyed teaching him some English. I quiz him on colors as we paint the fence, and he quickly learned how to say, “My name is Nestor.”

            We got a lot done and like to end our days with music (when we get power back around 6) and soccer. The kids also love to play a game called, “perro y gato.” It means “dog and cat” and is basically duck, duck, goose. They’re endless energy is so refreshing.

            Our time spent back at the house has revolved around Bananagrams, chess, Battleship, and creating variations on the cup song (“I’ve got my ticket for the long way ‘round…”). I think not having power for most of the day and having no wifi has really brought the group closer together and made our nighttime reflections even more peaceful.

            We like to finish off our nights with some group star gazing. When the sky is clear, the stars are stunning. We try hard to identify constellations, but none of us can really say we’re experts. Regardless, it’s another way for our group to spend more time together in the moment, laughing and sharing stories.

Day 4, Jan. 18: Chelsea & Caitlin

Some of us began the morning with a brisk hike to a nearby waterfall. This hike consisted of three suspended bridges and a visit with spider monkeys and coaties. We found out that we weren’t allowed to swim in the waterfall due to an increase in cyanobacteria (this was not the case last year); however, we enjoyed meditating on the rocks below the falls.

            After a delicious breakfast, we met with guest speaker, Dr. Alberto Rivera, owner of Atitlan Nature Reserve. His passionate lecture educated us about a variety of topics. He is very knowledgeable about many topics including sustainability, economics, butterflies, physics (including zip line building), marine biology, history (A.K.A. he knew more U.S. history than all of us combined). Dr. Alberto taught us about the three volcanoes surrounding lake Atitlan and the seismic activity 85,000 years ago that caused the crater/lake that we see today. Alberto is from Columbia and visited lake Atitlan as a child—he would boat to the middle of the lake and drink the water. He left to study in Minnesota but returned to lake Atitlan when his father became sick. Upon his return, Dr. Alberto was disgusted by the state of the lake water. This initiated his efforts to gather a team of researchers and environmentalists from around the world to collaborate and improve the health of the lake and surrounding land. This is still a huge work in progress, and is especially challenging due to the lack of government support and money.

            At the reserve, we went into the butterfly garden and laboratory. While here, Dr. Alberto informed us about the garden, endangered species, lab studies, and even a new butterfly species!

            We left the campsite and waited along the beautiful lake shoreline before beginning our boat ride across the lake.  While the scenery was beautiful, we ran out of fuel twice and were drenched by the 20-foot waves (well actually 3 feet), as the wind blew violently at our cold bodies.  Thankfully, another boat towed us to the shore of San Jose, and we quickly realized that this town was one of the poorest that we encountered.  Malnourished looking kids clothed us in textiles and scarves that they hoped to sell to us, but we didn’t have much money and were recovering from our horrendous boat ride.

            As our bus drove through the town of San Jose, we saw that it greatly differed from the scenery and vibe of Antigua.  The latter city was majority tourists and a lot of police presence.  But in San Jose, we only noticed one tourist and encountered a man who was dragged off of the street after he had been injured.  We were shocked by how the locals left him alone and unconscious right after they had moved his body.  The houses and schools looked dirty and unkempt.  It seemed as we got to the middle of nowhere, the standard of living decreased.  Does the government even know that this town exists? 

            We rushed to Los Andes and made it to the gates with two minutes to spare.  After a bus ride full of jokes and bonding, we happily arrived at Olga’s spacious house (Casa Oliver) in the dark.  We were gracious for the filling, delicious dinner provided to us, and we looked forward to showering and sleeping.  Due to a recent power outage, we will only have electricity available from 6pm-about10pm during our stay at the Los Andes Reserve.  After camping, this was not a large issue that concerned us.

            We are eager to start the service portion of our trip at Los Andes!

Day 3, Jan. 17: Nick & Sarahann

            For our last morning in Antigua, some of us decided to take a walk around the city to watch it wake up and see people going about their daily lives. As soon as we walked out of Donde Monica, the hustle and bustle was right there in front of us. Across the street from Donde Monica is a school where hundreds of young Guatemalan dressed in clean uniforms were heading for the day. We saw parents driving their kids to the school, and got to see the students greeting eachother for the first time that morning.

Following that, we continued walking around town, passing by the Cathedral of La Merced where many devotees were saying a quick morning prayer. We noticed that of the many Catholic symbols, most looked very similar to the American versions of them, except for one. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, was depicted, she looked more like a five-foot tall Guatemalan woman than an Israeli.

After that short trip, we packed our bags and got on the bus to Panajachel. On the way, we saw gorgeous scenery of volcanoes and thousands of agricultural fields and their accompanying workers. We stopped twice along the way at two amazing scenic overlooks, admiring the spectacular geography of this region and the beauty of Lake Atitlan. From a distance, we were able to see Panajachel, where we would be staying and camping that night.

We arrived at La Reserva Natural de Atitlan and hurried to unpack our bags before heading to the zip lines. There were two different zip lining courses: an extreme course and an ultra-extreme course. Most of us opted to try our luck with the ultra-extreme course. We headed out for a very steep and tiring climb up a mountain, seeing monkeys, coaties, waterfalls, and passing over a few too many swinging bridges for our liking. At the top of our climb, we could see the entire lake and the double-headed volcano on the other side where we would be travelling to serve at Los Andes the next day. The view was tremendous until you realized that you would have to be going down- and down- and down with nothing more than a cable to sustain your life.

Day 2, Jan. 16: Sara & Nageen

It’s the second day of our trip, and already, it feels like we’ve been here for ages. We woke up to a lavish breakfast of an oatmealish dish, scrambled eggs, and grilled plantains. There’s nothing better than the organic, fresh taste of Guatemalan cuisine. As far as beverages go… it’s been an adventure. Our first day some of us sipped a native drink to Guatemala called, horchata, a milky, white, and cold drink topped with a pinch of cinnamon. Others enjoyed the coolness of a hibiscus derived drink called, Jamaica.

            Later that morning we set off to see Casa de Popenoe, a classical antique house with beautiful, ingenious architecture. Our guide, Alberto, told us about the research he had been conducting to create an accurate representation of a true Guatemalan home, differentiating between the authentic and modern styles. It was absolutely stunning. The tour began on the rooftop of Casa de Popenoe where we had a clear view of three volcanoes, one of which spewed wisps of smoke. It was interesting to see all of the rooms with high ceilings and century old furniture. A small music box sat on one of the dressers and to our surprise, still played melodious music. Houses in Antigua incorporate an indoor yet outdoor nature with spacious patios and courtyard gardens. With the beautiful weather in Antigua that day, the indoor yet outdoor spaces were illuminated by warm sun, briefly defraying the chilly dew of the early morning.  Alberto amused us with his catchy phrase, “It’s curious that…” followed by interesting pieces of knowledge. He mentioned the significance of chests to the Guatemalan people, as those who were wealthier had many. He brought our attention to secret, hidden compartments useful for transporting valuable items.

            After leaving Casa de Popenoe, we decided to explore the convent, another historical site within Antigua. We goofed around, taking lots of pictures and wandering the ruins. Some of us took a trip to what seemed like a dungeon, the purpose still unknown.

            Our next stop, the markets! The first one was overwhelming, as we were bombarded by vendors eager to make a sale. We had little experience with haggling and this resulted in lots of impulsive buying. Honestly, it was hard to say no, and most of us blew many of the Quetzals we had recently exchanged (some of us later discovered that the Quetzal is also the national bird while we were looking for Quetzals in the forest… not money). The events at the market prompted us to take another trip to the bank. It was shocking at first to realize that we had spent so many Quetzals in one place, until we got used to the exchange rate of one dollar to approximately eight Quetzals. They were great sales persons. Not only did we see the hand made bags, bracelets, and key chains, but we were also impressed by their natural ability to make a sale, often remarking, “business is business… what is your price?... it’s no problem for me.”

Day 1, Jan. 15: Bienvenidos a Guatemala

Before we start, apologies before the delay in posting these - we ended up having little to no Wifi during the trip!

Most of us were able to spend the night prior to departure together in College Park, which was good because we had to be ready for the airport shuttle by 3:45 AM. We departed DC for Atlanta at 6 AM, arrived around 7:45 AM, ate breakfast during our layover before leaving again for Guatemala City at 10 AM, and arriving at our destination around 12:45 PM their time (we're an hour behind). Needless to say, it was a long morning!

We were greeted at the airport by one of our community partners, Irene from Operador Latino, before we packed up our luggage on the shuttle that we'll be using during our stay and headed to Casa Chapina in the city for a yummy lunch: chicken, rice, black beans, and tortillas. Afterwards we visited an archeological museum which contained a beautiful fountain and lots of interesting artifacts from the Mayans. Almost everyone took advantage of the 1.5 hour travel time to Antigua, our home for the first couple of days as well as the last day of the trip, to sleep.


We exchanged our dollars for quetzals, the local currency, at a bank in Antigua once we arrived. Around 6 PM Guatemala time, we found ourselves at Donde Monica! The hostel has its own enclosed yard and it already feels like home. We're split into 5 different rooms, all unique but with plenty of space. We ate dinner together soon after: horchata, spaghetti with meat/mushroom sauce, and ice cream for dessert!


Our first reflection consisted of discussing something positive that happened today and something that surprised us. Some were happy that the flight went well; others were happy to finally be abroad and in the midst of a new culture. The surprises consisted of the terrain, the armed military personnel in parts of the city, and how modern the city is. We then watched a TED talk (Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford) to inspire us to live life to the fullest and also to enjoy this opportunity to serve the community! 


The group seems to be getting along really well and some are still talking late in the evening. All in all, it was a great first day and we can't wait for what else this experience has in store for us.

No Podemos Esperar Más

Hola Amigos!

Just 7 more days guys!!! Surprisingly, the first semester of my college year went extremely fast and even though the stress of final exams was slow to wane, I can call myself a survivor. Now, all I can think of is our trip to Guatemala! I can’t wait to meet new people at our trip and immerse myself into a unique culture. I am wondering what kind of foods they eat there and what kinds of past times kids and adults have. I want to lavish in the 70 degrees weather in the middle of January when most of my friends will be cuddled up in blankets. I’m also hoping to make use of my unpolished Spanish skills here and there. Maybe force myself to make a real conversation with someone entirely in Spanish and see what my five years of Spanish class rendered me.

But most of all, I want this experience to be of two fold results. One in which our efforts are largely devoted to the Community Development Project and second, more internalized, result is of self-discovery. I hope I can extract a message out of all the things we will do to bring back home and share it with friends and family. Like a carbon-copy experience where everything is ingrained in my mind for me to take wherever I go next. From the people I meet, the places I go, to the things I do. Maybe its like living a lifetime in ten days. But that’s not too much to ask for.  

Paraíso Escondido

The reality of this trip is truly starting to set in. With less than two weeks until departure, I can't stop thinking about everything I have left to do before we leave. With logistics of packing and vaccinations aside, I've been trying to practice speaking Spanish, a fleeting skill that I haven't studied since high school. But excitement trumps my restless feelings. I'm looking forward to experiencing a new culture, meeting new people who lead a life so different from my own, and learning how all of this is made possible for so many through coffee farms and tea gardens. I also hope that we can help their community in a small way as we work at our community partner's preschool.
Shoveling snow this morning made me even more anxious to spend ten days in the tropical climate of Guatemala. I can't wait to explore all of the beauty that the country has to offer from its dense forests, vast farmland, tropical birds, and dormant volcano Atitlán!