Day 1: FOOD! My favorite part about the first day of the trip was the FOOD! Let's just say that I fell in love with Guatemalan food during this trip. Our first meal in-country was at a small authentic restaurant, where I had a delicious meal of chicken, beans, rice, and salsa. I also learned green Guatemalan salsa is extremely spicy: so approach at your own risk!
Day 2: History. Today we toured Casa Popenoe, where I learned an incredible amount of history, mainly about the historic house, but also about Antigua. My favorite story was of the bathroom--where an old Guatemalan woman had taken up house, and had covered the beautiful bath up with wooden boards to sleep on. But, since I don't have a picture of that, here's one of some old Guatemalan cookware:
Day 3: Adventure. One word for you: ZIPLINING!!!!!! I was very hesitant to plop down my $40 to go ziplining, but it was well worth it! The views were amazing and the thrill was unimaginable. Best.Zipline.Ever. We later learned that the owner of the Reserve had created the zipline by attaching a cable onto the cord and throwing it through the jungle!
Day 4: Nature. Today we learned a lot about nature, both first and second hand. Our day began with a very inspirational talk with the owner of the Reserve, who told us about all the sustainability efforts he was doing. What freaked me out the most was his pretty bleak future of our water supply... But, afterwards, we got a tour of the butterfly garden (which is home to a recently discovered species!) and then went on the boatride of our LIFE! We had thought it would be a cool and calm ride across Lake Atitlan, but the winds and waves were so unpredictable, it ended up being a very wet, uncontrollable roller-coaster! But thankfully, I was able to snap a few good shots of the lake!
Day 5: Coffee. As our first day in Los Andes happened to be a Sunday, many of the townspeople were out and about in the city, getting necessary items and preparations for the week. So, we couldn't begin our service until the next day, and spent the day with Olga, the manager of the Reserve, took us on a tour of the place, including Quetzal (the national bird of Guatemala) watching, a look around the coffee plant, and a sneak-peak at the school we'd be working in. While learning about coffee production, Olga gave us a try at the daily labor of the workers there. Let's just say we weren't too good at it...
Day 6: Service. During our first day of service, my team was charged with cleaning (aka scrubbing with tiny, tiny brushes) and painting the fence that surrounded the main schoolhouse. I thought for sure those mud stains had been painted on there, because as hard as I tried, I could never get them completely off! But, nevertheless, we were able to start painting by the second half of the day. Painting attacked several of the local schoolchildren, who happily put on their own pair of gloves, grabbed a paintbrush, and--not always in the most helpful fashion--painted the fence post by post. Here's a picture of the schoolhouse!
Day 7: Bonding. Today was another fun-filled day of scrubbing, painting, more scrubbing, and more painting. My team was tasked with the preschool--which was looking much more run-down than the main schoolhouse. We were asked the paint the entire thing white: white walls, white ceilings, white windows, white doors, white bricks on the outside of the school--white everything. It took us a while to scrub down some of the out walls of orange and green slim, but we got it done and finished painting 2 coats around the entire preschool. Afterwards, a group of ABers started a game of futbol with some of the Guatemalan children :)
Day 8: It's About The Kids. What really touched me on day 8 was the kids. My group had been again assigned to the preschool, so I wasn't up at the main school for long. But, whenever I was, I would always see a group of girls drawing and giggling in the corner of a group of guys sitting and staring at all the work that was being done. Many of the kids were mesmerized by my phone--especially the camera, and loved taking pictures of me. I would then, in turn, take pictures of them and show them the pictures. When I did this to one of the youngest girls, it was almost as if she didn't know what she looked like. She would point out me and her friends in the photos, but when I asked her which on was her, she wouldn't respond.
Day 9: It's Hard to Say Goodbye. This was our last day of service. It was hard to believe that in 4-5 short days, we had become so close with so many of the people in Los Andes. It's strange how human relationships are formed that way. I knew hardly any Spanish and never really had a full conversation with any of the Guatemalans, but, for some reason, I felt some deep connection towards everyone in Los Andes. At the end of the day, Nelson (the schoolteacher) gathered about 30 children together and we had a small closing ceremony, where they thanked us for the work on their school and we thanked them for the impact they made in each of us. It was very hard leaving the kids that evening, which tens of children just hugging your leg, saying "Adios, adios." I may have even shed a few tears as I tore them away and walked through the gate to the guesthouse.
Day 10: Tourists Again. Today we packed up our bags, left Los Andes, and headed back to Antigua--where we spent our last afternoon doing a little shopping and enjoying Guatemalan froyo (btw, its delicious!). Olga met us in Antigua to say our last goodbyes. I wish I could put into words how much this trip meant to me, but it just never comes.
Day 11: To New Adventures. Good-bye Guatemala. We will miss you. You have a forever place in our hearts, and we enjoyed every second spent with you. But today, we are going home. We are headed off to a new chapter and a new adventure in our lives, but we will not forget you, so please don't forget us.
Labels: Alternative Breaks, AWB Guatemala, Latin America, service, trip in pictures
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