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Monday, May 13, 201 | Guatemala City, Xela, homestay, El Cuartito

First impressions of the country and the people and this program are exceptional. Last night we stayed at a hostel right next to the airport se llama Dos Lunes. During security screening at customs, there’s a button that you have to press that “randomly” checks passengers’ luggage again. My light turned red, which Ericka explained that someone thought I either looked suspicious or looked like a local Guatemala. A 19 year old girl with a USC shirt and bookbag looks pretty suspicious I think. I was carrying elicit things in my backpack obviously.

After they confiscated all my fun things, Ericka found me outside wearing the USC sweater. She drove me to the hostel and I met the rest of the group all hanging out upstairs. We talked about some pretty hefty topics considering I just met these people: the Game of Thrones season finale. I love these people already. Earlier that day, the early arrivals went to the zoo and I’ve been getting some pretty funny photos in the group chat ever since.

The bus ride to Xela was really fun; we all gave our weird facts. My host mom Gabby drove Juwon and I to our homestay and I met the whole family. It’s a pretty large family with 3 married couples with kids in the home and 2 unmarried kids still in school.

I normally don’t like the idea of first impressions, but I really like everyone in this program. Everyone seems pretty different just with a pre-med mindset. This trip is going to be exceptional.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019 | Sol Latino, Salsa Rosa

I am 100% confident that I failed my Spanish placement exam. I guess that’s the point though. I had a conference with Jose Carlos, the director of my Spanish school and we made a course plan for my time here with my teacher Rosa. I’m starting on the preterit. I have a basic level of Spanish. I can repeat the colors of the rainbow and can conjugate pretty frequently used verbs in the indicative but that’s pretty much the extent of 19 years of Spanish education. From a state with a high percentage of Spanish speaking population. I don’t know what went wrong truly. This school will hopefully help me catch up what I’ve been lacking.

We also had our first salsa class with a Spanish teacher Ericka at her dance studio Salsa Rosa. A mi me encanta la salsa. It also helps that it’s kind of similar to swing dancing. This is the weirdest case of dejavu that I think I’ve ever experienced. I’m back in Guatemala, learning how to dance. This time it’s just salsa dancing, not swing dancing. Being back and seeing similar places with different people is strange. Not in a bad way but still strange. I have such strong and happy memories here and now I’m making more of them but I’m having the same levels of fun with different people. Squademala vs. Guad Squad internal conflict apparently.

Anyway, salsa is really fun. If I can’t get into Songwriting II, I’m going to take a dance class at USC next semester. I’m also surprised by how much we’ve all already bonded in the span of 2 days. Even Dr. Quinn noticed. She said something along the lines of, “I can tell you guys all knd of hate each other” sarcastically.

It was so much fun. Pre-med herd learning to salsa dance and básico. [This might be the most helpful thing I’ve learned how to do here is how to básico, spin, and do the pretzel]. I have to stop leading though oops.

Saturday, May 18, 2019 | Laguna de Chicabal

Bright and early 6 am sunshine. Which didn’t last all day unfortunately, we got rained on durante el bajado. We drove up the steepest hill possible for our poor bus. Keep on keepin on astrobus. We all sat in the back of a pickup truck to take us to the base camp for the Laguna hike.

I’m not going to lie, that hike was more difficult than I would like to admit. Plus this group of skinny legends went sprinting up that volcano. Juwon and Jennifer took the van up so I don’t know how they’re going to be able to climb Tajumulco later. The view from the top was stunning. Literally just a white cloud we couldn’t see anything. Consider us stunned. We hiked down what someone said was 300 steps.

The laguna was incredible. The water was so still that the trees and mountain reflected perfectly onto the water. On the edges were bunches of propped up frlowers for rituals. I understand why it’s a sacred place, there’s a special feling about that place. One moment you can see clear across the lagoon and the next you can’t see 10 feet in front of you because of the clouds sit right on top of the water.

We met a man and his family who came to perform one last ritual all together. I think he was 27, he was young, and he was leaving his children to immigrate to the US with a coyote. He was so scared. I could tell. He was the type of strong that wouldn’t do anything that would make his children judge him. But his voice shook when Dr. Quinn gave him $20 American dollars. He’s leaving next week. I think that his bravery is one of the most admirable qualities I’ve seen, even briefly, in another person. Staying with a host family who attends church every morning, I don’t know if I can even say I’m religious but I’m praying for him.

Sunday, May 19, 2019 | Las Fuentes Georginas, casa de Don Rafael, The Garden Italian restaurant

Another very early day to drive up to las aguas calientes. Whoever planned this weekend did an excellent job by having a hike followed by a day at the spa practically with warm pool. The pools are situated right above a volcanic offshoot that warms the water. The water coming out of the farthest rocks was spicy hot. We talked to a group of men who had just been sitting there for the entire time and I don’t know how there were able to do that.

For how nice the warm water was, the shower immediately following was horrendous. After being toasty warm for so long, that cold water was a wake up call. Afterward, we all bought hot chocolate and French fries and sat in the steam right besides the pool.

We went to the home of Don Rafael afterward and learned the process of weaving. We would all be broke here. We did so poorly. The only thing we were relatively passable at was spinning yarn around into a ball. All the girls tried on tradition Mayan clothes of the shirt and skirt. When they tied my hair back, I looked the most bean I have ever looked in my entire life. I was a frijole bean who couldn’t step more than 8 inches forward at a time. I have so much respect for the woman who wear this everyday because this type of clothing is brutal for comfort. There is a pocket though in between the skirt and the shirt and I would stuff so many snacks right there. I’d be the fairy godmother of snack bringing. We finished our first weekend together by eating at an Italian restaurant all together with Doctor Quinn.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 | Somos Hermanos office, Sol Latino

Mi maestra Rosa dijo que mi español estaba mejorando. It’d crazy to think that I can have such advanced conversations with a very basic understanding of the language. My 4 hour Spanish Spanish class is 3 and a half hours of normal conversation, 10 minutes of grammar, and 20 minutes of me not knowing a word or phrase and having to talk my way around a word. I kind of imagine it like a boulder is in your path and you have to walk around it: not impossible but sometimes a hinderance. There have definitely been less and less boulders each day.

We’ve been talking about some pretty hefty topics. We never start there but I also ask a question about Guatemala politics of culture and healthcare system and then we get sidetracked by topics of rape, the current political system in the United States, what’s the point of Congress, abortion laws in Alabama, the soon elections in Guatemala, etc. Just some 8:30am topics to discuss over coffee. Or what the school calls agua de calcetines. If Maestra Rosa and I ruled the world we would solve everything. But also the world would suck. Hay ventajas y desventajas para cada situación. I made the jump from usted to tú today with her and I honestly think that is the greatest thing I have accomplished on this trip so far.

Today, a midwife (comodrona) came and spoke to us about her job. Most woman in rural areas prefer births with a midwife because the hospital system here is not usually like very much and is very preferential only to Spanish speakers. Also, in some cases, it is very hard to reach a hospital/clinic in time because of the distance. She said that she normally only sends people to the hospital if something went wrong in the delivery or if she believes the birth will be difficult. Many of the herbs and leaves she used, I’m sure had chemicals and compounds in them that could help the entire process but I do not known to what extent.

Friday, May 24, 2019 | Lago de Atitlan, Panajachel, Santiago

This morning for breakfast I had a bowl of fruit that was larger than my head. Just the way I like it. I’ve seriously missed fruit so much. The papayas here are exceptional. We took a boat over to Hospitalito in Santiago. We learned the history of the little hospital. A previous tropic storm caused a mudslide that destroyed much of the town, including the previous clinic. With international support, the hospital was able to be reestablished in a new location with very nice facilities.

The woman working there explained that the majority of the hospital operates based off of donations of money and supplies. The working staff right now is mostly permanent but that can fluctuate. The ability for the hospital to network must be exceptional. After the tour, we had lunch and took a boat back to Pana. In groups, we walked around to all the street vendors and finished up our souvenoir shopping. We had dinner at the same Carnival pizza place as I did with American Field Service. It was surreal being back.

Sunday, May 26, 2019 | Lago de Atitlan, Panajachel, Xela

I organized for the group to go kayaking this morning all in Spanish. That was one of the most stressful moments of the entire trip was having the entire guad squad depend on me to make sure we were able to go kayaking but having to conduct all of the arrangements in Spanish. Everything worked out though, we were able to start by 10 am in the morning for an hour. We paddled out into the middle and to the right towards the zipling place from yesterday. Urm and I made up a paddling song. We also played tag out on the water but we lost horribly. We weren’t the fasted but we still made it back in time.

The trip back to Xela was fast and returning to my homestay, I mainly worked on my essay and talked to my host family. We went out later that night to KasaKiwi, and outdoors bar on the rooftop of the hostel. Donovan, Nathan, and I walked over to get street tacos for 10Q. I think that was some of the best food I got while I was there. Afterward, we talked with the 5 monthers for a bit and then all headed back home to sleep.

Monday, May 27, 2019 | Xela, Oficina de Somos Hermanos

At Spanish class this morning, Rosa said my Spanish got worse over the weekend. “Everyone comes back from the lake talking more like a gringo,” she says. By the end of the class though, I had picked it up again. I’m worried that when I return to the states my Spanish skills will immediately evaporate. I’m hoping not but I’m not sure how I can maintain my skills from here.

This afternoon, a women who had previously immigrated into the US by crossing the border between Mexico and the US into California. She explained her time with the coyote and how much the journey meant to her, including the reasons for leaving and the events that transpired during her grueling month-long journey.

Normally, discussions surrounding illegal immigration into the US are very flat: only focusing on the illegal aspect of the migrants. However, this experience rounded out my understanding of immigration and especially why so many choose to make such a dangerous journey and risk their lives in order to hope for the opporuntity of bettering theirs. The entire expierence was incredibly moving. Since I’m from Arizona, very close to the border, I hear a lot of mean things said about illegal immigrants. After this experience, I don’t think anyone has the right to say anything negative about these migrants after the bravery they have demonstrated in hopes of better their lives and the lives of the families through such a difficult journey.

Saturday, 1 June, 2019 | San Marcos, Volcan Tajumulco

Today was one of the hardest physical days of my life. And I volunteered for it. We woke up this morning at 4am to walk to Quetzaltrekkers with 30 lb. backpacks to begin our hike. At there headquarters, they gave us all pieces of a tent and some vegetables to also pack, making my backpack even heavier. We took 2 hour bus to San Marcos to eat a quick breakfast before officially arriving at the volcano about an hour later.

We started hiking and the head guide said that because it was so foggy (you couldn’t see more than 10 feet) we might have to turn back and try again in the morning. However, a few hundred more feet later, it began clearing up. I would categorize myself as a person with middle back walking speed. I was always right next to the guide that was supposed to remain in the middle. I was just right behind him.

At our first break, they gave us all lollipops and I have never tasted something so good. Until our next major break when they broke out the containers of trail mix and we got to sit in the sun – the last bit of sun for the weekend. The rest of the hike took about another 2 hours so that we got to our basecamp area hiking for under 4 hours. I made this section very brief because all other ways to describe getting there synonyms of disheartening, painful, and long.

We ate lunch with the tostadas that I brought up. Only a few of them cracked even though 2 liters of water were on top of them. We all went into the boys tent and “watched” Deadpool 2. Meaning we all mostly were asleep within the first 10 minutes.

Dinner was around 7:30 pm with pasta and immediately after we all conked out. This entire time it was rainy and windy. After such a long day, we were asleep by 8:30.

Sunday, 2 June, 2019 | Volcan Tajumulco

We set an alarm for 3:30 am but because the rain and wind were so bad, the guides said that it was unlikely that we’d be able to see the sunrise. So instead we left at 5 with only our jackets and gloves to hike the remainder all the way up to the highest peak in Central America.

Altitude sickness hit me so hard. Every 10 steps I had to sit down to not risk vomiting right next to the peak. It was fitting that I was passing depictions of Jesus Christ dying as I too felt like I was dying and running out of oxygen. I was the last one up the mountain to the top to touch the flag but I made it!

The peak had 40 km wind and snow crystals were forming all the way up my boot. I couldn’t feel my fingers and the rain was only getting worse. We took the long way down that way it wasn’t as steep.

Back at basecamp, we packed up all of our things and headed down after a quick cup of coffee and hot chocolate. The way down made the entire experience worthwhile. We experienced practically every weather pattern available to the region: rain, fog, high wind, hail, ice, lightnight, and thunder. All culminating in a cold but extremely fun fall down the mountain. Literally falling. There were mud slides everywhere with the water covering most of the trail, if not all of it in some regions.

By the time we reached the restaurant for lunch, we were entirely soaked. Not one piece of our clothing/backpack was dry. We left mud puddles all throughout the restaurant. Following the best lunch in the entire world, we headed back to Xela.

Wednesday, 5 June, 2019 | Xela

For Spanish class, we walked to a nearby restaurant that had 4 story slides. We all received our certificate for graduating and gave our speeches. My teacher Rosa said I was welcome in her house anytime I ever came back to Xela.

I sang El Soledad y El Mar with Nathan and Koby along with the song Sunday Morning. We practiced both of those songs so many times but the one we performed was by far our worst performance yet but I listened to a recording and at least it wasn’t awful. I also performed a quick salsa demonstration with Koby, Carly, and Nick.

Leaving Xela and having to do everything for the last time, like visiting Xelapan, El Cuartito, and even just taking the 20 minute walk to school breaks my heart. I’m going to miss everyone and everything so much.

Friday, 7 June, 2019 | Antigua

We went exploring around the city this morning right breakfast. One of my friends said I was practically skipping through the streets because I was so excited to be back. Seeing all the streets and knowing where I was in the city, it was like nothing had changed. The city looked exactly the same as I remember.

All together, we had a chocolate making class at the Choco Museo right next to the yellow arch. Juwon and I won free truffles because our cacao paste was the best. Ayy. We learned about the history of chocolate and got to make our own chocolate bar.

Afterward, I explored the city some more and walked into whatever restaurant looked good for the moment. Having the freedom to walk around the city was so much fun since the last time I was in Antigua, it was with a high school program that was a little more rigid in terms of exploring.

Saying goodbye kept getting pushed back until after Antigua Brewing Co., and Las Vibras de la Casbah. It was hard. But it made it easier knowing I’d see all of them in the fall.