The journey back from Guatemala was a rough and unforgettable one. The day started out great! We headed out of Antigua at 3am. The ride to the airport was smooth and quiet. When we all checked in Dan and Cassie were able to get on the flight that Brian, Jessy, small Brian, and I were on instead of the flight that left later that day. When we were boarding the plane we said goodbye to Kristen and Shea. I hated saying goodbye to these awesome girls! I am not ashamed to say I had tears in my eyes as I waved goodbye to them and walked down the hallway to the plane! Our flight was smooth but I was unable to sleep because I had come down with a cold and could not stop blowing my nose or coughing. Once we landed we all got through customs and to our gate with no trouble. This is where our luck ran out.... Big Brian was flying to Tulsa and would be on a different flight so we said goodbye to him. It was just the four of us now. Dan, Brian, Cassie and I all waited for our flight to KC that was scheduled to leave at 3. When 3 rolled around they told us that maintenance needed to work on the door and would be just a few minutes before we could board the plane. About 10 minutes later they said that door couldn't be fixed and that they would be doing a plane swap and we were assigned to a new gate. So we all gathered our stuff and headed to our new gate where we would wait for about 20 minutes. After all of this, they ended up cancelling our flight completely! We had to stand in line to get assigned to new flights. Fortunately, Dan and Cassie had originally booked a later flight then ours, so they were able to leave. Brian and I were not so lucky. The next available flight out of Houston to KC was in the morning. So they booked us rooms at the local Holiday Inn and we were shuttled there for the night. The next morning we got on our flight and landed in KC safe and sound!
The night we spent at the hotel was rough for me. There I was in my hotel room, by myself, after having been with my study abroad family 24-7 for the last 2 and 1/2 weeks. The feeling of loneliness was strong enough to break me down into tears. This was the first time during this trip that I felt homesick. But I wasn't homesick for Kansas, I was homesick for Antigua and my study abroad family. This trip has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I can't put into words how this trip has changed me. I am truly grateful that I was able to go on this trip and I am eager to do it all over again next summer!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
The last 4 days of the trip I was unable to post. There is so much to tell so I will try and do it by day.
On Saturday, we all packed up into a van and headed north. After 4 hours of driving through the Mountains we stopped for lunch at "Bruno's" in Rio Dulce. This restaurant was right on the river, and there were sail boats lined up along docks making the view from our table beautiful! The weather was hot and humid but the view took your mind off the fact that you were sticking to your shirt. After a refreshing lunch we got back into the van for another 4 hours to Flores. We only spent one night there but we made it count! Before the sun went down we took a boat tour of Lago (lake) Peten Itza. The view of the sun setting over the lake was beautiful! That night we ate dinner on the roof of a restaurant. From there you could see the reflection of the moon on the water. The only light they had was by candle, although it was beautiful, it was also hard to see the menus and the food!
On Sunday, we got back into the van and made our way another hour north to Tikal National Park. We picked up a tour guide on the way there and he showed us around the Mayan Temples. We climbed up to the tops of some of the temples and enjoyed the views. On temple number four you could see over the tree line and see mountains that were miles away! On our way down, we started to here a noise that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The sound reminded me of T-rex on Jurassic Park! Come to find out that dinosaurs had migrated north for the winter and were no longer in Tikal and it was just the howler monkeys. ;) By the end, everyone was tired, sweaty, and covered with bugs spray. When we got to the hotel in Rio Dulce everyone was ready to take a shower and just relax. The room that Cassie and Jessy were assigned to had an A/C problem so Rina and I ended up sharing our room with them because luckily ours had a great working A/C.
Monday was a long, unforgettable day! It started with a boat ride to breakfast. The restaurant was part of a hotel called Hotel Kangaroo. It was probably named that because the owner sounded like he was from Australia. This hotel was in a secluded area of the river where all the summer homes are. The coolest part of this hotel was the bathroom. It had a shell as the faucet and the sink was a canoe! After breakfast we took the boat to a tourist attraction called Castillo de San Felipe. We walked around inside and of course took lots of photos. We then got back into the boat and headed to Livingston. On our way there, we stopped at a hot spring. I only put my feet in but the water was so hot I couldn't leave them in for very long!! They rest of the family got all the way in and consistently had to stir the water around to cool it off. After about 20 or 30 minutes we all got back into the boat and continued our journey to Livingston. When we got to Livingston we picked up a gentlemen who looked like he was from Jamaica. I didn't know until afterwards that he was just coming with us to watch for big waves as we went along the ocean. We stopped at a place where we would hike along a river in the middle of the jungle! The sites were, once again, breath taking!! We only hiked for about 10 minutes crossing the shallow river a couple of times. Dan and Brian had warned us to wear shoes that we didn't mind getting wet. I am so glad I took them seriously because by the time we got to our destination my shoes had been completely under water several times. The waterfall was where we would be swimming. The water felt amazing and we even climbed up to the top of the water fall and jumped off. The waterfall was probably just 10 feet above the water but once you got to the edge of where you would be jumping off it felt like 30 feet. Sadly we had to leave this beautiful place and headed back to Livingston where we had lunch. I ordered the shrimp and when I saw that the heads and tails were still attached I was a little nervous. This Kansas girl is not used to the meal looking at her while she is eatting them! After lunch was done we all climbed back into the boat and headed back to Rio Dulce. The water coming back was very rough and the boat had to slow down a little bit so the ride seemed a little longer. When we got to the hotel it was later then we expected so we all just changed our clothes instead of showering and got into the van and headed back home to Antigua. This ride home felt like the longest ride of the trip. Everyone was tired and ready to be in bed. As we pulled into Antigua the feeling of home sweet home rushed over us. We all went straight for to bed knowing that we had a big day ahead of us.
On Tuesday, we hiked up Volcano Pacaya! The journey was steep, but our guide stopped several times so we could rest and take pictures. There were some tourist that rented "taxis" up. These taxis were not Fords or Toyotas. These taxis were horses! The paths were narrow so we had to stop and move over whenever the "taxis" needed to pass us. Like all the other views, the view from the Pacaya was breath taking! We climbed down to where the lava rock was and roasted marshmallows! I couldn't stand in one spot for very long because my feet would start to burn! The hike down did a number on our hips and knees but we all made it down safely! The rest of the day we spent relaxing and spending the rest of out Q at the market buying souvenirs for family and friends. Not a bad way to spend our last day in Antigua!
On Saturday, we all packed up into a van and headed north. After 4 hours of driving through the Mountains we stopped for lunch at "Bruno's" in Rio Dulce. This restaurant was right on the river, and there were sail boats lined up along docks making the view from our table beautiful! The weather was hot and humid but the view took your mind off the fact that you were sticking to your shirt. After a refreshing lunch we got back into the van for another 4 hours to Flores. We only spent one night there but we made it count! Before the sun went down we took a boat tour of Lago (lake) Peten Itza. The view of the sun setting over the lake was beautiful! That night we ate dinner on the roof of a restaurant. From there you could see the reflection of the moon on the water. The only light they had was by candle, although it was beautiful, it was also hard to see the menus and the food!
On Sunday, we got back into the van and made our way another hour north to Tikal National Park. We picked up a tour guide on the way there and he showed us around the Mayan Temples. We climbed up to the tops of some of the temples and enjoyed the views. On temple number four you could see over the tree line and see mountains that were miles away! On our way down, we started to here a noise that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The sound reminded me of T-rex on Jurassic Park! Come to find out that dinosaurs had migrated north for the winter and were no longer in Tikal and it was just the howler monkeys. ;) By the end, everyone was tired, sweaty, and covered with bugs spray. When we got to the hotel in Rio Dulce everyone was ready to take a shower and just relax. The room that Cassie and Jessy were assigned to had an A/C problem so Rina and I ended up sharing our room with them because luckily ours had a great working A/C.
Monday was a long, unforgettable day! It started with a boat ride to breakfast. The restaurant was part of a hotel called Hotel Kangaroo. It was probably named that because the owner sounded like he was from Australia. This hotel was in a secluded area of the river where all the summer homes are. The coolest part of this hotel was the bathroom. It had a shell as the faucet and the sink was a canoe! After breakfast we took the boat to a tourist attraction called Castillo de San Felipe. We walked around inside and of course took lots of photos. We then got back into the boat and headed to Livingston. On our way there, we stopped at a hot spring. I only put my feet in but the water was so hot I couldn't leave them in for very long!! They rest of the family got all the way in and consistently had to stir the water around to cool it off. After about 20 or 30 minutes we all got back into the boat and continued our journey to Livingston. When we got to Livingston we picked up a gentlemen who looked like he was from Jamaica. I didn't know until afterwards that he was just coming with us to watch for big waves as we went along the ocean. We stopped at a place where we would hike along a river in the middle of the jungle! The sites were, once again, breath taking!! We only hiked for about 10 minutes crossing the shallow river a couple of times. Dan and Brian had warned us to wear shoes that we didn't mind getting wet. I am so glad I took them seriously because by the time we got to our destination my shoes had been completely under water several times. The waterfall was where we would be swimming. The water felt amazing and we even climbed up to the top of the water fall and jumped off. The waterfall was probably just 10 feet above the water but once you got to the edge of where you would be jumping off it felt like 30 feet. Sadly we had to leave this beautiful place and headed back to Livingston where we had lunch. I ordered the shrimp and when I saw that the heads and tails were still attached I was a little nervous. This Kansas girl is not used to the meal looking at her while she is eatting them! After lunch was done we all climbed back into the boat and headed back to Rio Dulce. The water coming back was very rough and the boat had to slow down a little bit so the ride seemed a little longer. When we got to the hotel it was later then we expected so we all just changed our clothes instead of showering and got into the van and headed back home to Antigua. This ride home felt like the longest ride of the trip. Everyone was tired and ready to be in bed. As we pulled into Antigua the feeling of home sweet home rushed over us. We all went straight for to bed knowing that we had a big day ahead of us.
On Tuesday, we hiked up Volcano Pacaya! The journey was steep, but our guide stopped several times so we could rest and take pictures. There were some tourist that rented "taxis" up. These taxis were not Fords or Toyotas. These taxis were horses! The paths were narrow so we had to stop and move over whenever the "taxis" needed to pass us. Like all the other views, the view from the Pacaya was breath taking! We climbed down to where the lava rock was and roasted marshmallows! I couldn't stand in one spot for very long because my feet would start to burn! The hike down did a number on our hips and knees but we all made it down safely! The rest of the day we spent relaxing and spending the rest of out Q at the market buying souvenirs for family and friends. Not a bad way to spend our last day in Antigua!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
1st weekend in Guatemala!
This last weekend my study abroad family and I went on a mini adventure to Lake Atitlan.
This lake is actually a huge crater of a volcano that has been filled with water. There are 13 villages that surround the lake. We stayed in a village called Panajachel. On Saturday, we went to two other villages, Santiago and Santa Catarina. We had to take a boat across the lake to get to them! At these villages we bought many souvenirs and visited a few homes to see how the Mayan women made their clothing that they sell at the market. We then went to a town that is on top of the crater called Solola. In this town there is a child care center called Eagles Nest that has an interesting story. Long story short, the facility that this care center uses was originally a resort. The resort went bankrupt and sold the land and buildings to a family(who were being funded by a bunch of different churches) that were looking for a place to start a new orphanage. But because of a complicated legal situation, Guatemala does not allow people outside of Guatemala to adopt from Guatemala. Therefor, is it now a care center for kids who either have no parents, or have been abused by their parents. It is truly an amazing operation and I encourage you to look it up and read their story. After all, they can tell the story way better than I can.
The next day, we went to Chichicastenango and took a tour to learn more about their Mayan/Catholic religion. The only thing I can say about this part of the trip is, the way they practice the Mayan and Catholic religion is very interesting. I would go more in depth about their religion but I am not confident that I would get the facts straight. So I will just move on to the market place. This market place is so big you could easily get lost. The people selling their products will easily get on your nerves. This is because they are constantly coming up to you and putting the goods they are trying to sell in your face. This does not just happen at this market. All of the markets here have to same kind of selling strategy. Shea, one of the family members, asked how much a blanket was and when she realized that she would not have enough money to even offer the women a good price Shea politely told her no thanks and continued her shopping. The lady selling the blankets followed her all the way down the hill to the boat we were taking across the lake. When I say "all the way to the boat" I mean the women was on the dock and even laid the blanket across the front of the boat while she slowly kept lowering the price. At the end, Shea still said no as we "undocked" and headed back across the lake.
The hotel we stayed in had a beautiful terrace which provided a beautiful and breath taking view of the town and the volcanoes. This adventure is something I hope I will never forget.
This lake is actually a huge crater of a volcano that has been filled with water. There are 13 villages that surround the lake. We stayed in a village called Panajachel. On Saturday, we went to two other villages, Santiago and Santa Catarina. We had to take a boat across the lake to get to them! At these villages we bought many souvenirs and visited a few homes to see how the Mayan women made their clothing that they sell at the market. We then went to a town that is on top of the crater called Solola. In this town there is a child care center called Eagles Nest that has an interesting story. Long story short, the facility that this care center uses was originally a resort. The resort went bankrupt and sold the land and buildings to a family(who were being funded by a bunch of different churches) that were looking for a place to start a new orphanage. But because of a complicated legal situation, Guatemala does not allow people outside of Guatemala to adopt from Guatemala. Therefor, is it now a care center for kids who either have no parents, or have been abused by their parents. It is truly an amazing operation and I encourage you to look it up and read their story. After all, they can tell the story way better than I can.
The next day, we went to Chichicastenango and took a tour to learn more about their Mayan/Catholic religion. The only thing I can say about this part of the trip is, the way they practice the Mayan and Catholic religion is very interesting. I would go more in depth about their religion but I am not confident that I would get the facts straight. So I will just move on to the market place. This market place is so big you could easily get lost. The people selling their products will easily get on your nerves. This is because they are constantly coming up to you and putting the goods they are trying to sell in your face. This does not just happen at this market. All of the markets here have to same kind of selling strategy. Shea, one of the family members, asked how much a blanket was and when she realized that she would not have enough money to even offer the women a good price Shea politely told her no thanks and continued her shopping. The lady selling the blankets followed her all the way down the hill to the boat we were taking across the lake. When I say "all the way to the boat" I mean the women was on the dock and even laid the blanket across the front of the boat while she slowly kept lowering the price. At the end, Shea still said no as we "undocked" and headed back across the lake.
The hotel we stayed in had a beautiful terrace which provided a beautiful and breath taking view of the town and the volcanoes. This adventure is something I hope I will never forget.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
The people who surround me...
Now that you know what my days are like here in Antigua let me go into detail about each individual I have met so far.
First, my study abroad family. My leaders are Dan and Brian. They are both professors at Pitt State. Dan is in the Recreation department and Brian is in the Technology department. Dan has traveled the world and knows almost everything when it comes to traveling and site seeing. Brian seems to have worked many different jobs and knows a lot of random things! My roomies are Jessy and Cassie. Cassie is a fellow gorilla that attends Pitt State with me. She is an Interior Design and Construction major so I did not met her until this trip. She works with the construction crew and keeps up with the guys! For that, I give her major props! Jessy is from Slippery Rock University and is a Therapeutic Recreation major. Jessy is definitely one of a kind. She will laugh until she cries, isn't afraid to speak her mind, and when it comes to Therapeutic Recreation she knows her stuff. The rest of the family consist of Rina, Kristen, Shea, and Brian T. Rina is from Korea and just finished up a year abroad at Pitt State. I am really sad that we didn't meet before this trip because she won't be returning to Pittsburg after this trip. She is a fun and loving person who makes this trip fun! Kristen and Shea are from Utah. They are two incredibly nice women!! Shea is very fluent in spanish so whenever we need a translator she is the one we ask to help us out. Kristen, like me, loves to make people laugh. She isn't afraid to show her weird side and be herself. Brian T is a construction major who is always willing to help. On our journeys around Antigua he is our "papa duck" Where ever he goes we follow! Amparo, is our house mother. Even though I don't know her as much as I would like to because of the communication barrier, she is an amazing women who makes sure we have everything we need. Her food is better than any of the restaurants we have eaten here.
These are the people whom I have become close to, and I am dreading the day I have to live without them.
First, my study abroad family. My leaders are Dan and Brian. They are both professors at Pitt State. Dan is in the Recreation department and Brian is in the Technology department. Dan has traveled the world and knows almost everything when it comes to traveling and site seeing. Brian seems to have worked many different jobs and knows a lot of random things! My roomies are Jessy and Cassie. Cassie is a fellow gorilla that attends Pitt State with me. She is an Interior Design and Construction major so I did not met her until this trip. She works with the construction crew and keeps up with the guys! For that, I give her major props! Jessy is from Slippery Rock University and is a Therapeutic Recreation major. Jessy is definitely one of a kind. She will laugh until she cries, isn't afraid to speak her mind, and when it comes to Therapeutic Recreation she knows her stuff. The rest of the family consist of Rina, Kristen, Shea, and Brian T. Rina is from Korea and just finished up a year abroad at Pitt State. I am really sad that we didn't meet before this trip because she won't be returning to Pittsburg after this trip. She is a fun and loving person who makes this trip fun! Kristen and Shea are from Utah. They are two incredibly nice women!! Shea is very fluent in spanish so whenever we need a translator she is the one we ask to help us out. Kristen, like me, loves to make people laugh. She isn't afraid to show her weird side and be herself. Brian T is a construction major who is always willing to help. On our journeys around Antigua he is our "papa duck" Where ever he goes we follow! Amparo, is our house mother. Even though I don't know her as much as I would like to because of the communication barrier, she is an amazing women who makes sure we have everything we need. Her food is better than any of the restaurants we have eaten here.
These are the people whom I have become close to, and I am dreading the day I have to live without them.
I have been in Antigua, Guatemala for over a week now! The fears that I had before this trip are no longer in my mind and I am enjoying every minute! Let me just walk you through a day in Antigua.
At 6:30am, I wake up and get ready for the day. Then I join my study abroad family for breakfast which as been prepared by the lovely Amparo, the house mother. Our family is picked up at 8:30 by the company we are volunteering for and are taken to our work sites. Three members of the family are dropped off at a village that is on top of a mountain where they will do construction for the next couple hours. The rest of us are taken to a school where we work with students that have disabilities. We do several different activities with them everyday. Today we went to the park, we had a balloon toss competition and had a few relay races. The kids really enjoyed being outside, running and laughing with each other. Around 12:30, we are picked up and taken back home where we eat lunch, which is always delicious! At 1:30, we walk approximately a mile and a half to Maximo Nivel where our spanish classes are held. This part is probably my least favorite. At 4, we walk home or enjoy exploring the different parts of Antigua. At 7, its time for an amazing dinner. I usually take a shower and then spend some quality time with the study abroad family. Then off to bed to get some sleep for the next exciting day!
At 6:30am, I wake up and get ready for the day. Then I join my study abroad family for breakfast which as been prepared by the lovely Amparo, the house mother. Our family is picked up at 8:30 by the company we are volunteering for and are taken to our work sites. Three members of the family are dropped off at a village that is on top of a mountain where they will do construction for the next couple hours. The rest of us are taken to a school where we work with students that have disabilities. We do several different activities with them everyday. Today we went to the park, we had a balloon toss competition and had a few relay races. The kids really enjoyed being outside, running and laughing with each other. Around 12:30, we are picked up and taken back home where we eat lunch, which is always delicious! At 1:30, we walk approximately a mile and a half to Maximo Nivel where our spanish classes are held. This part is probably my least favorite. At 4, we walk home or enjoy exploring the different parts of Antigua. At 7, its time for an amazing dinner. I usually take a shower and then spend some quality time with the study abroad family. Then off to bed to get some sleep for the next exciting day!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
The time has finally come!! In less than 24 hours I'll be on a plane headed to Guatemala!! I can feel myself getting more excited every hour as the realization slowly sinks in! The packing as gone smoothly so far! Once the load of laundry in the dryer is dry I will be done! Around 5ish I'll head up to Kansas City to stay with a friend of mine! Then on the plane around 6am! I think the plan is to arrive in Guatemala around noon.
I'm leaving behind my cell phone because I don't think I will be calling people very much on the trip. I will survive by getting on Facebook to update people on how my trip is going! I'm also leaving behind my one love, Bagheera, who is a 4 year old Puggle. (hybrid of a Pug and a Beagle) She always knows when I am about to leave when I bring out my red Nike bag. When she sees that bag she always begins to follow me around the house. Yes, even to the bathroom! She then proceeds to give me the guilt trip puppy dog eyes when I take the bag to my car. I know my roommates take good care of her when I am gone but for some reason I always feel bad! This won't be the longest I have left her but I am certain she will assume that I have left her for eternity! But when I finally get home she will welcome me back with the excitement that I have never seen or received by a human being! This is why I will miss her the most!
But enough about my dog! I am having lunch with one of my friends who graduated yesterday. This will be the last time I see him for a while because he is moving to Tulsa and starting a new job in just a week. I hope I don't cry, but I can't promise that I won't! I will be able to see my other friend for a couple days once I get back to the states before he moves away to Texas.
Its a bitter sweet day, but I am trying to take it all in and enjoy the ride of life!
I'm leaving behind my cell phone because I don't think I will be calling people very much on the trip. I will survive by getting on Facebook to update people on how my trip is going! I'm also leaving behind my one love, Bagheera, who is a 4 year old Puggle. (hybrid of a Pug and a Beagle) She always knows when I am about to leave when I bring out my red Nike bag. When she sees that bag she always begins to follow me around the house. Yes, even to the bathroom! She then proceeds to give me the guilt trip puppy dog eyes when I take the bag to my car. I know my roommates take good care of her when I am gone but for some reason I always feel bad! This won't be the longest I have left her but I am certain she will assume that I have left her for eternity! But when I finally get home she will welcome me back with the excitement that I have never seen or received by a human being! This is why I will miss her the most!
But enough about my dog! I am having lunch with one of my friends who graduated yesterday. This will be the last time I see him for a while because he is moving to Tulsa and starting a new job in just a week. I hope I don't cry, but I can't promise that I won't! I will be able to see my other friend for a couple days once I get back to the states before he moves away to Texas.
Its a bitter sweet day, but I am trying to take it all in and enjoy the ride of life!
Monday, May 5, 2014
The day of departure is only a few days away! I am 98% ready! I just have a few little things to get together and I'll be ready! Although, it's hard to focus on getting ready when I have finals to study for! Everything is happening so fast! After my last final on Friday I'll spend all day packing and double checking my lists, then off to my friends graduation! On Saturday, I'll head up to KC to stay with a friend who will take me to the airport bright and early! Maybe not so much "bright" since my flight leaves at 5:55am!!! I will try to get some sleep Saturday night but chances are I'll be to nervous to get a good nights rest!
I'm still sad to see my friends go after this week but life waits for no one so I am sucking it up, going with the flow, and staying positive!! I still have a week with them so I am making every minute count!! But again, these dang finals are taking all my free time!
I'm still sad to see my friends go after this week but life waits for no one so I am sucking it up, going with the flow, and staying positive!! I still have a week with them so I am making every minute count!! But again, these dang finals are taking all my free time!
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