At a rest stop on the way to Santiago Atitlan

The view of the church courtyard

Sarah Parson at the woman's co-op

On the boat on the way to Panajachel

Sorry we haven’t posted in a while, we’ve been busy traveling, learning Spanish, doing homework for Don, and eating. The pictures in the previous post are from our weekend trip to Coban. We stayed at a K’ekchi’ Mennonite School which was a great opportunity for us to interact with other students. When we first arrived we were greeted with lots of stares, but as days passed, we created friendships and enjoyed sharing with them especially through sports and music. At the school our meals consisted of beans and tortillas, we only got one blanket each, and let’s just say the bathrooms weren’t up to par. Although it was rough at times, we got to experience how the majority of Guatemalans live every day.  For a small service project, we painted the outside of one of the school buildings, and we have no idea how this happened, but somehow we were roped in to painting the upper half of the building while standing on a flimsy, rusty, and unstable tin roof. It was an experience…at least we got really tan. Coban was a great time and we experienced the poverty of Guatemala in a new way.

This past weekend we traveled to Santiago Atitlan and Panajachel. This was a relaxing weekend and we enjoyed lots of free time to walk around in the small towns. We may have spent more money than we expected to in the wonderful markets and our purchases included indigenous skirts, jewelry, and gifts for people at home. We also got to visit a fair trade coffee plantation and a women’s co-op. 

Our time in Guatemala is quickly coming to an end, we have a week left of classes and our final exams will be next Tuesday. Then on Thursday we will disperse for free travel. Emily and I will be traveling East with 6 others to Puerto Barrios, Belize, Livingston, and then to Rio Dulce. We still have several details to pull together due to the influence of the Guatemalan lifestyle, haha. No worries though, we’re sure everything will work out perfectly.

Peace and blessings.

The girls room

The family that Louise ate lunch with after the church service

Their home

We enjoyed playing lots of soccer

At a coffee plantation- they provided us with sombreros

All the coffee beans spread out on the ground

A view of the park in the center of Coban

Heading back to Guatemala City after our weekend in Tikal

Louise's neighborhood

Our classes made pizza and watched a movie together- a nice break from regular class

Celebrating a birthday!

This past weekend, we traveled to Tikal, Peten, a region of Guatemala. On Friday, we flew from Guatemala city airport at 7 am. The flight took 40 minutes compared to driving which usually takes 8-10 hours. After arriving, we went to Tikal National Park where we saw ancient Mayan ruins. We climbed many temples, saw some monkeys and a tarantula. The park was gorgeous. We walked around with a tour guide for around 4 hours. Thankfully, Emily and Louise survived.

After Tikal National Park, we traveled to our hotel beside lake Peten Itza. This is the third largest lake in Guatemala. The hotel we stayed in was named Gringo Perdido meaning "Lost U.S. American." The hotel was amazing. Friday evening, and Saturday and Sunday morning, was spent swimming, kayaking, relaxing, sun bathing, and hammock laying. We even go to kayak across the large lake to the other side. Some people in the group said we would be eaten by crocodiles (which actually live in the lake), but luckily we made it back alive.

We have begun our new set of courses here at CASAS, and we are both now in advanced classes. Today we had a fun time competing between the classes for who could make the best Valentines day card. Neither of our classes won... but we had lots of fun. We also did a gift exchange among our group and we got chocolates and cards. Michael had Louise for his valentine. He wrote a poem which begins with "Roses are red, my socks are black, will you let me be your daddy mac?" (haha). We hope you all had a great day with loved ones! Love Emily and Louise

Our group in front of the Jaguar Temple

Jumping off of the ruins

Gringo Perdido

Alyssa relaxing in one of the hammocks.

Taylor, Laura, Rachel, and Sarah chillin on the dock.

Lake Peten Itza

Emily, Rose, and Louise kayaking.

This past weekend we did a lot of activites here in Guatemala city. On Saturday we left early in the morning for Pacaya, a nearby active volcano. We did we did, we climbed it. It was rough start, Emily started feeling light-headed about 30 minutes into the hike because she didn't eat any breakfast that morning. While we stopped to take a break, a Guatemalan man stopped to see if everything was okay. He very kindly offered Emily his own coke out of his backpack, just another one of the many acts of generosity we have experienced here in Guatemala. She quickly recovered, and the hike was back on. We did, we did, we made it to the top. We got to roast marshmallows over hot lava coals, go into a cave formed by lava, breath in volcanic ash, and eat lunch just below the crater with a beautiful 360 degree view. Overall the hike took about 5 hours and we reached an altitude of 9,000 feet.
When we returned to CASAS, we quickly took showers, and then headed to a couples house for dinner. A member of our group is of the Baha'i faith and met this couple at a church here. They graciously hosted us for an evening of lots of good food, singing, and celebrating a birthday. They also led us in a devotional with the topic of peace through unity.
We spent Saturday night at CASAS, which was a fun time to get to know other group members better. Sunday morning we shuttled ourselves to a mega-church, Casa De Dios (House of God). This church has 5 services consisting of around 1,000 people in each service. We heard Pastor Cash Luna speak about the three important life choices that everyone needs to make: career, spouse, and where they're going after this life. We saw yet another contrast in how people practice Christianity in this very elaborate, fancy, and energetic service.
Tomorrow we have our final exams for our first Spanish course. Then we're leaving bright and early on Friday for Tikal, traveling via mini-plane. Here we will see more Mayan ruins and we'll be staying at a hotel called "Gringo Perdido". Please keep safety and health in your prayers!

On our way to Pacaya!

Michael and Louise chillin' on the volcano.

Almost there....

In a cave formed by lava.

Roasting marshmallows from hot lava coals.

Emily, Steph and Jess

Louise and Emily: Finally at the top!

We were so happy!

Pacaya: Here We Come!

Louise and I are heading off to climb the volcano Pacaya!!!!