Hola amigos y familia!
It is your co-captains Hannah and Rebecca reporting from San Andres, Guatemala. We bring good news to the homefront. Last Sunday we wrapped up an amazing week in Ixobel and hit the road for a new chapter in our voyage. The departure was an emotional time for some because of the friendships that were made with the loving families in Ixobel. Although we did not the complete the outhouse project at the school, our group found success in many other ways. The people of Ixobel were grateful for our volunteer work and sent us on our way with a beautiful fiesta at which we displayed our dance skills.
After a few literal bumps in the road we found ourselves in the amazing city of San Andres. Our homes are colorful and lookout over a large lake. The views are tremendous and the people are without a doubt some of the friendliest folk around. We are delighted to report that we have all been learning new things about the Spanish language, not only from our schooling, but also from our host families!
Yesterday we had the great opportunity to visit one of the world´s greatest Mayan ruins in the ancient city of Tikal. We took time to reflect on the significance of our surroundings as we traversed the heights of the temples and took in the magnificent view. We were lucky enough to spot a great deal of wildlife as well, including many monkeys, lizards, and even the occasional tarantula!
In the upcoming week, we have several fun activities planned, such as cooking, fishing, and a trip to a wildlife refuge.
We hope that all is well in Los Estados Unidos! We are having way too much fun and laughing WAY too much. Keep an eye out for future blogs, recapping our adventures to come.
¡Hasta Luego! -Hannah y Rebecca
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Hola La Familia
We have finished our very long journey to Guatemala and are all glad we are finally here. Today is going to be our first day in a homestay. Sarah is staying with her super chill roommate, Will in Rigoberto and Paula´s house. They have two kids that we have met so far, one thirteen and the other a few years older. Greg is hangin with Rebecca in the lovely home of Catalina along with three children and a bunch of guys between the ages of 18 and 25. the guys won´t talk to me but it´s ok because we watch a lot of soccer. Bridget is staying with Hannah and her homestay mom and two little girls which i am very pleased with. The rooms are great and the houses are much nicer than we expected. The queen bed setup is way sweeter than the bed Sarah has at home.
Tomorrow we start our first volunteer project at the local school. We have yet to be told what exactly we will be doing but we all expect it to make us sweat in this heat.
Today we had lunch at the house Bridget and Hannah are staying in and we´ll be having dinner there soon as well. During this homestay everyone from the group will be eating together so we will all get to stay connected and continue the bonding experiences. We are all getting along great and are bonding more and more everyday! How cute!
seize the carp.
Sarah, Greg, and Bridget
Tomorrow we start our first volunteer project at the local school. We have yet to be told what exactly we will be doing but we all expect it to make us sweat in this heat.
Today we had lunch at the house Bridget and Hannah are staying in and we´ll be having dinner there soon as well. During this homestay everyone from the group will be eating together so we will all get to stay connected and continue the bonding experiences. We are all getting along great and are bonding more and more everyday! How cute!
seize the carp.
Sarah, Greg, and Bridget
Our First Real Taste of Guatemala
Hi Everyone!
This is Mary, Katrina, and Jasmine writing from an internet cafe in Poptun, the destination of our first homestay. We are staying in Ixobel, a small neighborhood outside of Poptun, but right now, we are listening to the pouring rain while in town completing our scavenger hunt. After completing our difficult, to say the least, 9 hour hike to the cave yesterday, we have settled into our homestays with amazing families. We will be eating all of our meals in a specific family´s home everyday as a group. Our lunch today consisted of delicious chicken, rice, vegetables, homemade apple juice, and tortillas.
Finca Ixobel, our fist eco-hotel, was a great way for us to get a taste of Guatemala and to settle in. On Friday, we went horseback riding. We rode for two hours up a steep mountain and had a blast. We also loved the caves which we hiked to on Saturday. We had no idea what to expect but it ended up being amazing, even though it was pretty scary.
Mary is staying with group member, Lillie, in Thelma´s house. There are five kids in the house and 2 dogs, Carnela and Carenlo. Katrina is staying with group member, Whitney, in Gloria´s house. She has two sons, Mario and Carlos. She also has a dog, Tigre. Jasmine is staying at Fernando´s house with 2 host sisters, Brittney and Catherine. We are all struggling to get over the language barrier and start our volunteer work at the school with the kids we are staying with.
Love and miss you all,
Katrina, Mary, and Jasmine.
This is Mary, Katrina, and Jasmine writing from an internet cafe in Poptun, the destination of our first homestay. We are staying in Ixobel, a small neighborhood outside of Poptun, but right now, we are listening to the pouring rain while in town completing our scavenger hunt. After completing our difficult, to say the least, 9 hour hike to the cave yesterday, we have settled into our homestays with amazing families. We will be eating all of our meals in a specific family´s home everyday as a group. Our lunch today consisted of delicious chicken, rice, vegetables, homemade apple juice, and tortillas.
Finca Ixobel, our fist eco-hotel, was a great way for us to get a taste of Guatemala and to settle in. On Friday, we went horseback riding. We rode for two hours up a steep mountain and had a blast. We also loved the caves which we hiked to on Saturday. We had no idea what to expect but it ended up being amazing, even though it was pretty scary.
Mary is staying with group member, Lillie, in Thelma´s house. There are five kids in the house and 2 dogs, Carnela and Carenlo. Katrina is staying with group member, Whitney, in Gloria´s house. She has two sons, Mario and Carlos. She also has a dog, Tigre. Jasmine is staying at Fernando´s house with 2 host sisters, Brittney and Catherine. We are all struggling to get over the language barrier and start our volunteer work at the school with the kids we are staying with.
Love and miss you all,
Katrina, Mary, and Jasmine.
Poptun Extravaganza
As we sit here, typing our first blog, sweat drips from our foreheads. Outside the climate mimics our physical condition as it pours down rain. But nothing can stop our sunny smiles on this beautiful Sunday afternoon in Ixobel. Today we had the pleasure of meeting our first homestay families and devouring a delicious home cooked meal together. It came as no surprise that the language barrier is quite challenging, but we smoothed the awkward miscommunications with shunny shmiles and frequent giggles.
Yesterday we went on an AMAZING spelunking adventure through an underground river cave! Chalan, our guide, navigated us through the depths of darkness, with headlamps and candles guiding the way. The strenuous hike there and back led us all to form blisters. At one point Hannah was borderline hysterical because her Chacos were causing her so much pain. Rebecca stumbled gracefully down the muddy slopes and we were all caked with mud by the end of the day. Whitney exfoliated with mud, but Chalan later informed us it might have been bat feces. Showers have never felt so good.
Today we packed our things and left Finca Ixobel for our homestays and this afternoon Adam and Allison sent us on a scavenger hunt through the city of Poptun to excersize our communcation skills, and here we sit. Our adventures have only just begun, and we are more excited than you can imagine. We are safe, so no worries. The culture has welcomed us with open arms but we still miss you all dearly. We remember where we came from.
As JLO would say,
Im still. im still
Hannah, Rebecca, and Whitney from the BLOCK!
Yesterday we went on an AMAZING spelunking adventure through an underground river cave! Chalan, our guide, navigated us through the depths of darkness, with headlamps and candles guiding the way. The strenuous hike there and back led us all to form blisters. At one point Hannah was borderline hysterical because her Chacos were causing her so much pain. Rebecca stumbled gracefully down the muddy slopes and we were all caked with mud by the end of the day. Whitney exfoliated with mud, but Chalan later informed us it might have been bat feces. Showers have never felt so good.
Today we packed our things and left Finca Ixobel for our homestays and this afternoon Adam and Allison sent us on a scavenger hunt through the city of Poptun to excersize our communcation skills, and here we sit. Our adventures have only just begun, and we are more excited than you can imagine. We are safe, so no worries. The culture has welcomed us with open arms but we still miss you all dearly. We remember where we came from.
As JLO would say,
Im still. im still
Hannah, Rebecca, and Whitney from the BLOCK!
day 1 in Poptun
Hey friends and family!
We miss you so much and are writing from a small internet cafe in Poptun! We just met our home-stay families for the next week and enjoyed a traditional almuerzo in a local villager´s home.
We just enjoyed a great 3 day orientation at the fabulous finca ixobel. The food was deliciosa, the people friendly, and the ambiance incredible! Some of us decided to go horseback riding on Friday. When our guide Fernando suddenly led us up a 90 degree mountain, we were all a little lost for air. However, the vistas were breathtaking and the experience once in a lifetime. We even galloped in at a wicked speed back to the stables.
This upcoming week we are going to be working in a school called Los Plantas. We´re not quite sure what we will be doing just yet, but I guess when we head over tomorrow we will find out! We are staying in ¨traditional¨ homestays that include little children, and even the occasional tv with futbol on it!
We love you muchisimo and hope to speak to you soon!!!!
Best wishes, love, and happiness,
Will Ossyra, Lillie Allen, and Shayna Zema
We miss you so much and are writing from a small internet cafe in Poptun! We just met our home-stay families for the next week and enjoyed a traditional almuerzo in a local villager´s home.
We just enjoyed a great 3 day orientation at the fabulous finca ixobel. The food was deliciosa, the people friendly, and the ambiance incredible! Some of us decided to go horseback riding on Friday. When our guide Fernando suddenly led us up a 90 degree mountain, we were all a little lost for air. However, the vistas were breathtaking and the experience once in a lifetime. We even galloped in at a wicked speed back to the stables.
This upcoming week we are going to be working in a school called Los Plantas. We´re not quite sure what we will be doing just yet, but I guess when we head over tomorrow we will find out! We are staying in ¨traditional¨ homestays that include little children, and even the occasional tv with futbol on it!
We love you muchisimo and hope to speak to you soon!!!!
Best wishes, love, and happiness,
Will Ossyra, Lillie Allen, and Shayna Zema
Friday, September 17, 2010
the long road to Finca Ixobel
We made it! And all is well. In fact, the 'farm' at which we're staying is an oasis -- especially after the thirty-plus hours of flights and van riding it took for us to begin our journey. Already, we have had a nice balance of getting to know each other, adjusting to the shift in climate, language, and food, relaxing in hammocks, and cooling off in the lagoon. We'll be continuing the transition during the remainder of our orientation, somewhat removed from civilization, so our first 'official' blog post by the students will wait until their first homestays in Poptun.
Until then!
Until then!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Word From Your Leaders
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| Backpacking in Olympic National Park this summer |
Saludos a todos los estudiantes de Carpe Diem MAYA! We hope everyone’s summer has been fantastic! We are quickly approaching our rendezvous time at the SFO airport, which is now only 8 days away. OH MY! We are ridiculously excited to meet all of you and start this much-anticipated adventure. We are writing you from Portland, OR, where we are currently preparing for the journey to come in our minds, bodies, and spirits, but also working on the logistics, of course.
We will be starting to make phone calls to you all today to answer any of your questions and maybe ask a few of our own, but also to pass along some last bits of information.
This is the blog that you all will be the authors of during your semester, so feel free to pass this link along to your family and friends. They will undoubtedly appreciate getting to track your adventures.
That’s all for now. Enjoy your last few days at home!
Sinceramente,
Adam and Allison
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