Hello blog readers, Whitney and Lillie checking in on our last night in Xela. Today was our final day of classes and we had a party and a lovely goodbye ceremony with our teachers and staff of Casa Xelaju. It was also Jaime´s, one of the office workers, birthday so we had cake (!!!) and tostadas. They were both delicious and many of us went back for thirds (we´ll admit it-fourths). It was a sad goodbye, as many of us formed good connections with our teachers, but we´re all ready to move onto the next adventure. Hannah made a poster with photos of all of us and our teachers as a goodbye gift to the school, and they gave us all letters with our names and decorations. All of us learned so much with the three weeks of school here, and are really appreciative towards what the school has provided. We leave with improved Spanish and high hopes of returning one day. We won´t say ¨adios¨ to the city, but ¨hasta luego¨(see you later).
This afternoon we had our group transitions meeting at Adam and Allisons apartment. Every time we move onto new destinations, we discuss how our time was spent, what we expect for what lies ahead, how we´re feeling in the present, and our dynamics as a whole. We call these meetings ¨four point compass¨ and they always relieve us of our nerves, make us concentrate on how we´re feeling, and pump us up for the upcoming destinations.
Yesterday was the half way mark of the trip-41 days has never gone by so fast. We´ve officially entered the second semester of the trip, which is crazy to think about. Tomorrow at 6:00 AM we head off on our three day TREK through the jungle to Lake Atkilan, San Marcos. WE´RE SO EXCITED!!! There are some avid backpackers and some newbies within the group so its going to be an enjoyed experience by all. We will arrive in San Marcos to endulge ourselves in a spiritual retreat where we will studying mind body and soul excersises such as yoga and meditation.
We´re very grateful for being in such a comfortable setting as our longest time without moving but are also excited to move on.
Let the countdown begin.
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!
Your CA girls,
Lillie and Whitney
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Doughnuts, Salsa, and Clouds
Hello faithful viewers, Greg and Katrina here with news from the past week in Xela, Guatemala.
On Monday the 18th, after classes at Casa Xelaju, some of the group attended a Guatemalan history lecture from one of the Xelaju teachers, Victor, regarding the Guatemalan revolution. On Tuesday, we had classes in the morning during which Greg and Katrina played scrabble with our teachers because our teachers didn´t know what to teach us since our spanish is flawless. Our group also discovered the legendary Bake Shop in the market on the North side of Xela where the most exquisit baked goods can be found. One can find a wide selection of doughnuts including fantastic fruit filled, gorgeous glazed, pleasantly powdered, sweetly sprinkled with love, and of course, chocolate. The Bake Shop also specializes in croissants filled with meat, cheese and chocolate, as well as an irresistible banana bread, delightful cupcakes, and a wide assortment of cookies. Tuesday afternoon we also attended a cooking class, courtesy of Mary´s host mother, Josefina. Josefina made it clear that Josefina would teach us how to make the most scrumptious tomales in all of Guatemala. On Wednesday, after classes, the group attempted to learn the Salsa at the school with one of the teachers. We broke it down like no one was watching.It´s fair to say we showed the teacher something he´d never seen before. That night, a few members of the group (Greg, Jasmine, Lillie and Adam) went out to a Salsa club to take a few more salsa lessons and put our moves to the test. On Thursday, after class, some members of the group went home to sleep and prepare for the long hike early Friday morning, while some took more Salsa lessons or went to Yoga, which has been a popular group activity in the late afternoons. On Friday morning, starting at midnight, our group began our ascent to the summit of the volcano, Santa Maria. The climb up took about 6 hours, but it was all worth it once we reached the top. The altitude affected some more than others. Mary started feeling sick after about 30 minutes, since she lives on a stupid island, and had to be brought back down. We hiked to an altitude of over 12,000 feet and that was evident when we got to the top and were above the clouds. We sat at the top of the volcano for several hours taking in the falling of the orange full moon on one side, and the colorful sunrise on the other. We´re having trouble putting the experience into words, but most of the group agrees that it was the most beautiful site they have ever witnessed. It was about 40 degrees at the summit, and no one was fully prepared for the drop in temperature after the past month of hot summer weather. The hot chocolate that the guides prepared was an added bonus and helped combat the freezing cold. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon bargaining at local markets for food for our potluck dinner tonight at Adam and Allison´s apartment.
Until next time!
Greg and Katrina
Monday, October 18, 2010
PHOTOS!
compliments of Bridget!
The Rural Village
hike to waterfalls in the rural village
Birthday Boy with his homestay dad
A Fishy dinner
Bridget with her brother and sisters
Sarah´s Birthday
Xela
Hannah and Xela
Mary!
The Market
A toast to Grupo Maya
Grupo Maya at dinner last night
The Rural Village
hike to waterfalls in the rural village
Birthday Boy with his homestay dad
A Fishy dinner
Bridget with her brother and sisters
Sarah´s Birthday
Xela
Hannah and Xela
Mary! 
The Market
A toast to Grupo Maya
Grupo Maya at dinner last night
Hola family and friends Bridget and Sarah here :)We arrived in Rocja Pomtila way past our bedtimes of 7pm to an amazingly welcoming village. We were all escorted to our new bungalows with our assigned roommates. (Me and Bridget were together! How cute!) The walk was pitch black and treacherous. This village has no electricity to light our ways, so we had to rely on a single flashlight. The new rural setting was a shock to our systems after getting used to the luxury of electricity and running water in San Andres. But none of that bothered us because we were so warmly welcomed by our new families. Our family in particular was made up of 7 brothers and sisters all interested in getting to know us.
We started our volunteer project the following morning. We were helping the local workers to level a site for a new community center. The work was hard and tiring in the hot sun. After shoveling, digging, and hauling dirt around (our projects always seem to end up involving dirt), we were ecstatic to see our families each walking toward us with plates of food at ten for our midday snack. Me and Bridget got empanadas! Everyone was super jealous of our food because it was most definitely the best.
We continued work until noon and then went our seperate ways for lunch at our homestays. After lunch, we worked another 2 hours on the community center and then rushed off to the freezing river for our shower and laundry.
Dinners were an amazing chance to spend time with our families and get to know each other in the romantic candlelight setting. Many of our family members only spoke a little spanish with Que´chi (a mayan dialect) being there first language. We were all able to bond regardless of the language barrier. The kids were always wanting to play and our mom was happy to teach us how to make delicious tortillas. Bridget´s could use some practice, but Sarah was pretty much amazing at it as she is at most things. We both loved the process, it was a good way to bond with our host mom and see what sort of work she does on a day to day basis.
We spent the rest of the week working hard in the mornings and afternoons and enjoying our families and each other´s company in the afternoons. There were many coconuts in the village and we all loved when our brothers would machete one open for us.
Also, two birthdays were celebrated in the village, Mary´s 19th and Greg´s 18th. We all enjoyed the celebrations and eating lots of cake and cupcakes (even though the ants got to them first).
We were all extremely sad to leave such an amazing and different place. I think we all learned a lot from our week in this village about what is truly necesary and what brings happiness. We climbed into the bus to leave at 3am under the most beautiful sky full of stars that many of us city dweelers had never seen before in our lives (Houston and Portland do not look like that at night).
Fourteen hours later, we arrived in the second largest Guatemalan city, Quetzaltenango, or Xela. We were all struck by the amazing architecture of the city. Everything was Greek gothic with corinthian and doric columns on all the buildings.
We were walked to our individual homes and shocked at the luxury we all found there. This is by far our nicest homestay to date, complete with showers, hot water (for the lucky ones), and electricity. We are all very excited to be here in this city with so many activities available to us, salsa lessons, yoga, volunteer opportunities at animal shelters and orphanages, so much good food, all on top of the spanish classes we are taking here at Casa Xelaju. We all feel very lucky to have such amazing one on one experiences with knowledgable teachers. We go to school every day from 8 until 1 and have afternoons free to spend with our host families, explore the city, or do some of the many activities available to us here.
Adam and Allison have a super sweet pad by the school for meetings and group activities (such as Sarah´s super awesome 18th birthday celebration complete with Tres Leches).
We have also done a few activities together as a group, including going to the futbol game between Xela and San Marcos. We were rooting for the underdogs, Xela and they came out on top, winning two to one. It was an exciting game full of...enthusiasm from the spectators. We all learned a lot there. Mostly spanish cuss words.
Yesterday we went to Chichicastenango, the biggest market of the year in Guatemala. SHOPPING! We all bargained our butts off with the local vendors and got great prices for a lot of really cool things. Expect presents family and friends! :)
After the market, we celebrated our one month and one day anniversary as a group at Panorama, a beautiful restaraunt on top of a hill overlooking the city. The food was delicious (Bridget got fondue! Sarah got shrimp!) and the company was even better. Adam and Allison gave 12 toasts to our group that were all very special to us and meant a lot. We are having a great time in Xela reguardless of the chilly weather and are very exciting about the remainder of time we have here. We have activity ideas such as a hike to two volcanic mountains that erupt every hour! Along with hot springs,basket weaving, music festivals, salsa classes, museums, volunteer oppurtunites, and even a lecture of Xela´s history from one of the teachers at the school. We love and miss you all! Until next time!
Your bloggers, Bridget and Sarah
We started our volunteer project the following morning. We were helping the local workers to level a site for a new community center. The work was hard and tiring in the hot sun. After shoveling, digging, and hauling dirt around (our projects always seem to end up involving dirt), we were ecstatic to see our families each walking toward us with plates of food at ten for our midday snack. Me and Bridget got empanadas! Everyone was super jealous of our food because it was most definitely the best.
We continued work until noon and then went our seperate ways for lunch at our homestays. After lunch, we worked another 2 hours on the community center and then rushed off to the freezing river for our shower and laundry.
Dinners were an amazing chance to spend time with our families and get to know each other in the romantic candlelight setting. Many of our family members only spoke a little spanish with Que´chi (a mayan dialect) being there first language. We were all able to bond regardless of the language barrier. The kids were always wanting to play and our mom was happy to teach us how to make delicious tortillas. Bridget´s could use some practice, but Sarah was pretty much amazing at it as she is at most things. We both loved the process, it was a good way to bond with our host mom and see what sort of work she does on a day to day basis.
We spent the rest of the week working hard in the mornings and afternoons and enjoying our families and each other´s company in the afternoons. There were many coconuts in the village and we all loved when our brothers would machete one open for us.
Also, two birthdays were celebrated in the village, Mary´s 19th and Greg´s 18th. We all enjoyed the celebrations and eating lots of cake and cupcakes (even though the ants got to them first).
We were all extremely sad to leave such an amazing and different place. I think we all learned a lot from our week in this village about what is truly necesary and what brings happiness. We climbed into the bus to leave at 3am under the most beautiful sky full of stars that many of us city dweelers had never seen before in our lives (Houston and Portland do not look like that at night).
Fourteen hours later, we arrived in the second largest Guatemalan city, Quetzaltenango, or Xela. We were all struck by the amazing architecture of the city. Everything was Greek gothic with corinthian and doric columns on all the buildings.
We were walked to our individual homes and shocked at the luxury we all found there. This is by far our nicest homestay to date, complete with showers, hot water (for the lucky ones), and electricity. We are all very excited to be here in this city with so many activities available to us, salsa lessons, yoga, volunteer opportunities at animal shelters and orphanages, so much good food, all on top of the spanish classes we are taking here at Casa Xelaju. We all feel very lucky to have such amazing one on one experiences with knowledgable teachers. We go to school every day from 8 until 1 and have afternoons free to spend with our host families, explore the city, or do some of the many activities available to us here.
Adam and Allison have a super sweet pad by the school for meetings and group activities (such as Sarah´s super awesome 18th birthday celebration complete with Tres Leches).
We have also done a few activities together as a group, including going to the futbol game between Xela and San Marcos. We were rooting for the underdogs, Xela and they came out on top, winning two to one. It was an exciting game full of...enthusiasm from the spectators. We all learned a lot there. Mostly spanish cuss words.
Yesterday we went to Chichicastenango, the biggest market of the year in Guatemala. SHOPPING! We all bargained our butts off with the local vendors and got great prices for a lot of really cool things. Expect presents family and friends! :)
After the market, we celebrated our one month and one day anniversary as a group at Panorama, a beautiful restaraunt on top of a hill overlooking the city. The food was delicious (Bridget got fondue! Sarah got shrimp!) and the company was even better. Adam and Allison gave 12 toasts to our group that were all very special to us and meant a lot. We are having a great time in Xela reguardless of the chilly weather and are very exciting about the remainder of time we have here. We have activity ideas such as a hike to two volcanic mountains that erupt every hour! Along with hot springs,basket weaving, music festivals, salsa classes, museums, volunteer oppurtunites, and even a lecture of Xela´s history from one of the teachers at the school. We love and miss you all! Until next time!
Your bloggers, Bridget and Sarah
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Told you! Photos!
Semuc Champey and Chilliness
Hey friends and family!
So after departing our awesome hilly homestays and language school in San Andres which we all loved (especially since it included Flores, Tikal, ARCAS animal refuge, a bonfire and the occasional slice of pizza!) we took the bus to Coban. Our "cribs" member Whitney set us up in the awesome Hotel La Paz for two nights. Coban is old school, busy, pretty, and a little too cold for some of us, but so nice!
Yesterday we set out on our journey to Semuc Champey, the most rediculously awesome place this team of bloggers has ever seen. We experienced what its really like to travel in Guatemala since our trip included many unexpected delays and a 40 minute journey in the back of a pickup/cattle truck! It was a great day. We hiked to the lookout at Semuc Champey to view the cool turqouise pools and beautiful waterfalls from the top of a cliff. Then, we made our way down and swam and explored for hours. It was SWEEET. Then we swam for more hours, after we found out we were, in fact, not going back to Coban quite yet. (one of the better delays) We sang and bounced along in the back of a pickup the whole way home.
In just a few hours today, were leaving for a rural Mayan village called Rokja Pomtila... or something like that.. where they're waiting for us to build a community center.
Signing off and talk to you in a week,
WILL AND MARY
p.s. keep your eyes open for pictures. coming soon!
So after departing our awesome hilly homestays and language school in San Andres which we all loved (especially since it included Flores, Tikal, ARCAS animal refuge, a bonfire and the occasional slice of pizza!) we took the bus to Coban. Our "cribs" member Whitney set us up in the awesome Hotel La Paz for two nights. Coban is old school, busy, pretty, and a little too cold for some of us, but so nice!
Yesterday we set out on our journey to Semuc Champey, the most rediculously awesome place this team of bloggers has ever seen. We experienced what its really like to travel in Guatemala since our trip included many unexpected delays and a 40 minute journey in the back of a pickup/cattle truck! It was a great day. We hiked to the lookout at Semuc Champey to view the cool turqouise pools and beautiful waterfalls from the top of a cliff. Then, we made our way down and swam and explored for hours. It was SWEEET. Then we swam for more hours, after we found out we were, in fact, not going back to Coban quite yet. (one of the better delays) We sang and bounced along in the back of a pickup the whole way home.
In just a few hours today, were leaving for a rural Mayan village called Rokja Pomtila... or something like that.. where they're waiting for us to build a community center.
Signing off and talk to you in a week,
WILL AND MARY
p.s. keep your eyes open for pictures. coming soon!
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