Lake Atitlan Abounds

Good afternoon, ya'll!

It has been an awesome two days.  I will keep my words short and choose to fill this blog with pictures/videos.  They are below.

Trips like this always remind me of what is important.  I have been overwhelmed by the experience thus far in such a positive way.  Everyone is thinking critically about why they are here, what it means to be here, and how we can really begin to understand Guatemala and the people of San Lucas.  "Fall in love. Stay in love.  And it will determine everything."

Enjoy the pictures!

View from the roof of our hotel

In front of the Women's Center (what an incredible place that just opened up this year after being in construction for over a decade)

Coffee harvest for this year

Quitney taking in the lake!

Ride over to Santiago

San Pedro Volcano

Santiago (location where Father Stan was killed during the war)

Ms. Gasparka reading the dictionary, Echo smiling

Quitney thinks, Cody and Melissa read "Silence on the Mountain"

On our way home from visiting Santiago and Panajachel!

Video below.

So, we waited an hour for the video to upload, but we had no success.  We'll try again another time.  I want to let the students write!

Adios!

Nick

Guatemala Day 1

Dear Family and Friends,

I am here. It is real. I have enjoyed every single second of this experience. I really don't know if I can adequately describe my thoughts and feelings, but I am sure that you are interested as to what we have been doing since we have been here. We arrived at the airport yesterday at around 2:30 and had a volunteer from the parish and the man who was to drive us to San Lucas waiting for us. The city was very loud and very crowded. The drive to San Lucas was beautiful. About half way, traffic came to a standstill and after our driver got out of the bus to check things out, he explained that traffic was stopped because there was a protest going on. This was very interesting to me. Apparently people were protesting about the lack of electricity;an eye opener for sure.

The man in the truck in front of us took the opportunity to sell the pineapples in the back of his truck. This is when I realize that almost everyone was carrying a machete. I was really tempted to buy a pineapple and ask someone to cut it for me with their machete, since that was what everybody else was doing. I also thought that was very interesting.

I really wish I could speak spanish. I apparently say "Gracias" funny, but thats ok. I want really badly to be able to just start talking to people and have a conversation. All the people we have met so far have been very nice. They are very good people.

We had a tour of the parish and its different projects today. I am very impressed with the parishes deep love and concern for the people of San Lucas. It is completely unselfish. Our tour guides explained that all of their projects are run almost completely by the people. They believe in the expressed felt need of the people. This means that the people of San Lucas tell the Parish what they need and the Parish helps them to achieve it. I think this is beautiful.

I love all of the different things that I have seen so far. Alot of things have made me sad, but alot of things have made me happy. Everything is so different from what I am used to but it doesn't seem uncomfortable or awkward.

Apparently I am taking a really long time but I hope my thoughts are not too scattered. I will have much more to write tomorrow. Buenos Noches.

incredible. i feel so indescribably grateful for what this trip has already been. The students have been exceptionally engaged, thoughtful, inquisitive... the community of san lucas makes an impression at every turn; it is a beautiful challenge to try and process this all.

Finally Made It

It only took twenty six hours but we've finally gotten to San Lucas. The plane rides and multiple five hour lay overs sucked, but I guess it's all part of the experience. The food and coffee here is really good. We are also receiving a lot of gifts (homework) which is keeping us occupied. I don't know what to write so i'll just add more later.

Guatemala Day UNO

Hola everyone!!! We got to Guatemala safely and it is amazing. The journey here was a long one but definitely a great part of the experience. The drive to the hotel was also super amazing especially at night as you could see the stars and the volcanoes in the background. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever experienced. If I had a pro camera with me I could have captured its beauty but any other camera would not have done it justice. San Lucas is an amazing town and the people are so colorful. We went on a tour today of the town and the different projects the parish is involved in and it is so inspiring to see all of these good things happen. The coffee is also a great part of this trip and to know where it came from makes it taste that much better. The people are really friendly as are the long term volunteers. I have already learned so much about Guatemala and I know I will learn so much more. We have not been to the lake yet but we will visit it soon. I am just so happy we are here and even though I am a little jet-lagged I could not be more energetic to be here and learn everything I can. This place is so full of culture and stories just waiting to be known and shared.  

Arriving to Guatemala

Guatemala is nothing like I imagined it. It took us five hours to get to San Lucas from the airport. The city was very crazy. The way people drive here is a lot different than at home. We got to see the three volcanoes, Atitlan, Toloman, and Agua, which was pretty exciting because we could see the smoke coming out of them. The night was beautiful, there were many people out on the streets were filled with people celebrating a festival. This this first day has been a great start.

Tired but energized...

Buenos dias, all!

After 26 hours of travel, we have finally made it to San Lucas, Guatemala!  We left at 2:00PM (Hawaii Time) on Thursday and arrived in San Lucas at 8:00PM (CST) on Friday.

Spirits are high though many may be fatigued.  We awoke this morning to a clear sunny day with an excellent vision of the volcanoes that surround the community.  We just had breakfast and found out that we had dishes duty first thing!  So, the students are currently washing all the dishes, cleaning the tables, and putting away the food.  They jumped right in and have almost finished.

Our plan after breakfast is to go on a tour of all of the projects that Church is currently operating.  We are excited to learn more about each of these opportunities that the Parish provides to the community in San Lucas.

Well, below are a few pictures that we have taken thus far.  We will post again later this afternoon when we have more time!  Onwards to the tour...

Los Angeles Airport

Sleeping at Houston Airport

Arrival at Guatemala Airport

Adios,

Mr. Courtney