Bienvenidos Guatemala!

After all the warnings of crime, murder, safety, swine flu and the dangers in Guatemala before we arrived, I knew I would have a great time. We were only here for three days and that was not nearly enough. At the same time, I was happy to return to the ship and know we still had some ship-time before arriving in Fort Lauderdale. I was really excited for the Ambassador's Ball (similar to prom), because I have been on the committee for planning the event since the beginning and I really hope it goes smoothly. There was also just spending time and being with all the friends I have become close with on this voyage. Those people who I wanted to just a little more time with before the semester is over.

I signed up last minute (in Japan) for a Spanish-Emersion home stay in Antigua, which was a little tourist town about an hour to an hour and half away from the port. The town was 45 minutes away from Guatemala City (we were STRONGLY encouraged NOT to go there by SAS) and was know for the many international language schools for locals and foreigners to practice their Spanish or even learn new languages such as Mayan, English, French, Italian, Korean and more. We drove through beautiful lush mountains and could see the volcanoes as we drove into Antigua. I had been to Central and South America before, and Guatemala looked very similar to the other places I had visited (Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Belize, and Mexico). Guatemala is known for its volcanoes and having black sand on its beaches. I was not able to see the black sand, but I am sure it was a pretty HOT beach.

The streets of Antigua were covered with cobblestone (I learned later very hard to walk on in flip flops) and brightly colored buildings which looked old and broken down. In between these rows and rows of little casas were HUGE ruins right in the middle of houses and shops. It was incredible to see the old stone and aged sculptures of churches and large buildings. I really enjoyed seeing these buildings. We arrived at our school where we would take two classes for four hours each starting the next day to help practice our Spanish. We had been speaking in Spanish the entire ride there and were very excited.


I was in a home stay with four girls from Semester at Sea and had a "mother" whose name was Cristina Velaquez and her cousin; Amanda lived with her. She was an older woman, probably past the age of 60 and has been hosting students and travelers of all ages in her home for over 16 years. Her husband had pasted away last year and most of her children live in different parts of Guatemala and the United States. She was very welcoming and I enjoyed my time talking and staying with her. The four other girls paired up in rooms, but somehow I lucked out with my own room and bathroom which looked into the courtyard in the middle of the house. It was lovely and very clean. The food we had at our home stay was just okay. I really liked the fresh made tortillas and we went out to eat one night, which was delicious.


That afternoon we checked out the central park where all the shops, café's, restaurants and tourist companies were located. It was fun to check out the market and the beautiful city square in front of a HUGE church. We just wandered together and then I need some alone time, which I cherish while traveling. It gives you time to think and just do what you want to do. Our group (there were eight of us) signed up the next day to hike the Volcano called Pacaya during the afternoon once our classes had finished. It only cost $8 US dollars for the tour guide and the ride and then another $5 for an entrance free to the park. Sweet deal I would say. During the evening, after dinners with our families we decided to check out the nightlife in Antigua. We ended up at a salsa bar with lots of locals and had a blast just trying to salsa and dance together with some of the locals, who taught us how to really do it. It was so much fun!!! I love dancing and this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!


Eventually it started getting later and Semester at Sea gave us a tentative curfew so we would not be out late at night (first country this happened in) because the crime risk increases. We walked back home together in our group and gazed at the beautiful square which the church all light up at night. It was indescribable to explain and I wish you could have been in the moment. It's like the sunsets on the ship over the ocean and the stars at night in the middle of nowhere. You just have to be there. The next morning I had my Spanish lesson. We all had one on one teachers in little cubicle style sections, but they were all very open and were outside. It was such a cultural and academic experience! We literally just spoke in Spanish for four hours (I did have a break around 10 am) and talked about all kinds of things. We learned about one another and asked each other lots questions. She wanted to learn more about our travels to different countries and I loved being able to work on my Spanish. Her name was Irma and she had lived in Antigua her entire life. Once we were finished, I took all the pieces of paper we wrote on and the director noticed these large pieces of paper I was folding up and gave me a notebook. :-)



After lunch at my house, my mom packed me a sandwich to eat for the hike and I wandered into town for a little bit to grab some stamps for my postcards in case I wasn't able to get them the last day we were there. Our group met at my house and a van picked us up at 2:15. We were with other Semester at Sea students and a nice couple from Texas who had recently retired and were traveling the world. They were very nice people. The drive took a little over an hour and the roads were VERY bumpy, but no one got sick thankfully. The volcano was HUGE!! You could see the smoke from the top too! On arrival we bought some marshmallows to roast them over the lava at the beginning of the hike from the children selling walking sticks and all kinds of things.


The hike was tough. It was not easy in any way, plus I am not a big hiker. I cannot believe I actually finished the hike. It was a hard incline and once we came to a stopping point, we had to literally walk to ash (it felt like black sand) to get to the lava. But every second was worth it. The lava was literally RIGHT NEXT TO ME. You cold feel the heat from below the surface. It was incredible. The lava even spilled over very close to me and just hardened right there. I cannot describe to you the feeling of wind whiplashing your body completely surrounding you, but feeling so hot below your shoes and your hands from roasting marshmallows ON TOP OF A VOLCANO. The rocks (hardened lava) were very fragile and slipped easily and a lot of people fell and were pretty badly cut up. But, it makes for a cool story. "Yeah, you see this scar, it was from a volcano", I can only imagine.

It was getting dark and our shoes starting sticking, which meant we had to hike fast down in order to get out of the way for the next eruption. It was pitch black by the time we hitched down and only the lighting from a storm coming, which kept our path light. It was pretty crazy, but such an experience. Flashlights would have been helpful. It was raining on our way back from the canopy of the trees covered us from most of the waterfall. Eventually we reached our starting point and while waiting for the others we ate our sandwiches. They tasted like heaven, even after being smashed up from the hike. We were very hungry at that point. It was about 7:30 at night and we all decided to get food after we had cleaning up (ash + rain + sweat = gross people needing to shower). The ride back went fast and we tried to sleep most of the way and forget the constant bumping and being thrown into the air. We were dropped off at our houses, I killed the two spiders in my shower (victory!) and took a very cold shower (a little too cold for my liking, a.k.a. freezing) and changed to go out.

We went to this restaurant called Rick's and ended up having our own little private room which was lovely. The food was cheap and they accepted US dollars, as most of us were low on Quetzal (currency in Guatemala and the country's bird). I shared with my friend Sarah and we ordered a huge dish of tortilla chips and guacamole and some fried bananas and a banana crepe with ice cream. All of the food was out of this world. I was so happy and full when we were finished. I really liked hanging out with the people on my home stay, it was only a small group of us (seven students and one staff member) and it was wonderful. After finishing dinner, we went to a different bar and just kind of hung out and talked. I had a delicious margarita, but there were so many other SAS stupid students around we decided to call it a night. We were all exhausted from hiking the volcano anyways and had class at 8 am the next day.



The next morning, I had some breakfast with my family (it was pretty good the last morning) and headed off to school. I wished I had stayed longer and really practiced my Spanish. I really loved my teacher. This day we talked about all kinds of things; I really wanted to learn more about her. She has two daughters, both lived right outside of Antigua, one is married and has a little son who she takes care of when she's not working. Her other daughter is younger had to get brain surgery a few months ago and is still recovering but hopes to return back to college next year. It was lovely hearing about her family and I hope to keep contact with her after I leave Guatemala.

After my last lesson, I was able to get photos with my teacher and walked home for my last meal in my home stay house. We had fresh tortillas, pasta (strange, I know), some cucumber salad and some delicious fresh mango. I thanked them again for everything and we took pictures together before I said my goodbyes. The two hours I had left before we headed back to the port, I enjoyed sitting in the park and just taking everything from my trip here and over the last few months. I mostly walked around, discovered a little market and bought some delicious ice cream. It was a wonderful ending before I headed back to the school for our bus to pick us up.

I have enjoyed a good hour or two drive back to where the ship was docked. It's like my time to nap, relax or take everything in which I have just experienced. I thought about my returning home and how much I did not want to get off the ship. I was excited to get back on the MV Explorer and be with all my friends and people I consider my family. But, I knew I would come home and find that many of my friends and family members would be excited to see ten photos, but not all 5,000 outstanding moments I have been able to see. I loved Guatemala. I think before I return, I would like to explore more of South and Central America, but it was a lovely and interesting place to visit.