Follow the Journey

Written By Sofia & Sam

Off to Xela! The group piled into the cars and started the 5 hour drive to the big city. After lots of twists and turns, we stopped at a beautiful lookout (where we were able to see Lake Atitlan!) and ate some much needed lunch. We arrived in Xela and got an introductory tour of the hostel and the city. The group later explored the central plaza at night and found ourselves buying McDonalds McFlurries to conclude the long travel day.

Waking up bright and early on Monday, we enjoyed breakfast as a group and walked to our first day of school! We attended an hour long introduction to the school and to a brief history of Guatemala. Then classes started! We all got paired with our teachers and began learning Spanish. After class, we split up into groups to go try and find some lunch and later returned to the school for a documentary about the Guatemalan Civil War.

Classes have continued throughout the week—8am to 1pm each day. Outside of school, students had the option of attending a discussion on the different races in Guatemala or the current events of the country. On Wednesday, many students enjoyed a Salsa class! Learning lots of fancy moves and fun routines, everyone had a smile on their face. Some even got videos of the impressive new dancers’ routines.
Popular stops have been Megapoca—an enormous second-hand store— and Xelapan—a delicious patisserie with “the best banana bread you will ever taste.” Many students have been found walking out of the building with their daily loaf.

During Thursday’s class, all students attended a discussion on racism in Guatemala, learning about the disparities between socioeconomic classes. Afterwards, part of the group went to a festival where there was lots of dancing and music! Everyone later hopped in the back of a truck and drove to a turf field where we all played soccer until we were absolutely exhausted.

Friday was the last day of classes for the week! Students were paired with their upcoming host-family buddies and are all ready for the week ahead. After long meetings of planning for the student-directed travel week, everyone is excited to let loose for the weekend and excited to go to the soccer game between Xela and Antigua on Saturday night!

The week was filled with lots of fun and many new places to explore. The group is bonding and enjoying our time together—thrilled for everything that lies ahead!