Written by Central America Overseas Educator, Abby
Our semester has officially come to a close! You all are either back home or continuing your travels in Costa Rica. We said goodbye on Wednesday morning with tears in our eyes. Matt and I tried to set you free at the security gates but you clearly didn’t want to leave us. We have turned into family these past 10 weeks. We had our closing ceremony on our last day in Grecia and we laughed and cried thinking back on all that we’ve experienced together.
Allow me to give a glimpse of what that looked like:
At gate 34A in LAX we all met for the first time. We flew 4.5 hours over Mexico into Guatemala City. We took a bus through colorful streets to the top of a very steep hill. The driver passed us our backpacks from the top of the van and we proceeded to waddle down the very steep hill. Most of us realized in that moment that we had overpacked. Once we arrived we were greeted with a stunning view of three volcanos; Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. We then shared our first breakfast together. We spent the next two days exploring our comfort zones, asking ourselves why we were here and getting to know each other better. We established group agreements and had our first true bond in the temascal (sauna). You began to feel safe in this group.
We wandered through a school made of tires and unique structures only to arrive at our new home for the week. Long Way Home was our first introduction to compost toilets and cold showers. We were challenged this week physically and mentally. We got our hands and feet very dirty making cod balls and tacos. We spent our hard-earned breaks divulging in chocofrutas. We made friends with the talented Peren family and learned so much from Edwin and Romeo about green construction. Edson led us in meditations and helped us to experience being in the now. The cultural market night was when we had our first dance circle and where Matt showed off his marimba skills.
Game nights and jam sessions in the living room at Casa Seibel made us feel right at home in the city of Xela. We discovered each others love languages and affirmed one another. That brought us even closer. You fell in love with your teachers as they supported your growth during long days of Spanish classes at PLQ. You entered a new family that you learned Guatemalan traditions from. You grew in your independence as you discovered the corners of Xela. We cheered on the Super Goats, drank soda from a bag, slipped and slid at the best waterpark in Guatemala and sang karaoke at the top of our lungs.
We embarked on our most physically demanding challenge yet, the 3-day hike. Eduardo yelled “vamos conejos” from the front as we all started to get blisters realizing yet again, we’d overpacked. Our diet was “beans beans beans.” We shared a big room and slept on the worlds thinnest mattress pads and discovered the snorers of the group. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep but we still managed to wake up at 4AM for the sunrise we had all been striving towards. We marveled at the pink dot coming up over the horizon, glistening over Lake AtitlĆ”n. We sat feeling proud of ourselves and one another.
To arrive to our next destination we had a series of new and exciting transportation forms. We took a boat across the lake to Tzununa where, upon arrival, squeezed our packs and ourselves into tuk-tuks which reluctantly got us up the hill to Granja T’zikin. Here we met Neal and Shad who inspired us to look at the world differently: in a way that promotes humankind and nature to live in harmony, also known as permaculture. We ate fresh food and drank good coffee with a view of the lake. We played lots of cabo and Matt yet again surprised us with a hidden musical talent on the drum set. Dylan, Iris and LĆ©a formed a band. We left Tzununa feeling more connected and motivated.
We took a boat back across the lake to San Juan La Laguna where we dove even deeper into Spanish skills and Guatemalan culture. You met your new families and settled in at the community of Eco Spanish School. You learned new skills such as painting, weaving, dyeing, and designing fabric and playing the marimba. We paddle boarded and learned to make chuchitos. We swam in the natural pools of Quixaya. We supported the Mechanical Oranges where Justin and Dylan became fĆŗtbol celebs. We experienced a very colorful Semana Santa and helped to create the alfombras, a blanket of colored sawdust intricately placed in an array of designs on the city streets. We left San Juan with it feeling more like home than we’d realized and shed some tears saying goodbye.
The student directed travel week was introduced by Antigua and followed by Monterrico. We kept quite busy in Antigua with visiting Hobbitenango, hiking Pacaya Volcano, making our own chocolate and cooking meals for one another. Monterrico provided us a retreat alongside the Pacific Ocean and the pool. We enjoyed the big waves, good food and later mornings. Thanks again Ozzy for the amazing ceviche (which was really tied together by the well-chopped mango. Shout out Matt.) We had another 4AM wake up to watch the sunrise over the mangroves. Our bus driver did not disappoint with his song selection. We were all very awake by the end of the early morning ride. We said our goodbyes to Guatemala with a fancy dinner and beach photoshoot.
Javier and Raquel welcomed us into their home and were our first introduction to the abundance of Costa Rica. We helped plant banana trees and made activated charcoal at Refugio Juco, Javier’s Farm. Shoutout to Raquel for the amazing fresh food all week. A few of you slept in hammocks while the rest of you were kept awake by the laughter of Ozzy, Justin and Dylan. We all contributed to a mural that lives on the bottom floor of Villas Mastatal, which we spent hours on and are very proud of. This week we had no wifi connection but deepened our connection with each other.
Costa Rica revealed even more nature and beauty as we made our way to Drake Bay. We became scuba certified and experienced breathing in an underwater world with Pacific turtles and multiple white tip reef sharks and each other. A truly unforgettable experience. Corcovado National Park gave us a show as well. Our guide Erick pointed out so many new animals to us including tapirs, anteaters, squirrel monkeys, spider moneys, sloths, coatis and a stick bird just to name a few. We enjoyed evening sunset swims and volleyball matches with the Costa Rican Coast Guard.
We loaded up the van and headed for our final destination, Grecia, where we celebrated April’s birthday and closed out our time together with a fancy dinner and a Honey Monster ceremony.
Thank you all for this experience. It has been just as impactful and eye-opening for me as it has been for you. We are all better because of it.