Hey everyone!
Our stay in Monteverde has been quite fantastic. Yesterday we all went ziplining over the cloud forest, a total of 15 ziplines including one called SUPERMAN in which we sped high above the forest suspended in a superman-like position. It was the closest we will ever come to flying, or most of us anyway. The highlight was a 120 foot drop at the end, notoriously named the Tarzan… Read More
We began the week traveling from Leon, Nicaragua to Playa Potrero, Costa Rica – beginning our day at the fabulous Pan y Paz Bakery in Nicaragua before crossing the border by foot into Costa Rica. This week we planned our volunteer project and activities without the assistance of the leaders. We have been volunteering with an organization called Abriendo Mentes, helping with the English classes in the afternoon with children… Read More
It is Semana Santa this week! We have all been settling into our host families here in Leon and are enrolled in our new school Dariana Santa for this week. There was a procession featuring Saint Benedict on Monday which most of us viewed from afar. Our days here consist of school in the morning until 12 and then free time to participate in activities such as museum time, spanish… Read More
After a long and complicated day of travel (some of us flying through three different countries), we arrived in Managua, Nicaragua. From there, we traveled by land to Parque Maderas in San Juan del Sur. The family style meals at Tyler’s place has been nothing short of spectacular or, as Yuri describes it, “heaven.” Favorite dishes have included grilled chicken, chicken parm pasta and an amazing assortment of cooked veggies… Read More
It´s officially our last day in Guatemala- we´re off to Nicaragua tomorrow. Although we will all miss Nicaragua, we are also excited to explore a new culture.
We definitely made the most of our last few days in Guatemala. On Thursday, we bought some paint and headed out to a rural community to help paint the basketball court at the local school. We worked alongside the students to paint the… Read More
We´ve really been enjoying our week in San Andres so far. There is a weeklong celebration going on in San Jose because sometime last week was the day of their patrón saint, so even 15 minutes away in San Andres we can hear music and ¨fiestas¨all day long! On Saturday night, we decided to join in the fun by attending the fair. We had a blast riding on the Ferris… Read More
Hello all, we have offically started our second language schoolin the beautiful town of San Andres. The town is located on Lago Peten-Itza which is very clean and warm for swimming. The weather is very hot and humid here so the lake is ideal for cooling off after our morning classes. We are all staying in individual homestays and it seems that everyone is enjoying their families. We had our… Read More
The last few days have been quite the adventure. After arriving in Coban on Sunday afternoon, we learned that our planned week in Rocj Pumtilla was not going to happen. We were all disappointed at losing the opportunity to live with families in a Mayan community and do some serious volunteer work but we got good news soon afterwards. Semuc Champey, a series of water pools, falls, and caves, was… Read More
I am Blake. It is San Marcos. I like it here.
It´s going well. Everyone is busy with their classes and activities for the week. A few people have decided to kayak on the lake but others chose not to because of how choppy it is. Ana and Meg are learning how to give massages, Yuri is taking Spanish class and Allison, Kira and Jessie are studying Reiki. Food is… Read More
Hello from San Marcos! We arrived here Monday after the three day trek, which was everything we hoped it would be…difficult, exciting, beautiful, and really tiring. Our first day, which lasted about 10 hours, ended with a night spent camping on a river that provided a nice backdrop to a deep deep sleep. Day 2 began with a struggle, as we all felt the aches and pains of the day… Read More
This week in Xela we continued to attend Spanish language classes. Everyone has really enjoyed getting to know their instructors. We have found that those who originally struggled are now navigating Central American culture with what can be described as, almost, skill.
Some of us continue to go to Yoga classes and find that the eccentric Kevin is our favorite instructor thus far. Though he can be a bit controversial… Read More
We have finished our first week of Spanish school in Xela and are starting our second week today. Most of the time so far has been spent in class in the mornings and hanging out in the afternoons. Last week we had a couple group activites through the school, one of which was making choclate. A group of about thirteen students from the spanish school went to a local womans… Read More
We are currently in Xela at our first language school. Almost everyone, it appears, has a love affair with their teacher. We have one on one classes everyday from 8 AM to 1 PM. They´re very flexible and many of us have gone to the market, a menonite bakery, a church service, or have just walked around for class. We have the afternoons free; yesterday we learned how to make… Read More
