Written By Cece & Hannah
Welcome back family and friends to the adventures of CARPE DIEM. This week we started our Spanish classes in San Juan La Laguna! Along with regular Spanish class for three hours per day, we also got the opportunity to take art classes! Some of us chose embroidery, while others chose painting which has been a great way to learn a skill while embracing the art and culture of this beautiful lake-side town.
The school is known for their coffee production, and we got an amazing coffee tour from the one and only – Benedicto, the painting teacher and head of the school. We also got a cacao tour at a nearby chocolate factory earlier in the week, where we got to sample cacao beans, different types of chocolate and learn how cacao production works from start to finish. It was also a very special week here in Guatemala, as this Saturday was Día de Los Santos. We spent one afternoon making kites and flying them at the school. This is a tradition in Guatemala because it creates a connection between the world of the living and the souls of the dead. Another day, we made our dinner at school. It was traditional food for Día de Los Santos, which included steamed plantains, sweet potato, elote (corn), as well as a sweet squash soup with cinnamon called ayote.
Also, this Friday was Halloween! We all dressed up to go to school, passed out candy to our teachers, and carved pumpkins! That night, while our original plans changed because of the rain, some of us braved the cold night and went out on the town to a fiesta that had a Halloween event! We danced the night away for a couple hours, then slept the night away. On Día de Los Santos, we spent the day out on Lake Atitlan renting kayaks, a pretty deflated paddleboard, and a water bike! It was a super beautiful day, and we got to catch golden hour on the lake as we were paddling back to San Juan. While it was so much fun, with the wind, some interesting currents and the clouds that threatened to rain on us on the way to San Marcos, it was a bit of a struggle, but the difficult journey is what makes the destination worth it! It was a great time to talk, bond and distract ourselves until we finally got back. That night, we walked through the bustling streets of vendors up to the cemetery to see the decorated graves, and hear the music. This celebration was so beautiful and amazing, we are so grateful to have been a part of such a special celebration in Guatemala.
And that concludes this weeks summary of the crazy events these girls are taking part in for now!
PEACE OUT!
Carpe Diem Central America Fall 2025
