Written by Central America Overseas Educators, Jane & Malcolm
Hola desde Guatemala!
We have had a fun whirlwind of a few days since arriving in Guatemala City early the morning of the 22nd.
We drove from the airport in Guatemala City to Earthlodge, an eco hotel and wellness center just outside of Antigua. We were immediately struck by the stunning vista of the valley below and the volcanoes dominating the horizon. Our cabins and the main dining area were charming and designed for leisure, with hammocks, adirondack chairs, and a communal fire pit for evening fires. However, we spent most of our time there engaged in team building, exploring, and Carpe Diem Lessons focused on health and safety, policy and expectations, cultural dos and don’ts, diversity and inclusion, and creating our group agreements.
In between those lessons and activities we took advantage of the beautiful property and many hanmocks to relax and continue to get to know each other, and we enjoyed delicious meals prepared by the hotel restaurant. On the afternoon of our second day at Earthlodge, we set off into the town of Antigua and the students were split into groups to complete a scavenger hunt around town. Some items on their list were pictures at local landmarks, cultural and historical questions to ask a local, and the funniest item they could buy for less than 10 quetzales (just over $1 USD). They were also each given a per diem of 50 quetzales for their lunch, so they needed to choose their own restaurant and practice budgeting. Every group completed their scavenger hunt and made it back to the meeting point succesfully, before heading back to Earthlodge for dinner and a well-deserved rest.
The next morning we continued with team building and lessons to prepare ourselves for the semester to come, and after a final tasty lunch at Earthlodge we loaded into a van and embarked on the next leg of our journey, a week at Long Way Home in Comalapa!
Con amor ❤️,
Jane and Malcolm
