Written by Central America Overseas Educators, Malcolm and Jasmin
It’s hard to believe our ten weeks together in Central America have come to an end. How is it that we won’t all be sharing a meal later today or waking up groggy-eyed tomorrow before another adventure? We formed such close bonds and integrated into each other’s lives throughout our wonderful semester together, filled with exploration, new challenges, and lots of learning. We became a part of each other’s routines, support systems, and everyday connections. The absence of each group member and our unique idiosyncrasies will be felt by all of us as we transition back home.
Through it all, we’ll have our memories of the good times we had together, of which there are many!
Antigua, Guatemala: Orientation and Scavenger Hunt
We began our journey in Antigua, Guatemala with orientation, and had our first adventures and stressful moments during the scavenger hunt around the city. Some students got a little turned around, but they figured out how to make their way back to the meeting point and gained some navigational confidence while practicing their Spanish.
Comalapa: Long Way Home and La Escuela de Heroes
From there we went to Comalapa to work with Long Way Home and La Escuela de Heroes, living in rugged conditions and throwing ourselves into physical labor. We learned a lot about sustainable construction as we devoted blood, sweat, and maybe some tears to building a tire retention wall. We learned how to make cob, eco-bricks, and plastic building blocks, and we came out better for it (although not unscathed!). We also had a chance to explore the Mayan ruins of Iximche and learn about the indigenous history of Guatemala and the wider region, setting an important context for the rest of the program.
Xela: Spanish School and Home Stay
After an exhausting and fulfilling week, we made our way to Xela for two weeks of Spanish school and our first homestay of the trip! Along with our one-on-one Spanish classes, we explored the city and took advantage of the cultural and educational opportunities offered by PLQ Spanish School. We went on an excursion to natural hot springs, played soccer with locals and other travelers, heard lectures on international adoption and women’s health care in Guatemala, and even learned how to salsa dance!
Lake Atitlan: Rostro Maya Trek and Tzununa Home Stay
By the end of our two weeks in Xela, we were physically recovered from the manual labor in Comalapa, but mentally exhausted from the many hours of Spanish class. What better way to regain some perspective and explore our new base at Lake Atitlan than to trek up Rostro Maya? We hiked straight up the steep mountain, enjoying increasingly beautiful views of the lake as we ascended, and our spaghetti dinner at the top was one of our best meals of the trip! We slept in cozy tents and woke up early to watch the gorgeous sunrise over the lake before hiking back down and taking a boat across the lake to Tzununa, our home for the next week.
Tzununa: Granja Tzikin Permaculture Farm
We stayed at a permaculture farm and education center, Granja Tzikin, and learned about permaculture and plant propagation. We also had an exciting afternoon learning about beekeeping with a hands-on workshop at the beehives, and then got to sample the products made from the honey of those very same bees! Despite all of us getting a stomach bug at some point that week, we made the most of our time there with some work in the garden, music nights, and learning from our gracious hosts Neal and Jeremy.
San Juan: Semana Santa and Home Stays
Once our time in Tzununa was over, we made the quick trip across the lake to San Juan for two more weeks of homestays and Spanish classes and were lucky enough to be there for Semana Santa (Holy Week). We got to witness and participate in the local traditions and celebrations, highlighted by the massive fruit procession throughout the town and making alfombras (carpets) along the streets out of flowers and dyed sawdust. For graduation, we even got to wear traditional Guatemalan clothing and learn how to make some traditional dishes.
Student Directed Travel: El Paredón and Acatenango Volcano
Finally, we were done with Spanish classes and it was time for Student Directed Travel, a week where the students chose and coordinated everything we did! They made a great plan, including a few days on the black sand beaches of El Paredón, and then an incredible trek up Acatenango Volcano to watch the sunset, and sunrise, and to witness nearby Volcán Fuego erupting. We rounded it out with a few days in Antigua to recover from the hike, explore the city, and check out the quirky attraction of Hobbitenango!
Costa Rica: Mastatal and Drake Bay
After student-directed travel, our trip transitioned to Costa Rica and the humid rainforest of Mastatal. We stayed at a permaculture farm and worked alongside Javier, a Costa Rican farmer and conservationist with lots of energy, a wonderful family, and tons of knowledge to share. We visited other local businesses like an herbalism center, chocolate farm, and permaculture learning center, and found our way to a waterfall nearly every day to cool off and splash around!
Scuba Diving Training: Drake Bay
Then came the week we were all anticipating the most – for better or worse – scuba diving training! We traveled to Drake Bay and learned everything needed to become open-water divers, and some opted to explore the sea by snorkeling. Being out on the ocean at Caño Island allowed us to witness the unbelievable majesty of the underwater world. We swam with a multitude of colorful fish, sting rays, eels, sea horses, sharks, and most impressively of all, giant manta rays!
Final Days: Dominical and Nauyaca Falls
We closed our trip with some beach days in Dominical, a trip to the magical Nauyaca Falls, and a final dinner back in the San José region.
After early-morning hugs at the airport and bittersweet goodbyes, the trip officially came to an end, and it’s hard to believe we did all that in a matter of 10 weeks. It’s been an action-packed trip filled with hilarious and challenging moments, but also time for skill-building, reflection, and personal growth. We’ll always be connected by the experiences we share, and although we won’t be living and traveling together anymore, we are still an important part of each others’ lives, as are the lessons we learned along the way.
Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible and so successful, and thank you to the families who supported their students in undertaking this incredible, impactful journey!
Keep exploring, learning, and challenging yourselves – we feel grateful to have met and bonded with you all, and we know you’ll continue to do wonderful things in this world!
Hasta luego y pura vida,
Malcolm and Jasmin
