Almost There!

We have reached the under-a-week point for the trip! As we all make our final preparations, I want to remind everyone of the code we agreed upon in one of our meetings:

Código:

•      Be open-minded
•      Go with the flow
•      Do not judge people’s circumstances
•      Learn a new word in Spanish every day
•      Learn one thing about everyone else on the trip
•      Challenge your mindsets
•      Be vulnerable
•      Be curious
•      Take a selfie with every group member
•      Leave with good memories

I'm sure that we will add some things to this while we are on the trip, but this is a very solid starting code, and one that I'm excited to follow. Although things are never the same in the actual practice as they are on paper, I always find it interesting to compare the plans of a trip to the reality of it, not just because it shows how we adapted and went on through the trip, but because upon looking back, there’s so much intricate detail to the reality that a simple itinerary can’t cover. It becomes really fascinating then to look at our plans and fill in the blanks with all of the details that we remember afterwards. That being said, we have to have that beginning itinerary to start with, so here is a tentative schedule for the trip:

Saturday:

We meet bright and early at 8 a.m. at Oglethorpe University’s TLCC roundabout, and drive over to the airport in the CE vans. Upon arrival at the airport, we will check our big bag and go through security, after which we can get breakfast in the airport if you want. Delta flight 904 will depart at 10:55 a.m. and will arrive in Guatemala City around 1:30 p.m., after which we will get our luggage and head outside to find our van driver that will take us to San Juan. Before we arrive in San Juan, however, we will stop at a local Wal Mart in Guatemala City to get the SIM cards for our emergency phones, and to get lunch nearby. Thereafter begins our ~5 hour drive to San Juan, during which we will be rocking around in hairpin turns and climbing elevation. After we arrive in San Juan, we will introduce ourselves to Benedicto and Maria and separate into our homestays for the rest of the night. Before we split up, we will decide on a meeting time and place the next day to prepare for the rest of the week.

Sunday:

This is your day off! Sleep in until 8 a.m. if you’re feeling wild! This is the day when you get to spend some quality time with your family and roommate. Depending on your family’s plans, you will probably go around San Juan and learn your way around the town. Take this chance to get to know your family, help out around the household if they want you to, play with the kids (you won’t get to do it as much during the week because they’ll be at school) and just have a great time!

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday will follow a similar schedule, even though there are different projects that we will be doing. The day will tentatively go like this:

6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.: Wake up, get ready, and eat breakfast with your family

7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.: Walk down to the Eco-School

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Spanish lessons at the Eco-School

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Walk to the first project of the day

10:30 a.m. – Lunchtime: Work on the first project of the day

Lunchtime: Have lunch at one of the home stays, rotating out to a different one every day

Afternoon: Walk to & work on the second project of the day

5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Dinner with host families

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Reflection and/or post-dinner activities

The projects will be as follows:

• Monday morning: Volunteering at a school helping out the teachers and entertaining children as needed
• Monday afternoon: Volunteering at the local library by helping with children’s homework, supporting their local library programs
• Tuesday morning: Volunteering at a garden that supports local families (dress for outdoors work!)
• Tuesday afternoon: Continuing the project by visiting the families who are part of the garden program
• Wednesday morning: Discussing nutrition and health with little children
• Wednesday afternoon: Volunteering with children, doing English lessons and playing games

Thursday:

We will switch it up on Thursday and take a trip to a Heifer International project site. Heifer is essentially a non-profit organization that supports communities by promoting long-term revenue streams, through livestock, agriculture, etc. For more information on Heifer, take a look at their website!

On Thursday, we will meet at 5:45 a.m. and leave by 6:00 a.m. to the site, since it is a bit of a drive. Meals and transportation will be provided, and we will come back the same day.

Friday:

It is time for goodbyes, as we say adis to San Juan in the morning and drive to Antigua. Before we do this, be sure to give your homestay the gift you have brought them, and thank them wholeheartedly! Once in Antigua, we will check into the hotel we have reserved and split up into groups to explore the city. We will decide on a meeting place and time for dinner, when we will have one last dinner with the group.

Saturday: Delta flight 906 departs at 1:40 p.m. on Saturday, March 14^th. That morning, we will eat breakfast and drive into Guatemala City. We will check our bag(s) and head back to Atlanta, where we should be arriving around 7:08 p.m., and drive back to Oglethorpe University after we pass through customs and baggage claim.

Keep our code in mind as we head off in just a few days!