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 14th. 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!
