Hello from San Andres!
I am proud to introduce to you all the ninth member of our group: Patito the duck (pato being the Spanish word for duck). To recap, after we left Finca Ixobel we were assigned to our first homestay families. We were warmly welcomed into the community, and to ease the transition we stayed with another group member. We also ate our meals together as a group, which made for some interesting conversations ranging from enlightenment to condiments (and often including our various bowel movements). In the mornings we went to the school. Our mission was to help the second through fifth grades plant trees around the school yard. After the tree planting was done for the day we played with the kids at their endless recess block. Our energy levl was hardly a match for a school of 500 plus kids, but we learned names, played futbol, jumped rope, chased, played monster, and accepted flowers until lunch. After lunch we often went back to the laguna at the Finca for a swim or nap, made use of our familys´ cold outdoor showers (when the water was on), and helped the families cook dinner. We could also venture into Poptun with a quick tuk tuk ride to get on the internet or pick up various things at the market. One evening was dedicated to a sewing lesson conducted by Nick´s host mom, Esperanza. We went into Poptun to pick up some fabric, and then ended up mostly watching Esperanza sew a whole outfit with lightening speed on a non-electric sewing machine. Another afternoon part of the group ventured to a nearby cave that had us crawling on our stomachs and barely fitting through crevasses. Many group members have gotten the hang of making tortillas in the past week, and we all took part in a cookie baking extravaganza to give cookies to all our host families in thanks for being so generous. Luckily we have a few culinary experts among us.
The story of Patito begins with Rachel and Jessica´s homestay family, which had an orphaned duckling that Rachel immediately fell in love with. At school one day she jokingly mentioned how awesome it would be to adopt Patito and travel with him, which got Nick and Amanda talking. We had a group meeting and dreams turned into reality as the family wholeheartedly supported it. Next thing we know we´re in Poptun talking to people about how to best transport a duck and learning everything we can about their diet and habits. Rachel made up a traveling box and got his things (food and water) ready to go. We were sad to see the week come to an end as we all had bonded with our families and the community. We played one last game of futbol with the school teachers (pulling out the first win for team CAM and solidifying our new game plan), said our goodbyes, and set out on a bus to Flores and then a boat to San Andres. San Andres is right on a beautiful lake and we will have language classes and our second homestays here. The adventures of Patito have begun, and so far we have learned that traveling with a duck is hardly worthy of a doubletake in Guatemala. You will hear more from our group soon, thanks for tuning in.
Adios,
Hannah
on behalf of CAM 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Here and having a blast!
Hello friend and family and welcome to our blog!
It all began in the San Francisco airport. One by one we found our way to the TACA counter of the international terminal where Nick and Amanda (our incredible, fearless leaders) told us to meet. Once we'd all arrived we said goodbye to Ethan and a few parents who came for the send off, and made our way to the gate to begin our journey to Finca Ixobel, in Poptun, Guatemala. After a long flight from SFO to San Salvador and a quick hop to Guatamala City, we got in a van for a six hour ride for our first stop. It actually turned out to be a good thing that we had such a long ride because Tim had been waiting for the right time for us to play two truths and a lie since the group first got together in the airport. The ride gave us our first glimpse at Guatamala, as we cruised thorugh. We finally got to Finca Ixobel in the dark and just in time for dinner. The food here is amazing, it's almost a shame to get so spoiled at the beginning of our trip.
The next day the real excitement began. First we were able to fully appreciate the beauty and magnificance of this place we are staying at. There are the most vibrant colors surrounding us in our first warm home away from home. After some group building activities which ranged from sharing our fears and expectation to trying to guess (while blindfolded), which of our peers could make an absurdly accurate pigeon noise, we set off to conquer what is known as "the pyramid" on the land here. The pyramid is a mountain that has a trail going more or less striaght up with some rocks and trees to grab on to periodically. It might also be worth mentioning that the mountains here are more or less Hershey's kisses shaped scattered throughout the land. So we took off and made our way to the top, everyone intact and thrilled to find such a remarkable view of the land. As we started to go back Nick mentioned a small trail he noticed going down the opposite side of the mountain and we agreed to try it. Well, by the time the trail ended we had slid down far too much loose dirt to even consider going back up, so we kept on going. I think we were all proud of ourselves for that trek. We finally found the path again and made a smooth return.
Today was awesome. We all woke up to the sound of rain pouring down on the roof, but knew that we had a long day of hiking and caving ahead of us, and got ready to go regardless. As we set out on the two hour hike to get to the cave we all tip-toed around mud puddles and particularly went looking footings. One by one we misjudged a step or slipped and found ourselves ankle or more deep in mud. Within about thirty minutes of our departure, we had all given up on the idea of being clean or dry and we just went for it. The hike was great, even in the rain. When we reached the cave, we took a moment to rest before journeying on despite the fear, cold, and discomfort some of us felt. It couldn't have been more that ten feet into the cave that you had to swim for the first time. The cave was beautiful, but it was easy to get caught up in your next step and forget to look around. When we reached the waterfall where you could jump off into a deep area some of us were certain we were going to do it, some not sure, and some certain that they weren't going to do it. I am so proud to say that every one of us managed to build up the courage to jump from the waterfall and I am certain that nobody regrets it. I am so thankful and proud to have this group.
After we got out fill and a few of us made the terrifying decision to swim through a tunnel in the cave into another cave, we swam crawled and climbed our way back to the opening. We saw amazing sunshine peeking in through the end of the tunnel and were all relieved to reach the end. When we got out we hurried to get dry and warm, but more importantly to eat our lunches. Then we started our trek home. The path was slightly less muddy, but none of us cared in the slightest about getting muddy or wet at that point. It was a one step at a time mission to get back. Some of us sought the shower while other kept going to eventually reach the little laguna at the Finca. Everyone was very tired by the time we made it back. All in all, it was an amazing experience.
With dinner and a few hours of rest we met up to talk as a group and Amanda let each of us pick a card that depicted a Mayan god that we would try to draw connections to. After each of us picked and card and drew connections we had two left. We flipped the first one for Ethan, the Sun God. We found this appropriate because like the Mayans valued the sun god for making everything possible, we value Ethan for making everything possible for us. Thanks Ethan, we love you. Then we decided to flip the last card for Nannette and Amy, the Hero Twins. The Hero Twins were a major player in the creation story and are known for outwitting problems. It was a trip
Yesterday was Jessica's birthday and despite being very sore, we went on a two hour horseback ride through mountains and countryside. It was beautiful, but OUCH. It was awesome. In the afternoon we had our first scavenger hunt in town. The mission: a roll and toilet paper and a gift for the host families that we are going to today. I think we all had a good time and Nick finally got some street meat (tacos). We had a super delicious cake for Jessica's birthday.
Hasta pronto,
Raquel
It all began in the San Francisco airport. One by one we found our way to the TACA counter of the international terminal where Nick and Amanda (our incredible, fearless leaders) told us to meet. Once we'd all arrived we said goodbye to Ethan and a few parents who came for the send off, and made our way to the gate to begin our journey to Finca Ixobel, in Poptun, Guatemala. After a long flight from SFO to San Salvador and a quick hop to Guatamala City, we got in a van for a six hour ride for our first stop. It actually turned out to be a good thing that we had such a long ride because Tim had been waiting for the right time for us to play two truths and a lie since the group first got together in the airport. The ride gave us our first glimpse at Guatamala, as we cruised thorugh. We finally got to Finca Ixobel in the dark and just in time for dinner. The food here is amazing, it's almost a shame to get so spoiled at the beginning of our trip.
The next day the real excitement began. First we were able to fully appreciate the beauty and magnificance of this place we are staying at. There are the most vibrant colors surrounding us in our first warm home away from home. After some group building activities which ranged from sharing our fears and expectation to trying to guess (while blindfolded), which of our peers could make an absurdly accurate pigeon noise, we set off to conquer what is known as "the pyramid" on the land here. The pyramid is a mountain that has a trail going more or less striaght up with some rocks and trees to grab on to periodically. It might also be worth mentioning that the mountains here are more or less Hershey's kisses shaped scattered throughout the land. So we took off and made our way to the top, everyone intact and thrilled to find such a remarkable view of the land. As we started to go back Nick mentioned a small trail he noticed going down the opposite side of the mountain and we agreed to try it. Well, by the time the trail ended we had slid down far too much loose dirt to even consider going back up, so we kept on going. I think we were all proud of ourselves for that trek. We finally found the path again and made a smooth return.
Today was awesome. We all woke up to the sound of rain pouring down on the roof, but knew that we had a long day of hiking and caving ahead of us, and got ready to go regardless. As we set out on the two hour hike to get to the cave we all tip-toed around mud puddles and particularly went looking footings. One by one we misjudged a step or slipped and found ourselves ankle or more deep in mud. Within about thirty minutes of our departure, we had all given up on the idea of being clean or dry and we just went for it. The hike was great, even in the rain. When we reached the cave, we took a moment to rest before journeying on despite the fear, cold, and discomfort some of us felt. It couldn't have been more that ten feet into the cave that you had to swim for the first time. The cave was beautiful, but it was easy to get caught up in your next step and forget to look around. When we reached the waterfall where you could jump off into a deep area some of us were certain we were going to do it, some not sure, and some certain that they weren't going to do it. I am so proud to say that every one of us managed to build up the courage to jump from the waterfall and I am certain that nobody regrets it. I am so thankful and proud to have this group.
After we got out fill and a few of us made the terrifying decision to swim through a tunnel in the cave into another cave, we swam crawled and climbed our way back to the opening. We saw amazing sunshine peeking in through the end of the tunnel and were all relieved to reach the end. When we got out we hurried to get dry and warm, but more importantly to eat our lunches. Then we started our trek home. The path was slightly less muddy, but none of us cared in the slightest about getting muddy or wet at that point. It was a one step at a time mission to get back. Some of us sought the shower while other kept going to eventually reach the little laguna at the Finca. Everyone was very tired by the time we made it back. All in all, it was an amazing experience.
With dinner and a few hours of rest we met up to talk as a group and Amanda let each of us pick a card that depicted a Mayan god that we would try to draw connections to. After each of us picked and card and drew connections we had two left. We flipped the first one for Ethan, the Sun God. We found this appropriate because like the Mayans valued the sun god for making everything possible, we value Ethan for making everything possible for us. Thanks Ethan, we love you. Then we decided to flip the last card for Nannette and Amy, the Hero Twins. The Hero Twins were a major player in the creation story and are known for outwitting problems. It was a trip
Yesterday was Jessica's birthday and despite being very sore, we went on a two hour horseback ride through mountains and countryside. It was beautiful, but OUCH. It was awesome. In the afternoon we had our first scavenger hunt in town. The mission: a roll and toilet paper and a gift for the host families that we are going to today. I think we all had a good time and Nick finally got some street meat (tacos). We had a super delicious cake for Jessica's birthday.
Hasta pronto,
Raquel
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hasta Luego!!!
It's official! The Central America group is together, and Nick and Amanda have confirmed that all are accounted for! Sit down and hold on, because our next stop is Guatemala!
From here on out, the group will be sending all of you love and updates from this blog site, so check back and follow them through their travels. (You might want to give them a good 24-36 hours, though. Long travel times and jet lag can turn minutes to hours!)
From Carpe Diem HQ, this is Amy and Nannette saying Buenas noches!
From here on out, the group will be sending all of you love and updates from this blog site, so check back and follow them through their travels. (You might want to give them a good 24-36 hours, though. Long travel times and jet lag can turn minutes to hours!)
From Carpe Diem HQ, this is Amy and Nannette saying Buenas noches!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
pre-launch
Saludos amigos,
The countdown is on, and we (Nick & Amanda) are brimming over with excitement for the upcoming adventure. The itinerary has been fine-tuned and is chalk full of opportunities to learn, serve and explore... with the eight of us experiencing all of this together, we will deepen into Central America in a way unique to any other method of travel.
Over the next three months, a weekly update of this blog will serve as a bulletin for all of our friends and family to share in our journey. Spread the word and enjoy the ride!
Hasta la proxima,
Nick & Amanda
The countdown is on, and we (Nick & Amanda) are brimming over with excitement for the upcoming adventure. The itinerary has been fine-tuned and is chalk full of opportunities to learn, serve and explore... with the eight of us experiencing all of this together, we will deepen into Central America in a way unique to any other method of travel.
Over the next three months, a weekly update of this blog will serve as a bulletin for all of our friends and family to share in our journey. Spread the word and enjoy the ride!
Hasta la proxima,
Nick & Amanda
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