Somehow I have found myself back in the suburbs of Plano, Texas. Looking back, it feels like this month flew by. Although I’m enjoying being back with my family and with my American food, I’m already feeling homesick for Guatemala. Antigua was by far the most welcoming and beautiful cities I’ve ever visited, and I will definitely be going back one day. This trip has been the ultimate whirlwind, taking us across two countries, through different climates and meeting different people. As a way for me to remember the amazing times we had, I’m going to outline my favorite parts of this trip.
Antigua!
This city is truly like no other. It’s architecture is a time capsule to the colonial period of this country, and shows the adaptation of Spanish styles to the mountains of Guatemala. The food here was SO AMAZING and I’m craving candle shop ice cream and Los Tres Tiempos fried cheese so much right now. But the thing that made this town so special were the people that welcomed me there. My host family always had interesting histories and ghost stories to tell us, and people on the streets had smiles and greetings. It also amazed me how open this city was to students, as I noticed so many families that opened up their homes, not just to us, but to other students and volunteers.
Dolores and Santiago Atitlan!
I’m so grateful that we got the opportunity to meet and talk to Dolores about her home. She gave us a real insiders perspective on multiple difficult subjects, including religion and war. The fact that she openly discussed these things with us, and answered my questions, really broadened my perspective of Guatemala and the people who live there. She was such an open woman, who really wanted to help me learn, and was also interested in me. Ultimately, she was one of the most important people I met on our trip.
Tikal!
Wow. This place was so freaking cool! It was hard choosing between this site and Lamani as my favorite, but what really made Tikal special was being able to wander through the palace by myself. My biggest piece of advice for future students, is to take your opportunity to explore the park at your own pace. Its amazing being able to go through the park with a professor that knows so much about Maya archaeology, but walking around with my friends and climbing around on structures was a great way to get to know the site on a different level. I got to walk around on ledges like Laura Croft and climb onto palace roofs with amazing views. Not to mention that this site is in Star Wars, which is pretty cool.
As a closing remark, I’d like to mention the Tim Cahill quote that Astrid wrote in my journal at the end of my program. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” This quote could not have been more true for this trip. All my memories of my time would not be as great without all the amazing friends I made along the way. I know I’ve met people I’ll love for a lifetime, and I can’t wait to see how our journeys will continue back in Austin.
