Guatemala: June 6th

Since we were busy working and having fun, we fell behind on the blog. However, never fear,  here are the final two entries!

For these entries, students were given free rein on what they wanted to share and how they shared it.

Entry #1

-Eli Loudenslager ‘28

¡Hola! Today I had the opportunity to visit yet another city in Guatemala, Antigua! I started off the day with some eggs and beans, then got ready for our departure. I somehow fit my clothes into my tiny silver carry-on suitcase and put it in the truck. We also took some pictures and selfies with the wonderful cooks at the home base. Then, we were off to Antigua! I slept most of the ride there, but when we arrived at our destination, I was greeted with a wonderful view of the city. We took some pictures and made our way down some stairs (I might’ve fallen a couple times, but that doesn’t matter ). We made it to a nice museum that explained some of Guatemala’s history with jade. We also found our animal associated with our birthday in Guatemala. After, we arrived at a restaurant that was made of my dreams. I chowed down on some of the most delicious fried chicken I’ve ever had. Although, a quick bathroom break was mandatory. After, we walked over to a market. As I wandered through the market, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. As I turned around, I spotted a group of workers eyeing me and my friend Roy (aka Tyron). Although, one of them always managed to keep up with us. She was in pink high heels adorned with sparking crystals. With each step, she clacked closer. We tried our best to lose her, but she always appeared out of the blue. Her heels clicked in perfect harmony with my heartbeat. Eventually, we made it out with some funny and memorable moments. Raquel, one of the translators with squads was also someone who stayed with us to try and lose the woman. Later, we made it to the hotel and got settled. At around 6:00pm it was time for dinner. We made our way to a nice place with a loud dog and many beautiful paintings. Before we ate, Griffin and Lawson made some memorable toasts. After dinner, we made our way to the park to view a beautiful waterfall and some ice cream. While we ate, I got to know Raquel more than before. I was able to share some details about my life in Arizona and Nashville, as well as some Guatemalan foods I could attempt to make at home. Overall, I had a very memorable day in Antigua and I am so grateful to have a Squad (no pun intended) with us to guide us through our time. 

 

Learning about our birthdays and the Mayan calendar at the Jade Museum. 

Entry #2

-Davis Pittman ‘29

Trip Recap

Saturday

•  We gathered our stuff at the airport and flew to Guatemala
•  We had Coke and pizza on the bus
•  Then we explored Basecamp

Sunday

•  We learned how Coco beans were produced
•  We went to a place where they taught us to Weave 
•  After that, we took a boat ride across the lake and got splashed along the way

Monday

• Monday was our first day at the school and we sorted bottles and strung them onto chicken wire as support for the walls
• The children at the school were shy but performed lots of dances for us, and two of those dances included throwing candy at us.
•  After we were at the school, we went and learned how to make pottery

Tuesday

•  Tuesday was our first full day at the school.
• We saw a pig and a baby pig
• Our main task on Tuesday was to put concrete on the walls made of chicken wire and bottles

Wednesday

•  Wednesday was our last day at the school
•  We finished putting concrete on the walls and painted the side of the bathroom turquoise green

Thursday

•  In the morning, we packed up our stuff
•  After driving to Antigua we swam in the pool for a bit before going to dinner 
•  After dinner, we had ice cream

After an amazing week and a memorable return journey, the Guatemala travelers crew is back Stateside! We hope you all enjoyed the boys' reflections and that they spark interest in other students to participate in future MBA Service trips!