The title of this post, speaks directly to the last 5 days.
The trip to Lake Atitlan is always a great experience! Who doesn't love a beautiful place, hammocks, bonfires and shopping! I can tell you that we could probably do without the long windy roads. This was a true test for our group to gel, up until the lake trip we were able to avoid mixing, that is until you put 23 of us in the same van and send us on our merry way!
The trip up was not quiet it seems that our Guatemalan tour guides were excited to play every American song they knew and our group was more than happy to sing their hearts out! 2 hours later we checked into our hotel, and we were ready to shop til we dropped (or ran out of money...)
Prior to shopping we went to visit a Mayan Church, as you all know Teens inc. has no religious afilliation however Guatemala is a very religious country, and it is a super cool church! It is also a very moving place, many of the women and men are dressed in tradition Mayan garb, and you can hear then praying in one of the many Mayan languages! After our church visit, we began our shopping quest! Everyone was able to bargain, practice their Spanish numbers, and get items for their family! They are definitely bringing home a piece of Guatemala with them!
It's always the plan to go to Sunset cafe after our big shopping trip! This is also the time when Teens Inc kids take over the dance floor. This year, these kids did not disappoint! We practiced our salsa moves, danced all over the place and even Walt was dancing!!! It was a super fun night!! When we arrived back at our hotel we had a bonfire waiting for us. Gathering around the campfire, we talked about the 2 best things that happened this week and the 1 thing we wish we could change. Some of the things that were said were the smiling faces of the kids, to I wish would could feed the animals too! And I wish they could have clean lettuce! A range of emotions and feelings led us to talk about worries and so each participant was given a worry doll, Guatemalan legend tells us that if you whisper your worries to your doll and place them under your pillow they will go away! It was cute to see these teenagers and some college students accept the dolls, and talk about their worries!
On Sunday morning we bid goodbye to the lake and headed back to Antigua.
Earthquake Monday!!!
Our Monday was off to a shaky start both literally and medically! We had a few visits to the clinic,some medicine prescribed and we are feeling better and ready for to start building. Unfortunately Arianna and Taylor missed half of the first day of building. Both were ready to go by day two!! Monday night everyone was tired and but good spirits and ready for day two of house building.
Tuesday we arrived at the dreamer center and bought our daily water supply and went straight to work. Today we put up walls, mixed cement and learned about our strength both physically and mentally. At this point we have now been in Guatemala for a little over a week, and I think we were all starting to feel homesick, walking back to our houses after a day of service with our cemented shoes, and dusty pants, we knew we were making a difference but we also knew we only had a few days left. On Tuesday night we went to the dreamer center for a bonfire, and to present our Guatemala team with their letters from home. There were tears,giggles, and deep sighs heard throughout the group. While thoughts of home danced in their head, Brennan O'Donnell read what he wrote for the OMC collection! He talked about how Guatemala is his everything. We ended with a challenge to keep Guatemala in our hearts, carry your light of service into the next chapter in our lives, and we ended on a positive note and went around and talked about the best thing that happened at service that day!
Wednesday was our last day of building, or as we like to think of it.. Paint fight day. I promise you aside from us being blue we managed to get paint on the houses as well. This day is bitter sweet, because we have to say goodbye to the families we built the houses for on the bright side we are leaving this place much better, a little bluer, and with a stronger foundation then we found it.
Tonight promises to be another learning experience as well!!! As some of us are headed to the homeless shelter, to serve dinner to some of Guatemala's poorest.
As parents you should be proud. Your children have built a house from foundation to roof, mixed cement, used tools that they have never used before and worked in teams, a skill that is life's biggest challenge!
I hope you are all safe at home and ready to see us!!
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