la vida loca: welcome to the jungle

Wow! There is absolutely no good place to begin so I guess I could start with the reason I haven't posted since the 7th. On February 10th our group of 20 embarked on a week long tour de Guatemala you could say. To be honest I had little idea what we would be doing, where we were going, or how exhausted I would be after only one week. I never imagined sleeping with spiders the size of my hand, swimming in a cave holding a candle, or kayaking in the most beautiful river in the rain. During the trip I faced some of my biggest fears (mainly spiders) and saw a lot of Guatemala in the meantime! I hope that what I write can somewhat summarize the experience.

Before we left Friday two really great things happened. I got to teach a class of second grade students at a school here in Xela. About 8 of us went to the school and had a class to teach. I taught an English lesson with Bryton to a class of 18. The kids were beyond excited to have us and we had a great time singing the alphabet and head, shoulders, knees, and toes! Thursday night before we left about 7 friends came over to my house to make dinner. First we headed to WalMart via chicken bus to gather some ingredients, next to the market to barter for fresh veggies, and finally back to my house. My mom was over the moon to have us here cooking. Nicola (our expert chef) led us in making a variety of food that included guacamole, bruschetta, pasta with a tomato sauce and a veggie stir fry.

On to the week... Friday we had our final exam, which needless to say was very difficult to focus on considering we were leaving for our trip at 1! After getting through the exam pretty painlessly I was ready to go, and a few group medical issues later (cue Alivia trip to doctor) we were on the bus and on our way to Guatemala City for the night. We arrived at our hostel, sat in a circle and played guitars for awhile, ate dinner, and went to bed in preparation for our long journey the next day. Saturday we headed to Rio Dulce to a place called Finca Tatin. I will never be able to describe the experience exactly as I think it was the combination of the people, scenery, and rain that made it what it was. We took a boat about an hour in order to get to the "hotel". There we hopped off a boat onto a dock in the middle of the jungle. I'm talking trees, water, swamp, JUNGLE! We got to our bungalow where we were immediately welcomed by a giant spider. In true Sarah form I freaked out until we realized it was dead. After figuring that out I put on a brave face :) Not to worry though, I got to practice my spider wrangling as we found 3 more in those two days. Our bungalow was also a popular hang out spot for crabs. Not entirely sure how those got in but not asking questions. We spent Saturday and Sunday at the Finca. It rained all day Sunday but that didn't stop the fun. We rented kayaks and went kayaking on the river in the rain. Alivia and I can now be considered Olympic quality kayakers. After kayaking and swimming a bit in the river, I was ready to conquer the hammock. I didn't know this before, but apparently I have a huge problem when it comes to sitting in hammocks. So, after some coaching and lots of practice I was able to not only sit in a hammock properly but nap for a solid 3 hours! I would've slept longer but I was woken up by a dog. Not sure where it came from because we were in the middle of the jungle but again, not asking questions...

Our next stop was La Casa de Don David in Peten. This place was a little slice of heaven. It was right on the lake, and it was nice to rest and relax. I saw my first ever shooting star in a sky full of the most beautiful stars! On Tuesday we headed to Tikal where we walked around with our guide exploring the Mayan ruins. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty and splendor of the ruins. Climbing up the temples and the pyramids was a surreal experience. Wednesday we headed to Coban where we explored the city and got acquainted with our hostel. I wish I could say that I had actually conquered my fear of spiders at that point, but when one showed up on our bedroom wall I reverted back to my old self, pre-jungle. For time's sake...here is a quick rundown of the rest of the trip:

Thursday morning we headed to Semuc Champey. After having our faces painted we explored a cave for about an hour and a half. No one had any idea what we were getting into, and it was probably for the best as we ended up in a cave holding candles swimming, climbing, and jumping in extremely dark places being led by a tour guide named Elvis. The natural pools of Semuc Champey were absolutely beautiful. The whole place seemed like a dream. I don't think photos can adequately do the place justice. After one adventure filled day we headed back to our hostel where we enjoyed the most delicious dinner and danced all night at the hostel bar - such a fun time!
Friday we hopped back on our bus and were off the el Biotopo del Quetzal - a cloud forest and nature reserve. We hiked around for about an hour looking for quetzales (the national bird) but we had no luck. We did however encounter many beautiful small waterfalls and other pretty nature things. That night in our bungalow we encountered a delightful visitor - the most ginormous beetle I have ever seen. Maddie took charge and after about 20 minutes of screaming and beetle chasing the situation was handled. My headlamp is coming in handy!
Saturday morning we spent about 9 hours in our van and came back to Xela. I was exhausted when we got back but so happy to head home and be back in my own room sans spiders and beetles. The whole trip was an incredible experience!

Monday we all started classed at Universidad Rafael Landivar. I am taking a Guatemalan history class as well as a class on Mayan societies. I am also continuing my language classes at Celas Maya two days a week in the afternoon. I cannot believe that February is almost over! Time is going by too fast but I am enjoying every second of my time here in Xela, my home.

A few photos since the last time...