Getting Back into Gear

This past week was pretty busy, planning for the arrival of summer interns, finishing up the quarter, and preparing for our programs. Our first group of summer interns arrives on May 11th, only a few short weeks away. Julie and I are hard at work planning for their arrival--creating budgets, arranging transportation, etc. We are also in the process of developing a few short-term pilot programs that the interns will be able to help out with.

This weekend we had our final team-building retreat of our year here in Guatemala. We stayed at Isla Verde, one of the hotels on Lake Atitlan near Santa Cruz. It was so pretty and relaxing, and the food was delicious! Too bad it was cloudy the whole time we were there (the rainy season is fast approaching). 

Romantic dinner by candlelight!

We have a very busy week ahead: lots of summer planning, community meetings, English classes, and a short trip to Xela on Friday to meet with a local organization, Primeros Pasos!

-Sarah

Xela Retreat!

This past Sunday and Monday, I went on my first work retreat in Guatemala, the third retreat for the rest of the PDs. We went to Quetzaltenango, more commonly referred to as Xela, the Mayan name. We left early Sunday morning to catch a chicken bus, and after a swerving two-hour bus ride, we made it! After checking into the hotel, Nim Sut, we went to lunch at a restaurant that let us overlook the town square. 

The Square in Xela

After lunch, we walked around the square, where we were able to have a puppy fix.There the most adorable little puppy that we fawned over for a good thirty minutes. Ja, Nicole, and I are especially susceptible to the cuteness of puppies, and can't help but 'awwww' over them. 

Nicole with the puppy, Muñeca (Doll in English)

After lunch and puppy time, we headed to Las Fuentes Georginas Hot Springs, nestled in the mountains, just a short ride out of the city. It was absolutely beautiful there, a forest wonderland. 

 

Las Fuentes Georginas

We were able to relax for a few hours in one of the pools. It allowed us some time to catch up and enjoy each others company. 

One of the hot spring pools- Yes, that is steam from the pool! 

After coming back to our hotel, Ja was feeling a little under the weather, and Sarah was craving some pure American McDonalds, so Jess, Nicole, and I went in search of some dinner. We landed at Cafe Tecun, where Nicole discovered the most delicious caesar salad sandwich ever created. That night we also had a meeting over a survey that the previous PDs took last quarter about the site. 

Monday morning was a work day, starting with our weekly Monday meeting, where we discussed current programs and potential program progress. After a short break, we discussed the January Goals that were set back in December. There have been a number of changes that we discussed, especially regarding the Basico English at Central that Nicole and Ja are in charge of. This meeting wrapped up just in time for lunch. Since dinner from the previous night was so scrumptious, we decided to go back to the same place for lunch where all but Sarah ordered the caesar salad sandwich!  The perfect meal to end our relaxing and successful Xela retreat. We headed back to our beloved Sololá right after lunch. 

The group in Xela! 

-Julie

San Marcos Retreat!

We just returned from our 2nd retreat, and this time we went to the tranquil little town of San Marcos right on the beautiful Lake Atitlan! It had such a calm and relaxing effect on me & I loved every minute of it. We arrived Tuesday noon, just in time for lunch. After getting settled into our hotel  Bosque Encantado (Enchanted Forest, which it really was), we had lunch followed by development and program discussions. From the looks of it, the next quarter will have a lot of good things in store. There are many new programs we are discussing and I can't wait to return in January to start working on them! Some of these new initiatives include sexual and reproductive classes, an overall health class (nutrition, self-esteem, hygiene), new partnerships with women's cooperatives, a new Teacher's English program, etc. There are a lot new things to be excited about this next quarter and I know our team is very enthusiastic about them :)

Interesting wheel of all of the Mayan nahuals, at our hotel

At nighttime, we got to experience being in a Tamascal! Tamascal is basically a sauna, heated by firewood outside. There is water in the room and people sometimes bathe themselves with it. I have heard that tamascals are very common around here for people to bath in. After hearing about it so much, it was really interesting to actually partake in this cultural experience.

Yes, the lake is really this beautiful :)

The next day, we worked on group-dynamic activities, which got us thinking about how more efficiently we can work as a team. Afterwards, we took in the sights of the lake from a park and some of us braver ones actually got in the freezing water! Which, sadly, I have to say I could not make myself once I felt how cold it was.

All in all, it was a great time and a perfect balance of work and relaxation. Now, off to the States to recharge my batteries during these next 3 weeks and come back to tackle these new programs!

Nicole, Me, Jess, Sarah at the park

Happy early Holidays from MPI-G!


-Ja

(Tuesday) Snapshot: Retreat in Monterrico!

So... sorry for the huge delay in the Snapshot for this week. We spent a lovely weekend in Monterrico, a town on Guatemala's Pacific Coast, and we got back much later than expected. There are worse places to be stuck for a few hours... ;)

Here are some pics of the fun things we did this weekend!

Sunrise tour of a Mangrove Nature Reserve.

Our tired selves post-tour, with the flower necklaces our guide made us!

We also got to witness a "turtle liberation." I find the whole logistics of it rather confusing, but basically people could pay to free a baby turtle. You bought your turtle, held it for a little while, and then released it to the ocean. It was probably one of the cutest things I've ever witnessed.

Baby turtles making their way to the ocean!

SO. CUTE.

Aside from the beauty and excitement of our trip, we got a lot of work done as well. We did a few cultural awareness activities, brainstormed programs for next year, planned for our upcoming camp, and much more.

Hard at work!

All in all, it was a relaxing, productive, and DELICIOUS weekend. The place we stayed at (Johnny's Place) had some of the best smoothie concoctions of all time, with only the freshest ingredients. Mmm. I already miss them.

We are looking forward to enjoying some vacation days this week (somehow around finishing planning camp) for Day of the Dead. Esteban, the principal of Central Primaria, invited us to participate in a Day of the Dead activity with him on Friday, and we are very excited about getting to see how people celebrate this holiday first hand! And then we dive straight into four weeks of camp! Crazy!

Well, TTFN!
-Nicole

Sunday Snapshot

MPIG went on a retreat to beautiful Monterrico last weekend!

Sunday Snapshot

MPIG spent an incredible weekend in Semuc Champey! If you're Guatemala-bound, it is NOT to be missed...

Adventure team assemble! After jumping off the bridge behind us!

Unreal landscape view from the hostel Zephyr Lodge.

Lorena swinging into the river.

The famous crystal pools of Semuc.

Emily and Cameron exploring the river.

The Backpackers are Coming!

When we arrived at Zephyr Lodge in Lanquin, Guatemala last Thursday for our first Manna retreat, I realized I had forgotten to pack my dreadlocks. Semuc Champey is a huge backpacking destination in Guatemala and Zephyr is one of the most fun hostels there. Consequently, the vibe was very hippie chic.  I’ll admit it, I like to fit in, but I found this difficult to accomplish in my J.Crew dress and cardigan. I hoped my perfunctory “hippie” bracelets could engender that bohemian vibe that oozed freely from everyone else. 

View of Semuc Champey

My initial intimidation with these backpackers was because everyone seemed like such seasoned veterans and, in a way, they were. However, what I came to realize was that while they had been to more places than I had, their experiences were very shallow--all tainted by the thick lenses of tourists. On the other hand, by living in one place for a year, I am developing a much richer understanding of this country and its culture. Obviously, my experiences are still that of an outsider, but after six months, my metaphorical prescription is lower.

The idea of backpacking has always been alluring. There’s something about drifting from place to place without a home (or shoes) that speaks to my rebellious side. However, that idea is quickly squashed by an overwhelming desire to make plans and save my beautiful shoe collection. As I compared my experiences to those of the friends I had met at Zephyr, I couldn’t help but feel that I was getting the better end of the deal. I’m establishing long-term relationships and developing a holistic understanding of a place. However, I realize my view point is pretty skewed. At the end of the day, traveling in a foreign country and living in one produce two very different experiences.

I'm enjoying the lack of road I'm on,

Emily

Time Flies

This past weekend we went to Semuc Champey on our last group retreat, and all I can say is wow. It took us nine months to finally make the eight hour trek, but it was more than worth it. We explored bat caves, dove into crystal blue waterfalls, tubed down a lazy river, cannon-balled into caves lit only by candlelight, enjoyed delicious food, and met some incredible travelers.

Semuc Champey directly translates to "hidden in the depth of stone" in the local Maya language Q'eqchi'. It's of course hard to put such beauty into words, but in short, Semuc is a series of pools with waterfalls flowing from one to the next. What's incredible is that the pools sit atop an immense river, separated by a thick sheet of limestone.

The Cahabon River disappears underneath the pools of Semuc only to reappear 300 meters later. Incredible. I can promise it will not be another nine months before I return. Did I ever mention that I love my life?