Sunday, October 21, 2007
10/22/07 update
Posted by kb at 10:43 PMAfter our exciting time in Guatemala, this week seemed pretty ordinary. Classes, essays, and the rest of our usual routines. Some of us having been enjoying aerobic dance classes and others are working at clinics and doing other things with in the community such as Bible studies. Many people have had health problems (see prayer request) and there is some “how am I suppose to find time to do all of this homework” stress but other than that I think we are all feeling pretty comfortable here (we are beginning to think how weird it will be to go back to the states). This weekend many stayed home but 7 of us went to Lago Yajoa. Others had taken this same trip in the first few weeks, so many of us have experienced the cute hotel there, the blueberry pancakes, beautiful scenery, and row boats but what makes this a unforgettable weekend trip is the waterfall. It would be worth the trip to simply see this roughly 4-story building high waterfall but we didn’t just see it- we experienced it. After finding a guide, we climbed/ swam underneath the waterfall. Although we were constantly being sprayed with water and sometimes found it difficult to breath because there was so much water rushing down on us, it was amazing to see the waterfall up close as well as the caves and smaller waterfalls behind the big waterfall. What adventures we are having here!
Unfortunately we couldn’t get pictures of the falls because we didn’t have waterproof cameras but here is a picture of our hotel (the same hotel used by the other students a few weeks earlier.)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
10/17/07 - Guatemala
Posted by kb at 01:14 AMWow, so much has happened since I last wrote! A quick week of classes- lots of exams and then we left at around 5:20 Friday morning, Oct. 5, for our weeklong trip/vacation to Guatemala. Although we spend many hours in the bus, thankfully we had a good driver and quite a bit of luxury (we were able to watch some movies, and it was so nice to not have to use the crowed, hot, stop and go public transportation). Our first stop was the Chiquita farm where we saw bananas coming in from the fields, washed, and boxed.
(banannas being washed before packed into boxes)
Next we had lunch and piled back in the bus for the trip to Copan. Once we got there we did a little shopping and ate dinner.
(Ben and Aaron sharing a licuado) 
The next morning after another meal out to eat, (we ate really good during this trip) we made our way across the border 
and arrived in Chichicastenango around 5. Again we shopped and ate diner. –This sounds kind of boring so far but really we were having a good time getting to know each other, eating a really nice restaurants every meal, and walking around the cities each night.
Sunday the real cultural experience began as we went to church in Chichicastenango, a city with a large Mayan influence. The clothing in Guatemala was much more traditional and many of the people look much more native than the people in Honduras (shorter and darker skinned). Even if we hadn’t arrived late, we stood out, but in some respects this Catholic church was a place that we fit right in; when we read the Apostle’s Creed together I was clearly reminded of the fact that churches around the world together make up the body of Christ. After this beautiful picture of the Church, we felt the emotions of the “already but not yet” theology as we then saw first hand syncretism in the church. We went to Pascual Abaj (a Mayan ceremonial cite on the top of a small mountain) and learned about the Mayan religion and how many people in Chichicastenango practice both Catholicism and Mayan rituals.
We then had some free time for shopping- the whole town was basically one big market- and lunch. That afternoon, after a short bus ride, we arrived in Panajachel. Again we shopped and had dinner (this time on our own). Many of us had a good time dinning in small groups and there were many fun restaurants.
The next morning took a boat over to Manuel where we watched how material is made
and then to Ramón Sajbin where we saw the statue of Maximón, the saint of this city. 
Ramón Sajbin was especially interesting as we learned more about the syncretism of Mayan religion and Catholicism. Also, the boat ride to and from these towns was absolutely beautiful!
We again had the evening free to find supper and shop in our own and though we were a little bit hindered in our wanderings by a downpour and river in the street, we still had a good time visiting the shops and restaurants. That evening we met as a group to debrief some of what we saw and have devotions.
Tuesday, we arrived in Antigua in the morning and made our first stop at the “el cerro de la Cruz.”
After this we still had enough time to wander around and have lunch before our guided tour. In the tour we saw various ruins and learned some of the history of the area.
Although a few of us missed the last two cites because we were left behind at the Cathedral, the tour was still a fun way to see the most beautiful and important parts of the city. That evening we ate a really nice restaurant. Also, a large group of us got free salsa lessons at a local club.
Wednesday we spent a lot of time in the bus; we crossed back into Honduras and arrived in Copan in the afternoon. We did a little shopping, had dinner, and devotions/conversation in the evening. Again we found a place that offered free salsa classes and this time Eduardo joined us on the dance floor.
Thursday was a busy day; breakfast at a nice restaurant, tour of the Copan ruins, Macaw Park (including lunch), horse back riding, and dinner. Also so of us returned to the salsa club of the night before for 80’s and 90’s music- we had a fun time dancing to the Backstreet boys with people from more than 6 different countries and of a variety of ages.
Friday, we had breakfast and then traveled back to Tegus, stopping only for lunch and few potty breaks. We were back at our homes by 5:30 and had still had the weekend to do homework and relax.
Monday, October 01, 2007
10/1/07 update
Posted by kb at 05:15 PMAlthough we have many exams this coming week we got to relax a little bit as we traveled to Nueva Suyapa, a poorer area near Tegus where Kurt and Jo Ann live, and stayed with families there. We where overwhelmed with the generosity of our host families and although we were not in the same comfort as our houses in Tegus (no showers, outhouses) we enjoyed good food and conversation. Saturday morning most of us hiked up a mountain and enjoyed a beautiful view as well as a soccer game at the top. In the evening we participated in a “talents for Jesus” program; a few of us performed a sacred dance and all of us sang a song accompanied by Aaron on the guitar. We stayed the night again Saturday and left after breakfast Sunday morning.
Kelly, Emily N, Joanna, and Kristi dancing at the CRC in Nueva Suyapa