12 countries down, and let me just say, it was not an easy 3 and a half months, but the most exciting for sure. Guatemala was absolutely beautiful and 3 days were not enough to see it all, but like every country we’ve been too, I was happy to just have even visited, be it for 3 days or 3 weeks, the opportunity was more than amazing.
Day 1
We arrived on a Tuesday at about 830 am. But we didn’t actually get off of the ship until about 930 because it took a little longer than they had expected to clear the ship and do all that stuff. So we finally got off of the ship, and we had to take a shuttle to where all the cabs would be waiting because it was pretty far from the gate of the port. But I guess they don’t open the port gate until a specific time because we must have sat in the shuttle for a good 45 minutes before they actually took us to where we needed to go. Once we got to the other side of the port, there were a lot of taxis waiting to take us to wherever we needed to go. Well, the one taxi driver told us that he would charge us $30 for each of us to take us to Monterrico which was only about 20 miles away. We said no way, and walked to the other gate to try and get a taxi for cheaper. When we finally made our way to the gate, there were cars and taxis waiting there too, and at first they told us that they would charge us $20 a person, but we got them down to $20 for all 3 of us. So Gabby, Jaclyn and I hopped in their car and headed to Monterrico.
Before arriving in Guatemala, they had warned us about the dangers in the country. I mean, the dangers are like anywhere else, but apparently since the beginning of 2009, things had been escalating, so they just told us to keep our senses heightened and watch out for any suspicious behavior. So, this goes along with our cab drivers. About 10 minutes into our cab ride, they stop the cab in a somewhat remote location on the side of the road. They both got out of the front seat and proceeded to walk to the back of the van. We had absolutely NO idea what was going on or if we were in danger or what, so we sat patiently and waited to see what happened. They switch positions and get into the front seat and start to drive again. We all look at each other like, what the, you know. And luckily Gabby speaks Spanish, and they told her, it’s only a joke, we were just kidding. So at that moment, we kind of understood the humor. They know the horrible things that people say about Guatemala and how unsafe it is and blah blah, but they wanted us to know that not all people who live in Guatemala are like that. Just like not everybody who lives in the United States are bad people either, but do they exist, yes, they do.
So another 30 minutes or so and we stopped at the grocery store to get some food and drinks and snacks and stuff for the beach house, and another 20 minutes and we finally found the place that we were looking for, Casa de Pelicanos. It was a beautiful little resort that had a few houses on the beach. Our beach house was so cute. When you walked in, the roof was a thatch roof and the kitchen and couches area was so cutely decorated. Then you walked out onto the pool deck and tables and chairs were set up. Then if you went onto the second deck, there were a bunch of hammocks. There were 3 bedrooms and about 10-12 of us staying there, but Jaclyn and I didn’t stay the first night because we had a service project the following day. We stayed the day and went to the beach and swam in the pool.
We even had a nice local lady cook us a dinner. She was so sweet and cleaned up the house for us, and I almost felt guilty. The people at Pelicanos were extremely nice and willing to help us with anything that we needed. The beach was beautiful, and deserted. We were the only people on the beach and it was a black sand beach. The waves were pretty crucial and once you got out of the waves, you immediately realized how exhausted you really felt. After a day of frolicking and lying out, Jaclyn and I headed back to the ship for the night.
Day 2
Today we awoke at about 745 am and got breakfast and then headed down to the buses for our service visit to Camino Seguro (Safe Passage). I really didn’t know what it was all about, but was really interested about learning about it. It was located in Guatemala City which was about a 2 hour drive from Puerto Quetzal. The drive took us through some jungles and through some busier streets.
We finally arrived, and we were dropped off at a cemetery in Zone 5. Guatemala is divided into different zones. The cemetery overlooked the dump where so many Guatemalans make a living. The people of Camino Seguro told us all about the dump and how their program was keeping kids out of the dump and giving them a real future. The people who work in the dump dig through the trash, chemicals, toxic waste, and biohazardous waste to find anything that they could use or sell. They told us that 100 lbs of cardboard goes for about 2-4 U.S. dollars. They make a living doing that everyday and try to support a family of 10 people. So Camino Seguro has constructed schools throughout Guatemala for children of all ages, ranging from nursery’s containing one-year olds, up to their oldest student who was 22. While looking down on the dump from atop the mountain, we saw people dropping a strange blue unidentifiable liquid amongst the trash, along with many other unidentifiable things. The dangers of the dump were horrifying, knowing that these people can drop anything in the dump, and people are sorting through it all.
So after we asked millions of questions about the dump and Safe Passage, we headed to the nursery to meet the kids and tour the facilities. The nursery and sports facility were located amongst trash, and a sketchy neighborhood, but you could tell that all of the people had a certain pride amongst them all as a community and they were proud to have safe passage there helping out their families. The way Safe Passage works is they can accept up to two children per family and those children are given scholarships for all of their schooling. You’re probably thinking what I thought; some of these families have as many as 10 children, but in Guatemala, if one child succeeds and completes school, that salary can support a whole family. And the families of the children in Safe Passage are able to use all the amenities, such as the health clinic, meals every month, etc. So basically what Safe Passage is trying to do is break the cycle and allow the children to have opportunities that would have never presented themselves before.
When we arrived at the nursery, we met all the kids, saw their classrooms and the eating area and the playground. It was a beautiful facility, nicer than some even in the United States. Everything that comes to Safe Passage is given my donations or sponsors and you could tell that they have so many support systems. The children were absolutely adorable, they ran around on the playground and were happy to just have us there to play with them and give them attention. It was honestly amazing to see them smile and how happy they were and knowing that their home life could be the complete opposite. I was truly touched. After playing with them for a little while, we headed to the other facility for older-aged children.
These children ranged in ages from 6 and like I said, the oldest student they have was 22. In Guatemala, a Sixth-grade diploma is equivalent to a high school diploma as far as the work force is concerned. Safe Passage has had people go through pilot school and some people even training to be nurses. The older aged children ran up and down the halls, giving us high fives and saying “Hello” and smiling, some were more shy than others but they were all such sweet kids. Then we saw the cafeteria and their classrooms and it was awesome to see how excited these kids were to be in school.
Finally, we headed to the last facility which was for the mothers and father of the children in Safe Passage. These mothers and fathers work with volunteers to learn how to read and write, some never even written their own name or read it for that matter. They are taught things about business, their sexuality, health issues, all important daily matters. It was such an amazing place helping out so many people. One group of woman even started their own jewelry business, making some beads out of magazines and recycled products. I was truly impressed.
After visiting the woman and men’s facility we said goodbye to our tour leaders and headed back to the ship. Once back at the ship, Jaclyn and I grabbed dinner on the ship and then packed our bags to head back to the beach house. We called our cab driver, Manuelo, and headed out to the shuttles to go and meet him. While we were waiting, we started to see dark clouds coming in and lightning in the distance, and then the wind started to pick up. Not but 10 minutes later did the dust and sand start kicking up and Jaclyn and I tried to find some cover. The power even went out for a few minutes and the rain was pouring, but luckily Manuelo showed up just as it started to get bad. So we got to the beach house and it was still raining pretty hard, so we played cards and had some drinks and all hung out and had a really fun night
Day 3
This day we all woke up at about 1030 in the morning and put our bathing suits on and headed out to sit by the pool. The really nice lady came by again and offered to cook us breakfast. So she made us beans and rice and eggs with sausage. It was soooo delicious. I was very full and satisfied after we ate.
After we ate, we spend most of the day either by the pool or at the beach having a few drinks and enjoying our last day ever in port. It was a bittersweet day for sure, and a lot of us started to get emotional and realize that it’s all coming to an end. The weather was gorgeous though and most of us got a little sunburned, but it was sad to leave and go back to the ship. I could have used a few more days in Guatemala.
When we got back to the ship, I think it finally began to hit us all that this would be the last time we would be “swiping” our cards into the ship and the last time we would be returning from a port. I was sad to say the least and took pictures with all of the crew to document the last time.
Then we had a barbeque a little later at night and everyone was so exhausted that most of us just went to sleep.
We have two more full days left and I really cannot believe how fast this is all going by. Tonight is Ambassador’s Ball when we all get really dressed up and have a really fancy dinner and dessert and we have a dance, kind of like the prom of the ship. I can’t wait to have a real meal tonight, filet mignon, Bruschetta, and double-baked potatoes and coconut shrimp. It’s been awhile since a real meal.
It’s strange to think that this is probably my last blog for a little while too, I can’t believe how fast 3 and ½ months flew by, the saying really is true, time FLIES when you’re having fun. I will be in Ft. Lauderdale on the 6th and am meeting Adam and Ethan at the port and staying in Ft. Lauderdale for a few days. Tomorrow is our Re-Entry and Reflection Day to take some time to think about all we’ve done and been through and then the next day is our Convocation, which is basically where we get our “diplomas” and have a little ceremony. And then we have our packing in between there somewhere, and with all the things that I have accumulated, I am praying that I can get it to all fit in 3 duffels. But soon enough, I will be back in the United States and readjusting to culture there, and I can truly say that going home is going to be like another port, trying to adjust to the new things and seeing how many things have changed. I am more than ecstatic to see everybody at home and cannot wait to spend time enjoying the summer and telling all my stories and spending time with everyone. I love you all and will see you in a few days! Until next time, much love!
