This second week, I was fortunate to be here for Guatemala's Dia de Independencia! While I wasn't expecting any huge celebration due to the COVID regulations here, I was pleasantly, (and rather abruptly), surprised that Wednesday morning, with being told we were going to Antigua that day. I can confidently say I am still in the stage where I assume I understood something, and am sometimes tragically wrong. When I was told the night before to be ready by 8 AM to go there, I omitted the first part and thought they meant be ready for breakfast at 8. It wasn't until we were next to the car to leave, and not going for the morning walk that I thought we were, that I understood what we were doing that day.
In terms of shopping, I would call Antigua the Ocean City of Guatemala--many stores with many similar items. But the town itself is very sepearate from this idea. Filled with historical buildings and beautiful heritage, it is a place in its own class of uniquity. Having a buffet brunch at the top of a mountain overlooking the city wasn't a bad start to the day! The restaurant was additionally connected to a dispersed museum with different sculptures and artwork to discover. As we walked through it, I was able to feel the individuality of each piece. When we traveled down to the city itself, I was shown the best places to shop, and had pictures taken in front of every historical building we encountered, upon the insistence of my host family. All seventy of which were sent to me by my host father afterward. :) It was a day that I felt filled with the joy of God, and truly couldn't stop smiling at the passing scenery as I took the experience in.
Every week is special in its own way, although this one might be more interesting to read about then some. And although I spoke only of Antigua, there were many other moments that were just as special to me:
Highlights:
Baking chocolate chip muffins with my teacher as part of our class!! (Especially the fact that we had enough for everyone at the school to have one)
Singing worship songs in Spanish with some of the other students in the garden.
Going up to the roof for the first time at twilight and watching city lights with the voices of people in the streets as background music.
Having a conversation with a parrot named Chicho, that gave me a lesson in how to roll my R's. (Still pretty unsuccessful, but I appreciated his effort).
Prayer Requests:
- For continued focus on my growth with God and my studies over the coming weeks.
- Giving thanks for my developing relationship with my family, and progressively easier communication.
- For the other students at the school beginning to start jobs or service work for long periods of time.
Muchos Bendiciones!!
I will never forget the beauty of the Antigua architecture, and the pride exhibited by the Guatemalan folks as they shared their city with us. So glad you enjoyed that experience also.