Me, loving this beauty!
Just before the most unleisurely ¨stroll¨!!
View of the volcanoes
Boat ride across the lake to our hotel!To fill in about the weekend, (since my spare time has shrunk to 45 minutes a day between school, spanish lessons, home for dinner and lesson planning before sleep), we went on our trip to Lake Atitlan, a candidate for the ¨8th wonder of the world¨... a two hour drive from Antigua. Our guide, Victor (an amazing guy from Guatemala who is not only an Iron Man but who runs all over the world for an organization that sponsers clean water in third world countries) lead us on an extreme weekend of 15 miles of mountain biking around the (huge!) lake, a 2.5 mile kayak across the lake, and a 6 mile hike through teeny villages and coffee plantations around it. 10 girls, exhausted from teaching all week, plus all this strenuous exercise was actually pretty funny in the van ride home afterwards... i know it´s lame to constantly quote Leigh´s blog, but her short and sweet description of this weekend had me rolling with laughter...(and also i was the other half of the spider-busting team and was also awake all night with the willies)...please see below:
Friday Night:
GVI Barbeque.
LOTS of yummy food and LOTS of vino.
Saturday:
5:45AM
Internal body alarm (sick...AGAIN!).
Try to hold banana bread in.
Pack for Lake.
7:45AM
Walk to bike shop, pile in van, hit the road.
10:30ish
Get geared up and on mountain bikes with many confusing gears.
11ish
Begin 15 mile ride. YES, 15 miles. (but mostly downhill....I cannot lie.)
4ish
Arrive by boat at one of the most beautiful hotels I have EVER seen. Built into a cliff with views of many many mountains surrounding the lake. WOW.
Quick dip in the FREEZING water
An amazing family style dinner
8ish
Back to room to throw on swimsuit and hit the hot tub.
First, kill three spiders and two scorpions (while doning the nerdy head torch).
8:30ish:
Bring wine (to forget about the co-habitating creatures sleeping with me) to the wood burning stove heated hot tub overlooking the lake and under millions and millions of stars.
9:30ish
Back to room, feeling a little more relaxed about my slumber buddies.
11ish
Wake up panicking.
TURN ON THE LIGHT!!! IT´s ON ME, ÍT´s ON ME!!!!!!
Realize it was just a dream. Sigh.
Sunday:
8AM
Incredible breakfast.
9AM
4 mile kayak (BEAUTIFUL)
11ish
Begin our ¨nice walk¨.
1ish
Want to have a SERIOUS talk with those that think this 12 mile "walk" is nice.
It is a HIKE.
2ish
Have fallen down three times.
Can´t breathe
Sitting on rock
Panicking
Shaking
Crying
Having chocolate power gel squirted into my mouth by our guide-Victor.
Using an inhaler
2:30ish
Really embarrassed.
Decide I must be WAY out of shape and need to get my act together.
3:00ish
Back at hotel
Jump in lake with all my clothes on
Have a fresh fruit smoothie
Comtemplate a career change
Nutrition? Personal fitness?
Also, I must fill in about our Friday night GVI BBQs...a big potluck style BBQ at the interns´house when all of the volunteers have a chance to unwind from a long week...I was officially initiated on my first Friday, but now I feel moreso since I attended my second last weekend (have I really only been here for 2 and a half weeks? I´m starting to think time is warped here).
The highlight of the evening begins with a nice introduction of the new volunteers, then a very nice summary of the contributions of the volunteers who are leaving by Dom or Doreen or one of the interns...then comes speeches by each of the volunteers who are leaving (with a chorus of tears, emotions, laughs)...then the finale is this ridiculous but ridiculously fun dance to a crazy song where everyone stands in a big circle and imitates a dance that a little boy apparently made up years ago at one of the schools... the new people and the leaving people have to go in the middle and dance in front of everyone (yes, i did this without notice!...a true initiation!). Then we all hit the bar for more socializing and getting to know yous.
My first Friday, this whole evening made me realize what this experience is about for people...how much everyone cares about the kids and the communities and the friendships, and how sad it is to leave...a true nod to what Dom and Doreen are doing here.
I´m really glad I have many more weeks left!
The highlight of the evening begins with a nice introduction of the new volunteers, then a very nice summary of the contributions of the volunteers who are leaving by Dom or Doreen or one of the interns...then comes speeches by each of the volunteers who are leaving (with a chorus of tears, emotions, laughs)...then the finale is this ridiculous but ridiculously fun dance to a crazy song where everyone stands in a big circle and imitates a dance that a little boy apparently made up years ago at one of the schools... the new people and the leaving people have to go in the middle and dance in front of everyone (yes, i did this without notice!...a true initiation!). Then we all hit the bar for more socializing and getting to know yous.
My first Friday, this whole evening made me realize what this experience is about for people...how much everyone cares about the kids and the communities and the friendships, and how sad it is to leave...a true nod to what Dom and Doreen are doing here.
I´m really glad I have many more weeks left!
Hey - life isn't standing still up here either ya know. We've got a new President if you haven't heard.
ReplyDeleteI know Dad! haha ... I wrote a post on inauguartion day but needed the picture to put with it! I had to post it later!
ReplyDelete