Last Day with the Kids

-Ciaradh

I woke up this morning to a noise I haven’t heard since I left home… my alarm. I must have had the volume turned up the whole way because not only did it startle me it also woke everyone else into room, oops. By the time I got out of my bed (or my couch with pillows and blankets) all my roommates were asleep again. I went downstairs and started to write the ever-changing schedule on the marker smudge covered “white” board. The day before I had found out that the mentors had a surprise for us which at the time all I knew was that the boys wouldn’t enjoy it as much as the girls would. My next task was to wake everyone. I left the warmth of the common room and went out into the cool, misting air outside. It wasn’t cold but it was raining, so naturally I went barefoot. Personally, I hate (strongly dislike) waking up to large pounding noise or screaming people so instead I knocked gently on every door and listened for sounds of life. Apparently my attempt at a kind awakening didn’t exactly work because only half the group showed up for breakfast and a few friends of mine told me the proper procedure for wake up calls.

After breakfast it was time to see the little balls of energy at our daycares. Sadly it was the last day of placements, it was really hard to keep a happy face on for the kids when I knew it was probably the last time I’d see them, but due the fact it was our last day it had to be our best one yet. The daycare I was in is pretty small so we never have that many kids and unfortunately only two girls showed up today. On the bright side it was a very personalised party and we all had fun. Saying goodbye was most definitely the hardest part of this trip so far because you manage to grow so close to their happy faces and so accustomed to getting up, having everything ready and going to see the kids that the realisation of the fact that this was the last time came only after I left. I’m going to miss them so much but, I can also leave knowing that even if it was a small portion of India’s youth, that I and the twenty-seven others on this trip have helped and changed those children’s life’s, even if it was only by teaching them the alphabet or how to colour inside the lines.

Next we came back for lunch and as usual the food was great. I really, really love the food here. Once that was finished we worked on our storytelling strategies until the time came to present them. I worked in a group of three and we chose the topic of preconceived notions people have before coming India, overall I believe it went well and I was so impressed with the amount of detail in every single persons project.

The mentors surprise was the best surprise anybody could think of! A Bollywood dance class, it was fantastic. I may have been terrible but that didn’t matter it was so fun and once the teacher left India sweets came and we stayed dancing the rest of the night (even past our bedtime ohhh) Then the night came to a close we went to bed and my day as leader was over. The next morning we were leaving Dharamsala, my experience in India was amazing, truly the best three weeks of my life. I will dearly miss each and every person I met. My mentors were all terrific, and the friends I made I hope will last a lifetime. GLA has made such a brilliant difference in my life.

Hike!

-Noam

Today was a really exciting day for me not only because I was leader of the day – we also went on our second day hike that replaced the trek.

In the morning, we had our usual breakfast that included bananas, some eggs, toast, cereal and of course the famous Indian masala chai. We had to pack for the hike the night before and even though we were urged to gather all of the rain gear we have – we were lucky and didn’t need it! The weather was great the entire day.

We then drove about 40 minutes through the beautiful Kangra valley until we arrived to our starting point of the hike. Overall, it was much easier than the one two days ago but it was still challenging and fun! We took a break by a gorgeous river and sat on the rocks to hopefully get inspired by nature and it’s mysteries. I also really enjoyed looking at how powerful the water was and how it shapes both rocks and lives of people. From that stop on, we became a bit paranoid with every step we took because a lot of group members had leeches on them, they were alright after but the experience wasn’t very pleasant for them but a bit entertaining for the viewers.

We continued hiking and met some goats on the way who immediately befriended us for a few minutes until their owners made them continue on their way. When we reached the top we stopped for lunch and also visited the small Hindu temple there. We got blessed by the monk inside and had orange Tikas on our foreheads. We rested there, took some group pictures and hiked our way back down. Even though it was foggy, we could see some other trails on other mountains, including the one we would have gone up if we stuck to the original plan.

After the beautiful yet tiring hike we relaxed at our home base – awaiting for the well deserved dinner, PIZZA! Once the boxes were put on the table we stormed them and finished 18 boxes of pizza in under 10 minutes (don’t worry parents, they are not starving us here!) we also had ice cream after which was a perfect finish for the meal. The rest of the evening was spent singing from the top of our lungs – also known as karaoke night which was a bonding experience and very funny to watch as well.

To conclude this experience so far – I feel like the time here goes linearly but the amount of learning, inspiration, and fun I’m having is growing exponentially from day-to-day!
Reporting from Gamroo, India
Mission confirmed as accomplished – Captain Noam Wizel

Having A Great Time

This past week in India is hard to describe, as you’d really have to see it all for yourself to believe how amazing it is. Everyone who’s gone on this trip kept saying that “the pictures don’t do it justice,” and they were so right.

Today we headed off to placements in the rain, it’s the start of monsoon season. It was the first day we’ve been out at our daycare in the rain. Our daycare building is not completely finished being built yet, but luckily we’ve been able to work off of a porch right across from its location. Because of the weather it was nearly impossible to work outside. We were invited into someone’s home and the kids were ushered upstairs with us. Some of our rainy day activities were puzzles and drawing, but the biggest hit was the face painting! One little girl named Deepali even tried to give me a manicure with the paints!

I’ve loved working with these kids so far, and it’s really going to be difficult leaving. On the bright side, they’ve taught me a lot.
The weather (and lack of time) also changed some other plans for the day. At first we were going to see temples in the area and learn about religion in India, but instead it was Bollywood night! – Rachel Elfezouaty

First we went to the market to buy saris. There were many beautiful colors to choose from. Some designs were more simple, while other saris had jeweled brocade. We also were able to purchase bindis and other traditional Indian clothing. After we were done shopping, we headed back to home base. The girls were taught how to tie saris while the boys learned how to tie turbans. It was fun dressing up while learning about the traditional dress of another culture. We were also able to get henna designs on our hands. Each design was unique and beautifully done, although it was a challenge trying not to bump your hand while it was still drying! We gathered for a group picture after everyone was ready, and then headed back inside for a delicious dinner. – Stephanie Wright

A Wonderful Day!

-Luis and Ileana

Its been 2 weeks since we arrived to Dharamshala. Despite our early (too early) wake up, we woke everyone up with smiles and shouts. Breakfast was wonderful, a perfect combination between occidental pancakes with oriental tea. It was food day!

We left for our placements and had a fantastic 2 hours with the kids, either by playing sports such as football r arts and crafts. When we arrived at home base for lunch, we were treated with traditional street Indian food, cooked at home base. We had some fried veggies and an exotic sandwich.

After a delicious meal we left for Mcleodganj in the midst of monsoon. After an hour of buying gifts for family and friends and having all our clothes soaking wet, we returned home base for a cooking lesson by Chef Sachin. We learned how to make a delicious Chai tea followed by lentil soup and chapati. Once the cooking class finished, we had a delicious dinner of what we had cooked. After dinner, we watched the most beloved Bollywood film, called ‘The Man With The Heart Wins The Bride’. It was a wonderful day!

Learning & Growing

-Alexis Maciel

Everyday here is filled with new experiences, new challenges, and always an opportunity to learn.

Today has been filled with all of those things, multiplied by ten. The day started off with a quick breakfast before we headed to our placements (day care center, arts & crafts camp, or sports camp). I work at one of the day care centers which is located 5 minutes away from our home base. Working with the children has been very rewarding. I specifically work with the children at the center who don’t know any English. With one of the goals being to teach English, the challenge is put on my partner and I to build their foundation. That can be very nerve-racking. However, I like the pressure it puts on me to always be on my ‘A’ game. What I love most about the children is their desire to learn. They come in everyday with this smile that is like none other, saying, “Good morning dee dee” (Dee dee- big sister) That is something I’m definitely going to miss.

After coming back from our placements we had the opportunity to learn and converse with a documentary film maker named Ronnie who showed us how to use media as a tool and talked about some misconceptions people have of India. What I enjoyed most was the fact that everyone contributed something to the discussion, which sometimes lead to a couple of debates.

Later, we had dinner at this amazing Tibetan restaurant called Common Ground. While we were there we saw two short documentary films that shared the lives of some Tibetan Refuges. The second documentary impacted me the most: A woman shares her vivid memories of her 27 years spent in a Tibetan prison. I could see the pain and sadness within her as she shared her story but also so much strength and resilience.

Another amazing day has come and gone, I’m excited for every new day filled with new experiences, new challenges, and the opportunity to learn & grow.

A Full Day

Leaders of the day: Wendy & Ben

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 6:30 in the morning,a girl and her roommates are rudely awakened by the alarm she set the night before on her cell phone. This girl would be me. As part of my responsibilities as leader of the day, I am required to wake everyone up in the morning (and occasionally chase a giant spider out of someone’s bedroom). This also means I am required to wake up before everyone else.

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 8:00 in the morning, we all meet up in the common room for breakfast. We ate family style (as we do all of our meals) and I couldn’t help but feel that this was extremely appropriate as family seemed to be the main topic of conversation throughout the meal. We’ve all already opens up to each other so much, I’m confident that we will be great friends by the end of this trip.

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 9:30 in the morning, we split up into our previously established groups and left for our first day at our placements. We were all so glad to meet the children for the first time (and also quite relieved to discover that they had a better understanding of English than we had initially thought).

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 1:00 in the afternoon, we all gather in the commons once again to eat lunch and share stories about the events of the morning and the children we are working with. The food (as always) was excellent.

Another World

Leader of the Day: Juliette 

Wow. As much as I am going to find it difficult to put words to what I have seen I will try…

We get out the car. As we walk through the streets men stare. Soon I hear religious music like an echo through the temple entrance. Large and white. Honk of rickshaws bicycles, organised chaos and pungent smells. Arrive at temple. Shoes off. Walk in…

Breath taken away as I walk into another world- a world I’ve only heard or seen through the virtual medium of a screen. Golden temple and white columns all the way around a vast ‘pool of nectar -Amritsar. ‘GLA photo, gather round’ cried Priyanka one of our mentors. We smile and people gather round like we are a show. I feel self-conscious, watched. And then I think-this is a two way relationship. If we come here and are allowed to observe and absorb why aren’t they? We are just as foreign, both passive subjects of interest to the other party I feel like an intruder. But no. Respect, look, observe you are not an intruder. This place is open to everyone.

Up the stairs into the temple people praying, washing the stairs with their shawls, chanting. Breathing is harder I want to cry. The strength of the feeling of spirituality here is overwhelming. There is a contrast between the beauty and complexity of the temple and the simplicity of the people I see-eyes watery or closed. In prayer.

We climb down the stairs our ego goes down- explains our guide. God is within you don’t go expecting God to suddenly come upon you. Theories of science completely go out my head as my spiritual self overtakes the rational self.

The kitchens: women, children, babies, thin people, grown men, old men. Banging, clanging and clashing of metal plates thrown as hundreds of people are given food from oversized pots.

We leave in silence, beginning to process this amazing experience.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived and are at the home base ready for an amazing program! One student is arriving late due to travel. Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

The Taj Majal

Leader of the day Sydney Rodriguez

Stepping out of the taxi van after about 16 hours of calling it home, I could only pray that seeing the great Taj Mahal would justify the journey. We were encroaching on Delhi heat and it jarred me a bit after having cool AC blasting for hours. Yet through it all I maintained high spirits and I knew it all had been worth it when I finally caught a glimpse of the historic marble. It absolutely took my breathe away, I mean I was seeing one of the 7 Wonders of the World!  The detail of the carvings and inlayed precious and semi- precious stones were mesmerizing. I had no idea that the tomb available for public viewing was a replica, but despite that, seeing the extravagant workmanship was still awe-inspiring. After taking a ton of pictures, some shared on the GLA India Instagram, we departed for lunch and then hopped in the vans for another 7 hours. Even including the long hours spent in van confinement and the simmering heat, in my heart I knew it had been worth it. By the time I had come to this realization, I was showered and lying in a lush bed, but that’s irrelevant. This program is amazing and we even learned some facts about the Taj Mahal and about the extent of our endurance.

A Day for Celebration

Leader of the day: Christina Smith

Exhausted from talking all night with friends, we were re-energized this morning by birthday chanting that ran through the lodging area. Maddie and Madelyn, two spirited and enthusiastic friends, led a parade of girls into their room to wake up their roommate, Isabella, for her sixteenth birthday. Isabella, a beloved friend to all, was overcome with tears of joy as she was showered by balloons and birthday cards. The signs and posters for Isabella do not only evidence our collective desire to participate in all activities but also the close bonds that we have all created in India. I feel so fortunate to call these extraordinary people my friends.

When we eventually calmed down, we returned to our rooms to prepare for the day ahead. As we walked to breakfast, we allowed ourselves to sink into the peacefulness of India. Entering the dining area that peace and calm was broken by cries to pass the pancakes and mango juice. Nobody was embarrassed asking for thirds or fourths, because we knew we have to fuel up for the day ahead.

Within an hour, I was walking to my placement with Sachin, my friend and placement translator, and Cassidy, my roommate and placement partner. I am extremely grateful to work with such great friends, but more importantly such amazing people. Sachin is very gifted at making everyone feel comfortable and important at the same time. And Cassidy exudes kindness and always maintains a positive upbeat attitude. She is not just a role model to the children at the day care, but an inspiration to me in her ability to go with the flow.

Our placement is located on the roof of a woman’s house and has a view of the Himalayas. There are two teachers, who are both caring and hard-working. As foreigners entering the day care, the teachers always offer both an atmosphere of safety to the children as well as warmly welcoming our company.

At placement, we began by playing blocks with Simran, our only student for the day. Through her body motions, Simran expressed interest to go outside and play with the chalk and paint. When we were outside we finger-painted with Simran. During painting, the owner of the house opened up to us about her life and practiced her English. She was a very sweet woman and smiled from ear to ear when she knew that we could understand her English. When we finished painting, all of our hands were dyed a variety of colors. Cassidy, Sachin, and I then went to say see you later to the teachers. This was when the teachers realized they were closed tomorrow and this would be our final day. Goodbyes are always sad, but this time felt a little harder. The teachers gave us some sugar and the owner of the house quickly ran outside. She shortly returned with two glasses of coke. She told us that when we returned we were welcome to stay in her home. Their pure gratitude and generosity was overwhelming. Through their kind appreciation they made me feel as if we helped and that in some small way we did make a difference. And to know that in some way we may have made a small change in the world is not only a motivating but also moving experience for me.

Back at the home base, I was extremely happy to be greeted by grilled cheese and tomato soup. It’s so nice to have a little familiarity in our ever-changing days. Some students remained at their service site for lunch because it was closer to the bazaar that we were going to in the afternoon. I sat next to Emelia for lunch and we talked about our days. She exposes her kind and caring heart with each funny story about the children she works with. After enjoying our meal, we all left for shopping at the bazaar. We spent a couple of hours picking out and trying on traditional clothing. I asked Azura, Katie, and Sarah for help picking out jewelry. Bless their kind hearts and constant positivity, they just kept telling me everything looked good. We all bought fun traditional jewelry, outfits, and bindis, preparing for the Bollywood night ahead of us.

Back at the home base Priya, our approachable and outgoing mentor, showed us how to put on our Saris, traditional Indian dresses. Lili entered the changing area after Ashely had applied her makeup and she looked absolutely stunning. Soon after, you could hear everyone begging Ashely to do their makeup as well. A long line of girls formed near Ashely. Her generosity and kindness was clear as she completed every single girl in that lines makeup. During this time, there was also a long line for henna, which was being done by women from the local community. Aubrey, Meera, and I anxiously awaited our turn. We all received very unique and beautiful designs. After the girls were all ready, the boys joined us in the common area. They calmly and confidently marched in sporting their casual tees and turbans. Some boys, like Zach, went full-out in the experience and got dressed up in all traditional clothing. Others were just rocking the jeans and turbans look. The chef cooked us a traditional fried Indian snack, samosas, that was very good. For a while, we just enjoyed each other’s company and listened to Bollywood music. A dance charge was led by Rachel, who always makes every situation as fun as possible. Even when there is a language barrier, she can make everyone smile. She is a truly outstanding person. As the night continued, we enjoyed our family-style traditional dinner. Looking at dinner, I realized that it was not just family-style because the dishes were shared with all but because in some way we had become a little bit like a family. We depended on each other. We were there for each other. We teased each other. We loved each other. After dinner, we danced until we were too tired to move. Once we hit that point we all gathered around to watch a Bollywood comedy. Cuddling around the movie, I was overcome by the fact that soon I would have to say goodbye to these people. But then I realized that hopefully our mentors are right and it’s not a goodbye. It’s just a see you later.

An Educational Day

Leader of the day: Nathan

Today we got up after a night of absolutely fantastic sleep and had some pretty good eggs and porridge for breakfast. We went to the nearby village and learned more about the culture and lifestyle of rural India. I found out that kids who go to school have to walk 20 kilometers every day traveling to and from the school-house. This was an astounding fact considering the extent of our griping and moaning with only an 8 k hike. I also learned that locals in need of supplies have to travel all the way to Dharamshala on foot, a journey we made mostly by car. The stuff we learned today further revealed the rigorous work ethic required of the locals and enlightened me as to how out of shape I am. After we got back from the village, some of us went swimming in the nearby river while the rest of us just chilled. The swimming hole was a fun combination of beautiful scenery and freezing cold mountain water, refreshing after walking around all day. Overall it was a pretty relaxed, educational day that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Trekking

Leaders of the day: Meera and Miguel

Our first day of trekking was quite the experience. It started out with a reasonable downhill hike that, though it may or may not have been made less bearable by Ben’s sarcasm, was generally manageable for all of us.

The Kangra Fort

Leader of the day: Olivia

After breakfast, we got ready to go to the Kangra Fort, where we went to the private museum about the fort and learned about the history. After climbing the many stairs to get to the centre of the fort, we learned about the significance of the temple and fort itself. Then, many of us learned about the proper way to enter a temple and were given a Tika, which is a form of a blessing, and is given by a red dot of dye on the forehead. We then continued to walk through the fort, and got to see mountains and houses from different parts of the fort.

Then we drove to the Masroor Temples, where we were surprised when the fish which had been described to us as “scary” were even more so than we had expected. Then those who hadn’t already gotten a Tika were given one by one of the mentors in the temple. Afterwards, we decided to go through a tunnel and up a very steep set of stairs which were scary. When we got to the end of the staircase, we ended up on top of the temple, which was a bit nerve-racking, as it would have been a fairly long drop, had someone fell off.

The walls were decorated with intricate images which was beautiful, though most of us were paying more attention to the lizard on the side of the wall than the wall itself. When we were ready to come down from the top, we discovered that going down the stairs was significantly more scary than going down, as we couldn’t see what we were about to step on. After a group picture, we left to go to lunch at a Dhaba, where some of us got to try Pakoras, which were vegetables deep fried in batter, and delicious. While the food was good, we were just excited for cold water after spending so much time in the sun.

When we got back to home base after lunch, we discussed our plans for our placements for the next day. My partner and I discussed how we planned on separating the children who were more advanced from the kids who needed more help with some of the basics, as our kids range in ages between two and five. We decided that some of the younger kids would work on more nursery rhymes, specifically The Itsy Bitsy Spider, because it’s easier for kids to learn when there’s a motion to go along with the song, and to eventually know their ABC’s and master counting beyond ten. We also decided that we wanted some of our more advanced kids to start learning words, because many of them already knew their ABC’s and were able to count beyond 15. We also set a long-term goal for them to start forming simple conversational sentences, such as “My name is….”, “I am…. years old” or “Good morning, how are you?”.  After planning, we finished the day with dinner, and then had quiet hour between nine and ten, then lights out.

A Long Day

Leader of the day: Adzra Kamandanu

On our tenth day here we all got to be exposed to all sorts of art. From colorful Tibetan temples and gardens, to ancient Indian miniature paintings that started hundreds of years ago.

In the morning, everyone left for placements as always. My group had a great time at school, the kids went crazy today as we took them outside to play soccer after lunchtime. We had a wonderful time, the kids were learning and catching up to things really fast and they were making so much progress. It was so nice to see how their English improved after being with us for only ten days. After spending time with the kids for two and a half hours we hiked back to our villa.

After having lunch at the villa, we were supposed to leave to Norbulingka. Unfortunately, we got hit by monsoon so we were stuck in the villa until the rain stopped at around 4:30 pm. We eventually did go, but much later than we had planned. The place we visited, Norbulingka, is a Tibetan arts center that consists of a colorful temple that keeps old Tibetan scripts, and also other exhibition centers such as doll houses and Tibetan gardens and ponds. The place itself is like a giant Japanese garden that has a temple-like building sitting in the middle, and  small buildings surrounding it. The place was beautiful as it was nicely decorated with colorful Tibetan flags and mini sculptures, but at the same time the design of it is simple enough to bring out its zen elements.

At night, two skilled artists visited our place to give us an insight into a type of art called Kangra Miniature Painting. The Kangra Miniature Painting almost got lost after the Mongols invaded. Luckily, some people tried to preserve this type of art even though the number of skilled Kangra Miniature painters right now is very little. There are only 10-15 artists that still perform this type of art professionally and they all reside around the Dharamsala area. The showed us their artwork, and we were all amazed by the small little details that added to the aesthetic beauty of the painting. Every detail  is very sharp and quaint and real gold is used in some of the paintings. Overall it was a very artistic experience because they showed us how to draw a face using a paintbrush and we also got to bring out the artistic side of us by trying to copy the drawing.

It was a long tiring day and the weather was not cooperating with us, but on the other hand we did things that opened our eyes. The different types of art form definitely gave me an idea of how diverse and vibrant the Indian culture is and I’m so glad I got to experience these kinds of things.

New Experiences

Like most mornings here, my day began with my long hike to school.

There, with the help of two other GLA volunteers, I taught 7 Indian children of ages ranging from 5 to 9 about math, basketball, and painting. I played tic-tac-toe math with them first. Through this game, the student learned how to write numbers from 1 to 100. The students were so excited to learn. Next, they had lunch. Then, I taught them how to dribble during recess. Meanwhile, some children played with bubbles. They would stare in awe as their bubbles floated away. Finally, the children painted while we taught them about the color wheel. The students loved testing this new media of art.

In the afternoon, we visited two temples. First, we saw the Akhanjar Mahadev temple. Here we participated in a Hindu religious ceremony. Then, we moved to the Dalai Llama’s temple. This seemingly mundane building was filled with beautiful art and carried great historical significance. Here, we learned about Tibetan hardship and Buddhism. A few Tibetan guides told us the story of how they escaped into India. These stories were equal part fascinating and terrifying. Unfortunately, the Dalai Lama himself was not in town. Finally, we went home, ate dinner, and went to bed.

– Robert Bertagne

Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Everyone had been looking forward to Tuesday, because Tuesday was shopping day. It began like any other day for us. We were awoken at 7:30 by a harsh banging on the door, followed by a quick breakfast before placements. I got very lucky, as my placement is the closest to the home base where we are staying. My group is the last to leave, and the first to return. Our children love to play soccer, and American football, and they especially love blowing bubbles. They are so easily entertained compared to children living in the USA. After placements we got a quick lesson on cooking traditional Indian dishes. We learned how to make our own potatoes, roti, dal, and chai. Rushing through lunch we got to the most exciting part of the day, shopping in McLeodganj. We were split into groups of 4 or 5 and given two hours to shop. Though two hours wasn’t nearly enough time to see every store or to find everything you needed to buy, everyone had a successful shopping day and came home with a lot of gifts and goodies. After dinner we engaged in a discussion with Tenzin Tsundue, a Tibetan activist. He talked a lot about his feelings on how the Tibetan crisis can be solved and what we can do to help the cause.

Tuesday was definitely one of my favourite days at my placement. Every day my kids get more and more comfortable with me. It was so great to be greeted with excited smiles rather than worried glances. Usually Miguel and I have three kids at our placement. Shanu and Vashu are around two or three and Nitika who is Vashu’s older sister is twelve. Their favourite thing to do is play with bubbles. It is adorable how excited all of them get about something as simple as popping bubbles. Shanu is very independent and likes to blow them herself. Shanu also likes to take pictures on my phone. There are so many ‘selfies’ on my phone that she takes, most of them are blurry and are of her eyes and mouth. Abhishek says that he thinks she will be a photographer when she grows up. I agree. Vashu is the talkative one. It is amazing hearing a person as young as he is, recite the alphabet in multiple languages and count to ten. He is really smart. Nitika is so sweet and helpful. I brought drawing materials for her this day and she drew me a picture of her house. Each of our kids is so uniquely special. I love that I get to see them every day.  It will be so hard to say goodbye to them in a week. But I try not to think about that too much now, and just enjoy every day  as they come.

Dharamshala – Home Away from Home

Leaders of the Day: Jonah and Katie

On Saturday, our first week in India concluded. Many of us experienced a kind of culture shock upon arriving, but by the end of the week we’d started to settle in and get used to our new home of Dharamshala. Because students still go to school on Saturdays here, we all continued our community service. But we soon learned that Saturdays at school aren’t just another day. After teaching for about an hour before lunch, we returned to class, expecting more of the same. So when the kids started running around the classroom like madmen, tackling each other to retrieve a squishy yellow effectively lost control of our classroom, we decided to play along. The students in my class decided to write my name in Hindi, which was very cool. But that wasn’t enough for them. They took turns coming up to the blackboard and drawing a portrait of me. I’ll say I looked less than flattering.

During the second half of the day, Vaila took the group for a tour at the Dolls for Tibet workshop. Dolls for Tibet is a workshop that is organized by Valia’s good friend Mona. Mona was inspired to create handmade dolls for her daughter, instead of purchasing the classic plastic Barbie dolls, which only reflected unnatural body image of a girl. The handmade dolls reflected the Tibetan culture alongside with Indian culture, which made it more genuine since the doll makers were local Tibetans and Indians. The work environment of Mona’s workshop is unique because she employs her workers of different background, which creates a diverse social atmosphere and allows immersion of different cultures, since that is rare in the work force environment in India. Since Mona’s husband is a Tibetan activist, Mona also wanted to create an awareness for Tibetan culture in a peaceful way, hence creating a genuine reflection of Tibetan culture through the handmade dolls. Her work has allowed to her to spread her message worldwide. It’s inspiring to see how one simple idea can turn into a worldwide movement for the spread of Tibetan culture.

Memories

Leaders of the day Isabella & Madeline

Often times we underestimate the power of education. It is something that we, as privileged children, take for granted. Half way across the globe, in an unfamiliar place, twenty-seven teenagers take on the challenge of understanding the world we live in. After our routine visit to our placements, spending time with the adorable kiddos to whom we’ve grown accustomed and with whom we’ve created great bonds, and eating a nice Indian meal for lunch, we set off on a beautiful hike through the mountains. Our destination was one of breathtaking magnificence both in its appearance and its purpose. Hot, sweaty, tired, but most of all excited, we arrived to Wind Whistlers school, where we had the opportunity to talk with Mrs. Manisha Gautam. Her work was truly inspiring, Last years ago, she took it upon herself to build a school. At the site, we had a tour and participated in an activity in which we dissected the good, the bad, and the potential of teaching and learning. Manisha further opened our eyes to the importance of education and the blessing we, as fortunate Americans, have. In her country, India, the education systems lack almost all of what we posses, and though some try to make a difference, others simply allow it to remain unaltered. She, as one of the few who strive to make a change, is undoubtedly a hero. Spending the afternoon in her school was incredibly enlightening. After thanking Mrs Manisha for the wonderful visit, we trekked a bit more until we reached our dinner destination. High up in the mountains, all of us were welcomed into the small home of a precious Indian family, where they cooked us a delicious meal. The experience was like none other, and the feeling of being submerged within their culture was amazing. Once we finished our lovely dinner and enjoyed the peaceful sunset, we headed home with a new light shed upon us. The events of the day were full of fun, learning, and memories we will never forget.

Reflections

Leader of the Day: Jacob Malloy

The morning of the young in the new.

Wake with a loud call and response humming of the native birds, through the rustle of the soft green trees. Sit up in the bed and stare down, half awake, at the roommate’s bright blue pack, bought with expectation of adventure. Think of what life is, what of the ebb and flow to the madness of the soul wrenching surreality of life’s motion.

Then stand up. Walk slowly to the shower, but first tackle the irritated intestines’ morning call. Turn on the shower to fill the peach bucket with semi-sweet essence poured from the faceted spring. Pour warm water down the back, it feels as a partial blanket, wishing itself to be whole. Clean the self. Put on the dripped upon clothes of the day before, blue with paint that now covers the wall of one Indian child’s world.

Feel a bit stronger than the day before, troubles feel further from the paramount they live their lives so confidently in. I open my door to the hot white light of the Indian summer day. The rustle and bird song stay alive in sound, but disappear in sight. Turn right. Know now it is off to argue, to be scared, to learn, appreciate, grow, and hurt. Taking that path, love it as it is, but question.

As a Family

Leaders of the Day: Lili Whitelaw and Cassidy Boylan

Day 5 into India, we woke up in Dharmsala as a family.  It’s crazy how it only took around 120 minutes to acclimate to our new surroundings and become close with every individual on the program.  After we ate in the morning, everyone headed out their separate ways to volunteer at various schools or daycare centers.  Personally, Cassidy and I (Lili) went to two different day care locations.  Even though they were separate places with different people, we both found the kindness of the Indian children inviting.

In these day camps, we colored, played games, and taught each other English – and Hindi!  Though at first it seems uncomfortable to get used to, soon after we found things in common with each other, played many games, and laughed about all the random, unexpected moments.

The children welcomed us as well, and helped us find a different outlook in our own lives.

After that, it came time to part with our kids for the day, and we headed back to our home base to meet the rest of the GLA team for a tasty lunch, followed by a Hindi lesson. After learning simple words and conversations in Hindi, everyone partnered up and went on a scavenger hunt around town. This hunt consisted of speaking and recording conversations in Hindi with locals, as well as translating and finding different objects. After all the fun and games finished, we all came together to bond for a few hours before dinner. We are realizing how much of an impact our time here in India is making, and the team is really coming together as a family.

First Day of School

Leader of the Day: Sarah Crum

Today was Tuesday June 17th and it was our first day of visiting our schools! We started the day off with breakfast at eight and then split off into our groups of kids who were working with younger students and kids who were working with students up to the fifth grade level. With our mentors we went to the different schools we were placed into and stayed for about an hour trying to get a feel for what the teachers needed from us and how we could help them. We returned back to our beautiful base camp for lunch atone o’clock which consisted of Roti, hummus, and vegetable salad wraps which were very tasty!

After lunch we sat with our placements (group members) and came up with what we thought good teachers were, goals we had for ourselves (in terms of what we would need to teach the kids), and the classroom environment we would like to create. We then had some free time until seven which was when dinner was. A couple kids, including myself, napped while others played basketball or simply reflected on the day! Dinner was delicious with more roti, chicken, potatoes, and a vegetable dish of cauliflower, carrots, and green peppers. Overall it was a very exciting day that allowed us to see what the future holds in store!

Close and Far at the Clouds End Villa

Leader of the Day: Ashley Dyer

Serenity surrounded us as we awoke to our beautiful home in Dharamashala. With extra time to relax the night before, many of us went to sleep early and woke up early, quite naturally, feeling refreshed and ready to begin the day. Breakfast began at 8 in the morning but many of us gathered in common room beforehand in search of the great and powerful wifi. After a breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit and tea we headed off to the placements of which we were assigned with our groups.

Sarah and I headed down through the city and descended the steep slopes with our group, all of us assigned to the same placement. Our group consisted of 10 gla students, our mentor Ben and our local guide Vinay who told us how he attended the school we were going to be placed at to work with the children.
Once we arrived at the school, we were in for a little shock. We had planned to simply observe and ask the teachers questions on our first day, but once we got there the teachers wanted us to begin working with the kids right away.

Natalie and I were given the second graders to work with and we were put in a small class of only 9 students. It was quite challenging to teach the children the difference between past and present, singular and plural. The teacher had us help them with their workbooks. What we noticed was that the kids were struggling with comprehension of the words. It appeared to us that they could read the words in the workbook but their understanding of the words and sentences were lacking.

Some of the other GLA students worked with students up to 5th grade. The teachers asked us to work with them on English, grammar, math and science. Natalie and I were teaching English.

After about an hour, we left and began the hike back to our home in Dharamashala, the Clouds End Villa. We thought that the hike down was difficult, but we soon realized that the hike back up the mountain was much more tiring. We were all drenched in sweat once we got back and we sat in the common room to wait for everyone else to arrive from their placements. Everyone was interested in hearing about the different things we all experienced. Soon we were given a lunch of hummus, roti, a vegetable mix and rice.

After lunch we all sat together in the common room and enjoyed some chai tea as we started to discuss topics to get our minds thinking about how we can be our best to provide service to the students of the local school. Elise asked questions like, “Who was your favorite teacher and why?” and “What type of environment do you best learn in?” Elise asked us these questions so that we could share our thoughts as a group and keep our responses in mind while we created our visions and develop goals. In our teams we finished the sentences “We are teachers who…” And “Our classroom will be a place that…” Natalie and I decided that we will be teacher who are caring for each student, created a non-intimidating and approachable aura, and bring happiness and inspiration into the classroom. We talked about how we want our classroom to be a place that is organized, full of purpose, color, and enthusiasm.

After sharing what all of us had brainstormed, we got into groups and created posters which are to act as reminders of our intentions throughout our stay here in Dharamashala. The discussions we had as a group created a huge spark of excitement and inspiration in all of us about the things we can accomplish through our service. Some of us have ideas to clean up the school, create murals in the classrooms, and to hang the students artwork on the walls. We have all been developing our lesson plans and strategizing how we can best teach the students despite the language barrier.

The rest of the day was spent resting, reflecting and thinking of how we can best use the rest of our time here. At 7 we ate dinner family style. I feel like we are all starting to become a family and I am shocked by how quickly all of these people have grown on me and how quickly we have all connected as a group. Through our service, our activities and deep conversations about life and our aspirations I feel like we are creating experiences we will never forget.

Incredible India

Leader of the Day: Zachary Schwindt

My first couple of days in India have been incredible! Now i see why this land is referred to as “Incredible India.” With such limited resources, people are used to sharing with the rest of the community as they work as a team. When you see these things, you realize that less is more.

There is so much compassion & understanding, more than any place I’ve been. Everyone you make eye contact with is so happy to see you in their country. You see their deep brown eyes light up with excitement as they greet you with a welcoming smile.

The children are almost overwhelmed when they see us as they giggle and whisper into their siblings ear. There is never a dull moment!

All races & religions seem to be accepted everywhere. They embrace the diversity instead of being opposed to the differences.

India is full of bright colors, exotic life, and welcoming people.

I couldn’t be happier to be in India!

Headed Home

All students are headed home after an amazing program!

Saying Goodbye

Today was bittersweet. We left Xela and drove three hours to Antigua. It was an emotional experience to leave the house and say goodbye to all the staff there. When we finally arrived to Antigua we got settled into our same hotel that we stayed in the first night of the trip. After that we explored the mini markets that were around the hotel and did some last minute shopping. Shortly after everyone came back from shopping we had our farewell dinner. Almost everyone got dressed up and we ate at this chill, relaxing place. We also took lots of pictures together. After dinner we watched a PowerPoint that Amber (GLA student) made of the trip – which was very sad to see. It’s becoming more real that we’ll be home in two days. Shortly after the PowerPoint we all went back to our rooms. Some people went straight to sleep, but others took the free time to reflect on the trip. We have one more full day to look forward to and it’s sad to think about. On the bright side this has been a life changing, amazing experience. We’ve all made close relationships with each other and it’ll be hard to say goodbye. Thank you GLA for giving everyone and I the experience of a life time.

– Tiarah Young

Last Day in Xela

Today was the day everyone realized that the counselors were right when they said, “You blink and it’s all over.” No one was prepared for this. People came on this trip thinking three weeks was too long now people are leaving wishing there was more time. We’ve all become so close; we really are a family. Because this was our last day in Xela it was also our last day at the school too. The kids at the school prepared a dance for us as a thank you. The little girls were wearing their traditional Mayan skirts and Wipels (shirts). The boys were wearing all white pants and shirts with a red belt type thing. We recieved certificates and little pens in the shape of Mayan dolls. When the performance was over we all said our last goodbyes to the kids, took pictures, cleaned up, and had our last ride home from the school.

After lunch some of us went to a park to play soccer. We then went back to the home base to join the rest of the group in piñata making. Three piñatas were made: a beautiful butterfly, a minion from Despicable Me, and a man named Paco. When we finished making the piñatas we went to a town called San Andres to see a really beautiful church, met a women that hand makes Yiples, drank amazing hot chocolate, ate great bread, and watched a interesting traditional Mayan dance with a monkey and a jaguar. Towards the end of the tour it started raining and we had to run back to the vans. When we got home we ate Pache for dinner and then we wrote nice things abut each other as a group activity.

-Rachel

An Adventurous Day!

¨Sometimes on Sunday, you find yourself burning chocolate in the crater of a dormant volcano¨ -Pat.

After a breakfast of cereal and yogurt, we headed out for one of our weekend expeditions to Mount Chikobol, a dormant volcano with a sacred lake in its crater. We drove 45 minutes to the base of the volcano where we continued to make our way up to the start of the trail. Soon the cobblestone road turned into dirt and we were bouncing back and forth between potholes and ruts. When we reached the end of the trail, we began an hour long hike to the summit of the volcano, fueled by cookies, Tortrix and apples, which was immediately followed by a steep descent into the crater. When we arrived, everyone was taken aback by the beauty of the lake. After a quick snack break, we began a traditional Mayan ceremony lead by a shaman where we made wishes using white candles. When the ritual was complete, we hiked back down — not before a few people took some falls. Our ride down was characterized by singing at the top of our lungs to the dismay of other hikers.

After returning home, we settled down to watch Slumdog Millionaire so everyone could see Dharam’s lookalike, Dev Patel. For dinner, the mentors surprised us with much-desired pizza from an Italian restaurant. After, we watched a TED Talk that explored the perception of international service work from the sides of both volunteers and locals. The video then led to a discussion of the topic, where we agreed that service trips alone do not create long term change, but rather the work done afterwards. We learned that is important not to walk away thinking that we’ve done our part, but to instead use this experience as inspiration and motivation to create permanent changes in  our communities and beyond.

Memories

Ruins

Today was a interesting day. It started off with a long two hour drive to the Mayan ruins. We went down in elevation to 2,000 ft so it was really hot and humid; and bug spray and sun screen didn’t help. We saw a lot of ruins and we learned that the Jaguar was an important and sacred animal to the Mayan people.

Then after, we had a fantastic, delicious lunch at a resort. Which was 20 minutes from the Mayan ruins. The carnivores had chicken with a sauce, mashed potato’s, and vegetables on the side. For desert we had some type of good cake. On the way back to home base we listened to a jaw breaking podcast about the Civil War between the Guerillas and the Military. It was based on a massacre that took place in a small village called Dos Erres. The Military killed most of the village except for two boys that were spared. I enjoyed it very much and learned that a lot of the Military didn’t want to talk about what they did to many towns in Guatemala during the Civil War.

Shortly after we got back, some of us walked to a mall to access wifi. I got to face time my family which made me happy, especially talking to my little Ironman aka my little brother. After facetimeing, we went to a bakery and got cake for Orlando’s birthday. Once we got back we continued the Spit tournament. Sadly I got out in the first round #cardsarentmything and I played connect four with Max and lost three times #connect4isntmythingeither. As loser I had to get him a cup of tea with honey. Tonights dinner was good, we had hamburgers and some bomb fries #thatmeansgood. Lastly we had a small dance party to celebrate Orlando’s birthday. That basically concludes our day. #icantwaitforthehiketothevalcano #thatsalonghashtag

-Sydney

An Eventful Day

Today was an eventful day. Sadie, Christian, Max, Patrick, and I decided to go for a run around Xela. Everything was going well until we came upon a huge hill that Sadie and I struggled to run up. Then we came home to a breakfast of French toast, one of our favorites, and pineapple. We then headed off to service at the school where we our finishing up our projects. Our artists, Sydney, Phyllis, Amber, Tete, Kate and I, finally finished our beautiful heart shaped mosaic. We are now starting to mosaic the sink, which we hope will help to brighten up the atmosphere of the school. The wall builders are putting the finishing touches on the wall, and we are all excited to see the final product. During recess, the kids at the school were enjoying taking pictures with Rachel and Talia’s cameras. Also, many of the kids volunteered to help with our mosaic, which warmed our hearts and also sped up the process.

We then returned to the house for lunch. After lunch we finalized our bracket for our Spit (a card game) tournament. Then some of us went to a field to play soccer, although some of us opted out of soccer for the chance to jam out to the High School Musical soundtrack. After soccer, we headed straight to Spanish class, which consisted of a trip to the Zoo, where we talked with our teachers about the animals, and a trip to the local mall, where we got ice cream and Domino’s Pizza, a much needed treat.

Finally, we returned home, and the Spit tournament began. Each game was heated, with many interesting quotes coming from Dharam, including ¨Do you even lift?¨ The first round is now over, and all of us are looking forward to the next round. After dinner, we watched an interesting documentary about Cracking the Maya Code, which should help us with our excursion tomorrow, a trip to the ancient Mayan ruins.

We are now 2 weeks in and we’ve been having so much fun. Can’t wait for the next week!

¡Adios!

-Lindsay

Reflections

Spanish is definitely making its way into our everyday thoughts and experiences. Last night at 1am Sadie began sleep-talking, “te gusta… te gusta.” Aside from that, we slept soundly. This morning, we gobbled up some breakfast burritos (eggs, beans, and tomatoes in a tortilla) and piña before heading off to service. Not everyone was feeling one hundred percent – there is a cold going around – but we were all looking forward to the day ahead. On the way to school, I worked with today’s teachers (Avery, Mike, Dharam, Peter, and Max) on our lesson plan to teach English to our class of 24 third-graders. Today’s topic was vocabulary on family members.

We arrived around 8:30 and started teaching at 9:00. We introduced the vocab in the classroom and then split into our 3 groups. Activities included “Around the World” and “Duck Duck Goose” (a.k.a. Mother Mother Father). We then asked each student to draw and label a picture of their family.

“One girl had nine siblings and didn’t know their names,” said Avery. It was a great opportunity to get a deeper understanding of these children, with whom we’ve been working for the past week and a half. When one boy in my group, Christian, showed me his drawing, I asked if he had any brothers or sisters. “Mi hermana se murio,” he said. “My sister died.” He explained to me that his baby sister had passed away. I was unsure of how to respond – it’s a difficult situation in a language I know, let alone one I don’t. I said sorry.

Today was Dharam’s first time in the classroom. I checked in with him afterwards to see how it went. “They picked up vocabulary very quickly and were eager to learn,” said Dharam. “I didn’t realize how much planning was needed for a lesson.” “It was good but they had a hard time with the concept,” said Mike, a slightly more seasoned teacher. “Like, they could’t even remember ´mother´ and stuff.” Overall, class went well and the kids were invested.

During recess, I hung out with some friends at the school. I asked Caterin what she got for her birthday yesterday. “Una cartera, una camiseta, una blousa, y los pantalones.” When Noemi, Sofia, and Angela were asked what their favorite class was, they all responded with “mathematica.” They then asked me for a “caballito” – a piggy-back ride – which I gave to each of them at full speed. We also played around with the video feature on my camera.

At the end of recess, Eric approached me. Eric loves hugs and taking pictures with my camera. “Vamos a mi clasé?” he asked. “Will you take me to class?” Of course, I did – caballito style. After recess, I decided to visit my fellow GLA-ers who have been working on beautification projects: Sydney, Phyllis, Kate, and Lindsay. It was Phyllis’ first day back at service after being out sick for a few days. She told me that she was “tired but good.”

The group was finishing up a lovely heart-shaped mosaic on the playground wall. “It’s colorful,” said Sydney. “I scraped my fingers a couple times. But it´s worth it. We’re almost done.” “It’s good,” Kate confirmed. Unfortunately, her hands were cold from the cement. Lindsay agreed. “It’s more tedious than painting but the result is more rewarding.” As far as what the future holds for these artistes, she says, “We’re going to mosaic the sink.” Hopefully, their hard work will create a warmer learning environment for the students of Pacaja.

Finally, I headed over to the wall construction site, where I work in the late morning. “We’re almost finished,” said Christian. Once the final bricks were laid and the final cement batches mixed, I climbed onto the scaffolding to soak in the view one more time. Rachel, Christian, and I took a few minutes to scan the cluster of houses with tin roofs, and the mountains beyond them. We returned to the ground for a quick photo op and the chance to admire our work. “We built a wall,” said Lila. Indeed we did. Tomorrow we will begin the drywall.

We returned home for a lunch of lasagna, spinach salad, and watermelon. “Lasagna was bangin´,” said Peter, marking his approval of the meal. At 1:30 we broke out the shorts and tank tops (which we don´t get to wear in Xela, since it´s fairly conservative), packed up our swimsuits, and left for our afternoon excursion: a trip to the hot springs.

“It was pretty majestic,” says Mike. We lounged in the nature-made pools of warm water and grabbed some snacks at the restaurant. “I thought I was hot but hot springs was hotter,” remarked Tete. Some people did overheat a bit, but the experience was very relaxing.

On the drive back to home base, I asked around about expectations for this evening’s activity: a lecture by guest speaker and former member of the Guatemalan military, Jose Ruben, on the Guatemalan Civil War. He would likely give contrasting arguments to last nights speaker, a Guerrilla activist.

“It’ll be interesting to hear the other side of the story but I already have my opinion. I’m with the Guerrillas,” said Peter. “I’m interested in how they could defend what they did,” said Lila, referring to the atrocities that last night’s speaker discussed. It was fascinating to hear the speaker give an almost completely opposite account of the war from what we had heard. Afterwards, we discussed our own opinions. It didn’t sound like many people were swayed by Señor Ruben, but we all took into consideration the fact that both speakers were very biased.

Dinner was pizza – something that many of us have been craving for a while. We wrapped up the day with a quick mentor group session. We shared “roses and thorns” (the good and bad parts of the day), our goals for the remainder of the trip, and “rosebuds” (what we are excited for). Personally, I’m looking forward to a good night sleep, a productive day at the school tomorrow, and a hike up a volcano this weekend.
P.S. Nicole is looking for a roommate in Cambridge, if anyone is interested.
P.P.S. I apologize for any mistakes in Spanish. No hablo español.
Happy Friday to all.
Sincerely,

-Talia

A Great Day!

Today was an interesting day. The day didn’t start off so well, with three people unable to attend service due to health reasons. While the sick sat in the comfort of home recuperating, those well enough to work worked hard. Those constructing the wall managed to fill in the gaps between the sections and construct another row. Simultaneously, those working on the mosaic crushed pieces of different coloured rock, and slowly pieced together what will soon be a beautiful mosaic. After a hard morning of work, Patrick surprised everyone with a trip to Walmart. After a lunch of beans, rice and beef, the students went to their language class. The teachers took everyone to a nursing home for women. The experience was out of the ordinary to say the least; the students helped out by first talking to the elderly, then serving them food. After, the teachers took us to a square nearby and made everyone have a conversation with at least one person. Once that was over, they surprised us with a trip to a local ice-cream parlour and McDonalds. After an intense day out, we went home to be enlightened by a Guatemala civil war veteran who imparted his knowledge of the war on us. Dinner was pasta and salad, which was delicious. What followed dinner was a game of Pictionary which everyone participated in. A great way to end an amazing day.

-Dev Patel (Dharam Madnani)

Reflections

So far this GLA Guatemala experience has been mind changing and impactful for people. It has change peoples perspective on the World and Even Friendships. Since we have been here in guatemala, We have experience’s New Friendship, New People, New Culture and a New side of the World. As we have been in guatemala we have experience the beautiful views in panajachel, boat rides to 3 important towns, We have seen and been to mayan markets. We also have had other activities such as Pottery workshops, Sala class, Chocolate cooperatives, Spanish classes. Today we had cooking class and also went to momocastenango. So far this experience has been amazing and different from what people are used too.

-Amber Carty

Chichi!

Today we woke up at seven at the hotel in Lake Atitlán. We had eggs, a bean paste and plantains. After enjoying our last minutes of free wifi, we left the lake and headed to Chichicastenango. Once there, we were given two hours to enjoy the biggest market in Central America. We learned how to bargain, sometimes removing a couple hundred quetzals from the original price and Nicole bought a useless marimba in the hope to start a band with the other mentors (Patrick and Celina on the flutes). The market was very beautiful, with all the different colors and the commotion. However, the vendors were very pushy, sometimes sending 8 year olds to guilt us into buying objects. Later we regrouped at a hotel with parrots who could say “hola” and ate from a delicious buffet. After a one hour digestive break, we returned to the home base. There we played Mafia, ate dinner and then saw the first official gig of the mentors. It was a memorable, eventful day.

¡Hasta luego!

-Maxime

Lake Atitlan

Yesterday morning we woke up early to drive to Lake Atitlan for our overnight excursion. The drive was about two hours which gave us time to rest and chat. As we got closer to the lake, we were able to appreciate the amazing views- the lake looked like it had come straight out of a National Geographic magazine. After we got settle into our hotel rooms, we took a boat to a couple towns across the lake and got the opportunity to go shopping, which most of us (myself included) really enjoyed. We also got to try our hand at bargaining, which I really enjoyed. We went to two towns and had lunch in the second before we headed back to the hotel. At the hotel, we got to unwind and take advantage of the hotel’s WiFi, and we were able to add each other on Instagram and Snapchat. After our brief unwinding, we went into the town we were staying in and shopped and explored some more before heading back to the hotel for the rest of the evening, where we ate dinner and played cards. Patrick told us that statistics show that students tend to bond on the excursion, and while I’m unsure of exactly where these statistics come from, but I definitely feel like I got to know everyone a bit more. It was a really great day because we got to unwind from the jam-packed week that we’ve had and to really appreciate Guatemala’s beauty and to get to know everyone else on the trip a bit more.

-Kate

Chocolate!!

Today was a great day. Today we finished painting the stairs at the school we’re volunteering at, and another group was still working on the wall, as well as a couple groups working with kids. When we came back home we had the most delicious spaghetti and garlic bread for lunch. A little Italiano in Guatemala. Later in the day we went to a chocolate factory and we learned a lot about the history of chocolate in Guatemala. The chocolate was really different from what I’m used to but it was really good. I definitely bought some chocolate (vanilla) flavoured, and I plan on making some pretty fetch hot chocolate. Then the squad (Sadie, Lila, and I), took many pictures of our experience; as did everyone else. Then shortly after we went to the chocolate factory we learned how to dance salsa! It was super fun. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Eventually we made our way back to our lovely home and had some down time. Orlando (awesome staff member), told us some history and statistics about Guatemala. That just about sums up the GLA day. Hasta!

– Tiarah Young (Mama T)

An Eventful Day

Today was an entertaining and eventful day. First we woke up close to 6:30. Some people went to run with Patrick. They said that they felt like they could not breathe much and that they were going to throw up (because of the elevation). Patrick must be a good runner. For breakfast we had french toast and watermelon with yogurt. Most agreed that this was the best breakfast yet. After breakfast we went to the school to do service for the children. Some of us taught English classes, while others built a wall or worked on painting the stairs. We all enjoyed playing with the students. They seemed fascinated with our phones and cameras and wanted to take pictures and selfies. After that we ate lunch and went to Spanish class. We learned for a long time and then we went out to test our skills at the market. Later we ate dinner and did a fun activity to see what kind of leaders we are. It was a good day.

-Mike Erickson

A Great Day!

Today was a great day! We woke up and some of us felt the need to workout. Afterwards, we ate breakfast which included eggs, beans, and fruit. After breakfast we went to the school to do our daily volunteer work. Some of us taught an english class including me, Phyllis, Kate, Avery, Talia and Mike. Lindsay, Tete, Sydney and Amber painted stairs and Dharam, Sadie, Peter, Christian, Maxime, and Rachel built a wall for the library. During recess at the school, we have discovered that the kids really love piggy-back rides and helping out with the projects. After that we returned to the home base for lunch and resting. We then traveled to a nearby town to learn about pottery. Afterwards we walked around in groups and explored the town. In the town there was an open market which showcased the different foods and elements of Guatemala. We then returned to the house for dinner and leadership activities. Our leadership activities tonight were focused on stereotypes and “the other”. We watched different youtube videos which expressed the different point of views of people around the world. We then discussed our opinions on the subject. Looking forward to a new exciting day in Guatemala!
xoxo

-Lila

First Day of Service

We woke up, did the morning exercise. then had pancakes that tasted like bananas. Today was our first day of service, we had a choice of three projects, the wall, creating a lesson plan for english class and painting. Recess came around, it was chaos, we had a lot of fun, the kids wanted endless piggy back rides. One kid in particular, Gustavo, wanted a ride from everybody. After service, we went home, there was a big bump and the road. We had lunch next, rice with shredded beef, tortillas and the vegetarian alternative. The group had fun playing monopoly and card games until spanish classes, that lasted till six, we were put into groups and got to see the historic center of Quetzaltenango. Afterwards Freddie educated us on the storied history of Guatemala. For dinner we had Spanish tortillas with salad and pink space jello. The day was wrapped up with more games and ultimately the mentor groups where we got to all get closer to one another.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived safely and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

A Few Late Blogs!

First off Happy Birthday Dad!
The entire GLA experience has been extremely fun and memorable. Today we did our daily routine at the school, working on the wall and mural. The mural is almost complete; the people working on it just need to do the final touches. The wall, which I am working on, is almost complete. We just need three more rows and we have three more days at the school, and because we finish a row a day, we will complete it just in time. After about 2 hours of work, we had recess, which I believe is the best part of the day. The kids ran out of their classes all excited to see us. People were playing tag, giving piggyback rides, and chasing the kids. I, however; was a human jungle gym/ punching bag for the kindergarten class. After service we eat lunch at Home Base and got ready for our afternoon Spanish class….

Today at Spanish class, we had our own personal tutors. There was one tutor for two kids, and I was with JP. We had an amazing time with our tutor. We went to a restaurant/museum, where we ate chocolate while snacking on some dessert type cookies, and it was all delicious. As we ate, our teacher helped us with using tenses as well as teaching us new vocab. Once we had finished eating, we all watched the end of the Argentina vs. Netherlands game, which was extremely nerve racking but also very exciting. Finally, once the game ended, we returned home where we did our leadership activity. –Max Cohen

 
Today, we woke up at 8:30am and enjoyed fresh huevos rancheros with fresh beans and fried plantains (a typical Guatemalan breakfast). While people enjoyed having breakfast outside of the Hotel, little did most of the GLAers knew what news was about to come out of the mentors’ mouths.

Celina (the GLA mentor), shared the devastating news that one of our fellow GLAer was sent home due to his attempt of purchasing alcohol. This completely made the whole group uncomfortable and made breakfast have a funeral-like silence. After students packed, the silence continued – some were crying, and chit-chatting about Charlie Darcos’ send off. Once we were about to depart from Panajachel to Chichicastenango, we saw Charlie on the back for the bus with a small backpack and wearing Celina’s floral leggings. Then Patrick revealed the fact that it was all a joke. And the moral of this story was to not buy alcohol or else, well you can already guess what the consequence is.

We then finally departed from Panajachel to Chichicastenango to buy some Guatemalan products. After our 1-hour ride, we then split into small groups to buy a variety of products. The market of Chichi was very interesting – it had some similarities and some differences compared to the other markets previously shopped at.

For instance, all were colorful and sold traditional Guatemalan clothing and art crafts. The difference that speaks the loudest from all of the others compared to the Chichi market is the fact that people were more aggressive on selling their products. Some used black mailing and stubbornness to make people, including me to buy their products. After bargaining at almost every little store, most of us got the best deals and were happy with our shopping’s of the day.

I enjoyed the fact of visiting an important place that portrays another aspect of the Guatemalan culture. It conveys a secret of diligence and perseverance and also the importance of maintaining its culture. -Jules

Only 4 days left till the first Spanish, Service, and Maya Culture session of this year concludes. Today was a very memorable day, as the bond of this group grew much stronger. This morning we were giving devastating news, Charles Dracos was sent home earlier today because he was caught “purchasing alcohol” at the local market. The grin in our faces slowly changed as Celina attempted to announce this over breakfast. As we prepared to leave out of the hotel we stayed at for the night, sorrow vibe was evident when going into the van. Celina’s “Everything will be fine in 10 minutes” speech became a clear hint for some that this may be a prank. There a boy was standing with his back facing the opposite direction the van was driving in. This boy’s choice of floral leggings and gray baseball cap gave an instant alert to everyone that this boy might be Charlie! All 21 students ran towards Charlie to greet him. Although we were angry that Charlie along with the mentors were able to execute such a prank, we are all glad that a member of our group did not have to go home. After this incident, it was evident that everyone enjoyed each other’s company a lot more. In the midst of this horrific prank, I guess we all learned that everyone is an essential member to the group.

The rest of the day consisted of improving our bargaining skills as we took on one of the biggest markets in Central American, Chichicastenango. Futhermore, we ate lunch at a very unique hotel while watching the Finals of the World Cup. Many were upset about Argentina’s defeat (Mentor Nicole), but the cure for this disappointment was a 3 hour nap in the car on our way back to our home base in Xela. It has been a very fun weekend, This group is not ready to go back home. -Angel 

We’re Coming Home!

All students have departed and are on their way home!

Final Thoughts

We began our last day together as a GLA family by waking and departing from our hotel in Antigua at the rather ungodly hour of four a.m., with the purpose of catching a flight to the ancient Maya ruins of Tikal. While having a less-than-ideal amount sleep would leave most people drained of enthusiasm, I feel as though I can safely say that we were all excited to make the most of our final excursion. After a brief plane ride and drive, we arrived at the site of the ruins. Before we’d even laid eyes upon a single structure, our tour guide swept us away on journey to a time when the Maya were at the peak of their civilization, when they ruled the land from sprawling limestone cities filled with temples, pyramids and palaces, and when they lead the world in agriculture and astrology. Of course, when we actually came to the Great Plaza and saw the breath-taking buildings for ourselves, it truly brought the lost world to life. There is no way to completely describe these massive and complex structures without seeing them yourself.

We spent an hour and a half exploring the ruins, clambering up steep stairs, weaving through crumbling buildings, and climbing just about everything intact enough to withstand our weights. The little group I was exploring with even happened across some hieroglyphics, and we made a rather creative attempt to decipher them. It was mind blowing that over 1000 years ago, this flourishing civilization built a city of such size and durability. We ended our tour with a climb of Pyramid IV, the tallest of the pyramids at 212 feet. The view from the top was spectacular, to say the least. We took some group pictures up there, and we were also given time to simply sit and look out across the vast jungles of Petén and the remains of the Maya civilization scattered throughout. I personally used the time to think about the last three weeks and enjoy the memories they had given me. We then transitioned into a nice lunch, complete with scented wet towels for cleaning off our now uncomfortably hot faces. After lunch, we hung around for a few more hours as we waited for our buses to arrive to drive us back to the airport, from which we would fly back into Guatemala City.

Our next stop was a surprisingly upscale Pizza Hut, where we celebrated Nicole’s 16th birthday with copious amounts of pizza (of course), chicken wings, and some chocolate cake accompanied by birthday songs in a variety of different languages. Our last meal as a whole group was lively and fun, if Americanized, and filled with laughter, chatter, and not-so-organized chaos. The van ride to Antigua was one big party, with a continuous blasting of songs, people singing/screaming to what they knew, dancing to what they didn’t (and did), and everyone giving their all. With less than 12 hours left together, we let go of our sadness about the fast- approaching future and sang our hearts (and voices) out.

The atmosphere became more sober when we arrived at our hotel, as we allowed reality to sink in. We had so little time left, and we had to make the most of it. That night was spent packing, signing people’s awards, and fighting to stay awake as late as possible to spend every last second with the family that we’d created over such a short period of time. Those last few hours were bittersweet, as we laughed, cried and reminisced about all of the wonderful things we’d done together. Some of us stayed up until we had to depart in the 4:00 a.m. airport group, and lots and lots of tearful hugs accompanied us as we began our journey home.

I find myself amazed that three weeks passed so quickly. It blows my mind to think that I’ve met all of these wonderful and unique people quite recently, and yet I have put so much trust into them, telling them things that only family and long-time friends know about me. To say that I feel grateful for the experiences I had during the trip would be a gross understatement. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. My experience with GLA was truly memorable and inspiring. Most of all, it led me to learn even more about myself. Being put in a foreign environment with new people, a different language, and a brand new set of everyday challenges taught me this important lesson: I can do it. Even when confronted with some of my biggest fears, even when battling paralyzing self-doubt and anxiety and being pushed to my physical and emotional limits, I am 100% capable of conquering every obstacle in my way. The same goes for everyone else who experienced GLA with me this summer. It was such an honor to know every single one of you, to share in the blood, sweat and tears that come with our work. From beginning to end, GLA Guatemala has been the experience of a lifetime for me, and I will never forget what I have gained from every minute of this trip. Again, though these words could never say enough, I thank you. Wishing you all the best in life,

-Eleanora (aka Ella aka Genghis Khan) Brown

Reflections

For the past few weeks it has been a pretty exciting trip and it has been a great experience especially with everyone else in the group, who I have made friends with. The best thing about this trip is not only the community service work and learning about a new culture, but also the new friendships I made during this trip. I have come out of my comfort zone and let myself be more open to everyone else and that has opened a new path for me. I have become very close with the people I least expected and I have been improving the comfort level I have with talking with new people. The community service has got me to work closely with children who are less fortunate and they have taught me the importance of having harmony in a community and looking after one another. When two little girls came up to me and my group about helping a students mother who was ill, I was bit shocked at how many people were helping contribute with the situation of another student in the school. These students care about each other. They have become a huge and big family. And they aren’t the only ones that have become a big family. My GLA group has become close together with each other and we all share a big experience that has now impacted our lives. I don’t expect many others to understand what it feels like to go to this trip. But, I do know that we are the only ones who can understand each other in a personal level then most people do at this given moment when we went to this trip.

-Elvis

Weekend Excursion to Lake Atitlan:

Thankful

So we all survived the earthquake. It was apparently recorded as a 7.1, but here in Xela it was felt to be somewhere more like a 6.6. I think it woke all of us up and shook our beds, but we are all safe and most of us ended falling back asleep.

Here at GLA (and in Guatemala) we learn pretty quickly about being adaptable and open to change, so the earthquake today was a good lesson in that. Though we woke up at our usual time to be ready for the 7:30 breakfast, we were promptly informed that the service for the day would be cancelled. In fact, school in general will be closed until Wednesday as a safety precaution, but we will be returning to the school regardless starting tomorrow. Hopefully the wall wasn’t harmed, but if it was, we´ll gladly redo the work, so that we can finish the project in the time we have left.

For our friends and family back home, these 21 days probably feel like a long time. For those of us here, though, the days are busy, but pass by faster than I ever thought they would. We have enough down time to be able to be productive and helpful, but the rest of the time we live a life that feels fast-paced. We are constantly creating and deepening relationships, and we definitely aren´t afraid of getting our hands dirty. Many of us haven´t laughed this much in months.

Still, we miss you guys dearly. Even the greatest of adventures doesn’t match up to the feeling of sliding under your own covers at night, or having that one meal that your mom makes better than anyone else. I think there is a general feeling of gratitude among all of us. We are so glad to be here, for sure, but we are also so appreciative that we have the support from our parents while we are here and while we are away.

So instead of building and painting cement, we watched Frozen and made snacks in front of the TV, taking some breaks to play games or make friendship bracelets for the kids at the school. A group of us played Monopoly, which quickly became corrupt when someone (ahem Max C.) added a few extra zeroes to the one dollar bills. He won, by the way. By a landslide.

We had a lunch of spaghetti—the first pasta in Guatemala!—and went to our tri-weekly Spanish classes. It was a really good class today. We did an hour of our regular lessons and then all piled into the vans to head to a local orphanage. We spent an hour with the kids, playing pick-up soccer and getting to know them. We ate cake and took pictures together. Many of the children learned what a ¨selfie¨ was today. In all it was a great experience; both playful and heartbreaking. Learning about the kids´ stories, about how they came to stay at the orphanage was difficult to hear. Girls as young as fourteen were pregnant or had children. They both would stay here, and the older kids would help raise the babies. Today, I am grateful for everything I have.

To lighten the mood, we all walked downtown to get ice cream, and then headed home for dinner and improv games. I´ll have you all know that we impersonated the staff impeccably.

It´s crazy to think we´re halfway done here. Crazy, of course, because it feels like we just got here. But it´s also crazy because Guatemala is not a place that caters to us as tourists. We aren´t handheld; it´s clear that we are here to work and learn and experience as much as possible. But this type of program creates space for a deeper kind of connection. Guatemala, in these short eleven days, already feels like home. –With love,

-Molly Gardner

The Learning Continues…

Today, the GLA group went to the school for community service. The projects are going along smoothly. The people working on building the wall are making tremendous progress by stacking a row of bricks every day. The other project of painting a mural is also going along well. Today was the third day of painting and I believe it will be done by tomorrow. I’m really excited to see the reactions of the children when they see it. The mural is a visual representation of the children and teacher’s values. The mural team wanted to paint a mural that has the children’s voice, not the team’s. Everyone seemed like having fun and getting along. We’re all working and playing hard. Later in the afternoon, we went to a building in Xela to learn about the marimba, a xylophone-like instrument. It was intriguing to learn about the history and influence the marimba had in Guatemala. Students had the opportunity to try playing the marimba. For me, it seemed easy while watching but in reality like learning any instrument, it was difficult at first. After learning about the marimba, the group went to a chocolate store to learn about cocoa and its importance in many aspects. This was the highlight of my day and I think for others too. We dipped fruit in chocolate and while so listening to the history of chocolate. In the evening, we had a guest speaker to talk about the Guatemalan civil war. The speaker discussed about issues concerning the civil war. In the end, the speaker talked about how the peace treaty was not fulfilled and still today the living conditions of people remained unchanged. The discussion was engaging and it was interesting to have someone who had first-hand experience with this event. I feel I have gained a new perspective from this discussion and see an event through another person’s lenses. I hope tomorrow is another day in which I grow more, learn more, experience more, and live life to the fullest.

-Michelle Choe

Halfway Through

I see the early morning wakeups as a blessing, rather than a struggle. I have come to realize how much I thrive on waking up to faces I feel connected to, and sharing my time with them. Yesterday morning, we awoke to another glorious breakfast from our kitchen staff, before our journey to the artisan town of San Andres, where we were given insight into the ways of the people of this colorful, proud town. Once we arrived, I quickly took notice of the large number of women wearing their traditional dress, and thriving to maintain their culture. At the school we are working at, most of the children choose not to wear the typical dress due to discrimination, while the children in this town seem to wish to maintain this aspect of their culture from an early age. We viewed several yellow churches, representing spirituality, and containing influences of both Catholicism and traditional Mayan religion. Finally, we were invited to indulge in hot chocolate and bread after having explored Mayan embroidery and a traditional sauna (and encountering some irresistible kittens). As the marimba played while we drank our hot chocolate, and a traditional dance was presented, I couldn’t help but consider the perpetual kindness that has been showered on us by the Guatemalan communities. We have been graciously welcomed into their community by all of our speakers, guides, members of the school, and even those we have no personal connection to.

We went back to home base for lunch, and afterwards went to a textile workshop, where we quickly learned that the process was much more difficult than we had imagined. Afterwards, we toured another church before heading back to home base for another delicious dinner, and bonding within our community.

The next morning we were supposed to continue our work at the school, but our plans were altered due to an early morning earthquake. This was my first earthquake experience, and as Celina said, I can now add this to my “travel resume!” We will hopefully come close to finishing our mural at the school on Tuesday. Before we started our mural, we had a discussion with the kids about what they hoped to see in their community, and unity and harmony were heavy, recurring themes. These words have lingered in my mind, and I’ve quickly grown a personal connection to them. What those children want to see in their school, neighborhood, and daily life, I see flourishing more and more within our community at home base. I have incessant gratitude for the community we have manifested during our first eleven days in Guatemala. Each of us are different, yet intertwined in our purpose. We are already halfway through the program, and I look forward to the remaining ten days with the lovely people I have come to know.

-Rachel Pentz

Progress!

Huge progress was made today at the service site due to the fact that there were no children at the school. My team, which was building the wall, set a personal goal to complete 2 of its rows. While this may not seem like a lot, these 2 rows could take at least 2+ days on an average day. Within the first hour and a half, we had already completed the first row and were prepared to take a break. A group of us found a small ball, and played a hilarious and intense game of girls vs. boys soccer where in the end the boys won 8-6. ​Meanwhile, the muralists finished painting almost half of the mural which has turned out spectacularly.

Spanish class took an unexpected turn when dozens of the spanish tutors guided us into an old cemetery in Xela. We worked on our conversational spanish as we walked through the streets and heard the story of Vanushka and how she died waiting for the love of her life to return to her.

In honor of the birthday girl, Jules, after spanish,the mentors threw her a surprise birthday party with music, party hats, dancing, and decorations. It was a blast and there was even cake and some small fireworks. There were many laughs and sparklers lit.

It is truly humbling to witness a group of people who has met so recently working cohesively as a team. I am so thankful for being a part of the outstanding GLA Guatemala community and for being able to immerse myself in this vibrant culture. The atmosphere here is more supportive, genuine, and down-to-earth, than any other I have ever been a part of and I’m looking forward to the next 13 days with this crazy crew.

-Natalie

 The Mural

Today, we started painting the mural! We asked students what they valued the most and what they liked about their school. It was all very touching and unique. My fellow sketcher, Michelle, and I made up a sketch that the children would love and remember forever. Everyone on the mural was working really hard and got the whole outline done. It looks great so far and I’m so excited to see the outcome! Later we went to a pottery shop and I got to see someone make pottery from scratch! It was so amazing and very inspirational!

-Becca Antrim

A Full Day

Today in the GLA community we went back to work at the school in the morning, where half of us worked on the mural and the other half on a wall for a library. We mixed cement glued and hammered cinder blocks, and made significant progress. During the students’ recess, we got to play with the kids: give piggy back rides, play hand games, etc. It was amazing how enthusiastic the kids were to see and play with us. Then it was back to the Home Base for lunch, a short pitstop at a local supermarket, and Spanish class. As an interactive lesson, we took a field trip to buy fresh fruit from street vendors (making sure to learn all the Spanish names of the fruits) and brought them back to make a fruit salad. We drove back to the Home Base, had dinner and a discussion group. We were all quick to get to bed, but excited to get to work again tomorrow.

A Great Day

It’s needless to say that any day in a completely foreign country being submerged in a whole different culture would be exciting and an adventure, however today was unique to me and many other students. Today was the first day that we were at the school and got to interact with the children. Yesterday we all went to the school for the first time, but seeing as how it was a national holiday, none of the students were there. My group continued to build a wall for the soon-to-be library whereas the other group began to collaborate with the students to discover what was important to them and what made them happy in order to help decide what should be painted on the new mural.

There was no easy way to approach the kids at the school today without coming across as a little bit creepy, but once we got over the language barrier and started engaging with the kids, we all were running around with kids dangling from our arms and backs as we chased 10 other kids. I’m definitely ready to spend he next three weeks with these adorable kids as well as teach them a class or two of English.

After we got home from the school, we all ate lunch and settled in to watch the USA vs. Belgium game (with an unfortunate loss) and then set off for an unforgettable Salsa lesson. My thoughts going into lesson were that we were going to learn some basic salsa moves, maybe even a couple intermediate ones to show off to our friends once we got back home. I was completely wrong. We were learning not only the basic steps, but intermediate and more advanced moves that inspired us to want to have a Salsa showcase where couples will sign up an to compete for the ultimate title of the Salsa Champion (aka me and Charlie Dracos because we rock)

I love the community that all we all have built here in Guatemala. Although everyone has come from different backgrounds or stories, no one is discriminated and everyone is included as well as equal. The way I see it: there are people that will fade in and out of your life and there are people that you do life with and will stick with you through thick and thin. I want to do life with my family in Guatemala because they encourage and support me in everything that I’ve done and it’s only been 5 days. I know it may seem naïve to trust people so soon after such a short period of time, but I can say whole-heartedly that you will never meet another group of kids and mentors like this. Today was a good bonding experience for my team who was building the wall because we found that without teamwork and cohesion, we couldn’t get our job done quickly and efficiently. We tend to carry out this idea of teamwork and cohesion back at the home base, whether it’s when we are doing the dishes and trying to finish quickly to move on to our next task or even something as simple as being flexible when making a shower schedule so that everyone can shower at a decent hour. I’m excited for what the future holds for all of here in Xela for the next 16 days.

-Sadie Weston

Service & Spanish

Yesterday was a very busy day for the GLA Guatemala team. We began service, began our Spanish lessons, and went on a tour of Xela with our Spanish instructors. Yesterday was a national holiday, so none of the students or teachers were at the school. Initially we split into two groups, those building the wall and those working on the mural. I will be working on the mural with one of out wonderful mentors, Celina. We took inventory on our supplies and made a wish-list of the items that we needed. After this was done we assisted the wall building team by forming an assembly line to transport rocks and sand out of the school yard. After this we headed home for a delicious lunch cooked at the home base and shortly after left for Spanish lessons. We split into 3 groups- beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I joined the intermediate group and we conjugated verbs, sang and danced with our mentor. Shortly followed by this was a tour of the beautiful town of Xela, where we will be staying for the majority of our trip. The instructors took us all around but explained 4 spaces in detail- el teatro municipalidad, el catedral catolica, central park, and the governor’s estate. The residents of Xela have such an amazing sense of pride in their culture and surroundings. It is much different than US in this sense, but also in the warm welcoming from the Guatemalan population as a whole. Even though we have only been in Guatemala for a short time, I feel like I have known the people in the group my entire life. It’s great to be living with a group of such caring, fun individuals. As a group we did a “personality test” more or less through a game called cool as a cucumber, hot as a tamale. The group started out on one line and individuals moved forward or back in response to questions asked by the mentors and then mid-way we rotated and moved forward or back according to new questions. At the end we were separated into 4 quadrants representing 4 different types of leaders- architects and analysts, drivers, spontaneous motivators, and relationships masters. At first people seemed confused by their results, but most everyone ended up in agreement with their results in the given circumstances. It is clear to me already that everyone is very excited and dedicated to the work we are doing here in Guatemala. I am excited to see what else this beautiful country have in store for me as an individual and the group as a whole as we continue our service and travels.

– Lexi Hyde

First Day at Home Base

Today was our first full day at the home base and to be completely awesome. Everyone is super friendly and it is nice to feel settled into the place that will become our home for the next three weeks. As well as this being our first day at our home base, we also experienced our first adventure. After breakfast, we jumped into the van and drove to a spot where we transitioned into riding in the back of pickup truck to venture where our GLA vans could not. After that, we started our hour and a half hike up the inactive volcano, Laguna de Chicabal. The hike was challenging, the scenery was beautiful, and once we reached the top of the volcano there was a sacred lake which we sat by and ate snacks. We came back to the home base we had a dance party outside, made friendship bracelets, watched the world cup and made our home base flag.  It was a wonderful day.

-Sonja O’Brien

First Days

We’ve Arrived!

All 22 students have arrived and spoken with their parents! Photos and blog posts to follow! 

Headed Home

All students are on their way home!

Lake Atitlan

This morning we woke up excited for the beautiful and scenic drive to Lake Atitlan. We took a short stop at an overlook for a once in a lifetime photo opportunity and then continued on our way. We then took a short and bumpy boat ride across the lake to the small village of San Juan La Laguna where we shopped at the local market. After, we headed back across the lake to our beautiful hotel where we had lunch. This afternoon we had more time to shop at a local market where we bargained and practiced our Spanish. We headed back to the hotel for a delicious outdoor dinner. This was followed by an eye opening activity which allowed us to learn more about one another.

-Lauren and Naomi

Service & Hot Springs!

Friday was a very long and tiring day. The day started out with wake up at 7 AM to a view of mountains, followed by a traditional breakfast of green beans and eggs. We arrived at our service site and we split up into our two groups: painting and cementing. We worked very hard on our second to last day of service, and were rewarded by playing with the adorable children. At 12:30, we returned to home base for our delicious lunch of chicken lasagna with homemade lemonade. After a quick lunch, we changed into our swimsuits and headed out to the hot springs. We drove up through endlessly winding mountains, but before we knew it, we were so high we were in the clouds! When we arrived at the hot springs, we separated into groups to go buy snacks, or to take our chances in the steaming springs. When we arrived back in Xela hours later, we had a nice dinner of a traditional Guatemalan dish. We then had a discussion in our mentor groups. By the time we are finally excused from discussions, we are all exhausted and beyond excited for our weekend trip early tomorrow morning.
-Max and Martine

Service and Chocolate

Today was the best day of GLA!… so far. We ate breakfast at 7:30 as per usual. A delicious meal of eggs and toast. Then, we left for service. A great day of painting, cement, and children. The weather was fantastic and the kids were happy as ever. After a wonderful day of service, we had a flavorful meal of chicken ravioli. After our succulent meal, we went to the Guatemalan form of heaven on earth. It took the shape of a chocolate factory named Chocolateria. We sat for hours enjoying tasteful chocolate treats including a chocolate fountain with fruit, yogurt with melted chocolate and Mayan hot chocolate. Once we finished our amazing snacks, we took a trip to the local shopping mall. There, we connected to wifi, bought more snacks from Walmart, and some of us even shopped for clothes. After an enjoyable time shopping, we headed back to home base for a traditional Guatemalan dinner. Once dinner was over, our evening workshop included “To Hell With Good Intentions” by Ivan Illich and we talked about the debated topic of whether volunteers are beneficial or not to third world countries. Finally, we all went straight to bed after such an exhausting day.
-Jess & Kylee

Changing Plans

We woke up this morning, had breakfast, and were all ready to go to service when we found out that a protest near us was preventing the drivers from getting to the home base. Then we were able to spend the time outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Luckily, we were still able to go to service later that morning. Even though the kids weren’t there today due to a teacher conference, we still had a lot of fun painting and cementing. An adorable puppy at the cementing made up for the lack of cute kids. The protests continued through the day, so our scheduled trip to the chocolate factory had to be rescheduled. Instead, we played a group game of capture the flag. Thankfully, the salsa instructor was able to come to us and give us a lively salsa lesson, which was a blast! Later, a very moving speaker from the guerillas in the Guatemalan civil war came to tell us about the conflict and his personal experience. It was extremely eye-opening and inspirational. We finished the night with a leadership discussion where we addressed some concerns and all grew closer. Overall it was another great day in Guatemala!

-Gabby & Holly

Second Day of Service

We all woke up to the sound of roosters as we meandered down to breakfast. Many of us anticipated our second day of work the school. Some of us painted baby blue walls accompanied by friendly drops of rain. Others mixed cement to keep out water leakage and mold. Oh my. The break entailed playing copious amounts of duck-duck-goose with the little children. Their smiles made it difficult to return back to work. Today the afternoon fun consisted of a tour of a Mayan village. Churches painted bright marigold speckled with green and red designs was beautiful in addition to the landscape. We viewed a traditional Mayan dance where once dancer was the most revered jaguar along with a springing monkey. Hot coco kept us warm and content on the first rainy day in a month. None in the astonishing mountains of Guatemala. We returned home and enjoyed a great meal. Finally we all settled into bed with the sound of rain pattering on the roof.

-Christa

First Day of Service

Today we all went to our first day of service after a hearty breakfast. We were separated into two groups- one cementing walls and one painting them. It was amazing to see the children’s faces when they discovered we were there to help them. We all went into the classrooms and introduced ourselves to the kids, then we immediately went to work. We got a break to interact with the kids halfway through service. In the evening, we went to a marimba class, the marimba is a instrument that can be closely compared to the piano, although it has quite a different sound. The instructor had been playing the marimba since he was 4 years old so naturally he was unreal. After returning home, we watched an intriguing movie on the history of Guatemala, mainly focused on the rebellion. After dinner, we broke up into mentor groups, where we discussed our strengths, weaknesses, and goals. After that, we went to bed after having a sick first day of service!

-Ariel & Charlie

Pottery and Shopping!

Today we woke up at 7:30 at the home base. We ate breakfast and then after headed out to a pottery shop. The man who owned the pottery place demonstrated how to use the pottery wheel, and told us about how he came from generations of people who made pottery. He let a few volunteers try making little plates and it turns out that making pottery is a lot harder than it looks! After that, we went into his store and all had an opportunity to buy some of his work. All of his pottery was beautiful and really affordable. After, we went back to home base for lunch and had some free time before heading back out to go the central park in Xela. There, we got an hour of free time where we were able to go shopping and explore the area. The shopping was great and the street vendors had a lot of hand-made jewelry and clothing there and they were also selling delicious cotton candy and ice cream amongst other foods. After shopping, we walked around a beautiful church near the park. After our afternoon excursion, we drove back to the home base where we all worked together to make a beautiful group flag that we hung up on our home. After, we went to dinner and then rejoined as a group to discuss service and all found out who our group mentors were going to be.

-Arianna & Anna

Service

Today we all went to our first day of service after a hearty breakfast. We were separated into two groups- one cementing walls and one painting them. It was amazing to see the children’s faces when they discovered we were there to help them. We all went into the classrooms and introduced ourselves to the kids, then we immediately went to work. We got a break to interact with the kids halfway through service. In the evening, we went to a marimba class, the marimba is a instrument that can be closely compared to the piano, although it has quite a different sound. The instructor had been playing the marimba since he was 4 years old so naturally he was unreal. After returning home, we watched an intriguing movie on the history of Guatemala, mainly focused on the rebellion. After dinner, we broke up into mentor groups, where we discussed our strengths, weaknesses, and goals. After that, we went to bed after having a sick first day of service!

-Ariel & Charlie

A Busy Day!

Today we woke up at 7:30 at the home base. We ate breakfast and then after headed out to a pottery shop. The man who owned the pottery place demonstrated how to use the pottery wheel, and told us about how he came from generations of people who made pottery. He let a few volunteers try making little plates and it turns out that making pottery is a lot harder than it looks! After that, we went into his store and all had an opportunity to buy some of his work. All of his pottery was beautiful and really affordable.

After, we went back to home base for lunch and had some free time before heading back out to go the central park in Xela. There, we got an hour of free time where we were able to go shopping and explore the area. The shopping was great and the street vendors had a lot of hand-made jewelry and clothing there and they were also selling delicious cotton candy and ice cream amongst other foods. After shopping, we walked around a beautiful church near the park. After our afternoon excursion, we drove back to the home base where we all worked together to make a beautiful group flag that we hung up on our home. After, we went to dinner and then rejoined as a group to discuss service and all found out who our group mentors were going to be.

-Arianna & Anna

Quetzaltenango

Today at 6 am a road block of the indigenous sellers at the market in Quetzaltenango started a manifestation in a important road in Quetzaltenango. The road leads to the 14 day home base. The group went to work as usual to the rural school (it was not on the way of the road block) and Maria Isabel changed some activities for the afternoon.

In the afternoon the drivers went to speak to the indigenous leaders at the road block and explain that we understand their cause and made friends with them. At midday the indigenous leader went to talk to the mayor of Quetzaltenango. Just now they have started to listen to their demands, which are to have more space to sell their products at the market.  They will open the road block at 1800 and everything will continue as normal.

A Long, Busy Day!

Today we woke up in Antigua at 7:30, and got to know each other before and during breakfast. We then played a name game to learn each other’s names. Afterwards, we all packed into two vans and headed to a place where five Mayan families contributed to a small store in an ongoing fight to keep their culture alive. Here, we reenacted a traditional Mayan wedding ceremony, and then learned to how to make traditional tortillas. We tasted coffee—made completely by hand—and purchased hand woven souvenirs. Once we were done with that, we traveled to a great restaurant to have lunch. After lunch, we drove a few hours to ancient Mayan ruins. At the ruins, we learned about the history and families that once inhabited the area. We got the opportunity to meet a Shaman and participate in an ancient traditional Mayan religious ceremony. We were each given a candle stick and assigned a day from the Mayan calendar, and when our word was called upon, we tossed our candle sticks into the fire. We then got back into the van and completed our journey to our home base in Xela. Upon arrival, we got acquainted with both our rooms and roommates, ate dinner, and lastly went over the Guatemalan GLA code of conduct. After a long and busy day, we all slept like babies!

-Abby Cook and Alix Zabin

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived and are ready for their program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!