Guatemala 2024
Emergency Management Experiential Learning in Guatemala May 2024.
- Guatemala: Saturday, May 11, 2024:Today is our last day in Guatemala! We woke up around 0200 to get ready to leave for the airport at 0245. Once we got to the airport, we went through Immigration and Security. We boarded the flight at 0530 and landed in Miami at 1030 before boarding other planes to go home. Most went… Read more: Guatemala: Saturday, May 11, 2024:
- Guatemala: Friday, May 10, 2024:
As we wrap up our 3 week trip, each cadet has been reflecting on the experiences we have gone through and the countless lessons learned. Today was the last work day for us before we depart early tomorrow morning. The Brillo De Sol group continued cleaning up the school grounds by organizing remaining loose items… Read more: Guatemala: Friday, May 10, 2024: - Guatemala: Thursday, May 9, 2024:
As our days in Guatemala wind down, we find ourselves scrambling to complete all of the activities we want to do. In our free time, eight of our fourteen group members went on a chocolate tour, where they learned the origins of chocolate and how it is made. They also got the opportunity to make… Read more: Guatemala: Thursday, May 9, 2024: - Guatemala: Wednesday, May 8, 2024:
We went to breakfast at Violetta’s at 0700. Breakfast today was pancakes topped with apple and banana. Each group worked from 0800 to 1200 and then went to our Spanish lessons from1330 to 1630. We broke up into our three groups and left for work right after breakfast. My group, group 1, set off in… Read more: Guatemala: Wednesday, May 8, 2024: - Guatemala: Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Today marks our fifth to last day in Guatemala. As our time here starts to wind down, we have come to have a deep appreciation for the people and culture of Guatemala. Spending almost a full month in this amazing country has allowed us to immerse ourselves in the everyday work and lifestyle of Mayan… Read more: Guatemala: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Guatemala: Monday, May 6, 2024
Today, the team started off with a delightful breakfast featuring fresh fruit and homemade comfort food in the form of breakfast burritos. After fueling up, the three teams set off to their weekly worksites. One team, comprised of DJ, Reece, Victoria, and Shayla, began the noble task of rebuilding a storage shed for a low-income… Read more: Guatemala: Monday, May 6, 2024 - Guatemala: Saturday, May 4, 2024:
Hola from Lake Atitlán!Today’s forecast was sunny and 80 degrees, perfect for exploring the Lake. The lake has 9 small towns and today we explored two of them; San Marcos and Santa Cruz.Our day started at 0900 with a buffet breakfast including eggs, fruit, beans and toast. Shortly after, our guide Tania took us all… Read more: Guatemala: Saturday, May 4, 2024: - Guatemala: Friday May 3, 2024
Today we went to Violetta’s for breakfast and she served waffles with fruit. Muy delicioso. We had a long trek to Lake Atitlán. It took about 3 hours to drive to the lake. Lake Atitlán is in the Sierra Mountain range of Guatemala and is the deepest lake in Central America. It sits in a caldera… Read more: Guatemala: Friday May 3, 2024 - Guatemala: Thursday, May 2, 2024
Hola from Antigua, Guatemala! Today was our last workday for week two. Group 1 finished tearing up and tiling classroom floors at the Jardin De Amor school in Santa Maria de Jesus. They also played with the students in the schoolyard. Group 2 was in San Antonio today continuing work on projects in support of the Community… Read more: Guatemala: Thursday, May 2, 2024 - Guatemala: Tuesday, May 1, 2024:
Hola! Today was Labor Day in Guatemala, so San Antonio was closed, but SMJ and Brillo del Sol were both still open. Group 2, who was originally supposed to go to San Antonio, tagged along with Group 1 at Brillo del Sol and combined for a group of 9 cadets. With no distractions from the… Read more: Guatemala: Tuesday, May 1, 2024: - Guatemala: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
¡Hola! Today is day 14 of our stay in Guatemala. The diversity and culture in this wonderful country are eye-opening in the best way! As you read these blogs, you most likely already know that we visit Violeta each morning and afternoon for food. Today was special because, for lunch, we had slow-cooked pork and… Read more: Guatemala: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - Guatemala: Monday, April 29, 2024
Hola everyone today we started our second week of working meaning each group has switched locations. Group 1 (my group) who consists of Victoria Boss, DJ Faivre, Reece Gannon, John Hagan, and Shayla Narodowg finished up at Brillo de Sol last week and are now working at Jardin De Amor in Santa Maria de Jesus.… Read more: Guatemala: Monday, April 29, 2024 - Guatemala: Sunday, April 28, 2024:
After a long night of enjoying each other’s company by the fire, the group was supposed to wake up at 0400 to climb to the summit and get a better view of El Fuego and the sunrise. We could not do this due to inclement weather so we slept in until about 6:15 AM. We… Read more: Guatemala: Sunday, April 28, 2024: - Guatemala: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Today marks day 11 of our trip. We ate pancakes and pineapple at 0715 for breakfast before we got on a bus at 0800 to take us to our two-day adventure at Volcan Acatenanago. We arrived around 0930 and embarked on our long journey up the volcano. Just a little background of Acatenango. Acatenango is… Read more: Guatemala: Saturday, April 27, 2024 - Guatemala: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Today marked the fourth day of our working experience here in Guatemala. We had breakfast at Violetta’s, which consisted of an omelet, watermelon, and black berries. Violetta is a very generous lady who always makes sure we are full before we leave. After breakfast we separated back into our groups and headed off to our… Read more: Guatemala: Thursday, April 25, 2024 - Guatemala: Wednesday, April 24, 2024:
We went to breakfast at Violetta’s at 0700. Breakfast today was delicious French toast topped with papaya and banana and some optional orange juice. Each group worked from 0800 to 1200 and then went to our Spanish lessons from1330 to 1630. We broke up into our three groups and left for work right after breakfast.… Read more: Guatemala: Wednesday, April 24, 2024: - Guatemala: Tuesday, April 23, 2024:
Today was our second day working and taking Spanish classes. At 0700, we started the day at Violetta’s for some delicious waffles and fruits for breakfast.After breakfast was over, my group (Group 2) took a chicken bus up to Santa Maria de Jesus to work at the school. Today, we focused on sanding and painting… Read more: Guatemala: Tuesday, April 23, 2024: - Guatemala: Monday, April 22, 2024:
Day six was our first work day and our first day of Spanish classes. We went to breakfast at Violetta’s at 0700. Breakfast today was eggs with salsa, refried beans, ham, and plantains. The work day lasted from 0800 until 1200 and Spanish class took place from 1330-1630. Following breakfast, we split into our groups,… Read more: Guatemala: Monday, April 22, 2024: - Guatemala: Sunday, April 21, 2024
On day five, we woke up at 0730. We all then prepared for our day and had breakfast at Violetta’s Tienda. Breakfast consisted of local fresh fruit and a delicious breakfast burrito. An excellent thing about Guatemala is that you can not go wrong with the food. Today the team was given a free day… Read more: Guatemala: Sunday, April 21, 2024 - Guatemala: Saturday, April 20, 2024:
Hola from Antigua Guatemala! Today’s weather was about 70 degrees and partly cloudy. Our 8:00 breakfast at Violetta’s consisted of pancakes and watermelon, with a choice of water, tea or coffee for our drink. We then took a bus ride to Iximche Park to see the Mayan ruins. This bus ride took about an hour… Read more: Guatemala: Saturday, April 20, 2024: - Guatemala: Friday, April 19, 2024:
This morning was our last day in the Quetzalroo hostel. We ate pancakes and fruits for breakfast and made our way to CONRED. CONRED stands for Coordinadora Nacional Para La Reducción De Desatres. In translation, that is national coordinator for disaster reduction. This is Guatemala’s version of what FEMA is in the U.S. We toured… Read more: Guatemala: Friday, April 19, 2024: - Guatemala: Thursday, April 18, 2024:
¡Hola! Breakfast this morning was at 0615 before we made our way to the US Embassy in Guatemala City. The Embassy building is new and a state of the art facility. At the Embassy we were briefed by representatives from the State Department, USAID, HSI, and the DOD. The USAID briefing discussed their goals of… Read more: Guatemala: Thursday, April 18, 2024: - Guatemala: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Hola from Guatemala City! Today was a day full of travel, going from Boston, to Miami, and eventually reaching our destination of Guatemala City. After around 6 hours of being miles above the earth and full of anticipation, we have finally touched down in Guatemala. A stress free travel day was a perfect start to… Read more: Guatemala: Wednesday, April 17, 2024