Guatemala 2025

Written by: Tanner Linhard Last workday. Although we started off with our usual routine—getting our gear situated, heading down to Violetta’s for breakfast, and then heading out to our assigned worksites—everything felt different. Everyone was much quieter than usual. The walk to Violetta’s was almost completely silent, as was sitting down and eating the French toast she had prepared for us.  We were all quietly reminiscing about the trip in our heads and collectively wondering how a month-long trip filled with a plethora of experiences could be over in an instant. It was no doubt a bittersweet feeling for me. … Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/31/25 – Work Day # 14 & Final Blog Post

Written by: 1/C Nathan Lemire 01/30/25 Today was our final Thursday here in Guatemala. Given that we are less than seventy-two hours away from being back in the United States, I can’t help but think just how impactful these past four weeks have been, not only from a professional standpoint but also at a deep personal level. From being immersed in an entirely new culture to truly making an impact on those around us while also learning from them, this trip has helped give me a perspective on life that I can only begin to understand. I am most thankful… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/30/25 – Work Day # 13

Written by: 1/C Seamus Connolly Happy Wednesday from Antigua! Today as always kicked off at Violetta’s for breakfast at 0700, where the group of hungry cadets demolished cereal with bananas, as well as drank the morning cup of Joe. After everyone was fat and happy, we all said our goodbyes and departed to our respective work sites. Group 1, consisting of myself, Reagan, Pablo, and Vicenzo made our way up to Santa Maria de Jesus for our workday. A quick fun fact about Santa Maria is that it is only 1 of 22 Mayan Communities that remain in Guatemala! After… Read more: Guatemala 2025 -01/29/25- Work Day # 12

Written by: Sean Davis Today was the second work day of our final week in Guatemala. Everyone is getting a bit sad that the end is near, but before we can think about going home, we need to finish our work and Spanish classes. It all begins with a good morning. My day began with a 0555 wake-up, the sweet spot in my sleep cycle.  It is the perfect time to get ready and enjoy the 60-degree weather before the sun comes up and sets Antigua on fire. At 0700, we walked together to get breakfast and stuffed our faces… Read more: Guatemala 2025 -01/28/25- Work Day # 11

Written by: Reagan Kerecz Guatemala 2025 – Work Day # 10 Today marks the start of our final week in Guatemala. I’m grateful for everything we’ve experienced here but also ready to go home. I didn’t expect to miss my family and my dog this much, but I’m looking forward to getting home soon. I woke up around 0630 and we had breakfast at Violetta’s at 0700. We had muffins, eggs, and beans. After breakfast, our group traveled to Santa Maria De Jesus, one of the 22 Mayan communities in Guatemala. This week’s mentor for our group is Eduardo. We… Read more: Guatemala 2025 -01/27/25- Work Day # 10

Written by: Yorlan Herrera I got up at 0800 today after yesterday’s long but rewarding adventure into the lake’s picturesque cities. Each town had something charming: cobblestone streets with colorful houses or breathtaking views over the lake with towering mountains behind. By 0830, I headed for breakfast. The meal was simple yet satisfying: fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, savory beans, melted cheese, a warm tortilla, and a well-seasoned sausage. It was the kind of breakfast that set one up throughout the day. After breakfast, I took a refreshing but quite shocking cold shower. I sat by the lake with a… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/26/25 – Return to Antiqua from Lake Atitlán

Written by: Hannah Burton Woke up this morning around 8:00 AM to the amazing views of Lake Atitlán. The lake’s surrounded by volcanoes, and it’s the deepest in all of Central America at 341 meters. It was formed 84,000 years ago after a volcanic eruption. Anyway, we were all up, got dressed, and headed down to breakfast, which was served by the hostel. It was an amazing breakfast that consisted of eggs, beans, bacon, sausage, avocados, and tortillas. We haven’t had bacon on this trip, so everyone was pretty psyched about it. Definitely a 10/10 meal to start the day.… Read more: Guatemala 2025 -01/25/25- Lake Atitlán – Second Day

Written by: Mackenzie Champagne Today began with the anticipation of a new adventure. After weeks of hard work, we were finally getting the chance to relax. It felt rewarding to wake up knowing that I had earned this break. We all eagerly talked about our excitement to see the beauty of Lake Atitlán. Captain Lennon had been going on and on about how stunning it would be, but no amount of exaggeration or pictures from Google could have prepared us for the breathtaking view that awaited us later in the day. Before the real adventure could begin, though, we had… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/24/25 – First Day at Lake Atitlan

Written by: Morgan Mendonca 01/23/25 Today started like our other work days with breakfast at Violetta’s at 7:00 a.m. where we enjoyed bananas, bean paste with some chips, chicken patty, and eggs. After breakfast, it was about a 45-minute bus ride and a short five-minute walk to the community center in San Antonio. We made sure to greet the dogs before heading up to the second floor, where we have been spending most of our time this week. Today, Makynzi, Helen (our guide), and I finished painting most of the walls blue in the kitchen and the stairwell.  It was… Read more: Guatemala 2025 -01/23/25- Work Day # 9

Written by: Makynzi Sprague  01/22/25 Today, I made it to Violetta’s for breakfast at 0700. We had pancakes, watermelon, and bananas. We split up to go to our work sites when everybody finished eating. Everybody in my group was feeling healthy again, so we had our full team along with Professor Cadwalader who was joining us for the morning.  Our first short bus ride from Violetta’s to the central bus location was full, as always, so some of us had to stand. Our next bus to San Antonio was not nearly as busy so we had plenty of room to… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/22/25 – Work Day # 8

Written by: Vicenzo Roling-Stella When the alarm woke me up at 0617, I felt slightly tired from the constant routine of the past week. However, that did not last very long because I knew the work we had to complete wouldn’t resolve itself if we didn’t do something about it. So, shoving any thoughts of laying in bed aside, I got out of bed and dressed for the day ahead. As I waited in the lobby with everyone else – who all seemed to be collecting their thoughts and talking amongst themselves – our glorious leader, Nate, delivered an announcement.… Read more: Guatemala 2025 -01/21/25- Work Day # 7

Written by: Pablo Hruska-Cleary  When I woke up, I instantly felt the effect of the weekend Volcano climb on my legs. Although they were not as sore as I thought, I could feel my stiff muscles ache with every step. I could especially feel it in my calves this morning. Walking over to Violetta’s, I felt sore muscles in new places. For work this week, my group switched from San Antonio to Jocotenango, where we will work at the CANI Asociación Casa del Niño school. Breakfast was French toast with fresh delicious fruit and syrup covering the top. We got… Read more: Guatemala 2025 -01/20/25- Work Day # 6

Written by: Mackenzie Champagne Today began bright and early at 4:00 AM, when we packed our bags and began preparing for the grueling day ahead. I won’t lie—I had a serious case of altitude sickness, which made the early hours a bit more challenging than I would’ve liked. I hoped it would pass as the day went on, but I could feel the lingering effects as I tried to shake off the discomfort. We were preparing to summit Acatenango. At that point, we were already at an altitude of 12,300 feet, with about 1,000 feet still to climb. The air… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/19/25 – Volcano Hike, Day Two

Written by: Reagan Kerecz Today was the big day we had all been eagerly waiting for, our hike and overnight stay at Acatenango Volcano. I woke up at 0530 to finish packing and by 0650, we left for breakfast at Violetta’s. For breakfast, we had oatmeal, breakfast burritos, and bananas. The perfect menu to get us through what was going to be a brutal hiking day. After breakfast, we returned to the Purpose Hostel to meet Captain Lennon and Professor Cadwalader. By 0820 our bus was on its way to the base of the volcano, and that’s when Hannah and… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/18/25 – Volcano Hike, Day One

Written by: Yorlan Herrera 01/17/25 Guatemala 2025 – Work Day # 5 Today was an early morning; I woke at 0600 to have enough time for a cold shower and enjoy my morning coffee. This one of my favorite parts of a day – a warm cup of coffee on the rooftop while looking at two breathtaking volcanoes, Fuego and Acatenango. This calm routine has become a special part of my Guatemala mornings.  We went to Violetta’s for breakfast, where we had coffee with apples, bananas, and a delicious chicken patty. Simple but satisfying – just what we needed to… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/17/25 – Work Day # 5

Written by: Tanner Linhard After enjoying another 15 extra minutes of rest, our group trekked out to Violetta’s for breakfast. This consisted of pancakes with chocolate syrup, and fresh cantaloupe and orange slices. And of course, coffee. Needless to say, we all left with full stomachs to start our day. Team 1 (Seamus, Pablo, Reagan, and Vincenzo) headed out to San Antonio where they sanitized and prepped shelves for their kitchen space and finished painting one of their classrooms. Team 2 (Morgan, Makynzi; Sean, and Yorlan) finished painting the classrooms in Santa Maria De Jesus and began moving all materials… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/16/25 – Work Day # 4

Written by: Morgan Mendonca  Today was our third day of work, and after an extra 15 minutes of sleep, thanks to breakfast being moved to 7:00 a.m. instead of 6:45 a.m., everyone was up and enthusiastic for another day of helping the community. There is no better way to start our day than with fresh French toast sticks at Violetta’s served with strawberries and bananas, and we can’t forget about the coffee! After everyone devoured our delicious breakfast, the groups separated and headed to the work sites. Group 2 includes Sean, Makynzi, Yorlan, and myself, along with our amazing guide,… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/15/25 – Work Day # 3

Written by: 1/C Seamus Connolly Today was our second work day, and all 12 cadets were very excited to continue exploring Guatemala while helping local communities! The morning started off with a bang at Violetta’s. We collectively said approximately five words over breakfast as we stuffed our faces with an omelet with ham and cheese, black beans, and plantains. Muy delicioso! From there the three groups went our separate ways to our respective work sites.  Group 1 includes myself, Vincenzo, Reagan, and Pablo (which is now known as the greatest work group ever assembled). Our group departed from breakfast with… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/14/25 – Work Day # 2

Today was the first day of our work schedule which we will follow for the next three weeks. Breakfast was at 6:45 a.m., which meant an early wake-up.  I got up at 6 a.m, to have time to prepare.  At Violetta’s for breakfast, we were treated to waffles with fruit on top drizzled with chocolate syrup. Once we finished, we split into our work groups, which had been assigned the night before. My group is made up of Seamus, Reagan, Vincenzo, and me. Our assigned mentor from Guatemala is Jelen, who will help us get to and perform our assigned… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/13/25 – Work Day # 1

Written by: 1/C Sean Davis Today was the last day before the 12-person team of Buccaneers started work and Spanish lessons. I began my morning at 0700, heading to the roof of the hostel to sip coffee and chat with my good buddy Nate, affectionately known as “Chief” or “Jefe” in Spanish. We talked for about an hour before I went downstairs to get dressed for the day. We headed to breakfast at Violetta’s, where we munched on cornflake cereal with strawberries and papaya. It was delicious as the fruit’s natural sugars soaked into the milk and cereal. The plan… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/12/25 – Hike and Swim at El Pillar

Today was both adventurous and eye-opening, starting with an early morning to catch the sunrise. I woke up at 6:00 AM, along with Reagan and Morgan, we went up to the rooftop of our hostel to watch the sun rise over Antigua. It was a peaceful way to start the day, and we had coffee while taking in the view. It was a perfect moment to appreciate where we are. After we watched the sunrise and got ourselves dressed for the day, we met up with the group at 8:15 AM for our walk to breakfast. Violetta, the amazing woman… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/11/25 – Cultural Immersion Event

Written by: Vicenzo Roling-Stella Even as the 0600 alarm played on my phone, I took another ten minutes to get out of bed. Despite wanting to do nothing more but fall back asleep, I began to change into my best clothes and brush my teeth, for I knew how important the day would be. Today we would visit the US Embassy, then depart from Guatemala City to Antigua, which will become our home base for the remainder of the Guatemala trip.  I reminded myself of all of this as I exited the guys’ room at the Quetzalroo Hostel, with bags… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/10/25 – Day at the Embassy + Arrival in Antigua

Today was our official first day waking up in Guatemala. Like many of the other students on this trip, this was my first time waking up in a foreign country.  We started our day with a traditional Guatemalan breakfast at 0730 that consisted of eggs, black beans, and plantains, followed by my first time trying hot rice Atollio. This is a drink that consists of grain rice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and a little bit of coffee.  These were prepared by the wonderful staff of the Quetzalroo Hostel We then caught our shuttle bus to head to CONRED (Coordinadora Nacional… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/09/25 – Day at CONRED

Today started as another travel day. We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel in Miami before heading to the airport. We made it through TSA and found our gate, where we had plenty of time to wait and we even met up with some of the Energy Systems Engineering students before they left for Costa Rica. At around noon, we had a quick lunch and boarded the plane. Thankfully, I had volunteered to be in the emergency exit row so I had a little extra legroom for our flight. After about 2.5 hours in the air, we finally… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/08/25 – Arrival to Guatemala City

After double-checking my luggage one final time at 6:30 a.m., I confirmed that I had packed all the essentials needed for my 25-day trip to Guatemala. By 7:00 a.m., I was on the road, heading to Logan Airport for our four-hour flight to Miami. Of course, I made a quick stop for coffee first—airport coffee is notoriously overpriced. Unfortunately, around 8:20 a.m., about 30 minutes outside of Boston, I got caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I admit, I started to get a little nervous as I saw cars barely moving, but as I neared the airport, the traffic cleared. When I… Read more: Guatemala 2025 – 01/07/25 – Travel Day