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 packed and bed made, and went to the table for breakfast. The hostel cooks – two wonderful ladies of Mayan descent – prepared bowls of chopped fruit (pineapple, watermelon, and papaya) and fresh bananas alongside boiled eggs, tortillas, salsa, and hot instant coffee. We all ate eagerly, chatted, and listened as Prof. Lennon gave us a quick Spanish quiz on how to pronounce fork, knife, spoon, and silverware. The quality of the fruit was especially amazing – the pineapple, banana, and papaya were much sweeter than what I remember – most likely due to the tropical climate allowing the plants to grow to their full potential. Once all had eaten (by around 0655), we thanked the cooks for the meal, double-checked the rooms, brushed our teeth, and went outside to wait for the bus to take us to the Embassy.
We arrived at the US Embassy at around 0800 without any issues. We met our guide, Avi Richman, who works for USAID as an education officer. He navigated us through the screening process and the main gates. Before we went in, we got a sense of the size of the facility – a large property with an 8-story building with a modern design, surrounded by native trees and grass, with large flagpoles in the front flying both the Stars and Stripes and Guatemala’s blue-and-white flag. You could feel that we had stepped onto American soil. After taking everything in, Avi guided us to a side conference room, where we helped ourselves to water and coffee as Avi informed us of the schedule: we would be conducting several panel meetings with Embassy officials including the Deputy Chief of Mission (2nd in Command), the Public Affairs Officer, and other representatives responsible for U.S. diplomatic efforts in Guatemala.
The Deputy Chief of Mission began the panel by stating his role was to oversee the entire Mission in Guatemala alongside the appointed Ambassador. He went over his background and reasons for joining the Department of State, highlighting that while he started with little language proficiency, he dedicated himself to learning since it is a vital skill when working abroad. Furthermore, he briefly mentioned the other departments that made up the Foreign Service, such as USAID, Economic, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and Public Affairs. He also highlighted the importance of representing the American people daily, what it is like working in Guatemala, and how the U.S. embassy works with international partners. After he ended his excellent presentation and answered our questions, I gave him a Maritime challenge coin as a token of our appreciation for his time and effort.
Next, we were introduced to the Guatemala Mission’s Public Affairs (PA) Officer who emphasized the importance of communications to ensure the Embassy’s messages reached their intended audiences. This is done so through press conferences, information sharing, public announcements, social media outreach, and much more.
Following his brief, we heard from two panels that described their various roles within the State Department. The speakers included a representative of INL, a U.S. Army officer who serves as as a foreign area officer, representatives from USAID, and personnel responsible for coordinating U.S. support to diaster relief efforts in Central America. We were given great insight into how relations between the United States Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and Guatemala’s National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (CONRED). Captain Lennon’s lessons from our International Relief class took center stage, such as the U.S. role in international relief and the complexities of multinational coordination.
Our visit concluded with a tour of the entire facility, specifically highlighting the architecture and artwork spread throughout the grounds. We took a quick picture at the Embassy’s sign, retrieved our belongings from the security checkpoint, said our goodbyes, and departed by bus to Antigua.
After reaching Antigua, we settled into the Purpose Hostel, which will be our new home for the next three weeks. It had the feel of a Spanish villa from older movies: open areas, warm yellow-orange walls, verandas with places to sit, and even an open roof. It even had a fantastic view of the famous volcanoes of Guatemala: Fuego, Agua, and Acatenango. After setting our bags in our shared rooms, we met with the owner and founder of the hostel, Tatiana, a sweet woman from Germany who felt like one of my aunties from back home: funny and always ready to lend a hand. She gave us sound advice and ground rules for our stay. Once she was finished, we were free to relax for a short time until we walked two blocks to the tienda that will be providing us many of our meals. The tienda is run by a Violetta and she prepared a delicious meal of pork pepían with lemon water and tortillas. We walked back to the hostel, where Profs. Lennon and Cadwalader were waiting to take us on a brief tour of the city.
Walking among the cobblestone streets of Antigua felt like stepping into a time capsule: everything felt as if it had been here since the 17th century (which, as I later learned, it was) when Spain had first settled Central America. From the tree-covered Parque Central to the many old churches that dotted the landscape, and even a block-long market, Antigua had much to offer us in such a short time. By 1640, the professors informed us to make it back to the hostel on our own, which we surprisingly accomplished within a decent amount of time. Furthermore, they gave us until 1900 to meet once again for dinner at a Taquería called Tacorazon. We took this time to take as many pictures of the sunset as possible.
Once dinner was served and eaten, we made it back to the hostel safe and sound, preparing to tuck ourselves in for the night. Before doing so, I remembered the professors’ advice regarding meeting new people at the hostel and began a conversation with three other guests. I then headed to bed, tired but excited for the next coming days.
Written by: Vicenzo Roling-Stella