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 arrived at the Escuela de Jardín de Amor at 0820. The school had a dentist’s office inside, which was a bit of a surprise. That’s something I would’ve never thought to be inside a school. Our task for the day was to prime and paint one of the offices on the second floor.
At 1000, we took a break and joined the kids for recess. As soon as we stepped into the courtyard, the kids ran up and jumped on our backs. Seamus ended up holding four kids at once. The girls followed me around and jumped on me every chance they got. We played soccer against the kids and lost badly. Pablo and I were just trying not to trip over the kids and accidentally knock them down. That’s what we will say is the reason we lost so badly.
After finishing the painting, Pablo and I decided to skip lunch and head back to the Purpose Hostel to relax before Spanish class. During class, Hannah, Mackenzie, and I convinced our teachers to play a game with us. It’s kind of our thing now, somehow always managing to turn our classes into group activities. At the end of class, our teachers rewarded us with a walk where we could only speak Spanish. We worked so hard in the first half of class it was only fitting. Somehow, we ended up at Dunkin’ Donuts, and we bought our teachers ice cream cones as a small thank-you for putting up with us during our Spanish lessons.
We had our nightly meeting with Captain Lennon and Professor Cadwalader, where each group shared what they accomplished during the day. The group of Hannah, Mackenzie, Nathan, and Tanner have been working on building a bathroom in San Antonio. The group of Sean, Morgan, Makynzi, and Yorlan continued to paint the walls at Jocotenango at the CANI Asociación Casa del Niño school. They are anticipating to finish up this project by the end of the week.
After the meeting, Hannah and I decided to go to McDonald’s for dinner. We wanted to immerse ourselves in the local culture. And what better spot than McDonald’s? We both got pollo, papas fritas, and a diet Coke. It was nice to just relax and enjoy something familiar to remind us of home.
Looking back on the week, I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by. I’ve made memories I won’t forget and I’ve grown closer to our group. I’m grateful for the experience, and it has truly given me a broader perspective on how other people live their lives outside of the United States. I appreciate my life back home more than I ever have. This trip has opened my eyes to how different life can be in other parts of the world, and it’s made me feel more thankful for the comforts and opportunities I often overlook.