Today will be my second full day in Antigua. I live in a house with three other girls from Spring Arbor. The woman’s house that we are staying in is named Marta Julia and she is a grandmother. She calls me Raqelita. She also has a helper that comes during the day named Julia. They are both very sweet, excellent cooks and speak only Spanish. This made our first dinner together a little awkward because we could not communicate much. However, two of the girls I am living with are Spanish majors which has been incredibly helpful and I will be starting four hour a day Spanish lessons on Monday.
In Guatemala you cannot flush toilet paper which takes some getting used to, but we are lucky enough to have heated showers. Our group consists of 4 guys and 14 girls all of whom are incredible people and we are all getting along extremely well. Antigua is approximately one square mile, surrounded by three volcanoes, suffers an average of 20 minor earthquakes a year and called the “Land of Eternal Spring” since the temperature rarely leaves the 70’s. Last night we felt our first tremor but most of the group slept through it. At one time Antigua was the capital of Guatemala and the name literally means “old.” Before the capital was moved to Guatemala City it was called Santiago Caballeros (St. James the Cowboy) or Santiago de Guatemala. Antigua has a rich history which is evident in its beautiful architecture and cobblestone streets. We visited the ruins of La Iglesia San Francisco (Church of St. Francis) where Brother Pedro is entombed and it also just happens to be less than 5 minutes from our house. We also visited Museo de Capuchinas (an old nun convent). Although Antigua is the least culturally Guatemalan area of Guatemala the third world nature of the country still is clear. We saw many men walking around or riding in the back of trucks with machine guns (they are the police). Also, if you are observant you will notice civilian men with handguns on their belts. There were also street beggars and a man sleeping in the street. There was a huge market that had everything from Adidas shoes to fresh raw chickens. There are also many classy cafés, restaurants, spas, museums, and jewelry stores. So far I am really enjoying Antigua and am excited to learn more!
Special Thanks to:
Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship program for awarding me the funds to afford such an incredible adventure.
Paul and Bev Nemecek for moving to Antigua to host this amazing program and for being extraordinary teachers, leaders and people in general
All my family, friends and Spring Arbor staff for supporting, encouraging and praying for me
God for blessing me with this incredible experience
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