sam. meg.

Travel week For one week, we all left the comfort of our lovely San Juan homes to visit all the different and interesting places in Guatemala that we could possibly fit into seven days. Our week started out with a coach bus ride to Puerto Barrios, on the Carribbean Coast. For a prairie girl, it was definitly an interesting stop. In Puerto Barrios we stayed at a hotel called Amatique Bay, or as i like to refer to it, paradise. At the hotel we as students had our own house complete with our own pool and hot tub. The boys were all thrilled when they found out there was a pirate ship water slide to play in and much of our time was spent by the poolside relaxing. Sadly, we had to leave paradise the next morning and headed on boats to Livingston. After our short hour in Livingston, we got back into our boats and were driven down the Rio Dulce. The river was surrounded by walls of green and wildlife, it was a perfect ride to look upon and admire God’s creation all around us. Half way through our ride we stopped and got out of the boats right into the water at a hot spring. There, we sat on top of rocks as, sometimes too hot, water came out. After, we completed our ride, and then went on a bus to an organization called Hearts in Action. At Hearts in Action we spent some afternoon time playing with the kids in the local village, and then headed for some relief from the hot sun in a lake nearby. As we continued on our travels, we reached Tikal. Tikal is the site of Mayan ruins which we toured for the day. The amount of space that Tikal covered was amazing, and the ruins themselves were really impressive. After Tikal, we went to an interesting place called Yuxca. The reason why it was so interesting is that we stayed in treehouses there. By refering to treehouses, I mean little platforms on stilts with railings and a thatched roof in the middle of the jungle. While sleeping in our quaint little houses we were awoken to the call of howling monkeys at three in the morning. I don’t quite know if there is any way to explain what they sound like, but we got another listen at five in the morning. From there, we all headed on our own ways for a free weekend. Overall, we got to experience many other and very different parts of Guatemala in just one week. This country never dissapoints me, every place is different, and has its own unique way of doing things from the last. Overall, travel week was a great way to taste and see a little more of the country we have called home for these last two months. Megan Reiger

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One of the highlights of my semester was the weekend spent in Belize with 12 other students. Our trip started with a 45 minute boat ride to the Island of Caye Caulker. This layed back Caribbean Island had a small population of welcoming people. Our first evening there we all went out for dinner at a Restaurant Called: Rasta Pasta. The owner there came by and over the largest burritos you've ever seen; she told us her life story and all the best spots on the Island. Friday, we went snorkeling off our own privately rented sailboat. We had two guides who took us to three different snorkeling spots: Coral Gardens, Shark Ray Alley, and The Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We spent day swimming with tropical fish, sharks, sting rays, and even a moray eel. We finished the afternoon off with an open bar and sunset cruise back. Our second full day was spent relaxing on the island. Star, one of the women we met on the idsland spent her entire day from 8 till 3 braiding all of the girls' hair on the beach. The rest of the day was spent shopping, and relaxing on the beach, soaking in the sun. The morning we were off bright and early for our 12 hour bus ride home. It was a very memorable weekend. Sam Kornelsen.

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