Community
By Leanne Ropp

            I remember the first day: thirty-one nervous, somewhat insecure 17-23 year olds, setting off on the adventure of a lifetime TOGETHER.  Outtatown Site 2 Guatemala had finally begun, and we had no idea how close we would be (whether we liked it or not) to the strangers we were just meeting, in a matter of weeks.  First impressions didn’t come close to revealing the true personalities of students.  Living together for months reveals many things about people you wouldn’t normally get to see.  Since then, we’ve figured out that when on Outtatown, community is life.  Our lives have centered around it, transforming us into a tight-knit clan!  There have been many obstacles and community meetings, but even more bellyaches over too much laughing.  Most of us had never experienced a family like this before, but the experience itself has proven to be well worth it.