Guatemala: The Eye-Opener

As I departed for Guatemala, I felt as if we were entering another developing country. I felt that my third time leaving the States was going to be a wildcard travel, that we were entering this country to be sitting stiff, not knowing what we were doing or what we could be doing. I was feeling terribly wrong.

As we arrived to ARCAS, our first destination, we saw the beauty of the rainforest and noticed how dedicated the volunteers are about rehabilitating and reintroducing the animals. As we did our service projects, we saw how relieved some of the staff were, being that what we were doing for one or two days, they were going to continue doing every day from 1 to 8 months. That left us feeling good about ourselves and feeling the need to do more than our part to help save the environment.

After another plane ride we arrived in Uaxactun, where some of the ancient Mayan temples were. We were amazed at the structures and the thought put into buidling and designing them, as well as meeting the locals who helped maintain and keep the area aesthecially pleasing. After Uaxactun we ventured into Tikal to see some more temples. After being dumbstruck at the height of these temples and the history behind them, we were sure we would remember this experience in many different ways.

After exploring the temples and environment, we drove to Antigua for a plethora of activities making each one of us excited to be up and at ´em at very early hours of the morning. The hike up Pacaya Volcano and the bike ride, the hike and kayak to and through Lake Atitlan left us in stitches, but not even a sunburn could have stopped us from enjoying this trip we all considered "Once in a Good Lifetime."

Kyle Goossens
Senior, High Tech High Media Arts