OWW Gautemala Reflection

I am so glad that I chose this trip to Guatemala. When I first signed up I was just going to go, unaware of what was actually going to be going on. Its amazing how much stuff we have done over the week that we have been here;climbing Volan Pacaya, visiting Uaxactun, seeing the ancient ruin in Tikal, working with ARCAS Wildlife Foundation, mountain biking down a mountain, kayaking across lake Atitlan, and very many hikes, all which I never imagined myself doing. I had to push myself physically and mentally to accomplish all of this especially climbing Volcan Pacaya. After i was getting closer and closer to lava flow a rock beneath me crush and I no longer wished to continue further, but I was proud to at least get to a point where I could see lava flow, feel the change in temperature as I approached it. ARCAS opened up my eyes to endagered species, specifically the Macaw, which I never knew the story behind how they were traumatized by being smuggled in plastic bags. I fed and claned Howler Monkey Cages and another animal which was about the size of a chihuahua with a long nose. Cleaning the cage that belonged to the small animal was the hardest because they were agressive, biting and scratching at me every chance they got. In Uaxactun and Tikal we learned about the ancient Mayan culture and saw many temples. I am still amazed at the structures because they live so long ago and its a very hard concept to grasp of how they built them. This trip has also enabled me to open up socially, since I am usualy shy and the fact that I didn´t know the people on this trip and that I am the only ninth grader, and I am very proud of myself. I am very grateful that I got to go on this trip with World School during my One World Week at High Tech High Media Arts and I already know that these are ten days of my life that I will never forget.

Brandi Coley
High Tech High Media Arts
Grade 9

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

Best days of my 17years of living.

When i signed up for the Guatemala trip i wasnt clear on what was to be expected, i had never been out of non-neighboring countries of the US, and i certainly wasnt experienced in doing outdoor activities. Of the things i was sure of i knew i would be doing some sort of community service, bargain with vendors, and most importantly eat a lot of food. It wasnt until i stepped foot on the ARCAS site that i realized i had gotten myself into an obtuse task of hard work.

The ARCAS visit was almost purely labor but it rarely felt like it. I was given the oppurtunity to feed spider monkeys and clean their cages. I had never been that upclose and personal with a wild animal, so even though i was hauling monkey poo into a bucket i actually really enjoyed it. The monkeys were such a joy to be around and made me smile, it was hard not to play or talk to them. Id have to say the most challenging part of ARCAS was not so fun, but i wouldnt change anything at all. We had to work in the fields getting the dirt (well im almost sure it was goat droppings) ready and turned so that we could help ARCAS become more self sustainable and plant their own garden. I had never been worked that hard in my life and to think that people have been doing this everyday for litte pay and many years is just spine rattling. I have gained so much respect for workers.

After we left our volunteering part of our journey in ARCAS we arrived at the ancient ruins of Uaxactun and Tikal. Both of the sites left me abosolutly at awe. I was interested into the amount of time, knowledge, patience, endurance, and determination it took the ancient mayans to build their living quarters. They knew more than a lot of people from the 21st centurary with all of its resources would even know. It is amazing i honestly cant believe i was able to see this, when i stepped on every ancient ground i could envision how it would be to be Mayan and how my everyday life would be (our tour guide Roxy was also amazing at creating this picture for me). Every body needs to experiance a visit to an ancient ruin because it really puts into perspective what humans were capable of then and what we are capable or incapable of doing now. The best part of this visit was the fact that i got to hold a turantula, yes an 8 legged creature that is fuzzy and feared!

The 3rd part of our trip in Guatemala was the physically challenging part, man o man was i exsuasted! i did so many things i wouldnt have even thought i could do prior to this trip such as a 20 mile mountain bike journey, hiking up a what seems to be oversized volcano, learning the importance of communication skills with my partner through kyaking, bargaining my way to getting souveners i most likely wont even use in my lifetime, fighting a mad case of spicy diarea, and conversng in spanish with words i didnt even know that i knew!

As we are on our 4th part of our trip here in antigua i am honestly sad its ending. Last night was the first night leading up to semana santa and the streets were so festive and full of life, i had so much food and i dont even know how to pronounce some of it, it was great. Today is the walking tour of antigua im excited to see how this all goes and tomorrow we leave back to sunny san diego.

I am almost sure this is the best experiance of my life, i am super stoked about traveling and hopefully this is the beginning of great adventures. I would love to travel through world school anytime after such a great experiance. Jen was great, my teachers were great, everything was honestly fantastic, and i garuntee you this blog is no hyperbole.

ashley matthews 11th grade
high tech high media arts
april 4, 2009

More Research Papers

Guatemala and Spiritual Ascension

It is profoundly interesting to me that we have so many different cultures, all with rich history, and all on one planet. And each of these cultures has its own spirit and its own stature. Every place that I’ve been across the globe has given me a different sensation and a different perspective on life and the way I live. My experience in Guatemala was the perfect way for me to bring myself out of the comfort zones I was so accustomed to in America. I was able to be out in nature with absolutely no connection to the outside world, which to me was possibly the most refreshing situation ever. I was able to lie down and simply listen to and absorb the disjointed orchestra of the jungle. Offbeat rhythms and sounds no instrument or sampler can produce. It was the truest form of music I have ever come across, and as a musician it set the mood that Guatemala as a whole captivated me with.

I’ve found that Guatemala has a very different value system than America, and I think that is what I liked most about it. Although people in Guatemala can sometimes not have a lot of money, they still value their life just as much if not more without money and they seem much happier that way. When I returned to America after being in Guatemala the first thing I noticed is that people in America were noticeably more stressed out and depressed. It made me immediately want to go back to Guatemala, where everything seemed so much more pure. It’s like the whole time I was in Guatemala there was some kind of spiritual entity that was trying to communicate something with me, and it wasn’t until I got back to America that I realized what that something was. It was a way of life. And ever since I’ve learned of this way of life I’ve been able to incorporate it into my own life.

Nathan Levenson

High Tech High International

Semana Santa in Antigua

Semana Santa (the Catholic celebration of holy week) is one of the most significant times of the year for the people in the city of Antigua, Guatemala. Semana Santa occurs every year between March 22nd and April 23rd and goes from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. Tourists from around the world come to watch the elaborate processions, see the brilliant alfombras (traditional carpets), and watch the entire city participate in activities that imitate the passion, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The event begins on Palm Sunday when holy figures of Christ and the Santisima Virgen de Dolores (Holy Virgin of Sorrow) are carried from the churches and through the city streets, by men dressed in purple robes with white waistbands. It has a festival vibe with music and food to celebrate Christ’s last days on Earth and it continues until that Thursday.

On Thursday of Semana Santa, residents of each street work together with close friends and family to create the beautiful alfombras (traditional carpets) out of colored sawdust and sand, flowers, native plants, and pine needles. The origin of the carpets goes back to the early days of Semana Santa when the locals would throw pine needles on the cobblestone roads for padding on the procession route (that would come the next day). Each year, they would add something new, such as different kinds of flowers, and it grew to a competition between each street on who could make the best one. Today, the alfombras incorporate beautiful colors and intricate designs that express religious and contemporary images, and still each year they become bigger and better.

Preparations begin at 3:00 am on Good Friday for the mock trial and sentencing of Jesus. Participants dress up as characters from the trial such as Roman soldiers and Pontius Pilate, and reenact the scene. At 7:00 am, a religious figure of Jesus carrying his crucifix (which can get up to 3 and a half tons) is carried on the shoulders of a team of 80-100 men (who work in shifts) who parade through the carpet-covered streets of Antigua. Behind that group is another group of women dressed in white carrying a smaller float of the Holy Virgin Mary. Following Virgin Mary are smaller groups who carry the figures of San Juan and Maria Magdalena, and the funeral march band. In the afternoon, the figure of Jesus is replaced with an image of him being laid to rest and carried around the city. Before any of these holy figures are used in the procession, there is a special ceremony held for them at the church. The hermandades (brotherhoods) are each assigned to a figure, and they construct alfombras in front of the display and a decorative backdrop made of paper behind the display. The church community then makes offerings such as fruit, candles, bread, and flowers around the alfombra. At 4:30 on Good Friday, the city is covered with black paper and everyone dresses in black to symbolize the death of Christ. A silent procession is led by someone bearing the crucifix and is followed by hundreds who carry banners engraved with Christ’s last words on Earth and the pronouncements of God. Bystanders of the procession pray and mourn as the crowd goes by, and the image of Christ is put to rest at the churches at 11:00 pm.

Holy Saturday continues with more funeral processions and is led by an image of a devastated Virgin Mary and followed by many women dressed in black. On the last day of Semana Santa, Easter Sunday, the city rejoices with festive processions to celebrate the ressurection of Christ. Masses are held in all churches and firecrackers can be heard throughout the day.

Our group was in Guatemala when the processions were very upbeat were still celebrating Christ’s last days on Earth. The first time I experienced it was when we first got into Antigua and were walking to our host family’s houses. We could hear the music from about a mile away and when we reached the procession route, it just hit us. It looked like a sea of purple marching to the same few songs that the band played. The vibe gave me a feeling of how much determination and effort was put into this celebration, and how connected the city became to pull it all off. There are so many adjectives that I could use to describe the experience but the first that comes to mind is inspiring. What these people do every single year is amazing, and I would love to return to Guatemala someday and witness the whole week celebration of Semana Santa.

Rachel DeNoble

High Tech High International

The Research Papers

Animal Trade

The two largest illegal trade rings in the world are weapons and drugs, but many people do not know that animal trade is the third largest illegal trade in the world. People also don’t realize that the greater majority of the animals being traded are to be used as pets, and not as fur. In Guatemala there is a high amount of animal trade due to the jungle and the large amounts of exotic animals that live there. Animals that are often traded include: spider monkeys, howler monkeys, iguanas, parrots, toucans, wild hogs, lizards, jaguars, and ocelots (for their fur).

Having just gotten back from Guatemala myself I would say that if somebody was aiming to catch a monkey it would be relatively easy. When I was at Tikal I would simply look up at the trees and see monkeys easily. I also stayed at a wildlife rescue center called ARCAS. ARCAS is an animal rehabilitation center, so they don’t just take care of the animals, they also teach them how to be wild again. Teaching animals to be wild includes dehumanizing them and so ARCAS staff and volunteers do have to be a little mean. They teach the animals their basic survival skills, like how to get food and water, how to interact with other animals of their species, and how to move through the jungle.

All of the animals at ARCAS come from the illegal pet trade. One monkey at the center somebody had as a pet, and that person is now going to go to jail. I also heard from one of the volunteers that a hotel in Guatemala has a toucan just sitting out in the lobby as an attraction, and that someone else in the hotel had a howler monkey chained for the same purpose. I also witnessed some monkeys in captivity. While in a bus traveling from one city to another, I saw a front yard that was covered in vegetation much like the jungle, and there were chained up monkeys in the front yard that everyone could see. The pet trade needs to be stopped because it is cruel to the animals.
My experience at ARCAS was amazing. It felt really good to help out, feed and care for the animals. You really knew that you were making a difference, and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The atmosphere was amazing; the facility was built directly into the jungle. I would definitely recommend for someone to go volunteer at ARCAS.

Mason Petrancosta

High Tech High International

The Mayans

The Maya are possibly the most graphically stereotyped ancient civilization ever. Vivid images of tribal wars and blood sacrifice are usually the first things that come to mind when we think about the Mayans.

But the Maya were highly sophisticated. The impossibly high temples and pyramids stand as testament to their mastery of architecture. The Mayans even quarried limestone, and laid down large tiles until they could build their entire civilization on flat, even ground. And such feats are even more impressive knowing that they accomplished this without the aid of the wheel or other simple machinery. The Maya had no telescopes or equipment for cosmic observation, and yet their knowledge of the stars is clearly demonstrated by what they left behind. The Maya had two calendars, a daily calendar for keeping time, and a religious calendar for holidays and rituals. Amazingly, their daily calendar consisted of 365 days, just like ours, even compensating for discrepancies such as leap years! Almost everything about the Maya reflected their fascination with the stars. Their entire religion revolved around these mysterious glowing entities, and they built great pyramids upon which to observe them.

Just as their buildings were enormous, the Mayan empire was colossal. The influence of the Maya spreads from present-day Guatemala, to Belize, Western Honduras, El Salvador, and southern Mexico! But they were not a single and connected empire. The empire of the Maya was separated and split up like Greek city-states. This mostly had to do with the geology of Central America. The Peten/Yucatan peninsula is a single immense mass of limestone jutting into the Gulf of Mexico. Such even terrain allowed for Tikal, the greatest of the Mayan cities, to be built. However, in the highlands of Mayan territory, the land is broken and constantly changing with mountains, ravines, rivers, and jungles. Likewise, the cities of the Maya were also broken up into smaller settlements. Decades of alienation from other Maya led to the separate development of these ancient city-states. Even though the cities were similar religiously and artistically, the Maya language evolved differently from one city to the next. Their languages became so disentwined in fact, that a Mayan from the lowlands would never be able to communicate with a Mayan from the highlands or vice-versa.

Thus, the Mayan cities became their own societies, so separate from each other that hostilities often arose between them. For example, the Mayans of Tikal invaded and conquered a neighboring city, Uaxactun, in order to capture slaves and resources. Many wars and skirmishes occurred between cities; however these conflicts between cities were not what led to the downfall of the Maya.

At about 900-1000 A.D. the Spanish arrived in Central America looking for land, money, and power. Drawn like moths to a lamp, the Spanish salivated over the massive amounts of gold and jade the Mayans possessed. Armed with gunpowder, the vast numbers of the Mayans began to wane due to the new technology of the Spaniards. But smoke and fire was not what caused such a massive empire to fall.

In actuality, the Spaniards did not cause the untimely demise of the Mayans. Many of the great Mayan cities were abandoned before the Spaniards came, and many more fell in the years to come. This mystery has plagued modern archeologists for centuries. Some believe that the Mayans fell victim to a long series of droughts and famines caused by solar cycles, and yet, the Mayans were excellent astronomers. Some would argue that they should have foreseen this and prepared beforehand. Some think that the Mayans burned too much of their rainforest for agriculture, causing detrimental effects on the atmosphere such as dry spells, or unfertile soil. Many suspect that the vast number of slaves rioted and overthrew the government sending the entire civilization into disarray. Countless theories surround the mysterious downfall of the Maya, but the question is not why did the Mayans disappear, but why did they abandon their great cities.

A day in Central America will yield encounters with many indigenous Mayans still living in the land of their ancestors. So although their great stone monuments lie in disrepair, their blood and their culture live to this day. Even the Mayan religions and traditions continue to be practiced. But the Maya hold an importance in Central America that transcends that of the region’s cultural heritage. Most Central American countries are third or second-world nations meaning that their governments are poor. Since these countries lack a stable economy, they export and sell a valuable commodity that they have, unfortunately, in limited supply: wood. The rainforests of Central America are but a fraction of their original size and splendor. Miles upon miles of rainforest have been cut down to fuel the economy. But were it not for the Mayans, the rainforest might already be gone. Each year, millions of tourists are drawn to the Mayan ruins. Eco-tourism is one factor that is saving the rainforests of Central America. These tourists pay to take tours, stay in lodges, eat food, and buy souvenirs, bringing a potentially inexhaustible source of income to Central America and combating the need to destroy one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on the planet.

For me, visiting the Mayan ruins was the most incredible and awe-inspiring section of the trip. I could literally feel the presence of past lives there, as if I was staring through a window into the past. Unexplainable auras hung suspended in the air, as if the ancients had made these monuments of stone to tell me a story, and were whispering secrets in my ear. I sat on a single stone for an hour, trying to put my sense of awe onto paper, and though many inspirational words flowed from my pen, nothing can really explain that sort of connection with the past: Knowing that someone was here before you… Sensing the lifetimes that have come and gone right beneath your feet… It was absolutely amazing…

Adam Burnier

High Tech High International