I am going to begin by saying that this is the last entry that I will write in Guatemala and also apologize for being absolutely rubbish about updating my blog. I leave Coban on August 3 and will set foot once again on US soil August 5. So, this is my last week in Guatemala. I honestly cannot believe that my YAV year is over; it seems like yesterday that I was having a panic attack on the plane coming home from the placement event (funny story, ask me about it in person)!
So, let me bring you up to date. I went on a camping trip with the big kids at the student center at the end of June. I was the coolest kid at camp because I could dive off the diving board. It was fun. Then Kathryn (sister) and Becky (friend) came for an extreme Guatemalan vacation. I’m not kidding about extreme, either; we climbed an active volcano, went spelunking and then zip lining. They also got to experience the ritual of my host sister’s quinceaños. The church ceremony was really nice and I participated as part of the family which was very special. After the ceremony we headed off to a beautiful hotel banquet hall where we ate dinner and danced the night away. The other YAVs came for the party, too, and we all had a blast! I had such a great time showing the girls around Guatemala and introducing them to what I’ve been up to for the past year. Once the girls left, I headed off to Xela to say my goodbyes to friends there. Xela was beautiful, as always, and it was nice to visit and tie up some lose ends.
And now, I have pretty much spent the entire month of July saying goodbyes. I wore my traje (traditional dress) on my last day at the student center and my coworkers threw me a surprise despedida (going away party). Cake and kind words, it was great. Sarah and I went to a despedida at Cedepca, the librarians took me out for a refaccion despedida (going away snack), the group I run with took me out to breakfast after my last run, the señoras (women) at the church threw we a dinner and I have a few more despedidas this week. As you can tell, saying goodbye properly is really important to Guatemalans. My mom asked if I wanted a welcome home party but I told her I think I’ll be partied out by the time I get home.
So this week is chock full of packing, more goodbyes, and lots of mixed emotions. I’m really sad to leave all of my friends behind, anxious about whatever comes next, excited to see my friends and family again, astonished at how quickly the year passed, looking forward to the comforts of home (especially crispy bacon, my bed, hot showers, driving, four seasons and organic milk, just to name a few!), unsure of what exactly I accomplished this year, etc. etc. But even with all of these feelings floating around, I feel very content. There are some things that I would go back and change if I could but, overall, I am tremendously satisfied with my time in Guatemala and am very thankful to all of you who have been sending your love and support my way for the past year.
Hasta luego Guatemala, Hello USA!
