I'll be arriving in Guatemala on September 15th, exactly (plus or minus a few days) 10 years after the first time I stepped foot in the country. In 2004 I was 10 years old and entering 5th grade. My parents had decided to go on sabbatical because of what I believe was a mid-life crisis and because of what they claimed was an opportunity to expose my younger brother, Danny, and me to Spanish before we hit puberty. They also hoped to introduce us to Guatemalan culture which happens to be extremely different than that of America.
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| My family in Antigua, Guatemala in 2004. |
While in Guatemala, my family lived outside of Antigua on the campus of Common Hope, an organization dedicated to providing families with housing, vocational skills, education, and health care. My dad volunteered in the clinic and my mom worked as a teacher at the same bilingual school Danny and I attended. Neither Danny nor I really enjoyed going to school; we were bullied for being American and our teachers didn't seem to care enough to stop it.
Besides my negative 5th grade experience, I have fond memories of taking ballet classes in a building directly connected to the picturesque arch in Antigua, learning how to weave from an indigenous woman in the artisan market, going to the beach, and visiting Mayan ruins around Guatemala and in Honduras.
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| Cobblestone streets lead to the Santa Catalina Arch which frames the base of Volcán Agua. My ballet classes were held in the building closest to the arch on the left side of the street. |
I look forward to revisiting these landmarks again in a few months. I'm curious to see how much I actually remember correctly and what will be completely new to me.
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to contact me at azimmer@willamette.edu with any travel tips, comments, or questions!
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