Guatemala details and schedules
Fly out: June 10th early in the AM!!
Afternoon June 10th – figure out how we feel after waking at 4:30 AM… possibly ride a bus, but definitely find a place for dinner ☺
(MON) June 11th – AM – meet with Dennis Smith – long time missionary (right under 30 years, I think) in Guatemala – works with education and social justice issues
PM – hopefully meet with Catholic nuns who run school with the garbage dump
Travel from Guatemala City to Xela:
(TUES) June 12th: We travel to Antigua (the old capital) to spend some time looking around the city. Travel to TECPAN , with the ruins of IXIMCHE, a local museum and an art exhibition... about 2 hrs. Then a 2.5 hr drive to Panahachel in time for dinner. (This is the area where villages were destroyed and taken off the map about 1.5 years ago with the terrible mud slides.)
(Wed) June 13th – see Panajachel – and boat ride – travel back to Xela –
We will spend majority of the day at Panajachel and arrive in Xela in time for dinner.
(Thurs/ Fri) June 14th -15th – orientation in Xela – meet with missionaries; learn the city; learn how to ride buses; etc.
(Sat.) June 16th – begin home stay in language school
(Sun) June 17th through June 22nd – language school web page: http://www.xelapages.com/
June 23rd – to the MAM clinic in the AM – by truck (this is about a 30 min. drive from Xela – Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala; for those concerned about safety – Xela has a doctor that I know, visited a handful of times – and speaks English very well; they also have a hospital); try to meet some people from that area that we will be working with over the net two weeks.
(SUN) June 24th – church service - San Juan Ostencalco
These two weeks we will be living at the MAM clinic, riding public transportation and working 1-2 days possibly with a school; some days on greenhouses and planting in order to reforest after Hurrican Ernesto - 1.5 years ago, and living with the people and learning as much as possible!! Almost any church service we will try to attend.
July 1st – church San Martin Sacatapequez
(Sat.) July 7th – somewhere around here we will travel towards the coast – it is hot with big bugs. We will be staying at the seminary – yes, the only Presbyterian seminary in Guatemala in a town called San Jose.
(Sun) July 8th – church –
Week and a half – visit with the seminary students? And a young adult volunteer? And women?; Maybe something else with health/ agriculture?
July 14th - Possibly visit the finca (large farm) with Mark Schomer to find out about growing coffee and the struggles of workers and farmers in Guatemala.
(SUN) July 15th – church -
July 16th – Transport to Guatemala City - maybe a stop in Antigua for everyone to buy souvenirs, if interested so you don’t have to carry them the whole time.
July 17th – Fly back to the US – maybe time in the AM to see parts of Guatemala City – our flight leaves at 3pm, we arrive back around 11pm.
Hope this makes sense!
Rachel