Day 10

Today started off with a typical breakfast of eggs and beans at the local Mission, and we had the pleasure of being responsible for the cleanup as well.  Afterwards, we headed down to the lake and piled into a boat that took us to Panjachel, which took about half an hour. Once we arrived, we all took Tuk-Tuks to the Reserva Natural Atitlán where we went zip lining. 

 

When we got to the reserve we were given a choice of Extreme Zip Lining or Ultra-Extreme Zip Lining, and we of course chose the latter. The hike up to the zip line lasted about 30 minutes and consisted of many steep climbs as well as long, narrow bridges that only six people could walk on at a time. After we made it to the top, everyone was a bit nervous as we got in line to go down the first zip line, which was just under 1,000 feet long. The zip line had an incredible view of Panjachel, Lake Atitlán, and three volcanoes. The next two zip lines were much longer, with each one being over half a mile long. The second zip line proved to be a bit of a challenge as many of us got stuck towards the end and had to be pulled the rest of the way by one of our guides. The rest of the zip lines went smoothly as we gained more experience. 

Zip lining took about three hours since we had to hike to every starting area, which left us with about an hour to shop at the local tiendas (stores). Once we were done shopping, we got back on the boat to head to the hotel in San Lucas. The rest of the afternoon was pretty relaxing as most of us were exhausted from the long day of zip lining and hiking. We headed back to the Mission for dinner at 6pm and watched a video about the San Lucas Mission and Father Greg afterwards. To end the night, we got some ice cream from a local ice cream shop and went back to the hotel to relax in preparation for construction work in the morning.

-Brianne & Andrew

Day 9

Today started off (for some of us) bright and early with a walk to the lake to get a clear view of the volcanoes. Then we went to breakfast and had some oatmeal and beans. The first half of our day was spent split up at two construction sites. Five of us went to start the building process of a brand new concrete home. The remaining ten of us went back to the house we worked on during construction on Monday. After two long hard hours of work, we returned to the Mission and ate some lunch. 

 After lunch, we went to new construction sites, again split into two groups. The first group went to a house that hadn’t really even started construction yet; however, they started the process by putting together the rebar. The group of five went to a wood house and assisted in the process of mixing concrete and putting concrete floors in. After another two hard hours of work, the groups went back to the hotel and had a good two hours of rest and shower time. Today we were the set up and clean-up crew at dinner, so we got there around 5:30pm, had some leftovers, and proceeded to go out to dessert to celebrate the departure of our beloved Sr. Dr. Professor Steven Northrup.

-Samantha and Jess

Day 8

The morning began with many of the students getting up early to go for a walk with Dr. Northrup or a jog with Dr. Rust. In the early morning it is much clearer and we have a better view of Lake Atitlan. After this we headed to breakfast a bit earlier than normal because today was a special day for the Mission. Today marks the anniversary of Father Gregorio’s death; he was the priest who founded the Mission. The Mission and the people of the community come together on this day to celebrate his life. The celebration began with a mass and then a procession to his grave. After the ceremony was finished, we had a little bit of time to explore the local market, buy some souvenirs, and of course go to La Paneria (which is a favorite of the group). After this we headed to lunch then left to do projects with the Mission. Four students and Dr. Rust went with the construction group and the rest of us did reforestation. The construction group helped move massive stones that were in the way of building a fence. 

The reforestation group helped prepare bags and sanded some of the wooden products they make there. We all met up at the hotel to make our way to dinner at the Mission. We had dish duty so we got there early to set up. After dinner we all went for some ice cream and headed back for a relaxing evening filled with our favorite pastime: playing cards.

-Kelly and Courtney