On Sept. 19 there were six seismic shocks measuring over 4.0 on the Richter scale about 35 miles Southeast of Antigua, our home for the semester. Most students here only felt one or two of the tremors and only experienced mild dizziness. The earthquakes damaged some buildings and killed several people in a nearby city, but did not damage Antigua whatsoever.
We are enjoying the semester. Today is Friday, September 30, and for many students it marks the end of the mandatory three weeks of Spanish. Until today, all 18 of the students here have been taking four hours of Spanish per day for five days a week of one-on-one classes with a tutor.
After this week, many students are hoping to volunteer at various organizations. There are countless non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Antigua, so the choice of where to volunteer can vary greatly.
One primary location is named Nuestros Ahijados, or the Godchild’s Project. This is an opportunity to work with empowering women, educating children and fighting towards solutions to domestic violence and sex trafficking in the area. Another organization is called Namaste, which is another local non-profit that works with micro-financing.
We have been very busy practicing Spanish in the market and in the cafes, restaurants, bookstores and streets of Antigua. One weekend, we visited Guatemala City and saw the massive National Palace, which is equivalent to the White House in the United States. We were also able to visit a museum where we could see and touch many ancient artifacts of the ruins of the Mayan cities.
The museum was great, but Guatemala City was like many underdeveloped cities, which is to say, not particularly desirable to hang out in. Antigua may seem chaotic with the city life, but in comparison to the Capital it is cute and quaint.
We also visited a nearby town and learned how to make tortillas and grind coffee by hand, the way that they have been doing it here for hundreds of years.
Altogether, it seems that our group has adjusted to living here in Antigua. As with any semester in a university, the first week or two are always the most stressful and chaotic. As we continue throughout the semester, we hope to work towards various social justice issues, to stay in contact with the many relationships many of us have on campus, and to thrive here in Antigua, Guatemala.
A common phrase in Spanish is: “¿Que Pasa?” or “What’s Up?”
For stories involving a chocolate factory, a chichicaste plant and running a half marathon, visit my blog! I’ll keep you posted on “Guat’s Up” at dshinabarger.wordpress.com
