To Guatemala We Go (Again)!

It's that time again!

We are packing up and getting ready to travel to Guatemala tomorrow to experience the colorful culture and work alongside the local Habitat affiliate in Xela.

This year our team has 3 returners. Myself, Steve, and his daughter, Heather. The rest of the team has never been to Guatemala, one has never been out of the country. Our team is 6 Habitat Greenville staff, 1 AmeriCorps member, 2 Habitat Greenville volunteers, and 3 family members. Most of the team is coming from SC, but we also have members from CO, NY, and NC!

the team!

The trip feels different to me this time. Last year it was new and unknown and dreamed about for a decade. This year it is familiar, but slightly different. Still dreamed about, but a lot less unknown. I have the privilege of being the team leader this time. Last time I was assistant to the team leader.

One of our team members actually speaks Spanish this year!

Upon arriving we will be reunited with our fantastic Field Coordinator, Fredy. We are very excited we were able to be matched with him again!

Flying in.

We travel to Antigua for our first night and to Lake Atitlan for our second day. We will arrive to Xela Sunday evening and meet our family Monday morning. Monday-Friday we will work on one house together as a team with some cultural experiences sprinkled in. Saturday we will head back to Antigua for an afternoon of R&R before we fly out Sunday to return to our respective homes.

I will certainly miss some of the friends we made last year who we will not see, but I look forward to seeing a few familiar faces and the new relationships that will form over the course of this week.

A favorite place to be in life for me is traveling, getting my hands dirty in service to others, and learning what life looks like to someone else. I am so very delighted to be a part of this trip again! Many thanks to all supporters who made this trip a possibility for myself and the rest of the team. Without the generous support of others none of us would be able to do what we do.

The streets of Antigua.

Hopefully I will have internet connection to post a few times throughout the week, but if not, I will certainly follow up when we return!

Adios, mis amigos, nos vemos pronto!