¡Hola!

Today, Saturday, was yet another busy day in the beautiful country of Guatemala!  We left our host families early this morning, and many of our goodbyes weren’t easy.  We all made such great connections and had such wonderful experiences with our families, we were sad to see our time with them come to an end!

After leaving our host families, we traveled about an hour and a half to a Mayan village.  Here we were lucky enough to participate in a traditional Mayan ceremony.  The couple who hosted the ceremony were so kind and welcomed us with open arms into their home.  Even though the majority of the ceremony was done in a Mayan language (which none of us understood), the message of the ceremony was still so beautiful and clear. We all felt so honored to be invited to participate in such a sacred event and were even invited to return if we ever visit Guatemala again.  After the ceremony, we traveled to a widows’ cooperative in Chichicastenango.  The cooperative is the home to many widows who lost their husbands during the war.  The women here were kind enough to make and serve us a delicious lunch.  Although the food was great, the most impactful part about visiting the cooperative was hearing the widows’ personal stories.  The stories that the widows told about how they lost their husbands were extremely difficult to hear, so I can only imagine how hard it was for the widows to tell these stories themselves.  We were all amazed by the widow’s strength and perseverance, as they have endured more than anyone should ever have to in a lifetime.  We were once again welcomed with open arms into the widows’ home, were invited back if we ever return to Guatemala.  We all felt so welcomed and loved after today’s experiences!

After the widow’s home, we drove to the hotel where we will be staying for the night. We had a tasty dinner, and are heading to bed soon, as we’re all very tired after our busy day!  I can’t believe we’ve already been in Guatemala for nearly a week.  It feels like just yesterday we were stepping off the plane, getting ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime!

Lauren Benson