Today, many therapists stayed back in Antigua and had a cultural day enjoying great food, shopping, and exploring the city. We all had great Guatemalan coffee with breakfast! We enjoyed walking around the city and observing and experiencing the culture. We got photobombed by a Guatemalan senior citizen and enjoyed a conversation with a Coratian barista who is living here and teaching English. On a fun side note, one of our therapists got to experience the thrill of driving in Antigua last night. Everyone was left unscathed :)
The rest of the team took a three mile hike up the volcano Pacaya. It was an interesting and difficult hike, but everyone felt accomplished at the end, and was rewarded with a beautiful view and roasting marshmallows in a crater on the volcano. As we started making our drive to go to the cemetery overlooking the dump in the city, there was an accident that stopped traffic completely. We had to change our plans and headed to dinner, but the decision was alright with everyone because we were all pooped from the long hike. We concluded our trip with everyone meeting and telling stories and sharing their experiences about the trip. Many emotions were shared and we all concluded how appreciative we were of this trip and how excited we are for our future as occupational therapists.
Final note from the trip leader:
What a great week! We learned so much. Guatemala is a beautiful country, the communities are so welcoming, the families and caregivers so warm and friendly, and the children so delightful. While our service sites thanked us again and again for the services we provided, it is we who were blessed in so many ways. We have stories to tell and experiences to share all of which will stay with us for a lifetime. Now, as we bid goodbye to Guatemala, we thank all of you back home for the support and resources you provided to make this trip possible. Your care and your concern allowed us to pass on our care and concern to those with whom we interacted and related. May the relationships we developed allow us to build even more bridges with our new Guatemala friends and may those bridges extend not only to our own community but reach across the globe.
Carol (Xavier University Program Chair and Guatemala Trip Leader)
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