Lessons from a Journey

Well it took me long enough to catch up on relating my trips this past summer. It wasn't my intention to retell events in the past as I remember them. But life gets ahead of us. At the end of my trip, I had a chance to reflect on what was happening inside me as I experienced it all outwardly. Here's a bit of what I learned.

Patience-with myself, with time, with others.

Practicing courage and self-confidence-This was a big one for me traveling by myself. I was out of my comfort zone so many times. Yet each time I decided to be vulnerable, or push the comfort zone a bit further, God showed up in the form of confidence, a friendly face, or something to forget my loneliness.

Enjoying the time in solitude-I'm one that wants to be constantly on the go. And when I'm not, I feel like I'm squandering precious time. I learned some of the best parts of this trip were when I accepted time in solitude, doing absolutely nothing but sitting in God's presence.


Gratefulness-In times of confusion and frustration, my best defense was offering up the big and small things I was grateful for. I also realized while on this trip, more than ever before, how very blessed I am by my community in Chicago. During my travels, I was surrounded by people on different walks of life. I remember sitting at a dinner one night with these people, appreciating their stories, but thinking how grateful I am for my friends and family at home who know my heart and encourage me to be the best version of myself.

Interacting intentionally and authentically-This trip taught me a lot about traveling intentionally. It would have been easy for me to jump from place to place only for the sights, activities and thrills. But I desired intentional conversations with people. I tried to be authentic in my words and actions so as to learn from the people around me.

Simplicity-This was tough to deal with coming home. I have so much. I need little. I was still happy (even happier) when I had less with me. When I was away, I started caring less about how I looked outwardly or what I had with me, and turned inward to improve who I really was under it all. It was hard coming home, and noticing the immediate shift in my thoughts-Ugh I have nothing cute to wear...Everyone here looks more put together than I do...I really should have worn makeup and done my hair today... I became aware of this shift in my mentality and the thought that had to look great in order to feel worthy. I'm trying to let God work through this and build integrity in striving to live simply.

Reassurance in my gifts and passions-I felt emotionally and spiritually full by the end of this trip. I was in my element on so many levels throughout this trip. Traveling, exploring, learning about language and culture, interacting with people, working at the school, taking it all in. I had so many emotional highs and lows throughout the whole trip, but through those moments I felt I learned more about myself and where life might take me.

God is faithful-Every lonely moment. Every time I felt anxious, nervous or stressed. In my quiet times and in my conversations. Jumping off bridges and climbing volcanoes, journaling in a hammock and sitting for hours by the lake. He showed up. He did work in me. He was faithful throughout this journey, and He will be in the next.

Pura Vida Part 2

After our full days of adventure, fun and exploring Monteverde, we hopped on a bus, then a boat, then another bus-to finally arrive in La Fortuna.

La Fortuna is known for the large, active volcano called Arenal. There are plenty of adventure tourism activities to keep people busy for days. However, we had already zip lined, walked through the cloud forests, and rappelled waterfalls in Monteverde. We were actually pretty tired and beat up a bit and it was only day 3.

We opted for an easy volcano hike combined with soaking in the hot springs. The volcano was great, but the hot springs were one of the highlights of our trip. We had paid for a package tour, and it included entrance to one of the nicest resorts with over 25 hot spring pools, complete with swim up bars, waterfalls, and lounge seats.  The next day, we trekked to an incredible waterfall and swam a bit.

Volcan Arenal

Hot springs at Bali Resort

La Fortuna waterfall

After all of our active and exciting activities in Monteverde and La Fortuna, we were ready to relax on Costa Rica's amazing beaches.

We had originally planned on being in a large beach town called Jaco. However after spending one night and a day in Jaco, we weren't thrilled with the atmosphere and vibe there. It was a large town on the coast, filled mostly with ex-pat surfers. Not exactly our scene.

So it was off to Manuel Antonio, a short hour long bus ride south of Jaco. Best. Decision. Ever.

Our hostel in Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio hit almost every mark on our list. It was very small and really just consisted of several hostels, shops and restaurants sprinkled along the stretch of road that followed the coast. We stayed in a little hostel with a great happy hour and an even better view.

We went to Manuel Antonio Nature Reserve, and it was one of the best days of our trip.  Manuel Antonio is a unique environment where the park is on the Pacific Coast and has several beautiful beaches along the edge of the park. However it also bumps right up into a warm, tropical area which feels like a jungle complete with a large tree canopy, active wildlife and long, hilly hikes through the tree cover.

Views for days at Manuel Antonio

We did our own tour of Manuel Antonio and hiked every foot of that park. We loved every minute of our self-guided exploration of this incredible place. We saw sloths, large lizards, numerous birds and tons of monkeys hanging out among the trees. We climbed hundreds of stairs to reach a summit view overlooking the ocean. We discovered 5 or 6 beaches along our walks.

We even reach a beach called Puerto Escondido, which is only accessible at low tide by climbing down on a ladder and over rocks. We ended the long morning of hiking at one of the quiet beaches. We loved this place so much that we came back to the public section of beach the next day and soaked up more sun, sand and waves before heading back to San Jose.

Puerto Escondido.

For only being in Costa Rica for 7 days, we accomplished a lot. But we know we only scratched the surface of all that this amazing place had to offer.

By the end of this huge journey, I was pretty exhausted. I had never traveled this much in such a short amount of time. In less than a 2 week period, I had been in 2 countries, 7 cities and 7 different hostels. This was on top of the previous 3 weeks that I had just done in Guatemala.

My stuff smelled, my backpack was tired of being tossed around, and my legs ached from all the hiking we had done.  I had seen and experienced a lot in a month's time. 

But like all good things, my trip had come to an end. Chicago and its beautiful people were calling me home, and I was ready to be back.

A taste of Pura Vida

After 3 full weeks in Guatemala, it was time to pack up and move on to another Central American destination:  Costa Rica.

Pura Vida =  Pure Life

The famous catchphrase of the Costa Rican people. I'm not exaggerating when I say everyone, from tour guides to waiters, exclaim this phrase in every conversation you have with them. It means living a life that you love and loving the life you live. This statement is not only a touristy slogan or logo for attractions. It is the way of life in Costa Rica.

Monteverde Cloud Forest.

My teacher friend Pia met me in San Jose. Our first impression of Costa Rica was seen through the windows of our van on the 4 hour trip to Monteverde, and through our chatty driver, Minor.

Minor became our personal tour guide for the day as he would pull over at various stops along the way. He spotted howler monkeys on the road and taught us how to holler back. He pulled over an hour later and walked us down to a small stream that was so hot, it boiled within the rocks and people had left remnants of cracked and fried eggs on the rocks. He scheduled our canopy tour excursion for the next day and told us the best restaurants in Monteverde. 

Zip lining in Monteverde.

Suspension bridge walk through the Cloud Forest.

We drove along the seemingly endless bumpy road and saw the landscape change to hills and valleys completely covered in green. We saw a rainbow through the clouds. We heard about the Tico lifestyle and the pride people have for their country.

This place truly was Pura Vida.

What was interesting was I had more culture shock coming to Costa Rica than I had going to Guatemala. In Guatemala, I had known more or less what to expect of the culture and people. Costa Rica was pretty different from the other Latin American countries I had visited in the past. People and buses showed up on time. Everyone more or less spoke great English. We could drink the water out of the faucets. Good customer service was a value in most agencies and restaurants. People genuinely enjoyed talking to you and helping you a lot of the time.

Rappelling waterfalls in Monteverde.

Living La Pura Vida.

But mostly, I could tell the people we just...happy. Jolly even. This is of course observations from the very limited experience I had in Costa Rica. But, maybe there's something to be said about a country with no military, a 97% literacy rate, little history of war and violence, and a better economic standing than all of the countries surrounding it.

The Costa Rican people were truly living the Pura Vida. A life full of meaning, connection and simplicity.

Tikal Ruins

There was one thing I knew I wanted to make sure I saw while in Guatemala. I couldn't come all the way to Central America, and not see one of the largest sites of the pre-Colombian Mayan civilization. 

I did my own self guided tour, but was amazed at how many structures were still standing and preserved over so many thousands of years.  Some of the earliest findings date back to 4th Century BC, while many of the current buildings dating back to 200-900 AD. 

                                       

People were allowed to climb, sit and walk among the different temples and ruins. This made the experience come alive for me. I was able to feel the strong rock structures and walk the pathways that the ancient Mayas had walked thousands of years prior.

  

   

In the whole Tikal kingdom, there is thought to be thousands of remains and structures. Most of these areas are still be excavated, mapped and discovered. The park itself has over 35 or so buildings and sites to explore. Some of the temples were taller over 230 ft tall and towered over the jungle canopy.

                                    

 One of the best features of the park was that I didn't feel like I was at some large tourist attraction with plowed down areas and roped off sections. Of course at many of the main buildings and areas there were the expected big groups of people and guided tours and people selling concessions. But a nice dirt path through the jungle forest connected each structure, and many times throughout the morning I would go 20-30 minutes without seeing a soul...

It was just me, the jungle and the ruins of Tikal.

Adventure awaits in Semuc Champey

You may not know this about me, but I'm a thrill seeking adrenaline junky. 

Now, to be fair, I can't claim to have summited Mt. Everest, jumped out of an air plane, or ridden any sort of strange vehicle across country. 

However, when placed in certain environments, with the right amounts of risk and challenge involved, I am one of the first to line up. 

Up until this point in my trip, I had been playing it safe.

If you don't count the bike ride around Lake Atitlan which almost made me go into cardiac arrest...

Or coming close to being involved in a tuk tuk crash...
Or that time my friends and I kayaked to an abandoned house, halfway under the rising water and climbed onto the patio via the second floor window ledge...

All totally safe activities. 

Semuc Champey is located on the edge of the Guatemalan jungle, and is known for it's warm, lush, hilly surroundings. Mostly, people venture to this spot to visit the natural limestone bridge, freshwater turquoise pools and bat caves that bring fame to the area. Semuc Champey means "where the river hides beneath the earth" in Maya language. The river running through this area disappears into a point of the earth, and reappears to continue on it's natural path.

I stayed in a lodge located in a small village 45 minutes outside Semuc Champey called Lanquin. At El Retiro Lodge, they put emphasis on community and interaction with other travelers. Every night they offered a family-style dinner where everyone ate and drank together. This was not the only place in Guatemala I had stayed at which encouraged intentional time spent together. WiFi was turned off at certain times of the day, communal areas had long, large tables and group games, music sessions and long conversations were often had before or after dinner.

After taking a quiet, relaxing day to journal, lounge and do some lazy tubing down the river pictured above, I was ready to take on an adventure-filled day at Semuc Champey. 

Our group loaded into the back of a pickup truck and took the winding, bumpy road to Semuc. 

Our first adventure of the day were the caves. Our guide lit our candles that we were to hold throughout the tour to light our way in the pitch-black caves. We made our way carefully through the cave, tripping and walking sloppily as we maneuvered around large rocks poking out from above and below.  The cave bottom would drop down and we would have to swim, single-handed while holding our candles. We climbed up small waterfalls, jumped from high rocks into small pools, and got pushed through a small opening of rocks to land into the black abyss of water and rocks.

I loved every second. A few did not share my excitement.

Our second adventure came in the form of a rope swing. Each person took a turn sitting on the swing which flew you high above the river and we jumped straight into it. 

                                       

                                       

                                       

Next, we grabbed some tubes and floated for several kilometers down the river until we reached a steel road bridge and our guide motioned for us to swim to the side and climb out. I had started to wonder why he was leading us over this ordinary bridge for passing car traffic, when he stopped in the middle and asked if anyone felt like jumping in. 

He pointed to the bottom planks of the bridge and said "Para pollos", for chickens, then pointed to the very top rung and said, "Para hombres", for men. Our group stood there, not sure if we heard correctly. Our guide was telling us we could free fall off a 50 ft. bridge into the water below if we wanted to.  I immediately shot my hand up first. I could hear my parent's warning the night before I left for Guatemala, "Brittany, please don't do anything crazy or stupid, like jumping off a bridge," as I climbed to the very top rung of the bridge and jumped straight off.  

Our final adventure for the day was exploring the natural limestone bottomed pools.

This was by far the most relaxing part of the day. We hiked for about 30 minutes up hill to get a great view of the river, limestone bridge, and the surrounding hills. Once we arrived at the bottom, we were ready for some easy, relaxing swimming. We spent the rest of the afternoon sliding down the beds of rocks into the small pools. The water was an incredible color I've never seen before in a river bed. 

Finally, at the end of our long and crazy day, we loaded back on the pick up truck for the bumpy ride home. With a day full of adventure behind me, I was ready for a big family meal and a few drinks with the new friends I had made.

A Meal in San Juan

When you think of Guatemala, or traveling through Central America what comes to mind?

For me, before stepping foot into Guatemala, I imagined rolling mountains and green valleys. I dreamed about recreating the awesome pictures of jumping off the docks into the massive Lake Atitlan, with the mountains as a backdrop (the perfect profile pic). I thought about the bright, bustling markets with their exotic fruits, fresh vegetables and raw, stinking meats. I saw people on the streets coming and going, living their daily lives.

However, one thing that didn't come to mind right away was what those lives actually look like away from foreign eyes. Many times when we travel abroad, we forget to wonder or learn about the people living authentically day in and day out in a place that we are just passing through. Talking to many travelers like myself, I quickly realized that while people were genuinely interested in learning about the culture, language and people in Guatemala, they weren't necessarily putting themselves in positions to experience their lifestyles first hand.




While I was working with Rising Minds, the coordinator mentioned the workshops that they facilitated with people in the local communities. The variety of activities available astounded me. They had workshops ranging from making your own pair of shoes from scratch, to spending the day with a local Mayan fisherman, to creating your own colorful dies from plants. All of the workshops highlighted the extraordinary talents and skills of the ordinary Guatemalan. 

I decided to immerse myself in a bit of this culture, and opted for two workshops: cooking a traditional meal, and making my very own organic shampoo. The same woman taught both workshops, so I got to spend two of my afternoons at her home in San Juan learning these special trades.

Hilda lives in a home shared with her mother, father, brother and two children. But someone must have spilled the beans that we were making something good that night. Soon, Hilda's two sisters, along with their husbands and children all arrived to help with the eating part of that night's workshop.

We made a simple dish called Patin, a popular dish originating from a town around the lake called Santiago. After a quick trip to the market for ingredients, we returned home to start the long prepping process. This dish only has 3 ingredients-Tomatoes, beef marinated in lime and salt, and large banana leaves for wrapping up the mixture. Should be easy, right?

Think again. As I glanced across the kitchen to the perfectly working blender, Hilda pulled out her piedra de moler, a large, granite stone grinder, complete with a stone rolling pin that had been handed down from her grandmother, to mash every single tomato.


"It adds a special flavor that can not be replaced," she said, as she showed me the technique of rolling out the tomatoes. "Our ancestors used this piedra for all of their cooking and it's the only way to make a good Patin."

I don't know how these women do not have bodybuilder arms. This was no easy task. As I stood fumbling with the stone roller and mashed tomatoes spilling over the sides,  the sisters and mother gossiped in their native Tz'utujl, and the kids laughed at my poor technique. Several times Hilda and her sisters stepped in to help me out. I mean, we did intend to eat that night and at my pace we were having Patin for breakfast.

My weak and feeble attempts at using the piedra de moler.

Finally after about an hour or more of grinding tomatoes, we added the paste to the meat cooking on the fire. From there the process was simple. We wrapped the thickened mixture into the banana leaves and let them cook a bit longer.

Overall, the process took 2-3 hours to complete. We sat together and opened our warm, steamed banana leaves and dug in. The dish is eaten with tortillas and we had homemade black flour tortillas. Hilda explained that she makes her tortillas by hand in the early morning and freezes them so they taste fresh at night. I couldn't help feeling slightly relieved that I didn't have to go through that process as well.

Along with a very sweet cup of coffee, the meal was the best I had eaten in Guatemala. But it wasn't the best because it was authentic, or homemade, or even because I cooked it the traditional way.

It was the atmosphere that made it so great. I was sitting with a family, listening to their conversations about school, work and their days. They switched between Spanish and Tz'utujl, and passed the cups of coffee around for everyone to share.
I felt like I was being given a very special insiders view into the lives of this family. For one night, I was part of them as they shared their home, food and traditions with me.

I endlessly thanked Hilda and her family for the wonderful food and memorable experience. I left that night with plans to return the next day to make our organic shampoo from aloe vera leaves and other herbs (another arduous, painstaking process...but with incredible results).

In two days time, I felt that I had learned more about the Guatemalan people and their beliefs than I had in the two weeks I had been living in the next town over. It made me a little sad to think I had waited this long to dive straight into the heart of Guatemala and into the lives of its unique people. These moments-like dinner with Hilda and her family, working with the teachers and children at the school, discussing beliefs and customs with my Spanish teacher, cracking jokes with my taxi drivers, or sharing stories with the people I encountered- these are the ones that stand out the most in my mind of what made my time in Guatemala not just a beautiful landscape and fun activities. They made it real, personal and lasting. They made it feel like home.

Rising Minds in San Pedro

So Im really behind on my posts. It´s definitely not from a lack of things to be writing about. It has much more to do with lack of internet and computer access and well...time. Trying to catch up a bit! Thanks :)

Part of my time in San Pedro La Laguna was spent volunteering for an organization called Rising Minds. (http://risingminds.org/) While I had originally wanted to be helping out in a school for the 2 weeks while I was in San Pedro, due to all the festivals, the students were not in session for over a week. 

So in order to keep busy and help out, I spent a few days helping other volunteers in their community garden. They are building the garden  and greenhouse out of post-consumable materials. The garden acts as a nursery and seed bank for community members to receive as an incentive for signing up for their health program. 

I was a small part in this large project, but got my hands dirty and face toasted cutting and stringing bottles onto bamboo shoots and assembling the greenhouse.

Greenhouse made from recycled bottles, bamboo, string and nails.

Once the kids were back in school, I was able to help at San Juanerita school in the next town over. Rising Minds has partnered with this school in hopes to offer financial and educational support for its teachers and students. The students at this school come the surrounding small villages around San Juan. Many of these families are migrant coffee workers and their kids are only in school half the year. Also, because the school pulls from the surrounding areas of the town, they do not receive as much government funding as the other schools in the area. 

While I was expecting many hardships and challenges at the school, I have to admit I had difficulty adjusting to the structure, organization and resources available at San Juanerita. It was a combination of shared cultural norms along with a deficit of resources in the community that had resulted in some of the things I saw at the school. As a teacher, I was overwhelmed by the lack of discipline, organization and educational practices present at the school.  I don´t mean to speak negatively about the school, or its staff and students. On the contrary- the teachers I met were devoted and cared very much for their students. The students were eager to learn and fun to work with. 

I immediately had this deep feeling of connection to this community. I wanted to work alongside the teachers, to help them create a better atmosphere in the classroom and improved learning experiences for the students regardless of the dire circumstances they had. At one moment, I contemplated canceling part of my plans for the following week of travel in order to stay longer to work at the school. 

I don´t know why I had this innate feeling of belonging with the school. Maybe it´s because I felt I could contribute with what skills and experience I have in some way. Maybe it had something to do with the kids reminding me of the students I taught back at home. There was something there. I can´t put my finger on it. And this connection might fade and I will just remember the experience. Or...God may have plans in the future, using this school or my experience here. 

In the end, I was honored with the opportunity to get a glimpse of the life of the children and communities in this area. I was grateful for the ignited passion that God renewed in my heart that reassured the gifts and plans He has for me in the future.