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Day 9 in Guatemala was one to remember for sure. After eating breakfast with our cabins, we had to face the reality that today was the last day of camp, and we would have to say goodbye to all of the kids we had grown so close to.
As the kids began loading up the bus, we took our last photos and said our final goodbyes. Many hugs were given and tears were shed, and It was clear that although a language barrier was present, relationships were built nonetheless. We ran down the dirt road waving goodbye to all the campers as the busses headed back to the different areas were the kids live across Guatemala.
We walked back up to the camp and began to assist the incredible staff that work there with there camp cleanup, before having a final team meeting and debrief at camp Canaan. After that, we loaded up onto a bus of our own, with Spanish music blasting and Antigua as our next destination.
With spirits high and bladders full, we arrived in the beautiful city of Antigua. After a long walk we made it to the world famous Antigua McDonald’s, where we emptied out on liquid, and loaded up on food. The McDonald’s was huge and had a courtyard with a view of a volcano. An experience quite personal to me, was I had a “love at first sight” moment with one of the McDonald’s cashiers. I made sure to give her a flower I picked before we headed off to the Antigua market to practice our bartering skills. I blew all my Guatemalan Quetzals here, but actually quite happy with what I got. Others were more reserved with there money (parents, I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear), and after some walking around we decided to call it a day at the market and head to our next tourist destination.
After walking around the town centre thingy (I don’t know what it was but it was cool), we made it to our final stop in Antigua to share a meal together. We ate some dinner and it was clear, many of us were tuckered out from the long day in the sun, and the long week with the kids. We hopped back on the bus and headed to the new guest house we’re staying in. It’s a beautiful house, and we got to hear an awesome Devo that Kate shared with us. We got some time to rest, relax, or as Allie calls it, “introvert time”, before calling it a night. I think this was a much-needed break from the rush, and we’ll be ready to go for tomorrow.
Today was filled with laughter, tears, hugs, and crushes on McDonald’s cashiers, and we can’t wait for what God has in store for us next here in Guatemala. Peace!
