All good things must come to an end, and sadly so has this practicum.
Although it was sad to leave, all of grades we taught in the school put on a surprise goodbye show for us which was the perfect way to say goodbye. Students read letters and poems, played music and sang, and there were a number of dances performed. One of which was a traditional Garifuna dance to drumming which ended with us being brought on stage to show off our dance moves (which my students sure got a big kick out of!). Cliché it may be, but it’s been an adventure of a lifetime and one which I shall never forget. Thanks Claret, Std. IV, St. Peter Claver, and PG!

I not only returned to PG with a sun tan, but the joys of pink eye. I was sent home from teaching for the week, but tried to make the most of it and embraced a Belizean week of relaxing. My eyes cleared up enough by Friday, which was the school’s Sport’s Day. A fun day for the kids, but it sure took a lot out of us being in the heat. A group of the younger teachers cooled off after school enjoying a few Belikin’s next to the ocean. The local teachers had never had chili, so we put our cooking skills to the test and had the gang back to our place for dinner. It was a chili feast, with 4 different pots going. It is definitely going to be hard to leave PG and all the great people we have met.

Congrats Big Brudder and Welcome to the Family Frenchie!

I met up with my family in Tulum, Mexico for my brother and Frenchie’s wedding. There were 28 of us in all, and I don’t think it could have been with a better group of people. The resort live was sure a switch from backpacking Guatemala, and it was sure a treat! I think I could get used to the all-inclusive life! The actual wedding really was like a dream wedding and I can’t imagine anything better. Lots of fun was had by all during the week, but unfortunately, what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico!

I parted ways with my ladies, as I was off to meet my family in Mexico for my brother’s wedding. Before leaving Guatemala I was able to make a quick pit-stop to see Tikal, which is known as the grand-daddy of all Mayan Ruins. The site of the ruins was huge, and I felt like I was rushing running through the jungle to take it all in. I definitely got a workout climbing up and down the numerous ruins. Although I enjoyed the ruins, it was the wildlife that I really loved. I had countless encounters with spider monkeys, toucans, parrots, and peacocks. As I was leaving the site on one of the pathways, I was greeted by a group of about 20 coatimundies (looked like monkeys to me) that played for quite a few minutes before disappearing up into the trees.

We spent the next leg of our journey in Antigua. Although Antigua is located in the middle of Guatemala, the cobble stone streets and architecture gave it a very European feel (okay, so I have never actually been to Europe, but that’s what we imagined). We were there for the Easter weekend, which is the busiest time of the year and the biggest celebration in all of Central America. The streets were flooded with people and there were countless processions throughout the town. Hundreds would dress in ropes to proceed through the streets and carrying heavy ‘floats’ on their shoulders. As part of the celebrations, ‘carpets’ were made to line the streets. These colourful works of art were made from coloured sawdust and flowers and were quite the sight (although their later destiny was to be walked over by the processions). The most spectacular of the processions was held during the night in the central park just outside the main church. Thousands gathered to take in the occasion. A shame the pictures just don’t do it justice.
And although I am not a religious person, I was mesmerized by the events. A special thanks to Trisha for being my Catholic translator!

Happy Birthday Melissio!
It couldn’t have worked out better that all three of us had our birthdays while we are here, and all celebrated our birthdays in different towns. We wanted to do something special for Melissio’s big day, and what could be better than hiking up an active volcano! We were thankful to have bought sticks from Guatemalan children at the bottom, as the hike was tricky at times going over the lava rock formations and often hot and razor sharp rocks. Never thought that I would get to be so close to lava! We had some fun at the hostel that night and it wouldn’t be a birthday party without a giant piñata and a game of musical chairs (which I was the proud winner of!) Hope you had a great day Missy!

SKURFS UP!
My favourite part of our stay at Luza Azul in San Pedro was ‘skurfing’!! What’s skurfing you say? Well, it’s basically surfing, but instead of surfing waves, you are pulled behind a boat. It was a lot like wakeboarding, but without the bindings, so it was a little trickier. All of us girls represented and were pretty pumped as we all got up first try! We were even able to get two people up at once (ya Melissio and Alex!). I must admit that it was quite a strange feeling to be doing a water sport in such a poor country, as here we were cruising behind a local’s boat, while some Guatemalans were at the edge of the lake to wash their laundry and bathe. We couldn’t get enough of it, and I’m now determined to get my hands on a surf board and bring skurfing to Lake of the Woods. Days don’t get much better when they start with a good skurf on Lake Atitlan!

We made our way to Lake Atitlan in the heartland of Guatemala and stayed in town of San Pedro. San Pedro was quite the sight to wakeup to the next morning as it is located on the shores of the lake and is surrounded by volcanoes. We ran into our far share of travelers who got stuck there and have made San Pedro home (don’t worry mom and dad, we eventually were able to leave). It was definitely a hippie’s paradise, and I don’t think I’ve ever been to a more relaxing place. It was easy for us to spend 3 nights here (at only $3 a night) and had fun checking out the tons of little restaurants and bars and exploring our way through the narrow, twisty-turny, and hilly cobble stone streets. One of the perks of Guatemala is that there is great food available all over the place and it’s dirt cheap. People are always selling food on the streets, buses, and even stop by where you are staying. Our favourite was most definitely the ‘cake lady’, as she would stop by our hostel every evening (just about the time we were all craving a sweet treat) with delicious chocolate cake.

Easter Break
We kicked off our 2 week Easter break with a morning stroll in the rain with our packs on headed for the boat across to Guatemala. After a little hiccup at Belize Immigration (turns out we had overstayed what our passports allowed and were illegal immigrants), we caught a bus to what we thought was the town of Rio Hondo. It turned out that we were dropped off a few miles from the actual town and were left on the road in the sweltering Guatemalan heat. We started trucking down the road, but it didn’t take long for us to realize there was no way we were making it to the town in the heat. After thankfully getting a ride to town, we used our very broken Spanish and charade skills to get beds for the night. We ended up having our own little building in a Guatemalan resort, complete with a huge pool to cool off in for a whooping $14 each. We ventured out in the town in search of dinner, and we quickly realized that all of the little restaurants lining the streets were cooking the exact same thing over a fire. We still don’t know what it was we ate, but it was sure tasty and was only a couple of bucks each. Despite a soggy and bumpy start, things were looking up in Guatemala.