intro
the famous arco de santa catalina that i took w my phone!
In the summer of 2024, I wanted to do something that was out of my comfort zone: a homestay in Guatemala. I realized there'll never be a month of a summer where I can just go to a foreign country and live with a family I've never met before for a couple of weeks. So I thought I oughta take advantage of this opportunity. People sometimes ask me: why Guatemala? The answer is: I don't remember. But does that matter? Nah. It's a cool country that I barely knew anything about except that they spoke Spanish. Va.
me before i regretted the next 8 hours of my life hiking a volcano
departing from newark
saying bye to mom and pops
Saying goodbye to my wonderful parents at the Newark International Airport. There was a scene in The Sopranos shot here. Maybe not this gate or level, but... somewhere in this vicinity. Trust me on this one.
um okay we out here ?!
When I first arrived in Guatemala, I realized many people didn't speak English. No one in the host-family spoke English. It was awesome. The coolest thing is when you actually understand what they're saying... it's like wow! All that studying is paying off. The realization is so cool that words cannot describe it.
the gang
grecia, my goat
My Spanish teacher taught me entirely in Spanish since she did not speak or understand English. I thought that it was equally fun as it was difficult. She taught me grammar rules, cultural facts and slang of Guatemala, etc. We talked about life and our own personal philosophies and goals. I even talked to her about a book called Tao of Pooh and a bit of Daoism, which is insane! Granted, it was the most broken and basic explanation you will ever hear, but the fact that I could scratch the surface of explaining abstract ideas such as ancient Chinese philosophy to someone in Guatemala in another language is kinda cool lokey. Wanna know more about the principles of Wu Wei and utter acceptance of the Dao and spontaneity explained entirely in Spanish? You've come to the wrong person :D
la mejor cocinera de todo guatemala (left) y the best story teller (right)
My squad at school. One of the coolest moments was when Manuel, the guy on the right, was telling a scary story in Spanish. As he was getting to tense moments in the story, my heart would drop. At that moment, I realized I was not only understanding it, I was invested in it. I've made progress!
Dina, to my left, cooked me really awesome Guatemalan food. Most of the meals I ate was with fresh tortillas at-hand. Even when I was given soup, she gave me a basket of hot tortillas. I asked her what I should do with the tortillas and she told me to just dip it in and scoop up whatever solid food I can find in the soup. I suppose this is the Guatemalan equivalent to Asians eating everything with rice. For a few days, I was the only student living in the school. So during breakfast/lunch/dinner, Dina, her kids, and I would be at the table. I enjoyed it because I got some practice following their conversations. Whenever I was afraid of adding to the conversation, I reminded myself that I'm there to learn and I shouldn't be afraid to speak---for when would the fear of speaking ever end if it didn't end there?
volcánes
cool volcano views from antigua
Antigua is surrounded by volcanoes everywhere, many of which you can hike. Just don't hike up Volcán de Agua. The locals warn you not go there due to kidnappings and robberies. Other than that, you're good as long as you go with a guide.
striped t shirt guy graduated from rutgers! his name was joe. i will never see him again. so it goes.
the hardest hike of my life
Met people from around the world. We all collectively agreed this hike would be illegal in the United States. The trail was pretty, digamos, sus. It was very, very tough because I was not physically prepared for it. Just go ham on the stairmaster for a couple of months prior and you're gucci.
lava from acatenango
view in the morning after the hike. this has no filter, just straight up sun.
conclusion
I have so many other colorful photos and interesting tid-bits, but I don't wish to write for so long. Perhaps, the photos will find themselves in other posts as I see fit---but alas, the train ends here. If there's anything to take away, the best part of the trip was meeting people from all over the world and struggling together. Mutual suffering. Mutual laughter. Mutual difficulties in understanding one another.
That's where I want to be.
keychain bien chido