(6/29 - 7/3) Antigua and Goodbyes


Thursday was graduation day! We all gave mini speeches, and celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Somos Hermanos, along with Sofia's birthday which was the next day. It was bittersweet saying bye to all the teachers, but all good things come to an end. I felt super thankful to have met such amazing, fun teachers. 


After graduation, we spent the rest of the day doing last minute errands, including getting Quetzalteca. I couldn't bring any home because I only brought a carry-on, but the liquor store got serious business from us for sure. 


After dinner, we took a group picture with our homestay fam. Couldn't have had a better Guat fam, especially with Diego and Emiliano constantly lighting up our day with their adorable antics. 



 For our last night in Xela, we headed to El Cuartito for blackberry mojitos and nachos. The mojitos literally taste like soda, and the nachos are bomb. We played the game paranoia, which was super fun. Afterwards, we headed to Shamrock, an Irish pub, where we celebrated the start of Sofia's birthday. It was the perfect end to our stay in Xela. 



The next morning, it was time to leave for Antigua. After around 3 hours, we made it to the beautiful city. It was almost like a European town off the coast. It was sunny, colorful, and the cobblestone streets were the cherry on top. After setting our stuff down in the rooms, we headed to Luna de Miel for lunch. The crepes were to die for. After lunch, we headed to a coffee plantation. It was super cool to see the entire process of growing the coffee beans to roasting them. Getting a cup of coffee in the morning is like second nature to so many of us, but learning about all the effort and time that goes into growing the beans and getting them ready gave me a deeper appreciation for coffee. 





For dinner, we went to Frida's. The food was sooo good. After bomb food and convos, we went out to explore Antigua's night life. Danced the night away!



The next day, we headed to shop Antigua's artisan markets. I picked up some bracelets and gorgeous notebooks. Because they were just too good, we headed back to Luna de Miel again for lunch. Really craving the caramelized banana brandy crepe as I write this blog post. After resting our legs in the hotel for a bit, we headed to ChocoMuseo for a chocolate tour. We got a brief history of chocolate, and also got to make our own chocolate. If you love chocolate, you'll love this.





Before I knew it, it was Sunday. I'm leaving Monday, so it was super sad to say bye to everyone. I feel so blessed to have met such incredible friends, and they were an integral part of my experience in Guatemala. Can't wait to have reunion dinners with everyone at USC! 

 Can't believe it's already over. Before coming to Guatemala, I was super nervous and had no idea what to expect. But now I can say that June 2017 was the craziest month of my life, and I never learned so much in life. Incredibly thankful for the opportunity to come to Guatemala and learn and experience all of these things that I would never have been able to do staying in the bubble I live in America. Even though I've always loved traveling, this month in Guatemala really gave me a deeper appreciation for it beyond just the fun and thrill of it. The more different the country and the more you immerse yourself in the culture, the more you learn and open up your perspective. 

 This marks the end of my stay in Guatemala! Thanks for the unforgettable experiences and memories, Guat. 

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