Connor Whalen- Arrival

     Heading out of the country can be more exciting than most may think. As we were on our way out of the United States we spend a glorious three hours in LAX. The group decided after  a good amount of time wandering aimlessly through the airport that we should play Risk. After playing for just about two hours and eliminating 4 of 6 players from the game, we decided to call it quits.
     In response to the call to board the plane to Guatemala City all 15 of the travelers as well as some 220 other people who are flocking to Guatemala to enjoy the gorgeous scenery and the famed Guatemalan dry season.
     Killing time playing board games proved to be a very fruitful endeavor because as we were sandwiched between four support beams on a ledge in the airport, a woman from the airline agency came up to us and asked us to exchange our tickets for all exit row seats because we were all English speakers. So this trip in its earliest stages was already taking turns for the better.
     As the four hour plane ride came to an end in Guatemala City, the very sleepy group claimed bags, went through customs, and would up on a 15 passenger van en route to San Lucas Toliman. Once again just like on the airplanes the majority of the travelers started what hopefully will be a theme of the two and a half weeks in this country: Siestas.
     The first thing I noticed about San Lucas Toliman when we arrived were the speed bumps. Each speed bump on the road was probably six inches tall and required the car to come to a complete stop then slowly crawl over. They were also spaced about one every 50 yards so to not notice them would be impossible.
     It was a very hot time of the day when we arrived at Hotel Inquiti just down the road from Mission San Lucas Toliman. Although it was only 10:30 AM when we were unpacked and set up in our four-man rooms, it felt like it was time for dinner and then bed. But the day was just beginning! We were instructed to be in the biblioteca (which is really just a big room with book on one side where all meetings and meals are held) at noon for an orientation  One of the long term volunteers, Erin, was very thorough in her explanations and got everyone excited to get to work, after a little bit of sleep of course. We ate a delicious lunch and got ready for our next adventure, a tour of the city.
     Excitement was already high but when we saw what we would be touring in, I think a few hearts skipped a beat or two. We then piled into the back of a pickup truck and began our tour standing in the back. Our tour led us to see all of the projects being worked on the the town. Another long-term volunteer named Lily led the translation effort but after these past two days, we have realized as a group that we do not need a translator and all of us can figure out what is being said as long as the person doesn't talk too fast. We visited the clinic, the coffee project grounds, the reforestation center, and the women's center, all places where we will be working in the next few weeks.
     Meeting a woman named Chona whom we have heard so much about was the icing on the cake of our first day in San Lucas Toliman. She is in charge of all the cooking at the mission as well as many other activities and projects including the women's center. She worked along side Father Greg, the founder of the mission here in San Lucas Toliman, as his right hand person. She was alive through the Guatemalan Civil War so she will present first hand accounts of the war from her eyes in talks that are to come soon in the future. After we talked a little with Chona, we visited the grave of Father Greg in the town cemetery. We got to walk through the market streets in the city and got a great glimpse of the exquisite culture and lifestyle of the Guatemalans which we will no doubt experience throughout the upcoming weeks. Although the past two days have felt like a week in themselves, after some more rest tomorrow, I'm sure we will all be ready to take on an exiting work week here in San Lucas Toliman.