Well…I’M ALIVE! What an extraordinary last couple of days it has been…
Saturday morning we had to wrap up our time in Quetzaltenango and say good bye to our families. It was really sad but I was sooooo excited for the Plunge! The first time I ever heard about CASP is when I overheard a professor talking about a student’s experience in “the Plunge”. I inquired as to what it was and he explained that after studying for a month in Guatemala, all of the students in CASP were split into small groups, given a little money and the name of a city and were expected to find that city, explore the history culture and economy, find a place to stay, places to eat, means of transportation for three days. I immediately thought I don’t know anything about this program but I’m going.
Well I did indeed end up here and Saturday was the moment I had been anticipating THE PLUNGE. Saturday morning we received our assignments and I was with Aaron, Katie, and Lars headin to San Felipe! We set off on our journey hauling our huge backpacks in search of the bus terminal. On our way there Lars asked a man for directions and he told us that we needed to go to “La Rosa” and a bus there would take us directly to San Felipe. This was different than what I thought because I thought we needed to go to La Terminal (the main bus station). Anyway we went with this man and he started throwing our stuff on a small microbus. There was some disagreement whether we should walk or take this small bus (because we were trying to save every cent) but we decided to just take it and soon we were on our way out of Xela. We got off the bus on the freeway and we got on to another larger bus heading to San Felipe. I was a little nervous because we looked like disorganized tourists so I decided to check my things. When I looked in my backpack I realized that I had been robbed. Camera, passport, all of my money, MasterCard, drivers license, international student ID, copy of passport and birth certificate, and health records. Gone. I couldn’t breathe for a few moments but when I finally could speak I told my group that we had to get off the bus right away. Lars ran to the front and begged the driver to stop. He did so reluctantly and we were ejected onto the side of the freeway. We were able to flag down another microbus heading into Xela. When we got there we knew we had to contact Kim (our professor here). She had told us she wasn’t leaving til 2 so we ran to a café and called the number we had for the home she was staying in. She wasn’t there but one of our TAs, Travis, was there and we agreed to meet as soon as possible in Central park. Lars, Katie, and Aaron went back to Kim’s host home and Travis and I went to a café to use the phone to cancel my debit card. We then met up with Danielle and Kim and Kim told me that I had to go file a police report right away. At this point I was mad and sad but I had accepted that dumb things happen and it wasn’t the end of world. I knew I would have to go to the embassy in Guatemala City on Monday to get a new passport but Kim told me that I could continue on with the plunge if I wanted and if my group was okay with getting back into Antigua (final destination for everyone on the Plunge) by Sunday night instead of Monday morning. Well, of course I wanted to continue but when I returned from the police station I found out that my team had decided to continue without me. I was devastated but totally understand why they decided to move on. I was to spend the weekend with Danielle, Travis and Kim and wait for everyone to return. I kept thinking over and over Why doesn’t life have a rewind?
We made it into Antigua Saturday night and went to the Lutheran Center where we were staying. I collapsed into bed hoping that the next day would be better. Well, God provides. Sunday was sooo much better.
We got up in the morning and went to breakfast and when we returned to the center Don Esteban (the guard in front) told us that 4 of our group had already returned. We argued with him that that was impossible and there was no way but he insisted. I asked if they were all wearing really big backpacks and he exclaimed “Si! Mochilas grandes!” At that point I was thought NO WAY and went sprinting down the driveway and into the center. Sure enough, there was Alex, Kat, Megan, and Bryce sitting at a table playing cards. They were equally surprised to see me and I explained to them what had happened. Then they told me that there city was super lame with nothing to do so they decided to come explore Antigua instead. They weren’t planning on staying at the center because it was too expensive but just wanted to check in with Kim. I ran back to my room and when I came back they all said Erica we are adopting you into our Plunge group and we are going to go with you to the embassy in Guate City!
I was soooooo happy! That afternoon Alex, Bryce and I (and the TAs) went to hike up a volcano. It was AWESOME. We hiked all the way up and then down into the volcano and you could feel the heat radiating from the ground. We even went down into some holes that felt like a sauna. When we got back the five of us went for dinner in Antigua and then found a hostale to stay in. Haha what an interesting experience. It was a pretty sketch place and our room only had two beds so it was us three girls in one bed and the boys in another. It didn’t matter though because we only slept about three hours. We were up at 4am heading to the capital to go to embassy to regain my identity!
After hours of waiting and lines I got a temporary passport to last me a year! Hoorah! During our time in Xela we watched a movie called Reparando. It was a documentary about La Limonada, Latin America’s biggest slum, located in Guate City. It was an incredibly powerful movie and it really affected each of us. Well as we were talking about going to capital we wondered what adventure would be worth having. We thought longingly, wouldn’t it be awesome to visit that woman in the movie and talk to her about her work in the slum? Well, we made it happen. Through a contact of a contact of a contact we were somehow able to get a hold of Tita and she invited us over to her house right next La Limonada! We made it there and participated in one of the most inspiring and encouraging discussions about poverty, transformation, faith and how we can positively respond the difficult things we have and are sure to encounter on this journey. It was beyond explanation, I had such an incredibly time.
SO, what started out to be a pretty horrible beginning to my Plunge experience turned out to be an experience of a lifetime! Granted, I have no money and no camera and no drivers lisence but what do those things matter? I have a new passport, friends who can lend my money, and Kim let me borrow her camera all weekend long! God is good.
We spent a few days in Antigua and yesterday we crossed the border into Honduras! Honduras is BEAUTIFUL. We went to ancient mayan ruins this morning and now is my absolute last chance to update my blog, respond to email and such before I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for my one month homestay in La Colonia! La Colonia is the small community Im going to be living in. we received our assignments last night. Most students are in groups of 2, 3, or 4 in communities that are within 1-4 hours walking distance but I am by myself. Aaaaahhhh it will be FANTASTIC! I am so excited and soooo nervous but I know that God will be with me every step of the way. If anyone wants to send me a letter I would LOVE that! It has to be to Esther Louis at 300 W. Hawthorne Rd. Whitworth University Spokane WA 99215 by Feb. 9th.
Anyway my friend Alex made up a slogan for this weekend that I like very much. “With every hump, comes a new hope.” I encountered a lot of humps but each one provided a fantastic new opportunity.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and I will update everyone in a month after my time out in the boonies!! Who knows I might now know how to speak English…or operate technology…
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| Yup we are inside a volcano. It was soooo flippin hot in there! |
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| YAY NEW PASSPORT!! |
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| Me and Kat in the Capital! This is Central Park in front of the cathedral. |
