Today is our last day in Antigua. Here is a behind the scenes look at our first month on the World Race:
- 14 girls lived in one house. The first week and a half, we all shared one bathroom. Enough said.
- We got to volunteer at an elderly center, a day care, and a special needs hospital.
- Our food budget was $4 per person per day.
- There was a corner of our house we dubbed the “internet café”. We would write blogs, text home, update our finances, and have team movie nights. (Pitch Perfect and Frozen, anyone??)
- I met Marcella, a woman with few words and a beautiful heart.
- Peanut butter was consumed by the jar. We went through approximately 20 jars…
- I met Roberto. I have never laughed so much with someone while playing chess! He won both games.
- We shared our house with a coven of spiders. They chased some girls out of the bedrooms, forcing them to camp on sleeping pads in the living room.
- We lived in a valley of 3 volcanoes. We hiked Pacaya and got to see real flowing lava!
- Friendships were made with the people in Antigua and Guatemala City that will last a lifetime.
- We planned and participated in a Youth Rally with 270 school kids. We got the students to participate in activities. We acted in skits that showed the love of Christ. One of the girls shared her testimony of love and hope in Jesus.
- “Laundry” was done by hand under a faucet in the back yard. A.K.A. Get clothes wet and let them air-dry.
- No-bake cookies and ice cream became major food groups.
- I danced and played hide-and-seek around the elderly center with Napoleon.
- The group of us that translated the curriculum knew the Wi-Fi passwords and all the baristas at four local cafes.
- A 30-minute bus ride from our suburb to town was $0.17. It was packed! 3 people crammed onto a 2-person seat. The aisles were also packed. We have met countless people while riding the buses.
- There was that one time six of us we went to a photo shoot and played models…
- Showers at home had to be less than 3 minutes, which is easy when the water is freezing cold. Hot showers were always a treat!
- There were 5 hammocks and 7 clotheslines in the front yard.
- Dinners were done family style. We had a schedule where everyone had to choose one night of the week to cook. The 2 people scheduled for the night would cook for the whole group of 14! (Mine was Tuesday night with Amanda.)
- Friday night was community worship night at our house. We got to meet locals and sing worship songs in Spanish and English. Sermons were preached in Spanish. One night, the band surprised us with a moonlight session outside in our front yard.
- Then, there was that one time our friend’s car broke down. We rode in the car on the back of tow truck for 7 hours!
- My team came together every night to do Feedback and Team-Time. It was about 2-3 hours long every time. We shared our highlights of the day, our struggles, our joy, our pain. We laughed. We cried. We became sisters.
Now…off to HONDURAS!!!
