Day 9: May 30th

Antigua Day! We woke up pretty early and got to Rosio’s house a little after 8am. We jammed into the Isabella’s van once more to make the trek to Antigua. We were all still pretty frustrated we would be coming back today instead of tomorrow, so it was a bit tense for the ride. Finally someone decided to say something and we got an explanation from our teacher. We were all still pretty frustrated about not being consulted about the decision but we decided not to let it ruin our day. After a fairly short drive of forty minutes we were there. The van rocked back and forth and we drove on the cobblestone roads. We started the day by eating at the Bed and Breakfast we were supposed to stay at. The owner had already ordered food for all of us, so we pretty much had to eat there. It was such a cute little place, with a beautiful garden surrounding it. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and mixed beans, which is a very popular meal. We also had a food that was similar to oatmeal, but I liked this lot more.

Finally, after spending too much time at breakfast we made our way through the city. We started by going to this hotel that also was a museum of some sort. It was absolutely gorgeous, but very expensive. Macaw birds rested on perches while numerous fountains trickled with water. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We walked to this church area and it looked like a perfect place for a wedding. I honestly would love to get married in a place like that, but on a teacher’s salary I can tell you right now that isn’t going to happen  Next to the church was a small candle shop. We were able to see some of the employees sculpt the candles that were displayed from the ceiling. It was a pretty neat little store.
Then, we went to a jade museum. Apparently there is a lot of jade found in Guatemala and there are so many different shades of colors. It was pretty interesting, but the jewelry was so expensive. Again, since we were in such a large group it took forever for the twenty of us to get out of the store. It felt like we were wasting precious time just waiting for people, mostly the older individuals. However, we finally made it out of the store and made our way to the market, which we had all been waiting for. We were all so excited to finally start buying things for people back home. The market was filled with people outside and then inside this decrepit building. It was hard to shop because vendors would come up to you and tell you that they were selling so and so for a special price. At first I was pretty constant with the prices I wanted and didn’t really budge a whole lot, but I ended up not buying a whole lot the first time around. We had a chance to go back after lunch and I was much quicker with my purchases and got a lot more than the first time around!

For lunch, we went back to the Bed and Breakfast. I had a grilled chicken that was amazing! And not surprising, but beans accompanied the meal as well. I also had a chance to try a drink called “Mush.” It is a type of flavored water. It is really hard to describe, but it is sweet and tastes pretty good. We finished the meal with chocolate cake, which Melanie and Molly were very happy about, and this other dish with a pastry filled with bananas and no surprise…sweet beans!  During the whole lunch, Dr. Herrera’s kids were playing with another little boy that was at the restaurant. I just love seeing kids from different countries and languages play together. Yes, Dr. Herrera’s kids do speak some Spanish, but it still just amazes me to see kids from different countries play together, a lot like Jardine. There is nothing in the way: no stereotypes, no inhibitions, nothing.

After having another pretty long meal, we then were able to go back to the market. We then walked to one of the older churches in Antigua. We walked under a clock structure that survived an earthquake that destroyed the entire city. It was beautiful scene looking at the bright yellow with the dark volcano basking in the background. I just absolutely loved the colors of the city and it was such a vibrant town. After looking at the arch, we went and looked at one of the oldest churches in the town. It was beautiful. White designs popped out on the yellow background. From what we were told, the design is from the Baroque period. We went inside and there were loud voices coming from the speakers. There were a few people at the front of the church that I thought were preparing for a wedding. I got closer to the group in the front of the church and figured out that they were practicing for a play. The loud noises echoing from the speakers were in correlation to the people practicing for the play. It was a pretty church with lots of really intricate figurines dedicated to different saints.

We then went to a restaurant called Mono Loco, Crazy Monkey. The area we went to I noticed a ton of tourists. It was kind of weird seeing so many people that looked similar to us, but you could tell it was a popular tourist attraction. The restaurant was a lot of fun. Most of us ordered drinks and we celebrated Ashley’s 21st birthday. It was just nice talking with our group and Rosio’s daughter just about our culture, our experience thus far and random other topics. I was so excited because we then had enough time to go dancing for a bit. I absolutely love dancing and the bar we went to next door had an open dance floor. Our group took over the dance floor and showed off our awesome moves! Even Jenny broke out and did the worm on the floor. It was such a good time and I was glad that we were able to cut loose and have a fun night together.