Caserio Pasac Municipio Nahuala Departemento Solola Pura Maya

At the end of our unforgettable week with the Roots and Wings Institute in Pasac, our hosts casually asked if we would wear the Maya Quiche traditional clothing for part of day at the end of our stay. Concurrently they asked if our group would learn a short folkloric dance to perform in front of a few of the villagers. As the day of dress proceeded, details of our performance surfaced--our group was the main act for a Noche Cultural, the organizers needed us to perform another dance of our choosing highlighting our (US) culture, plus an introductory speech and song. We suddenly realized the surprise guest performance scheduled to appear at the Noche Cultural was not a surprise to us. We began to sweat underneath the thick fabric of our juipils and cortes.

Our group hastily chose Wagon Wheel by Old Crowe Medicine Show as our introductory song, more because Devon already knew most of the chords and we could just sing (or speak) the catchy repetitive chorus behind her as she sang the main verse. For our second dance performance, our modern piece, if you will, we chose the uber-overplayed wedding, bar mitzvah, and middle school dancefloor hit Cha-cha slide well, because it was on Montana's ipod and the line dance with called instructions would allow us to perform with zero preparation. That's right, we decided to improv Cha-cha slide to a group of 200 Mayan villagers while dressed in their traditional attire at the pueblo's Noche Cultural. If the song seems inconceivable to mess up, think again. Words can't do justice to the perplexed look at the townsfolk faces as we Cha cha slided off the stage. Above you'll find our group shot pre-performance.

Eh-Bah (Adios in Quiche)!

-Alex and Jackie

Adios Antigua!

Que Pasa Carpe fans?!?! Tonight is our last night at the Earth Lodge. Orientation was quite the experience, we all established a strong camaraderie within these first few days. From moving group discussions to rolling on the ground laughing playing pterodactyl, (which was mostly me, Jared) we have all gone from strangers in an airport to a forming small family.

Antigua was a great segue into our Central American journey. I remember sitting in el parque central with Alex, when a little Guatemalan kid ran by. Alex was taking a picture with his splendid camera of a beautiful church.. when the boy leaped in front of his camera with a giant smile. It was adorable. But the kick to the story was the second after he snapped the picture and a lady walked by and demanded a dollar for the picture. We had to bargain:)

I was pretty happy when the bus came to pick us up into town the first day, and there wasn't room on the bus for me and a few others.. we got to ride in the back of a pickup truck. Yes mom, no seatbelts. But don't worry, mom.. there were bars on the sides to hang on to.

I washed my clothes by hand this morning at 8am. Now..now i miss my mom. Pushing the comfort zones!!!

Tomorrow is a 3 hour bus ride to our first homestay family. I'm sure most people are at least a little nervous. But its ok, because thanks to wonderful Alex and Jackie we all did skits practicing awkward situations. Not getting enough food? No problem. Family trying to marry you to their daughter? No problem..

Oh, almost forgot, my new friend Patrick says hello to all his family and friends reading. And that he misses and loves them all:) That guys a cool dude.

To all the families dying to know when the next time a blog will appear, or an email will arrive.. (DAD) we will most likely be able to have internet access around the 20th. However, EMERGENCY cell phone reception will be available. Not that there's going to be one though:)

We are all going to miss Antigua. Wonderful sunsets and rumbling volcanoes. But more adventures are waiting!

Talk to you all soon!

-Jared

ps.. Happy Valentines Day Em:)

Seguro, con vista

The ITZA group arrived sleepy, safe, and sound to Earthlodge today, a series of charming rustic a-frames perched on a side of mountain overlooking a valley of coffee plants, a distant Antigua, and two smoldering volcanoes.  We even jumped up from the dinner table to catch a few seconds of lava flow.  Guatemala, thanks for the great welcome.

And so the journey begins

Sleep deprived and still excited, we have confirmed the group is all together and eager to start their journey! Remember to stay tuned for regular blog updates!

Ethan and the Carpe Crew

Airport Meeting Update

ITZA group:

Just a reminder that our original TACA flight was moved by the airline to 5:50am from the original 12:30am flight. We will be at the TACA ticket counter (SFO International terminal) from 9:00-9:45pm to meet any students who had direct connecting flights and no other San Francisco arrangements. For those who have accommodations in or near SF and can rest until the new flight time, be sure to meet the group in front of the TACA counter by 2:30am. Just look for Jackie or I wearing "naturally nomadic" t-shirts and holding a Carpe Diem sign. If you have any questions or problem finding the group, a staff member will be answering the phone around the clock at 877-285-1808.

Happy Trails!

-alex

Treasure awaits

The Central America surface feature map has been released, our intrepid explorers. We now have the locations of Central American people who will reveal previously unearthed nuggets of inspiration, learning and growth. Just follow the X's and your heart, if you dare...

Aqui vamos Spring 2011!!!

Saludos nuestro grupo querido de ITZA!

With less than a week remaining before we depart for our semester throughout Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Roatan, we feel an overwhelming excitement to meet you and begin learning through experiencing.

We were sitting on the steps of the front porch in Portland when we started laughing thinking of papusas, liquidos, chicken buses, beautifully awkward moments in language mistranslation, and the group waking together to see a sunrise over a volcano. Preparanse!

This is the first entry of our intricate story to come. This blog will be completely student-run and a great way for you to keep in touch with family and friends over the course of our journey, so be sure to share the link.

Until we meet at the San Francisco airport, for inspiration just remember one thing:

La cucaracha la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar, porque no tiene, porque le faltan, dos patitas de atras

Hasta el 10 de Febrero!

Alex and Jackie