Lesson 2: God appears in unexpected places. I\u2019ve seen God in the majesty of hidden jungle waterfalls, in the kindness of generous strangers, and in safe bus rides along dangerous mountain roads. (In the last case, there were moments where I really did wonder if I was about to meet my Maker.)<\/p>\n
Lesson 3: \u201cBarriga llena; coraz\u00f3n contento.\u201d <\/em>(Full belly, contented heart.) Always <\/em>travel on a full belly, lest you subject your travel companions to the wrath of a hangry heart.<\/p>\n Lesson 4: A pretty place is nice to look at, but true <\/em>beauty is found in friendship. Thanks to my travel buddies, to our hosts, and to the many, many people who fed us and welcomed us into little-known corners of this incredible country throughout the past week.<\/p>\n -Kat Lehman<\/p>\n -morning boat ride on Lake Izabal-<\/p>\n I could see the curve of the Earth,<\/p>\n smell the immensity of the horizon<\/p>\n with the 6am stubble of mountains<\/p>\n way way way across the way<\/p>\n <\/p>\n the water was gently shifting porcelain<\/p>\n warm to the touch<\/p>\n studded with seabirds and floating green gardens<\/p>\n <\/p>\n the sky hummed with blues and grays<\/p>\n and the intangible promise of a new day<\/p>\n just over my shoulder the sun peeked<\/p>\n through a crack in the clouds<\/p>\n and it was all yellow<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I smiled at our guide, his hand on the tiller,<\/p>\n his bare feet dangling<\/p>\n <\/p>\n and his one silver tooth caught a glint<\/p>\n of the rising sun<\/p>\n when he smiled back<\/p>\n and pointed out a small family of monkeys<\/p>\n breakfasting in the coastal trees<\/p>\n Lessons Learned on Free Travel<\/p>\n -Elizabeth Nisly<\/p>\n I have never seen mountains like Guatemala\u2019s before. They breathe green into every corner of my sight and astound me with the steepness of their reaching slopes. I could stare and stare and never get enough of their majesty.<\/p>\n – Megan<\/p>\n Our group of three spent three days in Rio Dulce and three days in L\u00edvingston, choosing to save money and spend less time traveling by staying in Guatemala. Although if you think about it, the money we were given for free travel wasn\u2019t just handed to us – it was originally ours that we used to pay tuition for this semester. Still, it felt like Byron and Lisa were just giving us money to travel.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t write about grand adventures or discoveries, but I can write about what the three of us felt so strongly throughout the week; the restorative power of doing nothing: of sleeping in, of reading novels on a roof or by a pool, of not having scheduled times to eat or sleep or be in Spanish class or to be somewhere. For the first time all semester, except for a few days in Arizona, we had no planned activities, and it was glorious. Combined with the scenery, we could not have asked for a better, more relaxing week out of the city.<\/p>\n -Jenna H., Anali & Nathaniel<\/p>\n We were very thankful that our first two days of travel to Placencia, Belize were not an indication of how the remainder of our free travel would go. Traveling in Guatemala posed more challenges than we would have had while traveling in the United States because we were not able to plan much in advance. We could not look at bus and boat schedules online leading us to always take the earliest bus\/boat to make it to our next destination just so that we could sit and wait a long time for the next one to leave. Making it even more difficult, we had to keep track of three different currencies (Quetzales, USD, BZD), two different languages, as well as our group and the other two groups. And, on top of all of that, we had to deal with Guatemalan time. This means that nothing leaves or arrives on schedule and there is no rush.<\/p>\n The most stressful part of our travel was an hour boat ride from Livingston, Guatemala to Punta Gorda, Belize that took up the largest portion of our transportation budget during the middle of a storm. We were sitting in a 20-passenger boat that was open on all sides, and thrown around by the wind and the waves. The torrential rain started when we could no longer see any sign of land. We stopped to refill on gas during this downpour and we were convinced that we were lost. However, we started moving across the open ocean again and finally caught sight of land. The rain stopped, the sea calmed, and we no longer had to huddle under the tarps, praying and holding hands. All of these struggles made the beaches of Placencia more beautiful and enjoyable.\u00a0 IMG_2801<\/a><\/p>\n We spent the next 5 days 40 feet from the beach, enjoying the luxuries of air conditioning, warm showers, speaking English, and independence in our food and activities. One of our highlights was eating Tutti Frutti gelato almost every night. We loved the small town feel of Placencia and the ability to walk everywhere. Most of the shops and restaurants were located on the main sidewalk that provided easy access to the beach and the whole town. Despite our traveling difficulties, we all agree that Placencia was well worth it. We would all love to go back another time to experience everything we did not do and to re-experience some of our favorite memories.<\/p>\n -Ginny, Rachel, and Madeline<\/p>\n Our group, like a few others, was lucky enough to explore the beautiful, tropical country of Belize for our free week of travel. From the very first day, our trip went so smoothly it felt too good to be true. We left at an early 2:30am and took a variety of transportation to reach Puerto Barrios, Belize, where we ate pizza and had a relaxing night on the balcony, looking out over the ocean. Throughout our journey to Placencia, Belize, our final destination, we walked, took 3 taxis, 2 boats, and 2 busses. This long journey made Placencia even more enjoyable upon arrival. After getting off the boat, we were all surprised to be welcomed in English, a nice change from the ongoing Spanish we had been hearing and studying in the city. We were greeted by our gracious and hospitable host, Analise, who provided us with a house located right on the lagoon and included a rooftop pool, kayaks, tubes, bikes, and a beautiful lounging area where we spent most of the week. Analise and her boyfriend even cooked us a delicious barbeque meal during our time there.<\/p>\n Placencia is a small lively town located on a peninsula where the tropical air, bright blue oceans, and unique restaurants and bars welcome many tourists from all over the world. Unlike Guatemala and Mexico where we had previously visited, Belize offered a different atmosphere and culture. Placencia provided us with a sense of community, safety, and an overall island vibe that was thrilling to explore. During our time in Placencia, we visited the beach, made our own meals (mostly consisting of pasta), lounged at our pool, and sun-tanned. On the last day, we were able to take a boat out to a secluded island to snorkel! We saw schools of fish, a rainbow squid, and multiple stingrays. We felt so free swimming and scanning the coral reefs that reside under the Belizean blue waters. Until our travel day back, every aspect of our trip was perfect. On the way home, we ran out of gas on our boat, which caused us to miss our bus back to the city. This was quite an experience, but we all made the most of it and embraced the unpredictability of travel. Overall, our trip to Placencia was an unforgettable adventure, and turned out to be the perfect, much-anticipated break we needed.<\/p>\n -Laura, Katie, Clara, Jenna, Seth<\/p>\n
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