Day 1 – Arrival In Guatemala

Top (left to right): Isbelle, Stephanie, Julie, Me (duh), Na (our trip leader), Kay, Jamie, Yuki, Jessica, Vivian and Kyle
Bottom: Derrick and Amanda

Cheeseballs alert: The upcoming posts contain super cheesiness and extensive recounts of feelings which may resonate with some of you or cause total disgust. Reader discretion is advised. 

I’m still deciding how I should tell the story of my trip to you guys. I think the best way would be to copy what I wrote in my journal while I was on the trip and add some retrospective thoughts. Sooo… bear with me ok?! I’m not an eloquent writer 🙁

Throughout the day, I saw everyone in the group (which I introduced to you at the start of this post) feverishly write at least once in their journals. Stephanie, one of my best friends who came with me on this trip, is an amazing writer and reader. Where I would read a couple pages of a book at a time, she inhales the entire story in one sitting and then craves for more. She, and others, wrote pages and pages which made me think: “Am I missing something here? What are they all writing about?! I don’t wanna be the only one with an empty journal!” So I waited and waited for “that moment” to come so that I could write about something. 

“That moment” happened to me on the flight from Dallas to Guatemala. It was 6:48pm, just after golden hour (my favourite time of the day). Normally at this time you wouldn’t see much of the sunset left, but since I was high up in the air, I got to see a whole new  angle of post-golden hour. Verdict: it was the most beautiful sunset ever. It was such a simple thing, but that it was all I wanted to write about because it made me feel. I can get lost in a view for hours just staring at its beauty. For others it may be cooking, writing, singing, composing, running and etc. For me, it’s scenery. I measure my experiences by what I see. 

Here’s what I wrote in my journal:

February 16th – Day 1 

4:45 am – Wake up and breakfast with sis, bro and mom
5:15 am – Leave for airport
6:00 am – Arrive at YVR
11:00 am – Arrive in Dallas
8:00 pm ish – Arrive in Guatemala
8:30 pm ish – Arrive at hostel (Casa de los amigos)

This is it. This is the surreal and defining moment that I’ve been waiting for to begin my journal on what I hope will be a life-changing trip. 

It’s 6:48 pm Guatemala time and I’m witnessing my first ever non-Vancouver sunset. Unlike the sunsets back home that burn bright for a couple of minutes then sink behind the mountains, this one is lasting. 

All across the horizon, there is a blazing red. It’s like the sun set a ring of fire around the globe. Totally bad descriptions but I can’t explain how beautiful this sunset is right now. (Yep, I wrote that in my journal. I’m critical with myself even through writing.)

Bright crimson red meet the dark clouds in a straight line across the horizon and fades off into softer oranges and golds, all blanketed by the upcoming night.

I’m so excited to get to Guatemala. Never thought I’d do something this BIG, but here I am and I’m glad I chose to be here. 

***

Here are some photos from the first night at the hostel:

Though this place was a little run down, it was A LOT better than anything I expected. We had clean beds, bug free spaces (minus a few spider carcasses in the shower), lukewarm showers, DELICIOUS meals and the kindest hosts.