First Day in San Juan la Laguna

We are settled into San Juan la Laguna! After pancakes and empanadas at Ijatz for our last breakfast in San Lucas Tolimán, the teachers checked in with students individually about how they felt to be starting homestays - they expressed some nerves, but were mostly excited and pleasantly surprised by how ready they felt. Then we took a boat across the lake under sunny skies, looking up at the surrounding volcanoes and villages. Upon arriving in stunning San Juan we lugged our bags up the impressive hills that hold this beautiful, colorful little enclave. After lunch at the Dragons program house  the students embarked on a 3 hour scavenger hunt during which they got their bearings and interacted with the locals (and bought a lot of mangos). The teachers then judged who would win the scavenger hunt. After much debate and 45 minutes of very logical and not at all maddening or random tie breakers, all teams were awarded 12,000 points apiece and given Guatemalan chocolate bars. After that we walked to Lema, the women’s weaving collective (and ice cream shop) where students were picked up by their homestay mothers (and a few siblings). One at a time the students were introduced, got a hug, grabbed their bags, and headed off for the first night with their homestay families. Ms. Vann already misses them terribly. They do not necessarily feel the same way about Ms. Vann. We meet back early in the morning to start our work in the community and our Spanish lessons!