Day 2: Atlanta to Antigua

Once we arrived at the airport, the fun really began. We unloaded the vans and began shifting and shifting and shifting items from bag to bag to even out the weight. By the time we were finished, every traveler had 2 checked bags, each carefully maxed out at 50 pounds. It was disappointing to discover that Delta had added a $40 charge for the second bag, even on international flights.

A quick run through security, and we were at our gate. At first I found a prone perch across 2 chairs and a table. It was very comfortable until I rolled over on my side. Then I moved to the floor. I woke up cold a few times, and I woke up when someone’s camera captured the moment. Otherwise, I had a much-needed 2 hours of sleep.

Our arrival in Guatemala City was almost uneventful. One of Bill’s bags didn’t arrive. Unfortunately, it was the bag that contained his air mattress, sleeping bag, and most of his work clothes. Fortunately, another NC group was staging to leave Antigua. They had been working with Raul, and he will make the switch to our group in Antigua. They graciously offered to leave some of their stuff behind for Bill to use. Since many of them are from Greensboro, it will be easy to reconnect them with their items after we return.

It was so nice to see Joshua, our driver from the October trip. We won’t see Raul until we arrive in Antigua. He’s working with the other NC group. His reputation is known far and wide throughout the state!

Ahh, Antigua! Familiarity and new sights all wrapped into one. The band that was playing the night before we left last time was playing again tonight. Since we didn’t hike a volcano this time, we had a lot more time in Antigua before dark. There was some kind of festival going on. According to Raul, there is always some kind of festival going on in Antigua. This one came complete with men dressed as old women in funny masks, each representing a different country, dancing in pairs with one another and with people in the crowd. I can only say that the “women” representing the U.S. must have had the 1980s neon style of fashion in mind. It’s so nice to have a good hearty laugh at your own country.

Soracha and I are sharing a room at Panchoy with Anita from New Mexico. She joined the first NC team and is joining our team. She plans to lead a trip in June/July and wanted to see how our trip was run.

We have had some small world run-ins already. Georgia knows someone who Becky babysat during her childhood in Winchester, VA, which is also where my parents and I go to buy York apples every few years. But even closer to home was meeting a tall, Hawaiian-shirted man with mostly salt hair. He taught education classes at HPU as an adjunct, and he is very good friends with my friend and supervisor, Dennis. Daniel Cocken is his name, and I promised I would pass along the good work that is being done by the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church.

This is a great time to publicly thank Dennis for allowing me to be away from work during the academic year, without it being an HPU-sponsored trip. He knows how much the October 2009 trip meant to me and offered his support for continuing this part of my “life” education. And I have been invited to train as a VIM trip leader this spring. That means, that it is possible that Max may be a volunteer on one of my teams, where he can sit back and enjoy it, without having to constantly manage logistics and money and schedules. I am learning from the best in multiple facets of my life. If it weren’t for the support of Dennis and Max, I would never have discovered just how important giving back has become for me.

Tonight we ate dinner at Pasado de Don Rodrigo. New friends, great food. But for now, I’m focused on getting some high-quality sleep, so I can be at the top of my game when we arrive in Paquila tomorrow. This bed will be a welcomed luxury that I’ll be without for the next several nights. Goodnight world!