Arrival

Yesterday we arrived in Guatemala around 3PM and drove to the Hotel Vista Real which is a 5 star hotel :O to my surprise. I thought we would be staying there all week but since it was a 4 hour drive to the orphanage we had to relocate to Casa Manens. Anyway yesterday we just settled down and met everyone in the group which consists of about 10 people from the Baptist Church and then 8 people on the medical team.

Every morning and evening we have devotional time, which makes me uncomfortable when it is strongly religious. Basically one person is chosen to share a story, or scripture that they find inspirational. I like how it brings everyone together in a positive way but also makes me feel distanced from the group because I don't necessarily agree or have the same faith. After a long night of meetings and planning I passed out at 1030PM.

We woke up early, 5:45AM early.... we headed out en route to visit a shelter for girls that have been trafficked or abused. It was one of the most impactful moments of the day and possibly of the trip. We saw pictures of 28 girls that have passed through the home. It is pretty sad that the US is the top users of human trafficking and that it is prevalent even in the states of both non immigrant and immigrant populations. As we were blessing the home and saying a prayer for the girls, they started tearing up and it made me want to bawl. I felt like I had no right to cry in front of them though because they have been through so much more and have suffered beyond anything that a child should. After we left them we headed to Xela (Quetzaltenango) with a stop to eat at Katok.

Then it was another 2 hour drive up to the mountain to our location. The winding roads and gasoline fumes were starting to get to people and we had a vomiting episode in the car (not me btw). We drove to such high altitudes that we were driving through clouds!

anyway everyone in my room is sleeping now so I'll continue later.

Nobody But You

It's weakness when you give into someone because you are afraid to hurt their feelings, or afraid of disappointment. I've always been passive, even when I was little I would get so anxious when I wanted to speak up in class or voice my opinion. But if you don't speak up you will never have a choice and you will always feel powerless and helpless to control your path in life.  Nobody knows what is best for you because happiness is defined only by yourself. Although people may have good intentions that does not mean that they can fulfill you or give you what you need. In the end as long as you are proud of your actions and can sleep soundly at night will you be content with the live you are living. If you are doing what you feel in your heart is right then how can anyone say you for making a mistake...

White + Stripes

Peek a boo from Charliebear. We had a photoshoot together before summer started haha. I bought white pants from zara a little while ago even though I'm notorious for getting food on my clothes. I got it cause I wanted to wear them to Europe, but lo and behold I forgot to pack them ... haha Charlie is sooo big now. I missed him like crazy while I was in europe, every roman statue of an animal reminded me of charlie. In Italy people walk their dogs everywhere! They even bring them into retail stores. But we didn't see any corgis.. :(

Byeee :)

Deejay

I normally try to avoid listening to the radio, but since our rental car doesn't have aux, we listen to the italian radio stations and they have a MUCH better mix than ours. They actually play linkin park omygah, anyway here are a few catchy ones they play, and maybe these have been on the radio for forever but I've just never listened to them. I just uploaded another 450 pictures... and I'm currently weeding out the ones where I look like I gained 100 lbs lol, I need to lay off the pasta seriously.

Allo

I'm in Roma!

It's wednesday night, 11:50 PM in Rome right now. I can't believe I've been to the Czech Republic and Italy in less than 4 days. Prague was amazing, we basically wandered the city, and trekked over a bridge to a castle. We also tried a Vietnamese place in Prague, called Pho Vietnam that was pretty good...of course we would find the only asian food place in Prague (exaggeration) and attempt to eat there twice in 2 days. haha I miss asian food already, butt Italy DOES have amazing food. Carbs galore. I've had soo much ice cream/gelato, pasta, gyros, pizza ... ahh I try to make myself feel better by reminding myself that we walk prob 7-10 miles a day haha. I tried to upload pictures from my phone but those pictures don't do rome justice and I don't think my netbook has bluetooth..

So I'm just going to ramble... today we tried to wake up at 7AM to see ancient rome, colosseum, pantheon, fountain di trevi, circo massimo, campo de fiori, and plazza navona... a bit ambitious to say the least. We ended up rolling out of bed at 12:15PM... haha but we made up for it, making it to the colosseum, circo massimo, campo, and plazza navona. It's been a bit frustrating that everywhere we go people are so slow. Everytime we eat the waiters take their sweet time, I guess americans aren't used to taking everything at a leisurely pace. There is just so much to see!! If we spent 3 hours for everymeal, eating would take up half the day...

Anyway tomorrow we're going to some gardens and making a trip to vatican city.

ciao

Belizeeee

 

Miss the days spent falling asleep on the beach, eating the best custard ever, hugging trees, and spending time with the bf :) 

Reminder

 

"Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be–a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger–but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles, you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.

If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can. Not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart to.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen to what they have to say.

Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets. Most importantly, if you love someone tell him or her, for you never know what tomorrow will have in store. You learn a lesson in life each day you live. Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday." — Unknown