In Retrospect

This summer, I had the pleasure of being in the Cathedral crew that traveled to Guatemala.

 There, we helped to build latrines and stoves in a community in need. This trip was so unique to me

because I could connect with and directly change the lives of so many people.  I feel like we really

made an impact on the lives of all the families we helped. I know that they all touched us and we will

always keep them in our hearts. I also feel like I improved on my Spanish comprehension and

speaking abilities.  Mrs. Miley prepared all of us so well and it felt so gratifying to actually be able to

speak with either the people we were working with, friends we met, or vendors on the street.

The country of Guatemala is one of the, if not the, most beautiful things I have ever seen.

 Whether it be the mountains that we could drive through and overlook colorful valleys below, or the

plants at the homes of those we worked with, or just the people who were more kind than anybody

I’ve met before, everything had its own beauty and I never wanted to forget it.

One of the best things about the trip that my whole group agreed on was not bringing our phones

along with us.  Not having another thing to worry about or to mindlessly focus on really brought our

group together and let us all get to know each other better.  I felt really relieved to not have to check

my pocket every so often to make sure I didn’t lose my smartphone. I really don’t need it to survive,

unlike what everybody else must think.

Every day also had purpose.  It was so different from the monotony of daily school life or

another regular summer day.  We all had a goal of the day and to be able to finish what wasn’t really a

small-term goal felt so gratifying.  We even could all see the improvement in our work too, though

nothing did match that first latrine my group made (curb appeal and all).  The friendly competition

between groups to make the better latrines was another fun bit of motivation to really do the best we

possibly could for those families.

Another highlight of the trip in its entirety was the food.  I have not eaten that well in my entire

life. Every single day there were three, amazing meals with some new, refreshing smoothie.  Some of

the best dishes on the trip were the first pasta carbonara, the tortilla soup, lunch at Fredie’s (from

which I was so stuffed it was hard to walk back through town), every breakfast meal, and every

tortilla I ate.  All the foods we ate were so delicious and I was very happy to be able to eat in peace

with no problems, especially considering my nut allergy.

This trip could not have been possible without the help of Thrivent and Habitat for Humanity.  I

hope that our group can work with them again and go make another difference in our world. Many

thanks.

Lastly, I feel so blessed to have been able to share this experience with such a wonderful

group of people.  Thanks to all of my peers that really made this trip a blast and that can share

many great memories with me. Thank you to Mrs. Miley and Mike for making this trip

happen.  It could not have been nearly as amazing without you guys. Juan and Fredie, you

two will always be remembered and I hope we all can work with you guys again. You’re

hospitality and generosity is immeasurable.  Fredie, special thanks for making sure that I

survived this trip, food allergies and all. Suzie, you helped us all to see this wonderful new

place with open eyes and open hearts. You were such a core part of making this trip as funny

and giving as possible.  Thanks for also “nursing” Mrs. Miley back to health. Also, thanks

Dad for coming with me. This trip meant a lot to me and I’m so glad we could share this

together. It really helped being able to bring a bit of home with me. I hoped you enjoyed it as

much as I did.

-Kian