It begins.

“Courage is not the towering oak that see storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.” –Alice Mackenzie Swain

I carried this quote with me throughout the entire whirlwind journey to Quetzaltenango.

I flew into Orlando, then flew into Panama City, then took one more flight and arrived in Guatemala City two nights ago, spent one night, took a bus, caught a taxi, and arrived in Quetzaltenango yesterday. Talk about crazy!

I was a little nervous beginning this three-month trek alone, having little knowledge of Spanish and no experience travelling to a foreign country by myself. That quote, written on a card from my Granny a few days before I left, gave me strength knowing that I don’t have to resemble a towering oak standing strong without any fear feeling completely confident and ready, but that it’s okay to be a little scared of the journey as long as I still allow myself to grow and blossom these coming days, weeks, and months.

I found that embracing my fear instead of shaming myself into denial of it is what allowed me to tackle the daunting travel itinerary, and even enjoy myself and meet a few new people along the way.

Turns out, there was nothing to be afraid of anyway. All of my flights arrived on-time and I had no difficulty navigating the various airports for my connections. After a few nerve-racking minutes, I found my name written on a sign and connected with my host for one night in Guatemala City. The next morning she graciously drove me to the bus station and helped me purchase my ticket. On the bus, I met another American who thankfully knew a little more Spanish than I, which helped calm my nerves.

After the four hour bus ride, I grabbed a taxi and was able to give my directions to the language center and have a short conversation with the driver. Although only small talk, our conversation helped boost my confidence that I may not be completely helpless here.

Upon arriving at the language center, I was given more detailed information about what my days will look like. My host home is within walking distance of both the language school and the orphanage, so I won’t have to worry about using public transportation every day.

I will volunteer at the orphanage from 8:30-12:30 Monday through Friday and take language lessons from 2:30-6:30. My language lessons don’t begin until next week, however, because this week is a holiday week celebrating Guatemala’s independence.

After the short debriefing, my coordinator Mario drove me to the house where I will be staying. It is a huge house with many of the extended members of the family living in different quarters. The part of the family who is hosting me is the family of Wilma de Leon. She has three children, Carla, Daniel, and Angela. The family doesn’t speak ANY English. Senora de Leon is incredibly hospitable, however and we were able to communicate pretty well. She took me around the city and showed me the places to make the photocopies I needed, exchange money, and use the Internet.

I have my own room and bathroom downstairs while the rest of the family lives upstairs. We eat all our meals together in the kitchen downstairs. Today I played futbol with Daniel and his cousins (who also live in our compound) Eric and Andrea. Me and Andrea won!

I also went to the orphanage for the first time today. I am helping Senora Rosita with the smallest children! There are 13 kids as of now, most of them are about 2 years old. There are only a few babies. I was instructed against holding them and giving them hugs though because it makes it very hard for them when the volunteers leave, so that is going to be a struggle. The staff at the orphanage doesn’t speak any English either. It’s very challenging.