Behind The Scenes...

Today, I'm going to take you to the places only those living in Guatemala for this May X course dare to venture. Hold on to your hats. 

 So, here we are in this lovely land with only one week left until we board the plane and are homeward bound. Above you can see the view from our hotel roof where we occasionally have night time fires prepared by eager hotel staff and discuss the deeper meanings of life. I cannot release what those deeper meanings are, but trust me, they're deep.  

This photo captures our food scraps which turn into a gourmet meal for the local chickens. They eat pretty much everything. They even eat chicken scraps. Worrisome? Maybe.

If you have been following our blog, you know that recently we had three of our own avid dishwashers struck by lightning. Above you can see the scene of the incident. The only reason people are smiling and washing in this picture is because there are no stormy clouds in sight. All of the visitors to the Parrish take turns washing dishes and I must say that the Furman students have been very thorough washers. I'll eat off a plate they wash any day of the week. 

URGENT NEWS! STOP THE PRESS! 

We have a star in our group! Rebecca McDaniel, a rising sophomore majoring in Music, received the opportunity to play the Marimba in this morning's Mass service. This was truly an honor for her and everyone was very impressed by her talent. We were all very excited to see her step out on a limb and work hard to blend in with the Sunday band. MUY BIEN, REBECCA!

Today is a free day so our group spent a fun morning at the market. If you're wondering what kinds of things you can buy at the market, refer to the comprehensive list below.

1. chickens

2. pirated DVDS

3. fruits

4. vegetables

5. snails (still squirming)

6. crabs (still kicking)

7. undergarments

8. stray dogs

9. flowers

10. shampoo

11. perfume

12. buckets

13. rodent traps

After the market we signed up to play a fun game of 6 on 6 soccer at the local field. The anticipation is high and the trash talk has already started. T minus 30 minutes until game time.

As a staff member of the Office for Study Away and International Education, I consider myself privileged to be a part of this course and see how each of these students has grown and changed on this trip. I look forward to the upcoming week and facing the new challenges alongside the faculty and students. 

-Chrissy Carpenter