Some Updates and a Preview

We wanted to remind everybody that we don’t meet again until Thursday, January 5, 2012. Our next meeting has been changed. We would like both Groups A & B to attend our Women’s Services presentation on Thursday, January 5 at 5 p.m. in the Northwest Plaza Auditorium. We will not be holding Medical Explorers on Thursday, January 12, 2012. Here is the updated schedule:

Our first official Dominican humanitarian meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Northwest Plaza Auditorium right after the Women’s Services presentation on January 5, 2012. Anybody who has signed up to go to the Dominican Republic will need to attend this first planning meeting.

Also, if you signed up to help with Hotdogs at RC Willey this Saturday, please refer to the schedule below:

Saturday, December 17
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
McCall Heaton
Courtney Moody
Mackenzie Quintero
Rian Lawrence
Ashley Wiltbank
Melany Ramirez
Kristen Day
Madi Issii
Lindsie Anderson
Jen Brereton
McKenzie Lowe

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Lindsay Little
Jentrie Jensen
Kimmy Phan
Danielle Ashworth
Amanda Russell
Kamalani Funn
Ashley Lando
Ra Chel Jensen
Taylor Thomas

One more reminder that if you would like to go to the DR with us, please get your $150 deposit to Tiffany by Thursday, December 15. We already have 19 of the 28 slots filled, so please get your money into us by Thursday.

Oh, P.S. Have you ever wondered what the D.R. looks like? Here, have a look!

Oh, and here's a little Christmas cheer for you as you deck your halls and don you now your gay apparel this holiday season. Click HERE for your present. That's right, I've spent all month collecting the best, *level one swear* Christmas music you could ever imagine on my Grooveshark playlist, "That Gingerbread Feeling." Enjoy!

Fall Break

I hope all of you are having an amazingly awesome Fall Break. If there is one little seed of wisdom I can plant in your heads, it is this: Take advantage of breaks. Love them. Do fun stuff all day and night when you have a break. I tell you this because I learned a hard lesson when I graduated a little thing I like to call college. Once the big world opens its robotic arms to welcome you into the cold, unfeeling world of corporate work, breaks don't happen like they used to. Oh sure, you "get" a mandatory 10 minuter every four hours, but what kind of trouble—oh, I mean fun—can you have in 10 minutes, right? I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture.

I just wanted to let you know how excited I am that we have started our year out strong. I hope you all enjoyed our presentations on concussion. Our next presentations will be about radiation therapy—it's kind of a boring name for something that is actually amazingly awesome (wait, have I already used that phrase today?). Cancer treatment is so important and when someone has been diagnosed nothing can be more encouraging than knowing cancer CAN be treated and removed in many cases. Hope you guys can make it to this one. We've got Group A on the 27 of October and Group B on November 3 (My girlfriend's birthday in high school was the 3rd. We met at EFY.).

Let me know if you have any questions and I thought I would start the year off right with a nice song. If there is one thing I like, it is a smooth Coldplay song. If there is one thing I love, it is a white hot cover of a smooth Coldplay song. Here is one I came across by our boy, Boyce Avenue and Tyler Ward (no idea who that is). Boyce Avenue is known for having some amazing covers and here he is doing a remake of Fix You. I hope you enjoy.

Welcome Explorers!

Welcome explorers, new and old, to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Explorer Post Program. We are excited to see so many young people interested in medical careers. We promise to provide you with informative presentations and opportunities throughout the year. Our blog is our main place to find information for the post. Please refer to it often. We will be updating it regularly and posting any changes or additions to the schedule right here. Here is the most current schedule of presentations. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Our next meeting will be September 29 from 5 - 6 p.m. Everyone needs to be at this meeting. That night, we will meet our advisors, get to know each other and finish up paperwork. If you have not paid your $35, please bring it on the 29th. If you have not finished your paperwork, please bring it that night as well. If you have not completed your registration (payment and paperwork) after that night, you will not be able to participate further in the post. So please, get it done by next Thursday.

Let me know if you have any questions...I'm happy to help.

Dane DeHart 801.357.4211 dane.dehart@imail.org

Special Price For You!

We're back! Yes, you heard me. We flew in last night at about seven and were welcomed by several families with embarrassing signs. I'm pretty sure everyone was grateful to be stepping on Utah soil again after approximately 15 hours of traveling. It was hard to say goodbye to one of the most memorable trips of all of our lives and to what might be the most beautiful city in the world, but we are glad to be back.

I would personally like to take the time thank each and everyone of you for your time, your heart and your personalities. I can't think of a more engaged group of young people than our Medical Explorers this year. We did some good work and we had a lot of fun. I hope all of you will consider doing humanitarian work in the future.

I also wanted to share my "Top Ten" and maybe ask you all to comment with your "Top Ten" as well. This list is 10 of the things that I will remember most about our trip.

1. Running up the stairs a thousand times to go down the water slides.
2. "Dep!"
3. Watching Jentrie overcome her fear of the zip line.
4. Participating in the best *level one* Non-Talent Show this hemisphere has ever seen.
5. The coining of the term: The Big D.
6. Talking to Carlos on the flight home about his mother's recent death.
7. Birk at the buffet table taking everyone's fries.
8. Watching Aly teach the girls Zumba and watching Emily reinact her "precision dance."
9. Alejandrina
10. Rolando's smile (and gelled hair).


So, if you've enjoyed my list, make one of your own and comment the crap out of it on our blog.

Again, I loved our time together and wish all of you the best as you begin college or start another year of high school and grow up into respectable grown-up humans.

We'll let you know when the Guatemala reunion will be. Keep your calendars open! I'll bring corn tortillas!

Our Last Day

Here is our flight information for tomorrow if you would like to follow our travel progress:

3 DL 458T 18JUL1 GUALAX HK21 842A 105P RS
4 DL2004T 18JUL1 LAXSLC HK21 420P 705P RS

We will be flying into Salt Lake at 7:05 p.m. (flight number 2004) if all goes according to plan. With baggage and every thing, we should be ready for pick up between 7:30 and 8 p.m.

With that said, we've had an amazing last day of our adventure. We slept in (7 a.m.) and then boarded the vans for a drive to Volcan Pacaya where we began the trek of our lives. We hiked up the volcano and roasted marshmallows at the top in a steam vent. It rained a little and it got so foggy we couldn't see the people in front of us.

Once we got back we all tried to use up our quetzals before we leave tomorrow and we got one last batch of souvenirs.

Here are our guest bloggers!!!

Guest Blogger #1: Lindsay Little

First of all... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOTHER!! Mom, in case you are reading this, you are the best mom and friend ever!

Today I was really sick and i couldn't go hike the volcano. :( I felt really bad because aly had to stay behind too to babysit me. Sorry Aly. She came in the room and said I am going shopping for a little while..and three and a half hours later she came back. I have to say I was getting a little worried about her out there all by herself. I ended up sleeping for 21 hours straight while being sick. I was pretty bummed out about not going to the volcano when they told me they rosted marshmallows at the top...awesome! It's okay because Lauren brought me back a lava rock.

Believe it or not i am still tired after sleeping so long.. goodnight!

Guest Blogger #2: Suzanne Gundersen

Guess what? It's raining! We have had rain every day and we've had a blast. Yes, you can have fun in the rain! Time has flown by. I can't beleive we'll be on our way home in a few hours. Guatemala has been great. I hope my husband is reading this blog because I think the old saying of "Out of sight, out of mind" may hold true here. Are you out there? We've heard from everyone but you. Hasta luego.

Water Park on the Beach

Today we went to a water park on the beach. Seriously, did you hear what I just said? A Water Park On The Beach. Has there ever been a combination more perfect than that? Of course not. Can I just tell you that the best part of the water park on the beach is that you could run and no one would tell you anything. You could go down the slide whenever you wanted and no one said anything. When you got sick of the park, you could go to the beach, which had black sands, mind you.

We are all very sunburnt, but we are happy and excited to have had an amazing field trip with the Safe Passage kids. Probably the best part of the day, was watching them play in the waves. Even the teenagers would all hold hands in a line and wait for the next big "ola" to try and knock them down. More than anything, it was refreshing seeing the park and ocean through the eyes of a child again. I don't think I have ever had that much fun at the beach.

Tonight we also had our annual talent show. We had every perform, some in groups and some (brave ones) by themselves. I feel I should include here a reminder of how proud you all should be of your children. They may be quirky, but they sure make me laugh. Here are our guest bloggers for the night:

Guest Blogger #1: Mandy

What do I say about this awesome week!!? Watching the sunrise on a plane, bartering for ponchos, getting soaked in freak rainstorms, and all the adorable little kids!! This week has been totally AMAZING!! I don’t think I can say much more than that… I mean, BEST week of my LIFE!!

Guest Blogger #2: Kaitlin

If I could sum up today in one word it would be PARADISE!! Every day I have been here in Guat has definitely been an adventure. I feel like I see multiple things here every single day that I have never seen or heard of before, but today was just a little bit different. It seemed American except so much better!! First of all, we rode a kind of school bus with an American flag on it, and with a lot of little Guatemalan kids, might I add. The weather was warm and humid, the water was at a perfect temperature, and there were NO rules at the water park. There are two straight down water slides and you can go down them anyway you so desire! Then there is the Pacific Ocean right outside of the water park. Surprisingly the water was about 80 degrees and the sand was black! It was definitely something I have never experienced before. Jumping over the waves in the ocean was a ton of fun! The kids LOVED it and we all spent about an hour just doing that. Just wrapping up, the few things that made today paradise besides the ones I have mentioned were the fact that it didn’t rain all day, our restaurant tasted American, and there was leftover pizza in the fridge. Anyway, Hi mom and Dad. I love you!

Zip Lines, Lake Atilan, Boat Rides in the Rain

It's Friday, Friday, Gotta Zip Line on Friday

Just a warning...the rain always makes me a little introspective and we had a lot of it today. In fact, we had more than we have ever had. I love the rain and when it came down today like the sky wanted to wash us away, I was able to think a lot about Guatemala and a lot about life in general. Even now, I am sitting with Aly and Suzanne and talking about life. As for the happenings of the day, we've had quite the experiences.

After leaving from the hotel at six in the morning to head out to Lake Atitlan which is about two and a half hours away. The drive was amazing and we experienced more of Guatemala in two hours than we've maybe seen in the last six days. Once we reached the lake, we drove up to the Natural Reserve of Atitlan where we got prepped for the ZIP LINE!!!

We did the zip line and we loved it. We saw monkeys. We saw butterflies and we went to a private beach. The best part of the day was watching Jentrie and Lindsie Anderson conquer their fear of heights. Kudos to them and to everyone else for doing something a little hard and conquering it.

After our trip to the reserve, we got on a couple of boats and crossed the lake to another port city. At the city of Santiago, we ate lunch while it began to rain and rain and rain. We watched the streets fill up with water and start to carry garbage away. We all got wet and we all had a great time braving the storm and learning to appreciate ridiculous amounts of water. With that said, I'm guessing our GBs will have a thing or two to say about both the zip line and the rain...but don't take my word for it:

Guest Blogger #1: Sydney

Hey everyone! So today was a blast! We started with this crazy zip line! (yes mom, I did the zip line and survived…) Best experience ever! I don’t think I have ever been somewhere so beautiful. We also walked across these hanging rope bridges, and for me that was scarier than the zip line! We also got to ride on a boat out on Lake Atitlan. It was so much fun! Except for the part where the boat broke down, and we couldn’t get it to start again. But hey, it all adds to the adventure right?? It didn’t cease to rain today either. There was SO MUCH water, we had rivers running down the street. But we got to experience a real rainstorm. I guess the rain in Utah isn’t so bad after all. I can’t wait to experience the last few days here. It is so exciting! I still can’t believe we are here in Guatemala! Oh and mom? I found a kid I want to bring home… Guess we will have to come back and meet him. Thanks for all those people who helped get me to this beautiful country! Over and out.

Guest Blogger #2: Ryan

Well today we did the zip lines today. On the hike up to the top we saw several monkeys and one of them was eating a banana. And then on each one we hear the howling Austin. But the zip line was amazing because, you started out in the vegetation and all of a sudden everything is gone and off to the right was Lake Atitlan, the vegetation 50ft below you and it was sunny. Afterwards we went to a little beach. On the way to get there we crossed 3 bridges, and after the last bridge I brush a leaf that made me get a little rash. No worries its gone already. Then we took a boat across the lake to some little town, and while we were there it rain, and I mean it RAINED. The streets were rivers. When we just ran across to the stores you would slowly get a little wetter, and by the time I was at the end of the road I was soaked. What I think was the best part of this trip was when I helped a deaf girl learn just a English verbs. This has been a really fun trip, even with the lack of leg room on the vans.

Guatemala Gut

Okay, can we get have an adult conversation? Today has been the day of the Guatemala Gut. About six people woke up this morning wanting nothing more than to spend some quality time with the toilet. Seriously, I'll spare you the gorey details. Suffice it to say, ample amounts of pink tablets were consumed along with some very welcome white pills...and that is all I will say about our impressive display of gastrotechnics.

Today was our last day of teaching at the school. It was great improvising when the musculoskeletal group realized they had left all of their supplies at the hotel. Luckily, the school had a full size human skeleton which we used to demostrate the names of all of the bones. The five senses group was able to make ice cream, test reflexes and smell different fruits. We also taught some English through the medium of Chutes and Ladders.

Inbetween classes, we met with the music and art department and learned a little about how the program is run. Once we got back to the hotel, we had about two hours to chill and go shopping. Let me tell you about the shopping: (editor's note: I'm really not at all excited about this topic, but everyone else seems to be so I'll give it some face time on our blog.) Because Antigua is a tourist town, little shops line the streets and offer Guatemalan fare of all kinds. For a couple of bucks you can buy bracelets, bags, dresses, shirts and cloths--all in the bright Guatemala style. I'm sure you will all get a fine sampling of these wares when your kids make it home next week.

Now that we are back from dinner and I have taken my usual spot behind the laptop, most of the chicas are practicing their Latin dancing somewhat with the help of Aly. She's teaching them a thing or two about Zumba and their hips do not lie.

Enough of that. I'm now going to introduce our three guest bloggers tonight. We will hear from Heather Kitchen and Jen and Lindsie Anderson. Here they go: Okay, but before they do, let me tell you how excited we are for our trip to Lake Atitlan tomorrow. We are going to go on the zip line and more importantly, we are going to see monkeys. There, that's all I have to say.

Guest Blogger #1: Heather Kitchen
Thursday is here and some of us are starting to not feel as good as when we first got here. So far we have all enjoyed our time here and being able to have an experience that will change us forever. Being able to see everything and how the people live down here has taught us how much we really have, but we should be happy and grateful because many of the people down here are living a happy life because they see how the little things is what makes them happy.

Guest Blogger #2: Jen Brereton and Lindsie Anderson
Things we learned in Guat:
Even though there is a language barrier love is the only language you need.
-Service is muy bien.
-How to shake it (yes, the booty)
-Every white boy with long brown hair looks just like Justin Bieber
-You can’t see Guatemalans’ pupils shrink
-Stay in groups
-Gringo is a word frequently used
-Say no when someone asks for a beso
-You gotta pop the colla in Guatemala
-Hotel walls are paper thin
-Contrary to popular belief, avocados have two purposes: eating AND throwing.

Children of God

Our day at the Guarderia

Visiting the Hospital

Today has been a lot of fun. After heading out from the hotel at 8 a.m., we went to Safe Passage to spend some time at the Guarderia (nursery)...which I'm sure you'll be hearing more about from our two guest bloggers tonight. At the nursery, we weeded, we picked up garbage and we were able to play with the kids a bit. After the nursery, we went back to the school to learn a little about the health and P.E. program and then headed out for a tour of the local cardiac hospital. Once that was over, we came back to Antigua and met up with a guide for an hour and a half walking tour of the city. We then went to dinner and are now winding down for the night. Welcome to our two guest bloggers, Lisa and Spencer. Hope you enjoy!

Guest Blogger #1: Lisa Herrera

Last night I had my 1st hot shower since I’ve been here and it was pretty amazing. It made me think about how even just how having a hot shower is a luxury. Anyhow, today we started off with another delicious breakfast of yogurt, eggs, bread, and cereal. We then headed to visit the little kids and it was such a wonderful time. Even though they have no idea what the heck I’m saying they still loved playing and had such big smiles on their precious little faces. It was a great moment. Next, we headed over to buy jewelry that the women in the literacy program at Safe Passage make. It’s an amazing talent that they have and we were all happy to help by buying tons of it. Lunches here are rather interesting and I will just leave that at that. We left Safe Passage and headed to a hospital to take a tour and the doctor there was really personable and informative about that hospital here in Guatemala. We were even able to see several pediatric patients. When we got back to our hotel we took an awesome tour of the city that we are staying in … Antigua! It’s a really beautiful city, the buildings tell a lot about the city, and the people here are friendly. We always finish our night off with a delicious dinner!

And while I’m the guest blogger tonight … I just wanted to write a few more things that I have enjoyed here in Guatemala. First of all, the people here are short so that means that I blend in perfectly (height wise). I also love that dogs are everywhere here. They just roam the streets and they are so cute, but don’t worry because I don’t pet them since I didn’t get my rabies shot lol. And to end … I love the military police that carry machine guys and was soooo happy to get my pic taken with them. Miss you all back home, but I’m having a wonderful time!

Guest Blogger #2: Spencer Mitchell

Today we went to the Guarderia, which literally means nursery. So this is the area where safe passage teaches the really little kids. And while we were there I was put into the group who actually had to go out and weed the garden in the rain. But I did not mind, whatever I can do to help! But it worked out in the end because we were able to go and play with the kids during their lunch time, and these are the cutest kids I have ever met. They are so playful and they loved to take pictures with us! (Facebook profile picture!) And while I was not able to communicate with them due to my complete lack of Spanish it was still tons of fun. Later we went to the only Cardiovascular hospital in all of Guatemala. Which was very cool to see because my dad is a cardiovascular surgeon. But we were able to see children both pre and post op and we were able to go in and meet the kids and talk about what the main heart problems are in Guatemala. The best thing for me was seeing the live ultra-sound of the heart of this little Guatemalan boy. Later we got a short tour of the beautiful Antigua. We were able to see the amazing Catholic cathedrals and it seemed like every building had a story that added character to the city. And even though it was raining the whole time it was still an awesome tour! And we ended the night with a fantastic dinner at the sky café! Overall I am loving my time in Guatemala and I love working with these children. They are all so full of character and it is the most amazing feeling to teach them. And I am gaining such an appreciation for my life style. But that is pretty much it! I miss all my friends and family back home!

Closer Every Day

Right as we are speaking, Aly is teaching Jennie, Heather Wilson and Sydney how to do the Shakira Waka Waka dance, I've got tenderloin digesting inside of me and we've got seven crates of ER supplies sitting in front of me to be donated tomorrow when we visit the hospital. To put it simply: today's been a good day.

I'm afraid Emily, Jaycee and Lauren have just joined the dancing effort. I am rapidly getting outnumbered in here. Help? Okay, focus. We've got Glee playing and a gaggle of girls shaking their groovers. I'm not sure what to do with myself...Stay and finish the blog post or run for my life.

Okay, let's make this brief. I've decided to stick it out. Today we woke up at six and headed out to Safe Passage at seven where we began teaching in the English class. After that, we began teaching the lessons we have been planning for the last six months. Group one taught muscles and bones and group two taught the five senses. But before you get all attached to my point of view, here's our guest bloggers for the day--

Guest Bloggers #1,2 Kevin and Tamara Farr:

Running between buildings amidst a downpour of rain we scrambled across the roads that were running as rivers of water to eat our spaghetti, salad and tortilla lunch. Only a few hours earlier, we found ourselves teaching English to two separate classes of 16-18 year old teenagers. Introducing ourselves, common greetings in English, numbers of brothers and sisters, favorite sports, favorite food and their age were some of the topics we discussed. And, just like American teenagers, when asked who was the cutest girl in class or the most handsome boy, they responded with laughs and denial of any attraction among class mates. We then went on to teach the five senses to more teenagers, the tuning fork , reflex hammer, eye dilation with a flashlight and homemade ice cream seemed a hit. Our group of young Medical Explorers soon realized that these teenagers had many of the same interests as they did. They loved the same music, giggled at talk of cute boys, and wanted to feel important in a group. Many wanted to go on to college and become more successful in life. Doctors, Lawyers, nurses, accountants were hoped for opportunities of these teenagers who have suffered much throughout their young lives. As we look around the country side where the small tin shacks (Champitas) serve as homes for many of these children, the thought goes through our heads if the down pour of rain will flood their homes and wreak havoc with the mud and water. Will they have to contend with the clean up as they go home from school. The dirt floors offer little comfort as we see in our homes in Utah. Even running water and a refridgerator are often not even a passing thought to us where this would be much of a luxury for many of these youth. Yet, these Guatemalan youth share many smiles, many gracious thank you’s, and courage in a world that has presented tremendous challenges. This school does offer a glimmer of refuge to these children for a few hours each day. A couple of good warm meals, education and friendship among peers are truly a hope for the future of Guatemala. What a delight.

Guest Blogger #3: Heather Wilson

I am so glad that I got to come to Guatemala. It is going to be a life changing experience. The people here are so amazing!!! Despite their various situations they are all so kind to others and are constantly smiling. I doubt I could lead such a life and stay so optimistic. They will change the world by the quiet lives they lead. It is so fun to work with the kids. We came to teach them, but they are teaching me a lot. They are all so accepting and I am quickly learning to communicate with them. Yesterday we met with the director of the program and he said something that I really liked. He said not to worry about being able to speak Spanish because the language here is love. Working with the students you realize how true that really is. It is such a wonderful program. I am enjoying getting to know all the team members better and making so many new friends. I would come back in a heartbeat!

Guest Blogger #4: Lauren Whitney

I don’t think that there is anything better than providing service with friends. Not only do I get that warm fuzzy feeling from helping out the kids at Safe Passage but I also get to share some laughs and make new memories with my buddies. So in my perspective, this humanitarian trip is really a FUNitarian trip. Overall it has been the highlight of my year. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to be a part of this amazing experience. Our leaders were not kidding when they said it was life changing. Plus Guatemala is absolutely beautiful. I am definitely going to have trouble leaving.

More Photos and a quick Recap of the Day

More pictures that wouldn't load in the previous post. Again-these are photos of day 2.

Highlights include:
-taking all of the art and music supplies to Safe Passage as well as 1/2 of the hygiene kits. They were happily overwhelmed with the number of supplies were brought to outfit the music classes and art programs here for the school. Thank you Scouts for your eagle project dona

tions.

--The dump. We looked down into a 40 acre ravine from the cemetery as dump trucks carried garbage into a landfill and people started collecting garbage to recycle. One of the kids said to me--I will never complain about anything ever again in my life.

--learning about the English program, Adult Literacy and jewelry business, and the counseling program at the school at Safe Passage.

--Shopping at the markets...watch out for all the souvenirs that will be coming back to America!

--Dinner at Rainbow cafe where we celebrated Jentrie's birthday with a pinata and a local musician playing happy birthday while she blew out the candles on her very own Guatemalan birthday cake.

Photos from Day 2

Day Two: The Dump

Hey parents and friends of the post,

It's late and I'm tired, so I won't spend too much time today talking about our adventures, but what I will do is invite three guest bloggers to describe our day. I hope you enjoy. Oh, and happy birthday to Jentrie. She will be our second GB tonight. We are doing well, we are having fun and we are learning a lot.

Guest blogger #1: Birk Gundersen

Day 2, Dr. Birk Gundersen M.D. today was a most wonderful day, I finally got a full nights sleeps so I was raring to go. This morning we woke up to the astonishing smell of beans and eggs, which I might add is a pretty good combination. We ate and then hopped on our economy sized buses that are about 15 feet long that seat about 14 people per bus. While we were on the bus I picked up my word of the day, I was trying to describe my body as muscular and I called myself “Chipped” when I meant “Chizeled.” We went to the dump and really got to know the situation at safe passage and such. There is much to write but im pooped so im going to bed. Adios mi amigos. Yo querro taco bell.

Guest blogger #2: Jentrie Jensen

Today was a great day, after getting a full nights sleep, everyone was in a much better mood. We woke up to a wonder full breakfast with lots of yummy fruit. Then we all hopped in the vans and went on the tour of safe passage. We went to the dump, the cemetery and we toured all of the safe passage buildings, it was great to hear all the stories of how people got started working at safe passage. After getting back to the hotel we all needed some rest. We then went to get a wonderful dinner at the rainbow cafe, where they sang happy birthday to me and we had a really good chocolate cake. I could write a lot more but we all need some sleep.

Guest blogger #3: The one and only!!: Jaycee Lynn Christensen(:

!Feliz Cumplianos a Jentrie! !Finalamente 17 anos! Last night, we rocked the show (or at least jentrie said) when we put on "for one night, and one night only," ABBA's Dancing queen for Jentrie. After all, it is not every day that we are "young and sweet, only 17!!"
I am going to try and make this at least a little short and sweet, but I do want to share some of the intruiging experiences we have had here. If you didn't know, (and mom, maybe you shouldn't read this because I love you and know it may worry you) but the Safe Passage schools are located right in the middle of Guatemala City's finest slums, or "ghettos." I thought I knew what a real ghetto was, I mean, I grew up in Payson, but none of us had ever seen anything like this. Erik (our Safe Pasage director) told us that 6-10 people live in what looks like a 7x7 tin can. The personas here eat the food that they have found in the dump that day, and some venders even sell what they find to others. The kids that we educate are the children of the dump "workers," or the people that pick through the dump to find recyclables that they can earn money from. The program we are working with is really amazing and the children love coming to school and learning. They always wear a smile. When we were there today, the kids new who Justin Beiber was, and we actually got to sing "Baby" for them. We also gave a bunch of Guatemalans Oreos, it was most people's first time trying one. They all loved them! Let the Conversion begin! Anywho, we are all having a blast, and we are VERY SAFE and very HAPPY to be here! For all you moms, your kids are great, and for my mother, I miss you and I love you! Kaitlyn says you are all I talk about, but I can't help talking about my role model! Sincerely, me!

Here it is (what you've all been waiting for): The first post from Guatemala!

First thing's, first: Let me explain how this will work. Every day I will blog about our adventures. Then, I will invite two guest bloggers to blog about our experiences. Today's guest bloggers are Jennie and Austin.

First off, we made it safely. After a one-hour flight to LA, a two-hour layover and a four and a half hour flight to Guatemala City, we walked out of the airport into the Guatemalan humidity at 7:30 in the morning. We were met by Owen, our guide from Safe Passage with no less than two 12-passenger vans and a sedan. We packed in and sat with carry-ons on our laps and piles of suitcases over our heads.

Forty five minutes later we rolled up to our hotel and formed an assembly line to move the two tons of supplies we had packed down with us. We filled up the only room available to the rafters and managed to freshen up a bit in the two bathrooms available before we set out to burn some time before our other rooms were clean and ready to go.

A group set out to the market and another group set off to the LDS church to find out about any activity opportunities and connections available to us while in Guatemala. The group that went to the market managed to get lost for about 45 minutes walking circles around our hotel. The group that went to the church walked straight home without any trouble (it was led by me).

Once back, we had a delicious Subway feast...I know, I know, the first meal in Guatemala and we decide to go run of the mill, American cuisine. Give us a break, it was convenient and inexpensive. After lunch, to burn even more time, we walked across town and hiked up to an old cross on the hill. We had a photo shoot and enjoyed the first rainfall of the trip. Most of us were pretty wet when we got back, but our rooms were ready. Several people took naps and some sat and talked, explored and read.

We all walked to the Monoloco--yet another American-style restaurant--and had nachos, burgers and chips and salsa. Austin managed to down an entire Macho Nachos--which I'm sure he will expound upon later. After dinner, we came back, had a quick meeting, a 60-second dance party and inventoried all of our supplies. We are still in the process (I of course, found an excuse to update the blog right during the thick of it. I can't shirk my responsibilities...ha.). Well, I think it's that special time. Enter guest blogger #1!

Guest blogger #1: Jennie Houtz

Wow!!! This is unlike anything that I have ever seen before. Austin and Nik... STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR LIFE!!! Down here, you can't even flush the toilet paper. I have already gained a new respect and love for the things that I have. The scenery is amazing and the colors are so vibrant. The people are friendly and I wish that I could communicate better with all of these amazing people. I know that I will see more amazing things down here and that my life will be changed forever.

Guest blogger #2: Austin Hannemann

HI MOM!!!
Well Guatemala is pretty sweet. I slept the whole way here, so that was good. On our first trip to the market we got a little lost on the way back. So we wandered Antigua (the city we're staying in) for like an hour. There are sales people everywhere, they are very persistent. But I've picked up enough Spanish to be able to barter down prices of stuff. For dinner we went to a place called Mono Loco. It was really good. I got the Nachos Apocolypto, there like these 4.5 pound nachos. A local was saying how he had never seen anyone finish it. I finished it in like 20 minutes, I know, I'm cool. Antigua is a party all day, this week is going to rock! Check the pics.

And here are the pics:

How to Get a Hold of Us in Case of an Emergency

Our emergency contact phone number is 801.400.2743.

To call Guatemala from the United States refer to the instructions found here:

How to call someone in Guatemala.

Or just do this: To call out of the U.S. the code is 011. To call into Guatemala, the code is 502. To get a hold of us the whole number is

011-502-801-400-2743

I will also have access to email from this phone. Use my work email: dane.dehart@imail.org to send any non-urgent information to us.

Love,

Dane

Na na na na. Na na na na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye!

Guys, this is it. This is the time of our lives. We are taking the bull by the horns. We are riding the wave and enjoying the wind in our hair. We are totally Carpe-ing the diem. We are going to Guatemala!

With that in mind, I would like to tell you how excited I am. We are going to eat amazing food. We are going to bathe in the silver waters of Lake Atitlan—well, that was until we found out it was contaminated with a fungal disease. We are going to serve others less fortunate than ourselves. We are going to a water park. We are hiking a volcano. We are having a non-talent show. We are pulling pranks on Aly. We are buying jewelry. We are having dance parties. We are hiking to the cross. We are going to Mass. We are going to eat Marco Polo ice cream. We are going to see monkies! We are going to spend hours and hours and hours together. What could be more fun than that?!

Just a reminder: we are meeting tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Delta terminal (Terminal 2) with bags ready and parental consent form in hand (if you haven't already handed it in). Wear your shirts and bring some snacks AND DON'T FORGET YOUR PASSPORT! (Editor's Note: When I tell my friends that I like hanging out with teenagers, they say I'm crazy. I just think I'm the sanest one of all....Ya, that's right. Pop the collah in Guatemala!)

See you TOMORROW!!! And for everyone that is staying in lame Utah: See you on the flipside, suckahs.

It's Crunch Time

Okay kids,

I think it's time we had a grown-up conversation:

We are still missing several forms from a handful of explorers. If you are one of the individuals missing forms, Tiffany has sent you an email letting you know what you must do in order to go to complete said forms. Unfortunately, for those who do not fill out all of the forms necessary, the BSA won't allow you to go to Guatemala with us.

Please, please, please make it a priority to get all forms completed and turned in to Tiffany (as they say in my profession) STAT! I'm afraid I've started liking most of you and I would hate not having you there—especially when I've almost finished knitting individual, Guatemala sweater vests for everyone.

Give Tiffany a call if you have any questions.

Twenty Four

The number of hours in a day.

How many sides a Icositetakaiddecagon has.

A number often seen running around with Seven.

How many hours Walmart is open every day.

The atomic number of Chromium.

A really popular TV show that ran for eight seasons.

Two Dozen.

The name of Emily's gym.

How many carats it takes to have pure gold.

The digits found on Kobe Bryant's jersey.

HOW MANY MORE DAYS WE HAVE UNTIL GUATEMALA!!!

We Saw a Bear

After a very scientific evaluation and several public polls, I have decided that the retreat last weekend was a resounding success. In a word: AWESOME!

Let's recap:

We read that weird book that I brought, All of My Friends Are Dead (I say weird, you say amazing.).

We played A to A and Reckless Abandon Uno (let me know if you want a list of the rules to share with your extended family).

We ate delicious food—how bout that seven-layer dip, huh?

We saw a bear.

We played Four Men People on a Couch. Can I get a "What, what" for the leaders and the boys?!

We talked for roughly twelve hours about all of the logistical, boring stuff. As a leader, I love this stuff. I know, I'm embarrassed to admit, I'm getting old.

We completely altered our lesson plans so we could teach people our own age and older!

We all sat down on our laps in a circle.

We witnessed feats of strength from the boys.

We had s'mores.

We learned the Duck Dance.

We played Signs and I've Never until the big hours of the night.

If you weren't there, live vicariously through these exciting photos provided by Lisa:

The bear!

Musculoskeletal group

The Five Senses group

Manliness