Thursday, January 11, 2018

Chi Elias Assessment Trip: Antigua & Adiós Guatemala!

Our trip is finally over! Early this morning our team landed back in the United States, but not before a fun day in Antigua, Guatemala! On Tuesday, we started with a hike up the Pacaya Volcano. We saw lava, more volcanoes, volcanic ash, and roasted marshmallows over a hot spot in the volcano!
Our team on top of the Pacaya Volcano
 After that we walked around Antigua and visited their many artisan marketplaces, some beautiful churches, huge plaza, iconic arch, and delicious food. 

Nim Po't Marketplace
Our team under the Antigua Arch
Before leaving on Wednesday we took a quick hike up Cerro de la Cruz and checked out the huge cross and the extensive view of Antigua and its volcanoes.
Cerro de la Cruz
+After the climb, we checked out some more markets and headed back to Guatemala City. There, we met Carlos' family again and had more Pollo Campero. We then had to get back to the airport so we could catch a plane to Panama City and then another one back to New York City. We spent most of today recuperating, sleeping, and preparing to return to classes on Tuesday.
Just a small part of the community in front of Chi Elias
This trip was such a great learning experience for the whole project. We got lots of good information about the Chi Elias school, their community, culture, and how to proceed with the project. I can't wait to get back to planning our next steps and getting the school built! Hopefully, after many meetings and a lot of hard work, we finally get 2 new classrooms, an office, an event space, and a fence for the students at Chi Elias. With Engineers Without Borders, we can improve their future.
Dream team!
Lastly, I'd like to thank our wonderful team: Angela, Stefan, Carlos, and Brad, who all dedicated so much time and energy into a cause we all believe in. I'd also like to say a special thank you to Allison, out other project lead, who unfortunately could not join us on the trip. She, along with the rest of our project back at Rutgers, has worked so hard to make this trip a reality for us. I'd also like to thank you for keeping updated on our trip and for supporting our project! Look out for our next trip!

In the meantime, check out what we're up to at the links below!
Website: https://ewb-rutgers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewbusarutgers/
Instagram: ewbrutgers

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