Erika Pun - Fun in Guatemala

  It’s around 9 pm in the night when 11 girls and two male chaperones begin to walk in the dark streets of Antigua. As we enter a quiet street, noise erupts as we begin to loudly sing and “harmonize.” One by one, people start to come out of the stores and houses to hear our beautiful singing voices... well that’s what I’d like to think. Whether we are singing songs by Beyonce, Bruno Marrs, or Brian McKnight, who none of us know except Mr. Shannon :), I feel more comfortable being myself around everyone who’s a part of Junior Journey along with new friendships arising with people I never knew I could be friends with.

Being in Antigua, Guatemala for 3 weeks forces you to spend 24 hours with everyone who’s a part of Junior Journey. This can sometimes make you feel irritated, but the amount of laughter and jokes I’ve had for the past two and a half weeks have surpassed any amount of irritation I’ve felt on this trip. I room with one of my best friends, and I never thought we could get closer, but this trip has made it possible. Even though we bicker every once in awhile about who gets to use the bathroom first or who’s right, I feel like we’re sisters. We brush our teeth together, do our makeup together, and even sleep in the same room.

Along with becoming closer with my friends, I’ve made new friends with the people from PHA as well as the people from Guatemala. My spanish teacher, Sheny, is one of the funniest and most caring persons I have ever known. I can talk to her about anything, and I never knew I could form such a close friendship with someone I’ve only known for 2 and a half weeks. We laugh about everything (and I can say we are one of the loudest pairs) whether it’s about me complaining about my smile lines or the hilarious stories she tells me about her daughter’s ex boyfriends. Along with making jokes, we also talk about more serious topics like gender norms, Donald Trump, and the similarities between Nepal and Guatemala. I thought that four hours of Spanish lessons would be boring, but there has never been a dull moment with Sheny.

Because of Guatemala, I’ve made new friends and my old friendships are becoming more stronger as time goes along. Whether the new friendship I’ve made began with asking someone to take pictures of me for an hour or making jokes about one another, I’ve learned that the friendships that I made in Guatemala will last a lifetime… and yes I know that’s a very corny line to say.