Antigua

After my return to Antigua, I was a bit exhausted for another 2 days. However, I was ready for school on Monday. My teacher was great and the family was okay. The 3 weeks went by quickly, and some school activities were good, like visiting the macadamia farm and the chicken bus ride, or learning how to weave bracelets. On Christmas Eve, I went to church and spent Christmas with other students, enjoying an English Christmas lunch at the Londoner pub. On New Year's Eve, we stayed at a hostel with a big party, and at midnight, we enjoyed the fireworks at the main square. Unfortunately, a house caught fire, which dampened the mood. There's not much more to report about the time, but I think my Spanish skills have already improved. I was able to learn a new language and make many new contacts.

Two days ago, we went to Acatenango, an inactive volcano that is only 3km away from the still active "Volcán de Fuego" volcano. However, Acatenango is higher at 3976m.

During the ascent, many of us had difficulty breathing, but the guides gave us enough breaks so that everyone made it to the base camp in the evening. During dinner and later marshmallow roasting, we could watch the eruptions of the volcano. After a cold night in tents, we continued to the "summit" of the volcano at 4 o'clock in the morning. These last 1.5 hours were quite challenging for everyone due to lack of sleep. Unfortunately, it was also cloudy and we couldn't enjoy the sunrise. The descent was much easier and faster for everyone. We then had a dinner to end the evening together and fell exhausted into bed.

Today we continue to Guatemala City to catch the flight to Costa Rica tomorrow.