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Published: December 17th 2008
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Hey Everyone,
So i finally arranged some time off and went on a vacation like i had been planning the entire time. I decided not to leave the country like i had originally thought i would do, and instead went to an island that is still part of Guatemala called Monterrico. It was only a 3 hour bus ride from where i was, but the difference in weather would be the same as going from Washington state to Hawaii. Monterrico even has the nickname of little Hawaii around Guatemala. The reason i decided to stay within Guatemala is because i knew it would be cheaper to stay closer, so the ride there wouldn't cut into my budget and therefore i could stay longer. My plan was to go for as long as my money would take me, and i originally planned on that being for 3-4 days. I ended up stretching it into 8 days, by doing things like having a diet that consisted of water, bananas and oranges. This way i wasn't spending money at restaurants for meals. The price to eat at a restaurant wasn't a whole lot (around $4-7 american) but that was also the price per
Sunrise
Went on a little boat tour to watch the sunrise night at my hostel. So eat a good meal, or get a room for the night.... Was not a hard decision for me. I would buy around 12 bananas from a fruit stand in the morning and a few oranges. I could get 4 bananas for a little over the cost of a dime.
Luckily I am very happy with my decision to go to Monterrico over another place, because i really doubt i would enjoyed anywhere else as much as i did Monterrico. I think that most people have a place or an idea for what paradise is for them, an Monterrico is just that for myself. It is black sand beaches, warm beach weather year round (except for when it rains in parts of the year, but even then the temperature is still nice). The days just seem to melt together, and not before long you completely lose track of time. A nice little part about Monterrico is that even though it is a tourist attraction, it is still a very mellow place. I think most people who go there are traveling through Central and South America, but their intent when they reach Monterrico is to take a
The dream
Possible retirement home in Monterrico? break and relax. I would assume there are more hammocks than beds there. My actual room was 20 feet from the sand, and basically only had a bed and a mosquito net hovering above it. I would wake up, grab my bag of fruit and book to read, and go sit on the patio that looks out at the ocean. I would be there until i thought of something better to do like swim or go get more fruit, but a few hours would usually pass before i actually did move. In the 8 days i was in Monterrico i read 3 books (which brought my total in Guatemala to 24 books). I would sit down in one of the hammocks and pump out 100-200 pages in a sitting no problem. It truly was a perfect week to just relax and enjoy my surroundings.
Unfortunately i have to say that this will be my last entry. I want to again thank everyone who has helped me along the way in making all of this happen. I absolutely couldn't have done this without my generous friends who made donations to finance this. I have great respect for anybody who does volunteer
Friends
Some of the people i met in my hotel work, especially people like Steve who have dedicated their lives to it. I think that everybody is capable of doing something like this, but it is just comes down to how dedicated you are to doing it. I have a feeling that a good deal amount of people have thought or imagined of doing something like moving to another country to help those less fortunate, the only difference is that i actually did it. Through many conversations with many different people from all around the world there, i have discovered that there really is never a perfect time to do something like this (or really dream), because we are all so occupied with our lives and we always think we will do it sometime later on down the road. But by a certain point in our lives we think it is too late, and we never end up doing it. So maybe i am lucky that i was at a point in my life that i could put everything on hold for a while and actually do something i had been dreaming about. There is no possible way to value how Guatemala has helped me as a person in every
Happy Thanksgiving
I got fancy and bought a coke for the occasion way, shape, and form. I do know one thing, and that is there is no University or job that could give me a better education about everything in less than a year, than i received from my time in Guatemala. Even though i walk away from this with no extra money or school credits, i have a good feeling that i will benefit more later in my life from it.
If i could finish on one note it would be this: There are so many opportunities and experiences just waiting out there for us and unless we put our dreams, hopes and aspirations into effect now, we may never have the chance to do them in the future. So Carpe Diem!
Mucho Gracias,
Brennan Perry
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