Motivation/Reasoning:
I applied for this program, after Professor Chris Hale came by one of my classes to talk about the upcoming trip. Not only was it a good opportunity to learn about political science in another country , but it also would give me a better opportunity to get me closer to a similar culture I used to have when I was younger. The days leading up to the trip were a bit hectic. I had early move-in for my new apartment so I was packing up my old apartment and moving into my new one. I guess with all the hecticness of it all, the nervousness of the trip hadn’t quite set in yet. After I had finished setting the final things down into my new apartment, I began driving to Atlanta.
The nervousness didn’t begin to set until we got the airport. It would have been my first time traveling out of the country and riding an airplane. Overall, it went smoothly, I quickly found other students from the trip and we made our way to the plane. We boarded and took off! The plane ride went well and we had a smooth flight.
Eventually we made it to Guatemala! We drove to our hotel and got settled in. After, we all went out to eat and had some amazing food! But, that wasn’t the most interesting part of dinner… I experienced my first earthquake! It was definitely an interesting experience and thankfully everyone was okay!
Overall, the trip has been fun so far! I’m not sure what expectations to have but I’m definitely going to enjoy all of it!
