Today was a crazy day today because we had to leave early from school at ten o’clock because we had to go to the lake. So, I woke up and ate breakfast and then we all walked to school together. Once we got to school I read a story that was actually real, in Guatemala. There is a small man called el Sombreron who wears all black and wears a very large hat. He always brings a guitar with him and he only comes out at night, not in the morning. If he sees girls with long hair, he plays his guitar and plays melodies so that the girls like that song and then when the girls go into their house and get ready to sleep, he secretly enters the girls house and then enters the room where the girl is and carefully braids their hair so tight that they can’t untie it in the morning when they see it. So the girls only options are to change their hairstyle, or cut their hair off. The crazy part of the day was that there was an earthquake happening and I could feel the ground shaking. We all gathered around into a safe area, and stayed there until the earthquake finished. I was scared at first because I didn’t know what was going to happen because this was my first big earthquake I ever experienced and I was a little scared but then when I knew everyone was safe, I started to calm down a little. That was basically my day at school (I don’t know Tia and Aunt Patti’s). Then Sergio’s (our driver) son Danilo drove us all to Lago Atitlan. It took about two and a half hours and I was so tired after that. When we finally got to our destination we went to lunch and I had fried chicken and French fries. Once we were done with lunch we walked down to the lake and met our boat driver who was going to take us to our lake house. We have a different lake house this year and I think it’s nicer than last years house. We all have our separate houses in the same property, me mommy and Tia have one house, Mr. Michael John and Ms. Rachel have another, and Aunt Patti has one too. Another exciting part of the day is that I jumped in the freezing cold lake! It was scary at first but when I jumped I was cold and then I went back up on the dock and then I jumped again and once I got used to the water I didn’t want to get out because it felt warmer in the water then I got out of the water and it was super cold and then me and mommy walked to our house and I went right in the shower and took a shower. It was one of the nicest showers I had in Guatemala, it felt so good. Once I got out of the shower I got dressed and then we relaxed for a bit and then me, mommy, Tia and Mrs Patti walked to the restaurant we were going to called Isla Verde and then Mr. Michael John and Ms. Rachel came after because they went for drinks before we went to dinner. For an appetizer I tried something new, carrot soup which surprisingly tasted a tiny bit like El Paso. Then for the main meal I had chicken dipped in tomato sauce and for dessert I had a little bit of chocolate mousse because it had milk in it and I couldn’t eat it all. I really wanted to eat it the chocolate mousse because it was so good ! After dinner we walked home and I brushed my teeth and went to bed.

The End.

This is the first time I was sick out of the country 😢. I had a lot of rough nights but Tuesday night was the worst! Mommy woke me up because I was wheezing and then I had to take a shower to get all the boogers out of my lungs. I had to sleep in the shower from 10:30-11:30 and Mommy held me while I was sleeping in the shower. Then I slept a little bit after the shower but I couldn’t sleep until morning because I was so congested and sick and I couldn’t sleep because of that. Mommy helped me a lot last night. I really wanted to go to school to mommy gave me medicine and made sure my teacher was ok with me coming and so I went. I’m so glad I went because we did a lot of fun stuff even though we did exercises. I only coughed a little. I also had to breathe in my first inhaler because I was that sick. We went to watch the game after, and Argentina won 2-1! And guess what I had? Una hamburgesa! I was nervous that Argentina was going to lose because England scored before Argentina and I was starting to get a little worried, but they won! Then we walked home and we rested and then we all played a game that Ms. Rachel brought that is called First and Worst. It’s where there are five categories and you get cards 1-5. Whatever those categories are you have to rank them secretly from the one you like the most to the one you dislike the most. Then everyone else when you’re done ranking has to try to guess where you ranked them. Everyone gets a turn and it’s a good way to get to know each other. Once all the people are locked in the person who ranked the cards reveals them and that’s how it works. After that I took a shower and went to bed.

The End.

We walked to school and once we got to school we saw our teachers and went in our classrooms ready to learn (well at least I know I was 😂). I did a lot of fun stuff at school but today we did Spanish exercises because it wasn’t my first day so I didn’t get a lucky day off like yesterday. After school instead of going home we went to this cool sports bar to watch the Spain vs. France game! I had a hamburger and French fries and then Spain won 2-0! I was so happy because France has been in the finals for the last two world cups and I was so excited for them to win. When the game was over we walked home and we rested for a bit before dinner. I also played in the garden while Mommy and Tia were at Pilates. When it was time for dinner we had leftover chipotle bowls.

The End.

Today, I woke up at 6:30 am and I had eggs 🍳 and a mandarin 🍊for breakfast. Then, all of us walked to school 🏫 together and me, Tia, Aunt Patti (Tia’s mom). While we were walking to school I was the leader and I knew all the streets and I knew where to go so it was cool to know everything about the streets and where to go. When we walked in, everyone met their teachers and I met my teacher, her name is Ms. Kenia. I had her last year and she’s nice and knows a bit of English in case I need help with any of the hard words I don’t know. I felt comfortable around her because she’s very nice. I had a lucky day because it was my first day and we didn’t do any work, and I peeked out the window to see Tia and I saw that she was struggling with all of the words that were in her board and she had homework, and I didn’t ! We played games together like Uno, I know how to play Uno now, do you know how? We also played the opposites where it is a card came where you had to ask the other person if they had that card, in Spanish. Like, if you had the card hot you would say, tienes el opuesto de caliente? And if the other person has that card, they would give it to you and if they don’t have that card you would have to take another card from the pile. We also made a town for my hot wheel car and it was really fun. Then I checked on Mrs. Patti and she was doing well which surprised me a little ! Then we had to go to Pausa, which means break in English, and it’s where you have thirty minutes to do whatever you want and rest from learning Spanish. Then after the break, we walked back to the school and continued on with what we were doing, for me I did games, but I don’t know about Aunt Patti and Tia. When we were done with school we walked home and I was the leader and knew where to go. Once we got home I had spaghetti and meat sauce and then after lunch, we went to play tennis. When we were ready we all walked for a long time because it was pretty far away and we had gone past it the first time and then we realized it was up a hill so we had to climb it in order to get up there. Once we finally got up there I rested on the chair and Mr. Michael John (Tias brother) went to see if we had to go to the bottom court or if we could stay at the top court. We went to the bottom court so we walked down and signed in and rented rackets so we could play. Me and Tia were the only ones who were playing at first and then Mommy came to play and she lasted about three minutes. Once me and Tia played for long time, Mr. Michael John and his girlfriend Ms. Rachel came to play after they played alone at the top court and we played together. Me and Ms. Rachel were on a team and Tia and Mr. Michael John were on a team. We were just playing for fun. After we played for like 10-15 minutes, they kicked us off the court because there was a lesson about to happen and we had been there a long time so we decided to stay and rest and watch the other players that were there for a bit. Then we walked home and once we got home I didn’t feel like walking anymore. Then I rested for a bit and when it was time for dinner I had chipotle for dinner. After that I went and took a shower and went to bed.

Today I woke up at 7:15 and I surprisingly didn’t eat breakfast at all except a banana! Then, we finally went to breakfast and I ate an egg and bacon bagel with some yuca fries. Then, we walked around a bit of the town and then we went to the market where we had to get flowers for our house. While we were looking for the flowers, me and Tia stayed to watch a religious ceremony where they put down grass and flowers so they could honor the saint. I honestly had no idea what was going on but I enjoyed it. Mommy and Tia’s mom (Aunt Patti I call her) were looking for flowers. After that, we went to a store called Dollarcity and we bought some stuff we needed for the house. Then, we took a tuk tuk home (it is a motor taxi with 3 wheels). Once we got home, we rested for a little while and then Mommy and Tia went to get a massage while I stayed home with Aunt Patti. I also watched the World Cup game today with Norway 🇳🇴 and England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and England won 2-1. Once Mommy and Tia got home, we rested at the house for a bit and then we went to dinner and I had spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner. Then after dinner, we walked back home and then I took a shower and then I went to bed.

The End.

Today I woke up at grandma’s house at 6:00 in the morning so I could eat before the plane. Me and grandpa went to go pick up Aunt Patti who was all packed up and ready for Guatemala. Then we picked up Mommy and Tia and we stayed at our house because we realized our flight was delayed. Grandpa drove us all to the airport and we said our last goodbyes to Grandpa. We got through security and checked in and our flight was a little bit later but not too bad. At first at thought we would be late but we had one hour before leaving, it felt like so long. Once it was finally time, security checked our passports and we boarded the plane. Two and a half hours felt like the longest time but then when we got off the plane we had to take a one and a half hour drive but because it was such bad traffic it took three hours. Once we reached the rocky roads I knew we were in Antigua and I knew we were pretty close to our house. Once we got to our house, I remembered what all of this was and I remembered it in my brain. I was so tired from all the driving I didn’t want to go anywhere but we went to a restaurant called Adras. It was a rooftop restaurant and guess what I had? A hamburger! I know you all are surprised, but I had a hamburger! We played cards while we were up there and we taught Aunt Patti how to play. Then we went home and took a shower and went to bed.

The End.

Today I woke up and had eggs and fruit for breakfast 🍳. I got dressed and then we walked to our second to last day of school 🏫. At break, we went to the ping pong 🏓 place and I ate a croissant 🥐. Then, we walked back to school and we finished our day. Then, we walked home 🏡 and I ate lunch and I had spaghetti 🍝 and meatballs. Then, we chilled for a bit and then, me and Mommy went out to walk to the rock climbing 🧗‍♀️ place!!!!! But there was a little problem that we could solve, it was raining 🌧️ so we had to wear our rain jackets 🧥. Once we got there, I had to change my shoes 👟 and then I was ready to climb. I made it to the 6th wall and surpassed my record in Guatemala 🇬🇹! I had the best time trying different walls and doing pretty good on them. 1 and a half hours later……. It was time for dinner 🍽️ and we walked to a place called Como Como, and I had a 10 out of 10 pasta 🍝 with meat sauce! It was so delicious 🤤. Then, we walked home 🏠 and took a shower 🚿 and then hanged out for a bit and then I went to bed 🛌.

Summers in Guatemala have been amazing for so many reasons, and one is seeing the many ways in which Luca has grown and matured. He loves school. He no longer complains about walking. He tries new things. He navigates his way through the city with minimal assistance and crosses the streets expertly. He doesn’t need to be told to not brush his teeth with the tap water or not to flush his toilet paper 😆. He has become a card shark playing gin rummy. He is praised by the teachers at school for being well behaved and he all around has become a great traveler. I couldn’t be more proud.

While reading the guest book in the house we rented at Lake Atitlan, I came across a quote that I believe I have seen before but that has never resonated with me until this moment.

Travel does change you. It exposes you to that which you didn’t grow up around. That which while uncommon in your world is daily happenstance in others.  It humbles you. It makes you patient. It makes you curious. It gives you perspective. It gives you understanding. It gives you appreciation, awareness, grace. 

I am so wholeheartedly grateful for the opportunity I have had to return to this beautiful country for the fourth time, and to be able to share it with my son, my family and my friends. Until next time Cuauhtēmallān.

Today I woke up and got dressed and then went to breakfast in this really pretty view and I got eggs bacon and toast. Maggie got pancakes that I wanted to try with no milk or butter and I loved them! It was so good. We took pictures, we played cards, and then we didn’t walk home because we went straight to swimming in the lake. But first we had to take a boat ride that was a little long to get there. Once we got there we had to climb up rocks and stones to get up to get to thermal waters which is basically in the lake but hot water comes out from the inside of the earth 🌍. We couldn’t really swim but we sat in it and we had a really good time. Then Maggie got in the real lake where it was cold and I decided I was brave enough to do the same. It was so cold when I got in but once I dipped my head in the water I got used to it. I looked for rocks, I even found obsidian and a rock with yellow stuff on it. I thought it was gold but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t