Conquering The Caves

As our chatty group of 16 young women from The Traveling School entered the cave in Lanquin, Guatemala, I experienced a moment of panic and thought, “What am I getting myself into?!” Koky, our 15 year old local guide, led us into a cave full of bats, giant spiders, and I could only imagine what else. The limestone floor felt exceptionally slippery and I could not help but think to myself, “I hope I don’t fall and sprain my ankle!” Climbing higher up narrow steps and ladders I suddenly realized I had a new opportunity to conquer my fear of heights. When I am at great heights, my stomach fills with flying butterflies and my palms begin to drip with sweat.
“Here goes nothing!” I sighed to myself. The cave scene before me resembled the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland; the dimly lit path and narrow hand railings guided us as we proceeded further into the cave. Koky stopped, pointing out a rock formation containing ancient animal hieroglyphics. My favorites included what appeared to resemble a giant toad with boils popping out its skin. I felt a pang of guilt when Koky explained that the oil from so many tourist fingerprints causes the limestone to disintegrate.

Suddenly, my train of thought was broken by a giant spider that sent shivers up my spine and quickly scurried behind a glistening rock. I focused on keeping my feet in constant motion to erase the eight legged creature from my mind.

Time slipped away as we walked through the darkness and before I knew it, we reached the mouth of the cave. Here is where the real show began. The sky grew dark; Koky explained we were about to see the cave's entire population of bats fly out at once for their evening dinner prowl. I ducked as bats flew rapidly over my head. Numerous cameras began to flash upon them like lightening striking.

I survived my first cave expedition! I knew the next day we would continue on exploring another cave, again challenging my fear of heights. In the morning, we found ourselves swimming up to our necks in cold water and scrambling over limestone by candle light. Climbing up shaky ladders held by only a few thin ropes reignited my sense of fear. This time, I would not allow it to take over me. As I continued climbing steep ladders and walking up slippery steps, I was reminded of rock climbing in Seattle, Washington with my dad. When we climb, I feel the same fear no matter how many times I attempt the same wall. Dad will then tell me, “You’re not going to fall!” I held onto that thought throughout the day's many scary moments. I knew I could conquer my fear of heights.

Just as the tour came to an end, I felt strong, supported by my peers, and encouraged to keep going. With the motivating thought of my dad and me climbing, I knew I was capable of anything; all it took was support, confidence, and a little help from the bats.

By: McKenna



An Unforgettable Experience

Chiquistepeque, on the pacific Guatemalan coast, is a small fishing town. Our group of 16 young women stayed in a beach house with bunkbeds and hammocks on the porch, overlooking the pacific ocean. The smell of the salty water filled the air as all of us got settled in after a sweaty chicken bus ride. Many of us were eager to shower and rest in the chairs and hammocks, or head down to the refreshing water for a quick dip in the salty ocean.

Our days were spent innteracting with the local children who attend English classes in the biblioteca, located a five minute walk from our beach house. The biblioteca is a part of the Hammacas and Pescasdo project created by our new friends Anna and Elfego. This project provides the children with books, activities, English lessons, and games. Anna and Elfego also provided our group with delicious, homemade meals. Usually Anna and Elfego never cook for people, nor do any travelers ever stay in the beach house we were able to rent out. Most visitors stay in the rustic cabanas near their house and eat with their neighbor Annabelle. Our group is magically lucky; we got to be the first people to stay in the beach house.

Our time spent in Chiquistepeque seemed too short. I enjoyed innteracting with the children immensly. Many of them were extremely shy yet opened up to our group after we taught a few English lessona and played games with them. This relaxed environment and meaningful opportunity left me with lasting memories. There is nothing better than positively interacting with local children while overlooking the beautiful pacific ocean.


From Homebody to World Traveler

McKenna Bjorkelo is a senior at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington. For the second semester of her senior year she chose to study abroad in Central America with The Traveling School, an all girls program based out of Bozeman, Montana. The Traveling School offers students the opportunity to earn high school credits while exploring different countries.

I used to call myself a homebody. I never had the intention to travel and I felt more at ease in the comfort of my own home. I tended to stick with what was familiar to me and avoided trying new things. Usually the quiet one, I rarely spoke up for myself and stuck to a basic routine; go to school, go home, eat and sleep. Those days are long gone, I hardly even recognize that girl anymore. When I heard about The Traveling School from a friend of my mother's, who said I was the perfect candidate, I eagerly applied and was accepted to attend the spring 2009 Central America semester with 11 other girls ages 15-18 years old. I had to decide whether or not I could leave my family and friends behind for such a long period of time. After many long talks with my parents, I decided I had to take this unique, once-in-a-life-time opportunity. After having traveled for 3 1/2 months to four foreign countries with this amazing group of young women, I have seen many changes in myself. For example, I have developed a desire to travel in the future to places like Peru, Europe, and Africa. I have adapted to the many new environments our group has traveled through. At first I was surprised to see garbage in the streets, simple tin-roofed homes, and homeless dogs roaming around. I have remained in a state of culture shock ever since as we are exposed to new things everyday. I learned to become independent as well. Before this trip, I relied on my parents for money and never thought twice about how much I spent. Throughout this trip we were required to create budgets and keep track of all the money we spent. I had never made a budget before, now I cannot imagine my life without one. I have had many "firsts" on this trip, including using a debit card and wearing a money belt under my clothes. I have become so much more aware of my surroundings. I have to constantly be responsible for myself and my belongings. Most importantly, I have opened up to the whole group and now feel more self-confident in school, speaking Spanish in public, and interacting with communities. I am surprised by the different person I have become during this semester abroad. The Traveling School gave me an amazing educational experience that I will never forget.