My last year in Optometry school has been a whirlwind.
Between external rotations and mission trips, people think that I travel for a living.
Not true, but I wish it was.
In February, a group of 5 of us Optometry students traveled to Guatemala to provide eye care to over 4000 patients in a small town around Lake Atitlan. The experience was life-changing and humbling to say the least. Meeting the Guatemalan people made us all feel very fortunate.
We went with the I Care International group who takes volunteers of all kinds. If you are ever interested in providing care or volunteering, please visit their website here.
Atitlan is a Mayan word meaning...
"The place where the rainbow gets its colors."
Lake Atitlan is the deepest lake in Central America and is surrounded by three volcanoes: Toliman, San Pedro, and Atitlan. It is located about 5 hours sketchy bus ride west of Guatemala City.
There are many villages that surround the lake, each with a different dialect of Mayan language. There are boat tours that can take you to some of the villages where you can learn about the different cultures each has to offer.
The 5 of us girls were able to spend some time in a village across the lake, Panajachel, where we went to the gorgeous Atitlan Nature Reserve. At the reserve, we went on a crazy and amazing excursion that included a beautiful hike up the mountains and ziplining.
Coffee Lovers, listen up!
If you're ever in Panajachel, visit my friend Mike at Crossroads Cafe for the best coffee in Guatemala. Seriously though, people travel from all over the world to visit him!
A few of us were lucky enough to embark on a journey to the Mayan Ruins in Tikal. Again, so breathtaking and amazing to see these structures still standing today. Tikal is a site of ancient history in the middle of the Guatemalan rainforest. While touring, we saw multiple spider monkeys that howl at night, and some huge tarantulas.
Guatemala was such an amazing experience, not only because of the sites we managed to see in our short time there, but also because of the people we were able to provide care to.
I will be embarking on more mission trips in my time, and you should too!
