Navegar Cohort

WHAT'S YOUR NAHUAL?

WHAT'S YOUR NAHUAL?

This week, we took part in a Mayan ritual where we all got to learn our “Nahual”, a personal guardian spirit, alterego, or something you can shapeshift into! This spiritual animal or natural symbol is found in Mayan Cosmovision. Each symbol represents a sign based on your ‘nacimiento’ or date of birth, ‘origen’ or conception, and ‘esperanza’ or your calling.

This week while working on different parts of the process planting trees in Pachaj at Chico Mendes, we also had the opportunity to participate in a Mayan ritual at the top of the mountains with a spiritual guide named Manuel. He explained the meaning of the the ritual saying its for our good wealth and our journey.

A RUNNING START IN XELA

A RUNNING START IN XELA

Hola from Xela!

We are finishing our time here in Quetzaltenango - also known by locals as Xela, after a pretty full week and a half packed with activities and new experiences! On Monday, we left Casa Seibel where we had orientation and headed to Sol Latino Spanish school where we began our first day of classes and met both our teachers and homestay moms! The school is beautiful and you never would have guessed that it was there. In America, we are about making our buildings big and noticeable so that they stand out from one another, but here are there are so many hidden treasures behind closed gates.

Our homestay families were all different but very friendly and welcoming all the same!

ORIENTATION IN XELA

ORIENTATION IN XELA

We spent our first days in the city becoming acquainted with the local customs, setting personal and group intentions, reviewing the itinerary for the next two months, and learning the ways to keep ourselves safe and healthy while traveling. After we had a few days to familiarize ourselves with our new surroundings (and to recover from jet-lag), the students were sent off in pairs and trios to explore the town on their own through a Scavenger Hunt.