Today was one of those days that reminded us why we do this work.

Our morning began with our second workshop at Marie Claire Bilingual School and with the students at House of Learning. From the moment we arrived, the energy in the room was warm, welcoming, and full of curiosity. It was so meaningful to perform for House of Learning after connecting and sharing dance with the students. We were able to teach new movement skills, encourage creativity, and build relationships through the universal language of dance. Seeing the students’ confidence grow throughout the workshop and performance was incredibly rewarding and made the experience feel very special.

Following our performance for Marie Claire School, we headed to lunch together. After a busy morning of teaching and performing, it was a refreshing opportunity to rest, reflect on the day, and enjoy conversation as a group. These shared moments between workshops often become some of the most meaningful parts of the journey.

In the afternoon, we traveled to the Efraín Recinos Cultural Center for our final workshops with the students. Our team divided into two groups to teach simultaneous workshops, allowing us to reach even more young dancers. The students brought enthusiasm, openness, and a willingness to try new things, creating a vibrant learning environment for everyone involved.

After dinner, we continued our evening with ProDanza. Teaching the JUNTOS workshops to the ProDanza dancers was both inspiring and energizing. We shared movement, choreography, and creative exercises while learning from one another through cultural exchange.

One of the highlights of the evening was taking a class with Janet. During class, we had the opportunity to learn traditional dance movements rooted in Mayan culture and history. It was an enriching experience that allowed us to connect more deeply with the traditions of the community hosting us. We partnered with one another, practiced new movement patterns, explored playful lifts across the floor, and stepped outside of our comfort zones together. There was so much laughter, encouragement, and teamwork throughout the class, making it both educational and memorable.

By the end of the night, we were physically tired but deeply fulfilled. Sharing meals, teaching workshops, performing, and learning from the local dance community created a day full of meaningful connections and cultural exchange. It was a beautiful reminder that dance has the power to bring people together across languages, backgrounds, and experiences.

• • Savored the ability to sleep in and have a slow morning!
  • Enjoyed breakfast with Selena and Bella at Mandarina (tacos, desayunos son fuegos) 
  • Packed up and checked out from the hotel
  • Met with kids from ProDanza and CEMUNART for a lunch; there was a mock Olympics where JUNTOS lost every category (disappointing) 
  • Enjoyed dinner on a rooftop overlooking the plaza 
  • Bought many unnecessary souvenirs 
  • Traveled with the group to Panajachel and slept the whole time while listening to techno duro 
  • Arrived in Pana and checked into the hotel 
  • Went to Little Spoon for happy hour, one of the best restaurants in Pana
  • Ate at Guajimbo’s – a favorite steakhouse – all together, we had an awesome bonding dinner. A child sitting at another table mocked my laugh during dinner…
  • Long and beautiful debrief together at the hotel
  • A little time to read my book, and bedtime😘
    

Hi everyone, it’s Anna today! This morning we met for breakfast and coffee at the hotel at 7:30 am. We discussed plans for today’s workshops and planned our classes. I ordered Chapín, which I have been enjoying every day. 

We then got on the bus and headed to our first workshop of the day at Centro Educativo Josué. We split the students into two groups – one with older students and one with younger students. I was with the older group today. We danced outside in a space right on the lake. It was beautiful. We taught a fun combo to “NuevoYol” by Bad Bunny. We ended the workshop with a show/tell of both groups. We had a photoshoot moment on the lake before heading back to the hotel for a lunch break. Lunch was at Little Spoon: smoothie bowls, avocado toast, and croissant sandwiches. I then went back to the hotel and journaled before we had to meet at 1:45 pm to head over to our second workshop of the day. 

The second workshop was for students from Tejiendo Futuro. It was sort of a wide range of ages, but we gave a class more catered to the younger students. We gave more of a game-based class for these kids. We played duck, duck, goose, which was so much fun for everyone! We taught a cute combo, then split the students into two groups and did a dance battle! We had a great time teaching these students and are looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow. 

On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped in a grocery store for some snacks and anything we may have needed. I got plantain chips, golden oreos, and curl cream because my hair has been struggling without it. It started pouring, and Miguel was so kind and came back to get us with the bus so we didn’t have to walk back in the rain. We love Miguel! 

Due to the rain, we relocated rehearsal to the hotel lobby/restaurant area. The staff here are so nice and let us move some tables around to clear out a space for us to practice. We rehearsed Shaolin’s piece for musicality. After that, we watched our most recent performance of Chris Bloom’s “Into the Mist” and did some self correcting. We then used the space to clean some of the group parts of the dance. Imani was then able to use the space for her solo on Caiyel. We then put the hotel’s tables and chairs back where they belong and made plans for dinner. 

After about an hour of getting ready, Will, Samarra, Shaolin, Bella, Selena, and I went to 7 Caldos Restaurant and had some great food. Shaolin and I shared the Carnivore meal. It came with steak, chicken, sausage, grilled corn and potatoes. Post-dinner, we got ice cream in a convenience store and hung out on the hotel balcony. We start around 7:30 am again tomorrow, so we headed to bed around 10:30! 

Hiiiii! It’s Bella today :). It’s day two of workshops in Pana, and the sun was out this morning! All the volcanoes across the lake were visible and out to dance with us. 

We had class with Centro Educativo Josué beginning at 8 am on the basketball court. We were in our same volunteer groups as yesterday, meaning I was with Anna, Ada, Imani, and Shaolin, teaching the older kids. Our class consisted of an ice breaker lead by Imani, a warm up lead by Anna, across the floor lead by Shaolin, improv led by Ada (we played a human knot game, which I thought was genius for critical thinking skills), and I continued with the same combination as yesterday – a short jazz funk combo to “NuevaYol” by the one and only … Bad Bunny. We ended up being so invested in the improv games that we ended up with a little less time for the combination than we did for the day before. I got to add on a little bit as well as speed up the timing so we were at least moving in a forward direction. When I realized the time crunch we were in, my immediate reaction was stress and urgency, but then I remembered that a loss of time is almost the point. Being so engrossed in the moment, helping each other, or laughing together, that time no longer fully exists or matters. It’s just sharing. After we wrapped up our section of class, we got to show-and-tell with the babies and the volunteers that were paired with them. Although we split the basketball court in half and weren’t far from them, it was great to see what was going on only 10 feet away from us.

After we said our hasta mañanas, we had our lunch break from 10:30-ish to 1:45 pm. Miguel, our most perfect bus driver, picked us up from the lake and dropped us at the hotel. Samarra and I got coffee and journaled while everyone else dispersed. We met Selena for lunch at a small spot with some local food. We talked about travel, building a brand, and how much we wanted to live in the little restaurant we were in. We had the yummiest food that was cooked by the same sweet old lady who took our order. 

Once 1:45 pm rolled around, we met everyone at the hotel lobby to start the walk to our workshop with Tejiendo Futuros. This school feels extra special as JUNTOS this past year raised enough money through fundraising to help the school purchase t-shirts for their students so they could have something to wear to school. Throughout the past years, returning volunteers such as myself have built special connections with returning students, one of them being at this school. His name is Carlos. He’s an 8-year-old boy full of energy, jokes, and a little bit of sass. He has the sweetest smile and loves to run around playing soccer. When we can grasp his attention, he makes a great dancer as well! He has become one of the greatest lights in workshops.

Our workshop had a similar layout to the one earlier – Imani had the icebreaker, Anna and Will had warm-up, Samarra had across the floor, then Selena and I taught the combination. It was a two-hour workshop, so lots of adaptation was needed to maintain the kiddos’ attention for that extended period of time. We played lots of “Pato Pato Ganso” (duck duck goose). Our combination was short but focused on tempo and repetition. After class was over, the kids were kicking around a ball, so Will, Imani, and I joined in. We were playing for about 30 minutes before parents arrived for pick-up. As for the Dance Volunteers, we stopped at a local supermarket for a quick snack before rehearsal. It had just started raining by this time (of course), so we walked down to our performance area and sketched out as much as we could for tomorrow’s show before the thunder and lightning took over. Family dinner tonight was at a local spot called Pana Rock where we listened to live local music, reflected on the day, and discussed the days to come. 

When we got back to the hotel after dinner, I wrote in my personal JUNTOS Travel Log about our day (it’s identical to this one). I wrote about how I believe every human being is made to dance – trained or not. How dance not only breaks through language barriers but is a language in itself. These kids are really incredible and never cease to make me a better artist and overall person. They’re eager to learn with a willingness I carry with me every day after returning home. Their patience is beyond admirable. Pana will always be a home away from home.

We started the day bright and early at 7:30 am with breakfast. I had some pancakes and scrambled eggs with a side of fruit. It was a great meal to start our adventure-packed day!

Our bus driver, Miguel, was very kind to take our luggage to Antigua during the day so that we had an easier trip there later that evening. After loading up our luggage and saying goodbye, we began our walk down to Lake Atitlán to get on the boat! The sun was out, and the clouds were just grazing the mountaintops. It was so beautiful! The boat took us all around the lake, and we got to see all the different little towns that were nestled up on the mountains. After a good 20-30 minute boat ride, we eventually arrived at the hot springs! It was a little bit of a hike to get there after getting off the boat, but we made it! For the next hour or so, we all got to lounge in the hot springs or swim in the chilly lake waters. There was a dock, so of course I had to go for the perfect dive into the water 🙂 I took a swim out pretty far into the lake to just take in all of my surroundings: hearing the sounds of the people and music from the little town nearby in the mountains, while also taking in all of the scenery around. I was surrounded by volcanoes, which I have really never seen before until this trip! It was really peaceful and allowed me the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of our Earth and this country that we are so lucky to be sharing our art in. 

Once we left, we took the boat back into Panajachel and went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and officially check out of the hotel. A big group of us went to grab lunch at one of our favorite spots, “Little Spoon,” and had some really yummy gelato afterwards for a little treat. 

Once it was time, we headed back to the hotel to meet up and all head down to the performance space to get ready for our show! A concrete stage that overlooked the beautiful lake and the gorgeous mountains and volcanoes that surround it! It was truly one of the most breathtaking places I have ever performed. Shortly after some spacing, we were met with the students from Tejiendo Futuro and Centro Educativo Josué that we have been teaching for the past two days. We invited them onto the stage and ran through the piece that we created together while their parents found their seats. After that, the show began! We started with their number, and then we ran through all the pieces that JUNTOS brought. It was amazing getting to see all the smiles of the students we taught the past two days. After the performance, the students shared really sweet personal notes and stickers that I know we will cherish for a very long time. Some tears may have been shed. I was extremely thankful for that experience, and it is so honoring to know that we made such a big impact on them, even though we spent very little time together. 

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to load up for the drive to Antigua. We were all absolutely WIPED from the long day of swimming and performing, so it was a very quiet bus ride! Once we arrived, most of us pretty much went to bed nice and early. Some others enjoyed exploring the nearby area and getting a bite to eat before heading to sleep.

Hi! Today is our first real day in Antigua! I woke up around 6:45 am. I had a fruit bowl for breakfast, and we headed to our first performance at Hogar de Ancianos Fray Rodrigo de la Cruz, a home for the elderly. When we arrived, we reworked spacing without certain dancers so that they could rest, as this is the nature of the trip and being flexible on the fly! The focus of this performance was to connect with our audience. I thought this was important considering some of these people may not have had much interaction with a live arts performance in a long time. I loved that we could come to them. Despite all the obstacles, we kept these ideals in mind. We were invited to do a meet and greet with many of the residents of the home; they were all happy to say hello to us and make conversation. I tried my best to understand the majority of it. Jasmine told us that one man in particular was shedding light on the negative stereotypes about drug use, politics, and economic development created about Guatemala, when in reality they were heavily influenced by the U.S. – it sounded really enlightening. We all had our breaks after that, and I stopped in a bookstore to look around, and I got a couple of cute postcards as keepsakes for friends. Then I stopped to eat at Nalu Superfoods and ate some avocado toast! Something light but nutritious. Afterward, I took a 20-minute nap back at the hotel unintentionally, but it was needed! Shaolin, Caiyel and I left for CEMUNART for our first workshop exchange in Antigua!

I found the class very intriguing as it was a traditional workshop stemming from Guatemalan culture. I also thought it was nice to see the students teaching as we do in a language they’re not fully familiar with. 

Then, after a small coffee and cookies break that CEMUNART kindly provided, JUNTOS taught class. We taught in a language we’re not fully familiar with too, of course! I love the community that comes out of that shared experience. They did great in class, and we all took a photo in the end! I also exchanged Instagrams with many dancers, and I can’t wait to keep up with them online. Cristiana grouped us together to talk about our next workshop, where we will talk about many different dance genres and demonstrate a snippet! I chose modern and Caiyel, and I made a combination in Horton. Four of us walked to a cafe to get a quick snack before our Antigua tour. I had a yummy Agata croissant with capers, salmon, and avocado. When we made it to the meeting place for a tour about the “Legends of Antigua”, I saw a group of people dressed up in mid-century attire with many different props. There was one with a lantern that Caiyel got to hold at some point. Jasmine got a palm reading from the witch that was pretty funny – she said, “long life, no love, and you haven’t achieved your goals,” but the witch was a phony, and they put her in “jail”. The fan favorite character of the trip was the devil man. He was hilarious translating the Spanish stories throughout the tour. In the end, I was able to hold his trident in our group JUNTOS photo. Another very iconic part of everyone’s experience was the wolf that loved everyone and had lots of sass to him. We ended the tour at a restaurant, and I suggested we stay and eat there. I had a nice shake with caramel vanilla, a sugar donut, and pretzels called the “abominable snowman.” Then we all walked home together, and I went to bed after sitting and digesting the day. 

Gooooooood Morning

Today I woke up around 7 AM, and everyone was still sleeping, so I took the time to journal about this experience so far and feel all the feels that I needed to. I am forever grateful for the chance to be here in this space. It was very calming and helped me get ready for the rest of the day!

Around 8:45 AM I finally rolled out of bed to go to breakfast. I also woke up Ada bae, so we waited for our food together. The food was very yummy, but everyone was still sleepy from the night before. 

After eating breakfast, I got dressed and went up to the roof. While up there, I saw Bella, and we both sat for a while. She pointed at the volcano, and it was smoking; it was very beautiful to see. I did some dancing on the roof to get the morning wiggles out. I tried to move like the mountains and trees surrounding me. It felt amazing to move my body in a different way than I had on this trip before. 

Then a couple of people went to eat at Cafe Cadesa for lunch. The food was very, very good. I got a BLT sandwich that was really filling. Shaolin got a smoothie that was very, very big. It looked very, very yummy. After eating, we all walked around some shops that were in the Cafe. I almost bought a sound bowl, but I realized it would not fit in my bag. Some people got postcards, jewelry and more. It was a very cute place. 

Now it is performance time! Once we arrived at the performance site, I was in awe of how beautiful the ruins looked. We had the opportunity to walk around the ruins, and I felt very grateful to do so. We sang in the rooms, played hide and seek, we even climbed a wall and took beautiful pictures. I had a lot of fun (climbing that ladder scared me for the rest of the night, and I still do not think I have recovered), and I wish to remember that moment forever. 

After that, we had tech; the stage was very cool. I enjoyed how different the space was from all of our other performances. I also enjoyed watching ProDanza and CEMUNART tech. At tech, I was able to hang out with mis squates! We went over the short little piece we made and had so much fun.

Next, we performed; it was really fun performing but also sad. I always get sentimental about doing the last runs of pieces, and the performance felt like full circle. Everyone came together to share their passion for dance, and it was beautiful to witness and be a part of. 

After the performances, we all went to dinner. I played imposter, card games, and more with my friends. The food was very good, but I ordered a bit too much, so I ended up sharing it with my CEMUNART and ProDanza friends. Everyone was connecting and talking; I was sad to leave. 

After dinner, we all got some snacks and headed back to the hotel. A few of us stayed up a bit longer to watch Norbit, which was funny. I fell asleep halfway through the movie. Goooooooood Night

It’s hard to believe that JUNTOSAbroad 2026 is almost at its end – today was our last morning in Antigua and our last day all together as a group! After packing up our things and savoring one last delicious hotel breakfast, our wonderful driver Miguel took us to Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, a suburb just outside of Antigua, for our final convivencia. One of the CEMUNART students, Lara, and her family generously hosted JUNTOS, CEMUNART, and ProDanza students at their home for an unforgettable pool day. We played games, reflected on the success of yesterday’s performance, and lounged together in the sun – a perfect way to end an extremely busy yet fulfilling 2 weeks. Lara’s family treated all of us to a delicious home-cooked lunch of Pepián, a traditional Guatemalan stew served with rice and tortillas. They also served beautiful jamaica, pineapple, and dragon fruit drinks – we could not believe their hospitality!

After lunch, it was time for bittersweet goodbyes! Directors shared last words of gratitude, gifts were exchanged, the final group photo was taken, and tears were shed as JUNTOS, CEMUNART, and ProDanza students bid farewell to the close friends they’d made from across the country and/or the world. We also had to say goodbye to Selena and Bella this afternoon, as they’re leaving directly from Antigua to travel to El Salvador together tomorrow! 

Miguel drove the rest of us to Guatemala City directly from Lara’s house, and we remarked on how full circle it felt to arrive back at Dos Lunas, where we first began this journey. The day ended with me leading us through our last group debrief. The students reflected on their growth as dancers, teachers, performers, leaders, and humans, shared the most surprising and salient moments of the trip, and brainstormed how to integrate the takeaways of this experience into their lives back in the U.S. I was inspired by their thoughtful reflections and am excited to see the ways this experience informs their future growth!

Today was full of last goodbyes as the students departed from La Aurora airport. The majority of them had early morning flights, and only Samarra and I flew out in the evening, so we spent the day together! We savored our last chapin breakfast courtesy of our lovely hosts, Lorena and Henk, complete with my favorite Guatemalan hot sauce: picamas (and yes, I’d already bought two bottles to bring home).

Since we didn’t have to be at the airport until 6 pm, Samarra and I took advantage of our free time to explore Zone 4 of Guatemala City. We visited a coffee roastery and enjoyed a couple dulce de leche lattes while Samarra read and I did some work preparing for our next round of programs this summer: JUNTOSYouth. Afterwards we had a delicious Peruvian lunch, walked around some more, and bought a generous array of pastries for the flight home (highlights were a birria empanada and banana nutella croissant). It was a great excursion to get to know Guatemala City beyond the haven of Dos Lunas.

From there we returned to the hotel, said our final goodbyes (or for me, “hasta próximos años”) to Lorena and Henk, and made our way to the airport. That’s a wrap on the JUNTOSAbroad 2026 Travel Log – thanks for following along on our journey!

Dear Travel Log,

Oh hey there! It’s Ada. I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting the day that I got to write to you, and I’m happy to say that it’s finally here. So, on that note, let’s get this day started!

This morning my alarm went off at eight! We don’t need to talk about when I actually got out of bed, though 🙂 I got all show ready— hair and makeup and all that jazz— and went to the BUFFET breakfast! Yay! Caiyel said her breakfast was “scumdidlyiyiiyiyiyyumptious,” thanks, Caiyel. 

Next up: PERFORMANCE TIME! 

We took a quick lil bus ride to Albergue Hermano Pedro. Shaolin informed me on the bus that she was feeling very grateful, excited, tired, relaxed, and #readytostarttheday!! Albergue Hermano Pedro is a home/shelter for people with special needs— especially Cerebral Palsy, malnourished children, and seniors in need of care. It is a truly incredible place. Our performance contained all of our rep, but additionally included a “lec-demo,” where JUNTOS members talked about different styles of dance and gave a quick example. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the day I get to learn Bella and Will’s rendition of “Not Like Us.” After the performance, I met a 21-year-old with Cerebral Palsy named Javi! It was one of my favorite moments of the trip. I found out he loves K-pop, so I told him all about the camp I’m teaching this summer called “K-Pop Drama Hunters.” He showed me two entire journals he made with his sister about all of his favorite things. It was awesome! He really wants to visit Japan, which is where my brother lives, so I showed him some photos. 🙂 He also showed me an ultrasound of his nephew. It was super special to make a connection with him. After that, we got a tour of the place. It was super impactful. Something that really stuck with me was how much music was playing around the place to engage and stimulate the patients. They made it clear how important it was to them that it was a home and not a hospital. I loved that.

On the bus ride back to the hotel, we started planning our workshop for the afternoon. Once back at the hotel, we had a debrief in Jasmine’s quadruple room (epic).  

The questions for the debrief were as follows:

• Talk about 1 or 2 challenging situations you’ve experienced in the last few days. How did you navigate them, and what did you learn?
• What have you learned about yourself as a dancer, an artist, a human, from our performances in these spaces? How will these performances inform your work going forward?

After the debrief, it was time for lunch! Several of us went to Cafe Boheme. I had a gluten-free sandwich, which was SO epic because my gluten-free journey here in Guatemala has not been the most fruitful. I also got a smoothie and a gluten-free brownie. Like I said – epic. 

Post-lunch panel: El arte de cuidarse! CC, Jasmine, and Fernanda—let’s talk about awesome-strong-genius-powerful women. I have loads of takeaways that I think I translated in my head correctly. I could be wrong. Maybe ask a professional first? 

Here you go:

• Listen to your body
• You need to have a balanced scale! So, depending on the hours you are putting in, you also need to sleep and eat accordingly and in tandem
• Flexibility must exist in tandem with strength 
• Fatigue and soreness are okay – pain is not. it is not normal to be injured.
• Preparation is key to get your body and muscles ready
• Take care of yourself! this is different for everyone.
• Different spaces and types of dance require different modes of prep
• Cross-training is necessary; be well-rounded!
• It is important to voice your problems or injuries to a director or choreographer 
• Take care of yourself and your body so that you can focus on longevity! 
• Your body is your instrument 
• Not all bodies are the same
• ROLLERS

Okay, hopefully some of that was relevant; I really tried my darndest!!

We had a quick coffee break, and then it was workshop time with CEMUNART! For warm-up, we played hormiga muerta (dead ants), which was super fun thanks to Selena. We taught a combo from the piece I choreographed for JUNTOS, which was very fun, and then we went overtime, which was an oopsie, but we were just having SO MUCH FUN! After the workshop, some of the older dancers wanted to combine the first and second halves of the combo they had learned the day before, so I took videos for them, and it made my heart very happy to see them loving my choreo. 

We then had a little convivencia, which was super cutesy. We met a lot of the dancers, and Anna and I talked with three specifically. We talked about different styles of dance and our experience and favorites, the school system here versus in America, and lots of other things. One really cool thing I learned was that they start tracks/fields of study/majors very early. One girl in high school was studying to be an accountant at 17. During the convivencia, there was also some dance partying going on, specifically with a little girl named Danielita. It was SO cute. She gave us a whole show with some good nostalgic Halsey and Justin Bieber songs.

Some of us went to dinner at Frida’s, which was awesome. Here are people’s highlights of the day:

• Shaolin: performing this morning at Albergue Hermano Pedro 
• Anna: breakfast buffet
• Imani: teaching at workshop and kids wanting to do it again after class
• Caiyel: walking with Juanito, one of the older patients at the home
• Hailey: seeing everyone perform this morning
• Will: Danielita dance party!

To close out the day, we had a lovely walk back home singing Hamilton, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and some Will Mrozek originals. Overall, I’d say it was a fantastic day. 67/10