We arrived in Antigua, Guatemala after a long day of travel. We had to wander around our hotel to figure out how to get to our room, and even though I was tired, I could see the beauty in it. The building used to be a convent, and that was easy to see, as the architecture and the greenery were spectacular. The next day we went around and looked at the ruins area of the hotel, which were pretty cool. They even had a little chocolate shop and a little candle shop. We later went back and bought some chocolates as gifts for people. Fun!
Later that night we went to dinner with a view of the volcano, which was an awesome thing to see while having a meal. We had a very cool conversation there, about me learning Spanish, my plans for the future, and over world history. I learned about as much Spanish in Guatemala as I did in Argentina 2 years ago, mainly because I’m finally ready for it and I’m making the effort. By listening in to strangers’ conversations and by taking the opportunity to read things like signs and menus, I’m learning how the language is used, deriving meaning not from translating but by examples. I’ve gotten a tiny bit closer to fluency. And I hope to get all the way there during my gap year between high school and college. Guatemala’s only the beginning. I have huge goals and I’m going to accomplish them all.
We exited the elevator, and pushed a button on the audioguides. The audio-tour had begun. Over the course of several hours, our audioguides talked about John F. Kennedy being elected President, abroad meetings, and the tour went up to visiting Dallas for reelection. Everything was going great that day. People were delighted to see him.
We walked forward, along with the thousands of other dogs and their people. My youngest packmate, 142-month-old James, said that we were doing a fundraiser, 
All of the scent trails confused me, so I followed the freshest one. I found another dog, slightly smaller than I was, and greeted it (by sniffing its butt). Its name was Kerry. I repeated this many times, with some people but mostly dogs. I remembered Lucy, Adam, Bob, Jerry, Max, and Bella. There were plenty more, but I forgot their names. One of my sweet leather shoes fell off a couple times. Darn that crooked paw! I was offered water once, but it was hard to lap up because the sides of the container were so close together. I was getting really hot and tired when we walked under the thin tunnel thing. However, it wasn’t for about forty-five minutes until we got into a cool car. When we got back home, I was exhausted, but I was happy. Strut Your Mutt was really fun!
Day 1:
My third day at Space Camp was a blast! (You see what I did there?) I went on a mission, on a stimulated version of the International Space Station (ISS). With a partner, I created two different kinds of slimes: one of them was clear, cold to the touch, and held together really well, while the other was white, warm, and chunky. We also went on some simulators that felt like they could be found in an amusement park. The first one, Skyshot, was scarier than it was fun. It would shoot you up, then drop you, then shoot you up again, with another drop following, repeatedly. Since I have a minor fear of heights, the drops really scared me. I thought I was falling to my death. I had my eyes closed almost the whole time. Once, a friend told me it was okay, and I believed him. I opened up my eyes, saw how high up we were – around fifty feet high – and screamed, “You lied to me!”. Then, I shut my eyes again. The ride I liked was the G-Force Accelerator. I was strapped to a slanted wall in a large building shaped like a teacup. The building spun around very quickly. It was meant to simulate multiple G’s. Trust me, it did its job well. Once, in the middle of the ride, I lifted my legs up and was surprised to feel how heavy they were. They felt like they were made of magnets, sticking to my wall! Boy, was that day eventful!
We already knew that 
Don’t worry, the sharks were harmless. The only things that they wanted to eat were sardines. Also, you may not expect this, but the sharks were actually rather majestic. And, oh, that shimmer! The majestic, shimmery sharks swam through the water to the sardines. However, there is a reason people could be scared. When they get close enough, the sharks gobble the sardines up whole!
Of course we learned about different kinds of birds! We saw and learned about different kinds of the scavenging vultures. We learned about eagles, owls, and… 
Anyway, we watched some birds fly, and one hunt. An 
Now you know what we heard. However, you don’t yet know what we saw. Most memorably, we saw a 
One day, long, long ago (okay that’s not true), we went to see frogs in their natural habitats, in 
We also went hiking into a lush, green place, called Giba Gorge. We hiked through relatively cool forests and grasslands. We were going to 
In Durban, a lot of fun. We went to a 
When we finally got into the village, I looked around, and heard about and saw something that surprised me: a clinic. It was in the middle of nowhere in the countryside! But, it was good for the people and animals living there. The sheep in the area are kept for their wool, so nobody wants anything bad happening to them. All people and animals are supposed to be vaccinated from diseases like rabies and cured of ticks, fleas, and other parasites, so supposedly it was safe to pet them. Supposedly. Apparently, some dog owners still didn’t take care of their dogs properly, so I was only allowed to look, not touch. But what I did see! Four adorable puppies, standing on their hind legs, sucking milk from their mother, who refused to lay down. She looked very tired and hungry. Tired… sounds very familiar. Because that’s what I was! We sheltered from the rain in our hut and…sorted and stored our memories, in a process called sleep.
We climbed up, searching for a river. We were on one of the hiking trails near 
Also in the countryside, we stayed at a cute trading post and farm, which had been converted into a quaint guesthouse. I said hello to the horses, explored the nearby nature, and met the farm dogs. There are two Great Danes and one German Shepherd. I didn’t meet the German Shepherd for very long, so I don’t know how old he is, and I don’t remember his name. One Great Dane is a male, his name is Oscar, and he is super sweet. He followed me around everywhere I went, and I loved on him, which he didn’t seem to mind. He is eight years old. He has a mate, I think, but I forgot her name. She’s just as sweet as he is, only she’s way younger, around five. I heard a heartbreaking story about her. She was pregnant, but her owners never saw her puppies. Sad. I know. But, don’t let that cloud your vision of the farm, it was still amazing.
And lastly, here comes the most important part… reuniting with mom, after she was in a silent meditation retreat for nearly a week. Now, she wasn’t silent the whole time, there were times here and there when she was allowed to speak with the instructor on how she was doing meditating, and at the end they could speak again. Well, reuniting with mom was something special. Because at the end at the day, what’s more special than family?
We stepped through the door. We were in Casablanca, eating a nice meal at the cheesiest restaurant in town. I won’t tell you the name of the restaurant, but I will give you a hint: it’s the main scene of the old movie *Casablanca*. Yep! We went to 
