Getting out of the Projects

Our expedition ended on Saturday morning, marking the final day of the 10-week-long adventure that was our time with Soul Projects. I have written a great deal about the activities and environments Robyn and I encountered over the past two and a half months, and briefly touched on the people that we spent the majority of our time with. It is fair to say that if you throw 5 strangers into a pressure-filled, lifestyle-altering situation, there are bound to be fireworks and our time was no exception. We went through some extreme highs and lows within the (nearly) 80 days but we can now say that we've emerged through the other side and are extremely proud of ourselves for the accomplishment. The expedition is meant to be a challenge and I believe that if you're not struggling you're not learning, so in retrospect the hurdles we faced were exactly what we signed up for. Prior to the trip Robyn and I knew that it was going to be one of the most difficult things we had embarked on, and our prophecy was accurate, but we had no notion beforehand of what form the challenges would take. Suffice to say that we did not predict the type of difficulties that we were to battle through (or all of the weather- and crime-related episodes) but that's what helped us grow.
For anyone who was keeping close track of the intended duration of the trip, you may notice that we actually ended the expedition 3 days earlier than expected. This means that today, instead of writing this, we would still be in the forest (again, in the rain). The original calendar, outlined by Soul Projects, had us going into the forest as usual for the 5th-9th, then back in San Marcos for the 10th and 11th, and back to the forest for the final 3 days of the expedition, which would be from the 12th to 15th. Also worth noting is that the final trip of three days in the forest is typically done in complete silence. This outline was changed, though, when us volunteers decided a week ago that the final trip into the forest was not something that we would be taking part in. Reminding ourselves that we were 'volunteers', we discussed the fact that we were not excited about this final trip and we did not wish to take part, all of which were well within our rights. Our rationale for this decision was that we have all gone through a lot over the past 10 weeks and had plenty to reflect and learn from. We also felt that the constant rain posed a health and safety concern. Above all, though, we felt that the expedition had already come to its natural end and the final trip into the forest was unneccessary and redundant, especially if it was intended to be in silence. We explained our decision and reasoning to the staff during the previous forest trip and they understood our position. Thus, the journey came to its (more natural) abbreviated end on Saturday morning.
The five of us gathered for a final meal together on Friday for lunch, on Soul Projects, at a local eatery in San Marcos. Everyone was looking forward to the freedom that was soon to be upon us but we all realized that the people that we had lived so closely with for the past 80 days was about to disband. Although the group would not classify itself as 5 peas in a pod, we did all learn and grow together (and we all took pees in the same ditch, which could bond even the worst enemies) and so we were nostalgic for the end of our time together.
Friday night was spent back at the homestays for a final dinner and a somewhat sleepless night, as visions of sugary cocktails danced in our heads. Saturday morning we had a final meal with our homestays, packed up our stuff for the last time and walked down the hills and out of San Marcos (for ever?). We said our farewells to the staff and handed in our feedback forms, which all of the volunteers spent a considerable amount of time on. Although we were once again weighed down by our completely full backpacks we all felt a sense of lightness as a result of our reclaimed freedom. We had all dreamt about the boat ride from San Marcos to nearby Panajachel during the previous weeks and we were soon aboard that mythical vessel as we sailed towards the conclusion it represented. Smiles were plentiful, and continue to be.
Although this sounds as if we were holding our breath to escape some sort of incarceration, it is important for me to clarify that both Robyn and I reflect on our time with Soul Projects as one of the most life changing periods in our young lives. We acknowledge that our time here has allowed us to do some incredible things while in a beautiful environment, but we faced some real challenges and were forced to adapt to them. We have both undergone incredible changes and made honest realizations about ourselves, our relationship, and our future. The expedition is like anything that is worthwhile: while you are within the task you struggle and thrash, looking forward to the completion of the trails and tribulations. But, when the expedition was nearing completion, we found ourselves reflecting all of the times (both good and bad) and came to understand just how imporant all of the hardships we faced were. We came to appreciate the personalities that we interacted with and realized that these people were put into our lives for very obvious reasons. The confrontations and disagreements we had have shed light on the way we interact with others and have helped us grow more closely into the people want to be.