We are standing in the courtyard of the famous Casa Santa Domingo, the first stop on our tour of Antigua.

While Group C heads to Chimaltenango to visit with students at the Chiarmira Village School, Groups A and B are becoming one with Guatemalan history. Casa Santa Domingo is an appropriate place to start. Built in an old monastery, the historic hotel offers us a sense of the city's past. Cracks in the ancient walls tell the tale of earthquakes that toppled the city.

Lauren Thompson signs the guest book at Casa Santa Domingo. All photos by Jason Sangster. © CARE 2001.

The Crypt of the Calvalry -- an ornate combination of a crucifixion-themed sculpture and painting -- is a testament to the importance of both religion and art in Antigua. And the candle-making facility on the premises provides the AYCC members with an inside peek at an old craft that hasn't lost its mass appeal.

Following Casa Santa Domingo, we are off to another religious site: the Capuchinas Monastery. There, the students are able to get a feel for what life in a Guatemalan convent was like centuries ago. And there, too, they're able to continue to enjoy more of the Guatemalan sun.

"Look at that sky!" calls Tom Seamans, joining his colleagues on the second floor of the now-roofless facility. The view of both the city of Antigua and the mountains lining the city is more than most group members can resist.

It's a prime photo opportunity!

Anneke Strachan soaks in some of Guatemala's history.

After putting cameras away, it's off to the local marketplace, where the group scopes out gifts for family and friends. Tom picks up a wrought iron owl, perfect, he says, for his grandmother. Hannah purchases ceramic butterflies. Charles Ford selects a brightly colored hat and necklace. Other group members purchase handbags and necklaces.

Following lunch, the shoppers pack themselves into vans bound for Panajachel Village. The drive provides group members ample opportunity to 'ooh' and 'ahh' some more over the lush Guatemalan terrain -- and to do some group bonding. A book of questions in one van, and games of truth-or-dare and word association in the other, prompt discussions and lots of giggles.

Hannah Cho admires some of Antigua's colonial architecture.

Hannah is particularly pleased by the silly talk that's serving a team-building purpose. "I'm getting to know everyone a lot better," she says of her nine fellow committee members.

Tom agrees. "We've gotten so much closer than when we started. Hannah and Marina (Gurvich) went to a different school from the rest of us. We had to get to know them. And now they're a part of our group. They're our friends. It's been really good."

The giggles and philosophical discussions are interrupted as we get closer to Panajachel Village and catch sight of Lake Atitlan. It's THE lake of Guatemala -- breathtaking to say the least.

Picturesque Lake Atitlan captures Rosie Wilde's attention.

Not one, but three majestic volcanoes frame the lake: Atitlan, San Pedro and Toleman. Writer Aldous Huxley once called Lake Atitlan the most beautiful lake in the world.

Many AYCC members agree with the assessment, as they bound out of the vans for another photo opportunity. Huddling in group poses -- some silly, some serious -- smiles abound.

The smiles remain firmly in place that evening as dinner is served at Panajachel Village's St. Regis Hotel. However, the treat of the evening is not so much the food, but the entertainment.

Brightly-costumed dancers, some wearing masks, tirelessly perform a series of traditional Mayan dances between the groups' dinner tables. Some dances are accompanied by xylophone; others by drums; others by the clapping of hands and stomping of feet. And best of all, most dances include the participation of AYCC students.

AYCC members spend the day learning about Guatemala's culture and traditions.

Beckoned onto the dance floor by the brightly-costumed locals, they are encouraged to sway their hips and join in the fun.

"Their dancing is so neat!" exclaims Dara Watson. "It's just so different here from in America. In America, you wouldn't find a bunch of teens dancing like that in such bright costumes. It's awesome that they embrace their culture like that."

As the presentation draws to a close, Hannah agrees. "I loved it. It made me get a whole new perspective on Guatemalan culture. I never knew that part of Mayan culture existed before."

Perhaps most pleased by the evening's dancing extravaganza -- and by the week's events thus far -- is the leader of the entire pack, Mia Redd, now known fondly within the group as Mama Mia.

For her, the dancing caps a day in the field with Group C, in which they helped a local family benefiting from a CARE program feed chickens and cook tortillas.

Lake Atitlan provides the perfect backdrop for an AYCC group photo.

"My goals for the trip have been exceeded! Not only are these kids learning, they're definitely experiencing the culture."

Observing a room full of flush-faced, beaming teenagers, she continues: "I said going into this trip I wanted to change their lives. And now they're getting involved, hands and feet and all!"