Post written by Debbie, United Planet Volunteer

Marlo was like a second mother to me in Guatemala. She was great in terms of scheduling activities to educate me about the food and culture of Xela, as well as informing me about which sights to visit to get the best experience possible. I was paired up with a great teacher at the school who was not only able to educate me in the Spanish language, but also about the history, politics and current situation of Guatemala. Marlo shared her personal experiences with me as well, and she is truly an inspiration. She is an amazing person who is dedicated to bettering the lives of people around her, and it is obvious that she has the heart needed to serve as an in-country coordinator for United Planet. Her influence is a big part of why I would go back to Guatemala to volunteer and visit again.

I loved living with a host family, and meeting other volunteers that were living in the same home. The family was wonderful and very kind. I became instant friends with the other people living there as well. It was definitely insightful to live with a family instead of in a hostel or hotel. Spanish lessons at Kie Balam were great as well. I improved my Spanish through some grammar lessons, but mostly conversation practice which was very effective. I was also able to converse with my teacher about cultural, political, and historical issues concerning both Guatemala and the US – in Spanish! It was very exciting to be able to do that. The activities scheduled by Marlo at the school were so much fun (making chocolate, cooking lessons, pot-luck dinners, salsa lessons, field trips) and allowed me to bond with other students and volunteers who were also at the school. The kind, open-minded, culturally inquisitive people that I met on my Quest were amazing.

I also liked the fact that although we had a schedule, it was flexible, so we had time for other activities and trips in conjunction with Spanish lessons and volunteering. I liked having the freedom to choose what I was going to do, and I also liked that we were encouraged/allowed to use local transportation like chicken buses and mini-buses, as opposed to taxis and private shuttles (when possible). It definitely provided a more well-rounded experience and allowed me to immerse myself in the local culture to truly get a feel for life in Guatemala.

The most challenging part of my experience was leaving behind the children that I was working with at the battered women’s shelter. Their stories were heartbreaking and unfortunately due to high demand, the women’s shelter is only able to host residents for one year. Facing the realities of life in Xela was quite difficult, but the experience opened my eyes and inspired me to do something to better the situation.

Without sounding too redundant, I think this great experience made me realize that the world does not live the same way as I do in the United States. I have traveled extensively and done service projects before, but this trip made the biggest impact on me. The experience gave me better a perspective on our world situation and what I want my role in bettering our world to be. Meeting so many new friends from different backgrounds through volunteering and school was great. We were able to bond immediately and went on trips together after just a few days of knowing each other. The kind-hearted people that housed us and helped us along the way also touched me, and Guatemala now holds a big place in my heart. I will definitely be keeping in touch with the friends I made, and will be going back in the future.

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Explore posts in the same categories: Foreign Culture, Latin America, United Planet, Volunteer Story
Tags: culture, Guatemala, Spanish, United Planet, Volunteering

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Foreign Culture, Latin America, United Planet, Volunteer Story. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

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