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.

It is wonderful to learn about cultural diversity in different countries, and also about the cultural differences in the same country! It is a first step to understanding one another, and helps to enrich our lives and to foster multicultural understanding.
Today I would like to introduce you to the cultural diversity in my home country, Spain. I realized the importance of sharing it with other people when I discovered that there are people who do not know that there are difference languages in Spain.
I think that a good way to explain it would be to make it visual. The following is a simple map of the many languages spoken in Spain.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of languages spoken in Spain. Most people can speak Spanish and we can all understand each other, but at the same time, there are very beautiful languages in other regions that are used by the regional governments and local people.
I consider myself lucky to have been raised bilingual (Spanish and Catalan) and to have learned a third language (Galician) before the age of 5. Moreover, it enables me to learn languages such as Italian, French or Portuguese with great ease!
I really encourage people to discover and be proud of the cultural diversity that exists in their countries; it is empowering and life-enriching.

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet

On January 2nd 2008, I arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where I would be spending the next five months of my life. I am going to be a senior at Boston College, and decided to spend the second semester of my Junior year studying abroad in Ecuador, a decision that changed my life. My program was coordinated through Boston College and combined a full semester of classes, trips, and volunteering with a local organization of our choice. Like most students who study abroad in Ecuador, I took classes at La Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, located in a valley called Cumabaya, a short bus ride outside of the Ecuadorian capital. The school is made up of 3,000 students of which approximately 300 are international students (mostly from the US). This mix allowed me to become good friends with both Ecuadorians and non-Ecuadorians who were interested in many of the same things as me. During the semester I lived with a family whom I became very close to as the semester progressed and as my Spanish developed. Living with a family provided the invaluable opportunity to become intimately connected to the culture: eating the local food, listening to Ecuadorian music, and sharing stories with the family during the long weekend lunches. The family that I lived with had two sons around my age so it was very cool to be able to spend time with them and learn how life is for a 21 year-old Ecuadorian.

At the university, I only had class four days a week, which allowed me to travel any weekend that I pleased. Ecuador is a very small country, roughly the size of the state of Colorado, but is very rich in biodiversity. Inside the small borders of Ecuador are the Amazon Rainforest, the Andes Mountains, and a large stretch of coast on the Pacific Ocean. During my travels, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit all three regions of Ecuador several times. My favorite trips included white water rafting in a small town called Tena at the beginning of the Amazon Rainforest, climbing the second highest mountain in Ecuador and the highest active volcano in the world called Cotopaxi, an adventure in the Amazon Rainforest to a small indigenous village, and my trip to the world famous Galapagos Islands.

Throughout my semester, I volunteered at a home for children whose parents were suffering from alcoholism, were in jail, or simply no longer around. At El Hogar Suizo, The Swiss Home, I worked with the carpenter that is in charge of repairing and maintaining the classrooms and the sleeping areas of the children. Volunteering with this organization was very rewarding, but frustrating at times due to the lack of resources available.

The Ecuadorian people are very nice, outgoing and very proud of their beautiful country and what it has to offer. If you are lost or simply trying to practice your Spanish, every Ecuadorian is very eager to offer a helping hand or have a friendly conversation. After spending five months in Ecuador I feel as though I have a second home, and have really grown to understand and love the culture. During my travels in the future, I know I will end up in Ecuador again, hopefully sooner rather than later.