Unique Experience with Mayan Culture in Guatemala

I volunteered with Global Leadership Adventures this past summer for two weeks in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. The two weeks I spent in Guatemala were the best two weeks of my summer.

Quetzaltenango is a rural town nestled between mountains and volcanoes. The hotel we stayed at provided modest yet comfortable accommodations. The rooms were gender segregated and there was anywhere from 3-5 people to a room. We all shared a few communal bathrooms and the showers had hot ans cold water. The only quirks were that we could not use the sink water to brush our teeth and we could not flush toilet paper in the toilets. The food at the hotel was great and they were very respectful and accommodating of dietary restrictions.

We volunteered at a school and helped by painting, repairing a moldy wall, and adding cement to waterproof an outside wall. We were allowed to play with the school kids for an hour each day during their recess. Even with a language barrier, we were able to connect and have fun with the kids by playing soccer, jump rope, and tag, or as they called it "tenta."

Each day was a new unique adventure. In the afternoons we took various cultural excursions. We learned about weaving, pottery, chocolate made from real cacao beans, and how to play the marimba. We saw ancient Mayan ruins, took a weekend trip and saw a lake surrounded by beautiful volcanoes, and hiked to see a volcanic crater lake. We took two trips to the mall and went to an internet cafe where we checked emails, Facebook, and used Skype or Face Time to talk with family and friends.

The GLA staff is amazing! Our in-country director was Maria and she used her connections to allow us to tour local homes. The GLA director was Meredith and our mentors were Rudy and Eileen. They especially helped me overcome my homesickness and were the best staff members I could have hoped for. I highly recommended this program and encourage anyone considering volunteering abroad to do so with Global Leadership Adventures!