GLA Guatemala: Summer Programs for Teens

I recently traveled to Guatemala through Global Leadership Adventures and had the most awesome experience! I met so many new friends that I am still in contact with while learning and helping out in a different country. From traveling to Guatemala there are so many different goals I have set for myself to reach corresponding to the service work we did there. The staff members are so welcoming and I felt safe all the time, so I would totally recommend GLA!

My past summer service trip was an extraordinary adventure that I looked forward to for months on end before summer of 2017 came. Throughout the school year my mother would use the trip as a common incentive for me to keep up to date on my school work while motivating me to be the best that I can be because I knew that I had such a big reward coming my way. When the day came to get on the plane, I was nervous about not really knowing anyone and being so far from my family for so long. I was comforted by the Gla facebook pages that allowed me to at least know some names and faces prior to the trip. If it wasn't for the amazing staff and opportunity that the company gave me, I would not be the same person that I am today. My trip was filled with amazing food, one-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and experiences and friendships that will go on to last me a lifetime.

This program is absolutely incredible. From the moment I arrived, I was greeted by our jumping for joy director and one of our mentors eager to welcome us to this new country. Every day we experienced something new, from hiking up a volcano to a shaman ceremony, to having a traditional mayan wedding ceremony performed on two of us (don' t worry they didn't actually end up married), there was not an end to how much we learned about the culture and people of Guatemala. In addition to lots of cultural experiences, we did our service project in the mornings at a local school in Xela, the town we were staying in. We had the choice of either helping in the construction of a new classroom, helping to paint a mural on water and water safety, or teaching the fifth grade students english. We also had an opportunity to spend an hour with the children during the recess time and they were all absolutely amazing and welcoming to all of us, including myself who does not speak any spanish. This trip helped me realize my place in the world and to gain a new, well evolved global perspective. I would recommend this to anyone who has even the slightest interest in traveling or children!!!

I spent the best two weeks of my life in Xela, Guatemala with Global Leadership Adventures. I was able to leave my footprint on Guatemala. We spent our time at a school in three groups. The groups were education, construction, and mural. I was privileged enough to get to work in the education and construction groups. While teaching, I was able to build relationships with the students, whom were about 10 or 11. Not only did they benefit from learning the english I was able to bring to them, I benefitted from having my eyes opened by their life stories.

One story in particular has stuck with me. A little girl of 10 years named Yullisa has a dream to become a english teacher one day. Her family spends all of their spare money to send her to Saturday school for english classes, in order to reach her dream. Her regular school does not have the money to hire english speaking teachers. Her desire to receive an education has inspired me in many ways to become a teacher.

I never would have met Yullisa if it was not for GLA. My world was opened up to cultures and backgrounds that I had never experienced before. I would suggest doing all you can to get to go on a Global Leadership Adventures trip; it changed my life.

My experience this summer, with GLA in Guatemala, was above and beyond any expectations I could've had prior to my trip. The staff throughout my program grew to be a mentor that not only maintained my safety but someone I could confide in and seek advice from. Joe, a mentor on my trip, had endless activities for us that helped us evaluate our personality and leadership activities. One day, while others chose to rest , Joe even gave me an extra activity and did it with me because I wasn't tired. Beyond the outstanding staff, the many activities we did after service were once and a life time opportunities. How many kids can say they hiked to a sacred lake and witnessed a mayan healing ceremony? And learned first hand from locals how they make a living in a home based wool factory? Not to mention the inspiring, eye-opening, talk we had with a Guatemalan war veteran, who told us first hand stories of the monstrosities connected to our country. This trip was a fantastic learning experience and changed my views drastically.

I traveled with Global Leadership Adventures on the Children of the Maya trip to Guatemala, and I can truly say that it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I not only met some amazing people from the country itself, but I met other students who are now some of my closest friends. Working with the kids at the schools where we volunteered was so heartwarming. We were all able to connect with these kids and to feel like we were making an impact. On top of all that, I gained a whole new understanding of Guatemalan culture that I never could have gotten without traveling with GLA and learning from the mentors and the local people we met. It was truly a life-changing experience, one that I will never forget.

As my high school graduation waits right around the corner, I've reflected quite a bit on the things that have most impacted me throughout the past four years of my life. I feel that I've done a lot here at home, but being president of student council, playing softball, and excelling academically don't even begin to measure up to the impact of my experiences I had through GLA.

In the summer of 2013 I travelled to Guatemala through the 2-week "Children of the Maya" program. As my first experience ever out of the United States, the program was well organized, immersive in the local culture, and all-around showed me the amazing way that traveling abroad can bring new perspective. Through everything, including an unfortunate incident in which our van crashed on the way to a weekend excursion (everyone was okay!), GLA was nothing but supportive. I built a commitment to service and global consideration in everything I do. I came home from the program looking forward to future endeavors internationally.

Initially after the Guatemala program, I didn't think that another GLA program would be an option. However, in March of 2014 my dad mentioned the possibility. After much debate about which program to choose, I decided on the 3-week "Building a Sustainable World" trip in the Dominican Republic. If I thought Guatemala was life-changing, this experience completely flipped my world upside-down. Not only did I meet my best friends on this trip, but I also saw the true value of sustainable development and community. Upon my return home, teachers, friends, and family alike commented on my newfound happiness and passion. To put it simply, I was invigorated with a new drive I didn't even know existed.

Because of GLA, I was lucky enough not only to find my passion, but also to express it through my application to the Tulane University Deans' Honor Scholarship, which I actually received. I will attend Tulane starting this fall to study public health and international development. (See my video for the DHS scholarship at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lWbOR7JYfg )

GLA - this is my love letter to you, an expression of my undying gratitude for your programs, your staff, and your commitment to doing "voluntourism" right, thereby giving volunteer travel the good name it deserves. You have changed my life, and for that I thank you.

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!