Program Reviews

For two weeks I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the town of Novillero in Guatemala and volunteer in the ecological park "Corazón del Bosque". My sister is currently in Guatemala with the program for the second time, so my trip was organized through her and because I could only come for two weeks I did not have an orientation or the Spanish course. The program made it posible for me to stay with her and her host family, which allowed me to communicate and have an amazing experience despite barely speaking Spanish! Everyone I met in Guatemala, whether they were locals, other volunteers or members of the program, were incredibly welcoming and accomodating and made many efforts to make me feel comfortable.

In the park we mainly helped the staff with the opening of a new cafetería and snack store by painting its outside and inside. Other tasks included cleaning up the forest and working in a tree nursery or greenhouse. The atmosphere among the workers and volunteers was almost like a family. As a tip I would encourage future volunteers, no matter how long they are staying or how much of a language barrier there is, to try their best to communicate with everyone and really become a part of whatever project they are working in.

Doing this trip while I am still in high school was an excellent way to prepare me for my own future gap year. I now have a much greater knowledge of what to expect from a volunteering program and living with a host family and am itching to do many more trips like these in the future!

Really nice town with great transport links to Antigua and neighbouring towns. Definitely felt very safe for the entirety of my stay. In terms of the project I really enjoyed working with the children, especially those who were so eager to learn English, and appreciated that I got to choose to work in another project. Out of the two projects I would say I preferred the second as I was working with a smaller group of children, and had more responsibility in teaching them. Overall would definitely recommend the project, but would also advise future volunteers to take initiative in involving themselves so as to get the most out of it. Finally, I want to thank my amazing host family for making me feel at home halfway across the world. :)

My time in Guatemala has been amazing. I loved working with kids in the education project. I formed so many new connections and am so sad to be leaving, but I will be back soon! Everyone from the students, the teachers, my host family, and INLEXCA have gone above and beyond to make me feel at home. This program really solidified my plans to go into social work in a school setting. I feel that this program has given me the opportunity for a lot of professional as well as personal growth. My favorite moments throughout the month have been watching kids do things on their own. I loved seeing them go from not understanding math or being afraid of new experiences to only asking me to double check their math homework and seeing them have the confidence to at least try something on their own. I loved being able to immerse myself and feel at home in the culture of another country. An absolutely amazing experience!!

I spent seven weeks in Guatemala with INLEXCA, an organization that provides volunteers with opportunities in Central America. The first two weeks were spent with Spanish lessons, as I wanted to practice and improve my Spanish a bit. Then I spent five weeks at an ecological park called Corazon del Bosque, where I helped with may different projects, from reforestation to nursery work to painting a store and café. I have no complaints as to how things went during my stay here in Guatemala. In both of the host families I was in, things seemed to go very well, and I was able to connect and get along with all members of the families. At the volunteer project site, the park workers welcomed us with open arms and helped us integrate with the park and find work to do. The program was run very well and smooth, as INLEXCA does a great job making sure volunteers are prepared and well-situated in their respective countries. The organization staff helped me when I had questions and made me feel more comfortable about the whole experience. They do a great job with the host family placement as well, as I had no problems with any of my host families, and even if I did I imagine that the organization staff would be accommodating. I would highly recommend Guatemala and INLEXCA to anyone looking for a good volunteer experience in Central America.

The conservation internship was great because I was always outside and able to be active, which I was hoping to be able to do during my time abroad. I also got first-hand experience with the widlife of the Costa Rican cloud forest, a truly surreal privilege to have experienced. I think future interns should know that you will always be moving and will always be kept busy in a fun and intellectually enhancing way. I left the program with knowledge pertinent to several academic fields and memories of the amazing biodiversity unique to the cloud forest.

Awesome experience all around and perfect for my goals. I was hoping to learn Spanish in a medical setting and this program helped me immensely with this. The family I stayed with was incredible but everyone in Patzun was very friendly and willing to work with me. I hope that I can come back in the future and help out again when I have some more experience. However I have learned a lot about health in this country while I have been here!

Overall, my experience was as unique as it can get. I had always valued helping others as a valuable human instinct, which is why I'm happy to say that I achieved that during my 2-week stay. What had made my time here special was the persistent attention to a familiar setting. The locals, inlex co-coordinators, my host-family and the teachers at the school that I taught in, all contributed to creating a sense of familiarity which had helped me feel more comfortable and confident in sharing my abilities and thoughts; creating a more authentic experience. Working with children had also made me understand the importance of early child development and how that is bound to influence later life; essentially what one is taught and how others interact with a child will affect later behaviors. To anyone potentially thinking of participating in such a project, I would strongly recommend it since there is nothing more useful and pure than raising the self-esteem of traumatized children; be kind and supporting to them and see the expression on their faces.

I spent 5 weeks in Guatemala with INLEXCA in the medical program. I was allocated a position in a small clinic near Antigua, Guatemala. Overall I was very content with the program. In the clinic I could work in different parts (administration, pharmacy, doctor´s and nurse´s appointments) according to where help was needed and I really felt like my help and advice was appreciated by both the staff in the hospital and patients. Every week I was given more and more responsibilities and by the end felt completely integrated into the work of the clinic. I feel like everyone could benefit from a medical program like that - from people who have an interest in medicine to fully qualified doctors (like myself). The healthcare system works completely differently here and there is so much to learn. Another integral part of the program is the host family who were just wonderful. They really got me acquainted with the Guatemalan culture and way of living. In INLEXCA the staff was super helpful and easily contactable before the arrival and during my program in Guatemala. I did not take Spanish classes so cannot comment on those. In general, I felt safe and supported by both my Guatemalan host family and the staff at the organisation. Would definitely recommend!

Great company, the trip was worth every penny. I was very impressed with the program and able to accomplish much during my two week stay in Guatemala. I was able to develop many friendship and professional contacts with the locals and I will continue to use them for all my new future medical projects in different locations through Central America - Bravo INLEXCA!!

Dr. Elijah M. Freeman DPT, OCS, CSCS

Working with the children in 4 different daycare centers and being able to help them in a meaningful way was very gratifying. The appreciation shown by the children as well as the day care personnel was very touching. The host families were very welcoming and living with them allowed us to get a real understanding of what life is like for them. It also provided a great opportunity to learn another language.