The Most Affordable Volunteer in Antigua, Guatemala! - 25K happy Volunteers Since 2006

I spent two weeks teaching English at a school approximately 50 minutes outside of Xela. The entire experience was wonderful. The school staff was great and welcoming. I was glad that I had a bit of Spanish under my belt because it made working with the students easier. The principal/director of the school was also very helpful, making sure that I had the classroom schedule for each day.

The Guatemalan people that I had a chance to talk to were wonderful. I was surprised how my Spanish listening skills improved.

The family I stayed with were very kind and inclusive. Evelyn prepared some traditional Guatemala meals that were delicious. The pepian was yummy! Although accommodations were a little tight at their house, their generosity more than made up for it. I am considering returning next year.

Our group of 13 travelers spent a week working with IFRE while visiting various medical locations throughout the week in order to perform our medical needs assessment. The week was extremely successful and the group felt as though IFRE supported us in completing our goals. The logistics ran very smoothly and our host families were welcoming and supportive of our missions while staying with them. Oscar, our primary in-country contact was extremely helpful and accommodating to help us with everything we needed throughout the week.

Prior to the trip our group did struggle with communication as we felt that IFRE did not provide us with much information that we did not specifically request. Our daily itinerary and day to day functions were not entirely clear to us prior to arrival, and throughout the week we still felt as though a lot of questions went unanswered in terms of logistics. While everything still ran smoothly, we wished that we had received more communicative support for the price that we were paying.

I was teaching English at an amazingly progressive school in the beautiful mountains just outside Xela. The school was led by Professor Edgar and he has a group of brilliant qualified and dedicated teachers in the school. I was there for the last month of the school year (October) and worked every morning. I was reviewing all the English the students had done in the year. I worked in each class which meant I met all the pupils in the school. The school has a lovely, happy warm atmosphere. Even though my Spanish is really poor, the teachers all went out of their way to help me. I was included in all the school activities including the graduation on the last day of term. This was brilliant to see the Guatemalan families being so proud of their children.
The journey from the house I stayed in was about 50 - 60 minutes each way. I loved the journey for the thrill of the mad bus drivers and because the scenery to the school is breathtaking. You get to see the real Guatemala, with all the people going about their daily business.
I stayed in a homestay in Xela with the lovely Mercedes and her 2 children. There were 5 of us staying in the house. Mercedes is a great cook and every meal was great fun sitting around the table there was always a lot of hilarity and warmth. The house is about a 10 minute walk to Park Central in Xela and so it was really easy to get to the bus stations or the markets or any one of the great cafes in town for some coffee or hot chocolate (make sure to visit La Luna!) I also went to yoga at the Yoga House, and I know there was a gym nearby.
Daily Spanish classes were included with Mario from the programme. He had great patience with me and arranged a time to suit in with my day. I would highly recommend taking them.
I didn't go out at night much, but there are loads of bars in town and a nice community of foreigners - not that many so you see the same faces in the yoga class, or coffee shop or bar after not too long! There is a laid back vibe in Xela and it's a cheap destination in Guatemala.
Would totally recommend making sure Xela is included in your trip to Guatemala, for the city vibe as well as the amazing countryside surrounding it. Make sure you go to the hot springs and the markets and don't forget to climb the volcano!