Antigua, Guatemela- Do it, you'll be super stoked you did!

Volunteering in Antigua, Guatemala with Maximo Nivel was an amazing experience that I would wish for everyone who has the opportunity to experience. The entire Maximo staff was always super friendly, ready to help with anything and everything, super supportive, always responded quickly and was just overall AWESOME. I couldn't have wished for a better team to help me through my volunteering journey.

I chose to volunteer in the coffee farms because it was completely out of my comfort zone, and I wanted to learn and experience something new. Each farmer I had the pleasure of meeting and working with was super sweet, and it was a great time practicing Spanish. It was definitely the most hard labor type work I've ever done, but each day was rewarding and I learned so much about each step in coffee from doing compost in the fields, hauling firewood, to picking coffee, sorting, roasting, packaging, labeling and promoting. The hikes up into the fields were challenging for me, but beautiful and worth it every time. I truly enjoyed all 4 weeks of my placement.

Beyond placement, I also loved that I had the opportunity to meet and connect with people from all over the world. Made lifetime friends, went on weekend trips to visit all the beauty in Guatemala, and there was always something fun to do each night. The people, culture, food, landscapes and everything about Guatemala is absolutely beautiful and I would encourage anyone and everyone to take a chance and experience it through volunteering with Maximo Nivel.

This experience has opened my eyes to a new world, I learned so much more about life and myself, and because the Maximo team was so supportive and caring, I never felt alone and always knew I could go to them for anything. Volunteer in Antigua! You'll be super stoked you did :)