I still can’t wrap my mind around that fact that I am spending my summer working in Guatemala!  I am currently a summer intern volunteer, working with six other summer volunteers, and four program directors.  One of my first significant experiences was at the school in Central, Chaquijyá, on my first day on the job. As I was waiting outside to teach my first art class, a group of 5 year old students swarmed me and the other volunteers while smiling, laughing, and chanting “Gringo, Gringo,” a term meaning “white people.”  The children immediately hugged all the volunteers and engaged us into playful activities.  The kids were beyond excited to see all of us at their school and they could not have given us a warmer welcome. 

My favorite experience, thus far, is from our weekend trip to Santa Cruz. The trip was an enjoyable treat that allowed the vols to relax after an eventful week working in Chaquijyá.  Our hostel was a tourist spot located right on the lake and was a “hippie” paradise. We spent most of our day relaxing in a secluded area that contained swings, hammocks, and couches.  After the tranquil day, we were able to finish off the night with a hike and a hot tub soak.  During our trip, I could not help but think that although this paradise was located only 40 minutes away from Chaquijyá, the lifestyles are so different that the two locations may as well have been millions of miles away.   

I have already learned so much from being here in Guatemala.  Not only has my Spanish improved, but  more importantly I better appreciate simple luxuries offered in the states, such as constant access to filtered water.  I am excited for what I still have to learn and experience in the next two and half weeks, but I know that even though Guatemala is so different from home, I will not want to leave this place. 

Culture shock: noun. The feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

A feeling I came to know well last week, and I would think that my fellow vols would agree to having felt this as well. The cultural differences in Guatemala were very apparent to us upon arrival to Sololá. However, I think my fellow vols would also agree that the humbling feelings that overcome us after bettering the community of Chaquijyá couldn’t be overshadowed by some silly feeling of disorientation. We are one week in and nothing is stopping us at this point!

Our classes vary, but the sense of fulfillment at the end of the day is the same. To me, even the simplest things matter. Whether it is a child drawing a robot house for art class because we encouraged imagination, a woman remembering how to turn on and off a computer, or a student learning how to correctly answer “What am I doing?” in English, the feeling of accomplishment is more than I could have imagined. I knew coming in to this that I would be helping teach different classes, but the gratification that would come with it was not something I prepared for. In addition to working in the community, my time spent outside of Chaquijyá has been just as incredible.

-Kathryn

Our Summer Interns are here! We're letting them run the blog for the next several weeks while they're here. Our first blog comes from Rachel, who is one of our 8-week volunteers... so you'll probably be hearing from her again :)

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Thursday night, a bunch of the volunteers got to experience one of the many forms of Guatemalan transportation on the way back from an evening in Pana.  We had seen Guatemalans in the backs of pickup trucks, but considered it more of a photo-op than as a realistic form of travel. 

After the chicken buses stop running for the night, however, the pickups are really the only option.  I’m glad, because I might not have tried it otherwise.  So after dinner and shopping in Pana, everyone piled into the truck bed, held on tight and swerved up and around the mountain passes all the way back to Sololá.  It was an amazing experience.  The air was fresh and cool, the stars were out – it reminded me of a cruise ship excursion that tourists would be suckered into paying hundreds of dollars for – all for 5Q (less than a dollar).  And it was real. 

It has only been six days and Guatemala has blown me away.  We’re experiencing things I didn’t even know existed a month ago and getting to know some of the most amazing people I’ve ever seen.  Here, construction is done by hand, water is carried up and down mountain roads, and overcrowded chicken buses make each commute nothing short of an adventure.  I’ve never seen such hardworking people, and there is never a complaint or a question of why the work must be done.  They just do it, with the strength and pride they have inherited from those that came before them.  The children have no problem cleaning the school bathroom, using a machete, or carrying jugs of water on their heads.  And they’re some of the happiest kids I’ve ever seen - all the more reason to be here.   

-Rachel