By May Wright
Why Guatemala? Honestly, I have to give the credit to a Facebook advertisement. Having volunteered in Chile in the summer of 2012, by 2015 I was ready to go on another adventure. When I saw “volunteer in Guatemala,” pop up in 
the margins of my profile, I couldn’t help but read more. I learned of a program in Antigua where I could work at a hostel/tourism operator part time, take private lessons in Spanish, and live with a host Guatemalan family. At the time, I was a teacher, so I signed up to make the trip over my summer vacation, and it was wonderful. Whether your trip is short or long though, Antigua is a fantastic getaway.
The sights and sounds are almost magical when you arrive in a new place for the first time if you really watch what’s happening around you. I seem to always get this happy feeling when I travel. Flying in to Guatemala City, you can peer out at skyscrapers, expansive development covering the hills along with plenty of green space. The busy city with all of its cars, chicken buses (like school buses gone wild!), colorful business signs, pedestrians and flowers make for an exciting ride through town.
Finally you arrive in the lovely town of Antigua, set between impressive volcanoes. The narrow stone streets are busy with cars and motorbikes pushing their way through the traffic, but you can walk to most places easily. I loved living in a city where I could walk down busy stone streets to get wherever I needed and then enjoy the peace and beauty of either a courtyard garden or a rooftop patio. I come from East Texas where we drive everywhere and the weather rarely permits relaxing outside, so this was a welcome change for me! I would advise future visitors to take time to just walk through the town to simply enjoy the sights and sounds of it. You’ll also want to become 
aware of landmarks because there are almost no street signs. When you get tired, either take a seat at a cafe and munch on a chuchito or enter one of the historic churches for a peaceful break.
Of course, the best part about traveling is interacting with people. One of my favorite parts of my trip was working at a charming hostel and tourism operator in Antigua. I met travelers from all over and got to experience the satisfaction of helping people.
The experience really helped me to not only get to know a new place, but to better understand myself. At the conclusion of the program, I gave a presentation about my experience. I described the work I did at the Hostel and my various weekend travels climbing volcanoes, visiting the Pacific, and getting out into nature outside of Antigua. I also talked about reasons why I had come including figuring out if this field was something I wanted to pursue rather than teaching.
One in the audience asked me, “So what did you decide?” In that moment, I realized that I was more passionate about helping people like I did in the program than I was about teaching music. I answered her, “I think I’ve decided to make a change. I want to pursue international education as a career.” My life since then has been full of exciting and fulfilling changes including starting and finishing my master’s degree, leaving teaching and beginning work as an advisor at a college. I help people to enroll in college and to plan for their academic goals, and I absolutely love it. It is thanks to Guatemala that I was able to change my life for the better! Perhaps it will for you too!
