Tina Golmohammadzadeh: Hola!

If you are the type of person that likes the feeling of what I like to call “realness” then you are a perfect candidate for a trip to Guatemala. This country has been amazing, in the sense that I am getting a real first-hand experience of what more than half of the world has to offer. Of course, being a Canadian you are accustomed to law and order for most of the time. However, Guatemala can offer you a different experience. Not necessarily something like crime and illegal actions being done everyday, but the atmosphere is just different! Starting off from the airport most cars down here are not from Germany or Britain such as BMW and mini coopers, rather the Guatemalans mostly drive Toyota and Peugot or better yet they drive motorcycles. Although poverty is present everywhere in the world, I witnessed a more extreme type of poverty down here in some part of Guatemala. For example, brilliant students who are qualified to go to university may not be able to accomplish such goal because of their parents’ salary. The cost of university can start from $200 per year and that sounds insanely good from our perspective, unfortunately for some Guatemalans that is their parents’ total salary of one year. Therefore, I’m thinking of starting a non-profit organization that could fundraise money for these motivated students who wish to continue their education.

My favourite part of this trip is meeting the local people of the towns we come across. In Chichicastanango I met a little boy named Edwin who was an extremely talented negotiator. This is what I love about Guatemala the most! Children down here learn to adapt to the different circumstances they come across and that demonstrates pride, dignity and self-discipline. Moreover, the weather has been great! Although the drive from Antigua to Morales drove me crazy it was well worth it. I say this because I had a wonderful time meeting the Del Monte students; they are the most fantastic students ever. They are bilinguals and they helped us a lot in the box factory and the banana plantation in Quirigua translating every single word. I am so fortunate for this experience and I like to wrap this up with thanking Yvonne, Laurel and Ignacio for being patient, helpful and so amazing. They have planned a great trip for us, one that is both educational and interesting. I wish all my courses were part of study abroad because the strict schedule that is set ready for us has really been helpful in adventuring all of Guatemala.