Maggie Fisher
Study Abroad Office
Guatemala Study Abroad Trip
My search for a study abroad trip started more than a year before my actual trip. I had
heard that the College of Education took a trip every summer to Mexico. Being in the College of
Education and more specifically with an ESL concentration I was very interested in the trip. Not
only would I get the opportunity to study abroad in a foreign country for a few weeks, but I
would also be able to fulfill some of my ESL courses. I decided to pass up the opportunity to go
during the summer of 2008, which may have proved to have been a costly mistake. The students
from the College of Education went on the trip that summer and had a great time. I was able to
connect with some of the students and hear firsthand about their experience.
Needless to say I was ready to start my adventure in the upcoming summer; however,
little did I know that plans for the trip were on the rocks. Rising tension in Mexico and increased
drug trafficking put a hold on the planning. I was beginning to become cautious of the trip and
wasn’t sure if it would even be a smart idea to go if the trip was still a go. After rumors of the
trip being called off circulated amongst the students, it was finally confirmed when the sponsor
of the trip emailed us saying that it would not be safe for us to travel to Mexico considering the
present condition of the country. I was pretty disappointed about the whole ordeal, but knew that
it was probably for the best. I put the trip to the side and focused on finishing out the school year,
but not even a month after the cancelation another email was sent out. This email was much
more encouraging and suggested the prospects of going to Guatemala instead. I was overjoyed
and so excited for the opportunity. I knew little about Guatemala, but it made the potential trip
that much more exciting.
I took the time to research the country and the possible destination city. Sure there were
some precautions that I would have to take before going, but whenever you travel to a foreign
country to have to be wary of what to expect. My Spanish was very limited, and I did not know
anyone that had traveled to the country, but I was willing and ready to take on the new
adventure. After talking with some of my fellow peers, measuring the benefits to my educational
career, and saving up some money, I decided to take the dive and sign up to go on the trip to
Guatemala.
The months and weeks leading up to the trip were filled with anticipation. The time
finally arrived to set forth to Central America. In the weeks prior, my roommate and host family
was determined. I knew my roommate through classes that we had taken together. As far as my
new host family, all the information I received was the name of the family. I had no idea how
many people were in the family, the age of kids, or any pets they had. We filled out information
on ourselves and preferences for living accommodations, but other than that we did not know
what to expect. It was nerve-racking, but all kind of exhilarating at the same time. As far as
packing for the trip, I made sure to look at the weather for the area. I wanted to pack seasonal
clothing. We were also told how we were expected to dress not only in the country, but in the
schools as well. I think if there was one thing I wish I would have brought was work-out clothes.
My host sister took my roommate and I to a karate lesson a couple of nights and I wish that I
would have brought more appropriate clothes for the occasion. I also was not sure of the
amenities that would be in our host families house, so I didn’t bring electrical hair products like a
hair dryer or straightener. Well, it turned out that my family had all of the modern
accommodations and it would have been more than fine for me to bring those items. I made sure
to check the electrical plugs for the country just in case I would need to buy adapters for my
laptop.
After our travels to the country, we spent our first night at the Holiday Inn in Guatemala
City. All ten of us that went stayed together the first two days and explored the city. We then
traveled about thirty minutes from our hotel to a central meeting home for all of the host
families. It was on our second night that we would meet our host family. One by one the families
started to arrive and my roommate and I waited for the Gramajo family to arrive. We got some
inside scoop once we got to the Guatemala and learned that our family had two daughters, one 20
and another 15. When the family finally arrived the two daughters were warm and welcoming,
yet they were unaware that our Spanish was very limited. We expected them to know some
English and they expected us to know some Spanish. Luckily one of our host daughters knew
some English so we were able to communicate a bit but it was definitely challenging at first.
The home that we stayed at was very similar to a house that you would find in the United
States. The neighborhood was gated and in a very safe neighborhood. The family of four had a
little dog that was welcoming as well. My roommate and I shared a room together, and a
bathroom was just around the corner. It was a comfortable place that we would call home for the
next two weeks. Every day our host mom made us a full breakfast and a sack lunch was packed
for school. All of the essentials were included, a sandwich, fruit, and some chips. It was really
like a home away from home. My host family made us feel at home and welcome. It was
definitely nice to have support in a foreign country.
After a hurried breakfast it was finally time to do what we came to Guatemala to do, go
to the schools. We were one of the last groups to arrive at the school. When you walked in, it is a
large open area and the classes are in places all around the main area. When we got there, the
ESL teacher introduced all of us K-State students. When entering each classroom, the students
would stand up and in unison repeat a phrase. I believe that the teacher was asking, “How are
you?” and the students would respond in the same manner and then ask the same question back. I
wasn’t sure of the direct translation, but I think that was the main jest of what was being said.
We went into all of the classrooms and we also saw the recess area.
When our grand tour was finished, we waited for our professor to arrive so we could find
out what classes we would be in. We were told that we would split up into two’s and work in one
classroom for the two weeks. My roommate and I were sitting next to one another and everyone
else paired up and choose a grade so we were kind of put with third grade, which I was perfectly
fine with, especially considering I would be student teaching in third grade. We broke off into
our respective classrooms. The third graders were really excited to see us, as were all the kids in
the school. Students brought us chairs and we sat and observed the students working. At the time
we went into the room, the students were working on a sewing project. The teacher, Senorita
Vicki, made a very beautiful and intricate design through sewing that looked similar to crossstitch. The students were working hard, some much faster than others.
For recess, I went to play basketball with the kids. It was such a blast. We really didn’t
know how we were playing and some students like Christian were being ball hogs and not
sharing. There was one instance where a boy was hit with the ball. He started crying and all the
students gathered around him. Not knowing much Spanish I shooed them away so the boy could
get some air. All I could communicate with him was water and he nodded his head in acceptance
of water. We walked away to get some water and he was fine after that. It was just so hard not
being able to tell him it was going to be okay because I couldn’t speak his language. Another
incident happened a few minutes later when Christian was being rowdy with one of the other
boys. They almost got into a fight, but then Christian ran away and the other boy sulked by the
wall. I went over to him and he tried to explain the situation, but again I wasn’t able to
understand. I just hugged him and told him “Estoy bien.” I even tried to do a little dance to make
him feel better. He soon shrugged it off and was back to playing ball.
Those two instances were in way a bit different than recess in the United States because with as
many teachers as there are in the school, none of them were in the basketball area. It is off a
ways from the main area, but where we were there were a ton of kids playing. Normally there are
teachers looking out to make sure that everyone is playing safe, but that was definitely not the
case with this school. Before we got back to the classroom, I had a conversation with a few kids.
They have all been fascinated with my Spanish book and the kids were looking through it. One
of the things I pointed out was soccer, futbol. We ‘talked’ about the different types of sports. One
page talked about tennis and the students didn’t understand what that was. I tried to describe it to
them using my limited vocabulary and actions. The seemed to understand the different sports and
were satisfied with my response.
I relied a lot on my little translation book throughout the trip. I used it during the day and
school. I also attempted to communicate with my host family and my translation book was a
major resource. I found myself writing down common phrases that the people used so I could
incorporate it into my Spanish vocabulary. The levels of fluency within the group of students
from K-State was extremely varied. I was on the lower end of the spectrum and I wanted to make
sure that I made a genuine effort to speak the language. I found that by the end of the trip I was
able to say some things in Spanish, but my oral comprehension had improved dramatically. Daily
practice and repetition helped with my fluency.
While we were in Guatemala, I feel like we had a great support group. Not only
were the host families accommodating to all of us students, but they also made sure that we
really experienced their country. We took lots of mini trips all over the country with our host
families. Most of these trips were done with other K-Staters and their host families as well. There
were a few times where my host family took my roommate and I out to dinner or to a karate
class, but for the most part we were together as a group. Transportation to these places was
always provided by the host families. We never had to use public transportation. We were able to
see what the public transportation from Guatemala looked like and the buses were cramped and
tight, so I was definitely glad we did not have to use that to get around. The one thing that scared
me the most about Guatemala was the traffic. People cut each other off, there is absolutely no
room between passing cars and it just seems like a free for all. On top of that, my host mom
drove an automatic which seems like it would be a lot more difficult in that kind of traffic. As
intense as the traffic might have been we never once got into a car accident or witnessed a car
accident. I guess it is safe to say that the Guatemalans really knew how to drive skillfully.
While on the trip, the only class that I took was my practicum class for my ESL
endorsement. It was great to be in the classroom and be able to teach a few lessons to the
students. It was a truly authentic experience teaching English to a bunch of students that only
knew Spanish. I would have liked to have more opportunities to teach English to the students,
but considering the schedule of the school and our time schedule, it was not feasible. I still
enjoyed being able to utilize the skills that I had learned in my ESL classes in the classroom. The
student responded well to the lessons my roommate and I taught. I also had a chance to see what
some of my peers were teaching in their classrooms, and the effect we were having on the
students was amazing. The students enjoyed having us in their classrooms, and really wanted to
learn more English. During recess time, I would teach them English and they would teach me
Spanish.
Through this trip, I feel like I have learned a lot about the culture of Guatemala. I loved
living with a host family and getting to experience Guatemala through their world. I don’t think
we would have had the same opportunities that we did if we did not stay with a host family. One
particular night really stands out in my mind. We went to a party at one of the host family’s
house to celebrate the three of our birthdays, mine included. All the host families were there
along with all of the K-Staters. We started by introducing ourselves and saying our favorite
color. For those that spoke English as a first language, we had to say that line in Spanish. For
those that spoke Spanish, they had to say the phrase in English. We had a great time hearing
from everyone and watching everyone practice what they were going to say. We then played a
game similar to bingo. We had eight spaces to draw pictures that you can find in a house. After
we drew these pictures, Heidi, the host mom, pulled out words from a bag that had to do with a
house. If we had that object, then we could cross it off our board. The person that had all eight of
their objects crossed off won. All of the American students actually won a small bracelet. After
we played bingo we played charades with a game called Mim-ik, like mimic. It was a fun game,
but kind of hard at the same time because people were guessing in both Spanish and English so it
was hard for the presenter to distinguish the correct guess. We finished the party by eating a food
similar to enchiladas, along with tiramisu.
After having a great time at the party it was time for my host family and myself to go
back home, except my host mom decided to take us on a tour of the city. I must say it was
probably the best car ride I have ever been on. My host sister turned on the radio and I started
dancing to the songs that I knew. I love to make up small dances to songs and one of the songs
we listened to was ‘Hot and Cold’ by Katy Perry. I showed them my little dance and they loved
it! It was such a blast! Even my host was showing off some sweet moves during the trip. I was so
ecstatic when my favorite song played on the radio: ‘Everything’ by Michael Buble. I sang most
of the song, but there is a part where you can sing ‘La’ so I told everyone to sing along and we
all did. It was so much fun! Other songs that we listened, danced, and sang to were “Boom Boom
Pow,” “We’re All in this Together,” “Kissed a Girl,” “Bleeding Love,” and “One More Time.”
We traveled most of the city looking at churches and statues lit up by the city lights. I think it
would be great to see the churches and statues up close and actually explore the places another
time, but for last night it was perfect to just watch the city pass me by.
This truly was the experience of a lifetime, and I can honestly say that there is not a day
that goes by that I don’t think of Guatemala or the wonderful people that I met there. I have still
been in touch with my host family and plan to continue to talk to them. It was great to experience
the world from a different point of view. I loved that I was able to see the schools in Guatemala
and be able to see how much we really have here in the United States. It is hard to see kids trying
to learn in a school that is run-down, but their energy shines through. I am so grateful that I was
able to travel to Guatemala with a great group of peers, and a trusted advisor. I would highly
recommend traveling abroad to all K-State students. It is an experience that you will never
forget. The memories you make and the people you meet will truly stay with you forever.