The bustling streets of Xela can take you anywhere you want to go and lead you to see anything you want to see. The streets can take you to Central Park, a sleepless square in the middle of town lined with banks, shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and a McDonald’s that serves fried chicken wings.

This trip to Guatemala wasn’t my first excursion to a Latin American country, but it was certainly the best. Initially, I signed up for this trip in hopes of satisfying a university requirement and getting practice speaking Spanish. However, I was astounded by the amount of selfless work we performed and the opportunity to explore a beautiful country and culture.

There are many places to go in this big place we call Earth. Many people to meet, and fantastic memories to make, but frankly, you can’t go wrong, wherever you end up. I can honestly say that going to Guatemala was one of the best decisions of my life.

For the week of December 14, 2014, eight students from the University of Tennessee, College of Engineering, went to Guatemala for an alternative winter break. We were led by Judith Mallory, the International Coordinator for the College of Engineering, and the trip was coordinated through Utopia Volunteers. The reason I signed up to go to Guatemala was a desire for new experiences, especially having the opportunity to explore and experience a different life style.

The group flew into the Guatemala City Airport and boarded a van for the four-hour journey west to Quetzaltenango, the country’s second-largest city. The van’s Cuban driver, Rudy, gave his own impressions of a country that was foreign to him, as well. It was not uncommon to see people walking very closely to the highway, darting into traffic to cross the road, and sometimes fitting a family of four onto a single bicycle.

With the help of a local contractor, our team of student-engineers constructed six stoves for families that could not afford proper a proper cook stove over the course of four days. Each morning we had the chance to meet a new family and learn their individual stories. At times there was a significant language barrier, but we were able to work through it!