Samuel Scruggs: Student Report from 2017 Alternative Spring Break in Guatemala
To say this was the trip of a lifetime would be an understatement – having the opportunity to travel to such a beautiful country with great people and to put my skills to use to help others was a fantastic experience. It all started with the beautiful city of Antigua. After arriving in Guatemala City in the early afternoon, we had lunch and then traveled to this picturesque town. In the main part of the city, the streets are paved with cobblestone and everything is rustic.
Our hotel was unlike anything I have ever stayed in, with an open courtyard in the center of the building housing several exotic plants. It was quite a sight to take in, but we didn’t stay long when we first got there because we were off to see the town. We made it to the town square where the marvelous Catholic church stands as the highlight of the square, along with several other buildings, a fountain at the center, and a perfectly laid-out town square. As we continued to walk around the city, we made our way down to a local market. The handmade trinkets and clothes were beautiful. After a few minutes of walking around the market, several of us headed back to the square to attend the Saturday night mass. The day ended with a lovely dinner at a local restaurant where the food was some of the best I have ever had.
We woke up early the next morning to travel to our main destination of the trip, Quetzaltenango. On the way, we stopped at some ancient Mayan ruins and explored the area. It was quite the lesson to learn about how the towns were set up and what the ancient beliefs were. We then made our way to Quetzaltenango to stay at the home base and get acquainted with the city in which we would be working. Everyone in the area was exceptionally inviting, and it was a great place to stay.
To start on our project, we began the day taking several measurements of a first-story classroom to write up a proposal on how to put up a second floor. The school serves six hundred children and resources are stretched somewhat thin. In spite of the lack of resources and primitive buildings, the workers have some of the most impressive abilities I have seen in order to maintain the school. The next day showed me just that when we began work on the main dividing wall we were building for a classroom. My lack of skills and language barrier made it difficult to follow what they wanted, but after several trials and errors, I could finally do what they wanted. The three days of work consisted mainly of drilling sheetrock into a metal frame for the wall, along with shaving down concrete columns to reinforce them with concrete plastered over the surface. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to finish our job, and I truly wish we could have. More time to work in the school and interact with the children would be fulfilling because it was a fantastic experience I have never had. It has inspired me to pursue more trips like this later in my career once I attain more skills to help.
Our final day was spent staying in one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. Lake Atitlan in Guatemala has many picturesque views that simply cannot be beat. Learning about the formation of the lake, the cities around the lake, and the past ancient cities now consumed by the lake was the most fascinating part of the trip. It was a shame we only had one day in this area as well.
Overall, this trip came to an end far too quickly. Working with the people that housed us was a great experience, learning about the culture and history of the country was eye-opening, and picking up some new skills outside of the classroom was just something I wouldn’t learn anywhere else. This trip should be extended into a longer break, because these people are some of the best I have ever met and working with them is a life-changing experience. I plan to go back to Guatemala one day, and I am certain I will have the same experience I had this time, I just hope I get more time there.