Shavoshia Leslie: Student Report from 2017 Alternative Spring Break in Guatemala

Posted on March 19, 2017 by tceweb

I decided to skip the beach or the chance of sleeping away my whole spring break of 2017 in my home town and start one of my life goals to travel the world. I decided to take a trip to Guatemala and this is the first time I’ve been out of the United States. Of course, I was a little nervous, but there was something in my heart telling me to take this trip. I am glad I followed my heart and got to help a local school while visiting. While working in the classroom, we put up sheet rock and chipped and laid new concrete on the walls. I experienced a different culture along with my favorite part, which was eating the great food. What I admired the most about the people of Guatemala is that they live in poverty, yet live a life we might live. They did not lack the resources to keep them from living their daily lives.

Shavoshia Leslie and the Concrete Crew — The last day of working on the school with “The concrete crew”

While in Guatemala we did more than work, we had a chance to check out the beautiful country. We visited different villages and even a natural hot spring.

Shavoshia Leslie at Hot Springs — Even though I didn’t get my whole body in the hot spring it was truly relaxing.

Traditional Guatemalan Meal — A taste of Guatemalan food, black refried beans were featured in almost every meal that was served

I noticed that the kids in Guatemala reminded me of the kids in the United States, but were friendlier and not scared of strangers, and greeted us with hugs. The school had the ages of students K-6^th grade. A huge part of the trip I will never forget is the kids of the school because of how loving and thankful they were. I had a blast playing with them during recess time and mostly played with the young girls. I had the chance to play hand games and other games they taught me. I let them touch my hair, which is unusual, but I knew they did it with innocence; I understood that they might not have seen anyone that looked like me with kinky hair.

Shavoshia Leslie receives a hug in appreciation — The kids of Guatemala showing their love with hugs

Children at a Guatemalan School — The girls of the school are getting ready to perform as a thank you for working on the school

I believe everyone should take a trip like this at least one time in their lives. I recommend taking this trip while you’re a young college student with Global Initiatives. There are benefits including using your brain, capable of taking engineering classes, and put it to use in a different country. I will forever hold this experience and always remember the people of Guatemala. You also get to meet different people within the Tickle College of Engineering on a trip like this, people you didn’t know before, and you’ll be surprised what you learn about a person when traveling with them.