First day in Antigua by Lisandro Brito

My first day in Guatemala was easily the most stressful and draining day I have had in a while. I never travel on my own so that made it even worse. I was so overwhelmed with my luggage and walking up stairs and settling in that at that moment I just wanted to sleep, but I pulled through it for the rest of the day. I met my very nice host family, changed and we went to San Pedro rural school. Our entire group was welcomed by the wonderful kids. I remember the glorious eyes of the little kids looking at all our different faces. I still feel the small hands touching the back of my head while we all sat in a circle. As we all went up to the stage, introductions began.  I introduced myself and ended up leaving after with the rest of the Junior Journey students. As we arrived at our house again. Josh, Wens, Fabrice and I all took turns showering and then changed. Our host mom called us for dinner and we ate. I remember all of us saying "Gracias por la comida" and her replying "Buen provecho". At the end of our first day we were so tired that we went to sleep and our trip in Antigua was just beginning.

My Fourth Grade Class By Nathaly Lopez Marroquin

It has been a week and a half into the trip here in Guatemala. Time seems to go by so fast here. From teaching my fourth grades kids in the morning to 4 hours of Spanish lessons in the evening to late night activities, its no wonder time flys by. My kids are amazing. They love to greet us every morning with smiles and hugs and it just makes me so much happier in the morning. I never like to wake up early in the morning but when I think of the smiles on my kids faces when we teach them songs and colors in English it puts a smile on my face every morning. There is this one girl in my class who I absolutely love. Her name is Daniela and she is just the sweetest thing ever. On friday she made me a poster with a bunch of little figures on it and my name in the middle. It warmed my heart so much when she gave it to me. I can see just how much she appreciates me with just that one poster. I feel blessed to be apart of this trip because I love knowing that I can make a difference in these kids lives with just teaching them English.
 Even though I am from Guatemala and I travel here almost every year, it feels good to come here to experience something different and not just for vacation. All 32 of my kids will hold a special place in my heart and I know I will miss them all deeply. I hope in the future when I come back here I can visit them again and they will remember me and I will be able to see their beautiful smiles again.

Haitian girl in Guatemala- Tracy Beauvois

                 Arriving in Guatemala was the first step to Junior Journey. The buildings, the local stores and food vendors on the streets capture the very small town of Antigua. Moving from calle to calle , I start to feel anxious about Spanish vocabulary. I speak English and Haitian creole but not Spanish- well at least, not yet. My roommate Maya and I , unload are luggage and proceed to the dining room to meet our Guatemalan mother. " Mi nombre es Maura y ella es mi madre", we quickly greeted her in Spanish and told her about the " Estados Unidos". During dinner we exchange a few laughs as I accidentally blurt out a word in creole. Day one was over and Day 2 had brought in new beginnings for us. At 7:45 everyone is dressed nicely and seated on the bus to go to the San Pedro school. Cruising on the rocky bus ride, we pull up to a yellow building with " San Pedro Huertas" written. We enter the school and there awaited a large group of Guatemalan students applauding us for our presence. We gradually sit and watch through a plethora of performances and speeches. After the ceremony my teaching partner Shamir and I go across to the school to meet our lovely third graders. We introduced ourselves and the students were in complete awe. Shouting out " Como se dice..." following that sentence with a word in spanish. We then enjoyed recess with the kids, engaging in jump rope, double dutch , soccer with a empty bottle and hand games. We left at noon time to eat lunch at our homestays then to report to Sevilla at 2 for our Spanish lessons. Lunch at home reminded of my Haitian food in Boston. The sauce pwa and duree made me reminisce of the dinner back home. Walking to my Spanish class I start to think " Hey, life is about taking chances and this is just the first".

The Unexpected By Tamika Daniels

Before actually landing in Guatemala I could not believe that I would have the opportunity to teach kids in San Pedro. My partner and I prepared our lessons for many months so we were prepared when it came time to teach our lessons. The kids are so happy to learn and are eager w to say their names in English.


The culture shock that I have experienced has been a way opening my eyes to the Guatemalan culture and all of the different foods. Walking down the street or Calle as we call it in Guatemala.I can the hard working shop owners who keep their doors open from sunrise to sunset. Every minute I spend here is a learning experience whether it´s learning a new Spanish word, trying new food, or being able to see the traditional Mayan clothing.


Four hours of one on one Spanish class might sound a little crazy to you, but I love my classes and I actually get to put my Spanish to good use when shopping, teaching, or practicing.


One thing that I´ve learned so far was to expect the unexpected. If it´s the weather, going on new adventures during field trips, or even making new friends even when I thought I wouldn't. I´m having so much fun pushing myself to try new things and also enjoy myself.

My First Spanish Lesson by Fabrice Leveque

When I was introduced to my Spanish teacher I was completely terrified. I remember Mr. Martinez, Carlos and Brenda in front welcoming us to the school. I remember the two rows of chairs: one for the students and the other row for complete strangers. I finally realized these were the people who will be helping me with my Spanish for the next 3 weeks. All students were sat facing a random teacher with traditional Guatemalan music playing in the background. Carlos, the director of the Sevilla Spanish School, spoke to us first and then Brenda, the secretary, spoke. Brenda, Carlos and the teachers wanted to welcome us to the school and introduce themselves. After the whole introduction was finished, Brenda began to call students and teachers to pair up and converse with their teacher before we started lessons the following day. I saw students and teachers get their stuff and move away to speak to one another. Once I heard my name called, I wasn't ready but I sucked it up. I hear my name and Aracely's name called up; we greeted each other then walked to the back of the school. She introduced herself and right off the bat she bombarded me with her native tongue. What surprised me was how I understood everything she was telling me. She told me her name, how old she was, where she lived, etc. Then, it was finally my turn to speak. I started off with the basics: My name, age, nationality and where I lived. She was blown away as well because of my skin color. This was her first time meeting a Chilean person, which wasn't a surprise to me, but the thing that was a surprise to her was that I was both Latino and African American. It didn't take long for her to correct my Spanish, but that didn't upset me. Our first conversation really calmed me down and got me excited because right from the beginning she didn't judge me for my Spanish, but lent a helping hand. From that first conversation, I knew that these lessons weren't going to be 4 hour long tutoring sessions, but rather an opportunity to have someone be there to improve my Spanish.

Lesson Learned In Guatemala by Joshua Elysee

16 years of age, fashion fanatic, neat freak, are some desriptions that make up my character. I didn't want to be in Guatemala, but it was definitely better than being in school. Little did I know, I had to let all of this loose during this trip. I realized this when I walked into my classroom filled with eager children ready to learn. My markers were dried out, there were mosquitos all over the classroom, I could not feel any more uncomfortable than I had already felt. These kids were shouting "INGLES, INGLES, INGLES!" as me and my teaching partner were getting settled down. My transition made me all the more nervous, remembering that I was one of the only people in my advanced spanish class that wasn't a native speaker, and then became the teaching partner that knew all the spanish. The kids asked me to translate words that I hadn't understood and I didn't know what to do, then I realized it was only 5 minutes into my class. Yet, as I got started, the kids sat quietly. They immediately took out their notebooks, they wrote down everything I said and listened to my instructions carefully. These 1st graders had the greatest yearn to learn which I still don{t seem to understand. One of my students approached me after that class with a letter filled with drawings of me and words in gibberish which I assumed was his attempt to write in English. He told me that he appreciated that I am teaching him Enlgish and that he would study every night to be on top of his game. In that split second, I learned a lesson from that little boy. He was a 1st grader who took class more seriously than kids twice his age in the U.S., and I was one of the kids twice his age.

Experience of a Lifetime By: Kayla Pacheco

2 weeks have gone by and 1 left to go. So far I have had an amazing experience in Guatemala. From arriving the first day to my home stay to climbing a waterfall with the group. I have felt every minute that has happened in Antigua. Time has gone by so fast but yet so slow. Here time is consumed with teaching young kids English through lesson plans made by you and learning Spanish with a tutor. Being in Guatemala has made me realize the difference between the United States and other countries. Guatemala is completely on the opposite end of the pole making me realize how lucky I am to be living where I am. Differences are so much clearer and more apparent. People on the street move out of the way and say hello. People are generally curious about where you come from and why you are here but in Boston, no one cares. Everyone is so preoccupied with themesleves or their cell phones, they never look back to realize that they have a whole lot more than people in other countries.

Being here for the first week made me question why I came here but experiencing this trip with this particular group of people has made me not regret any second of this trip. Although I have missed my family and friends back home, I have had an amazing group of people to be my support system while I am here. The bonds that I have created with different people over a timeline of 2 weeks are bonds that I probably never would have had if I did not sign up for this trip or in the classroom back at PHA. I honestly recommend for anyone who is open to having a great experience to sign up for this trip because it will be an experience that you will definitely be grateful for and you will become a different person when you get back to the United States.

Anitgua Living By: Karla Cruz

From the start I was excited to go to Guatemala. I had no doubt in my mind about this trip. I new what I was getting myself into and I was ready. Its been two weeks now and I feel at home. I have become comfortable with everyone and all of my surroundings. I was pretty used to the environment since I have been to El Salvador and I think it is safe to say that Guatemala and El Salvador are a bit similar only a bit. Guatemala so far has treated me well and I have became obsessed with the bakeries here. Not only that but I have became obsessed with my kids as well.


I teach two classes with my teaching partner Fabrice. Both classes are a bunch of cute little second graders. It surprises and makes me so happy to see how eager they are to learn about anything. They jump out of their seats and yell for my attention. It truly amazes me on much energy they have that it makes me want to become a better teacher and plan great lessons for them. I know for a fact that not only will I miss the beautiful city of Antigua but also the kids because they have created a place for themselves in my heart that I will only cherish and miss once I leave.