It is bittersweet to say farewell to a community I have grown to understand and get to know. The journey has been beautiful, full of memories I will surely look back on. Not only have I learned about a new culture here in Guatemala, visited new places, and left as a mentor to the students but a friend as well. This summer is one I will always remember, an experience I can look back upon and talk about with pride. Proud I was able to teach these kind and overachieving students, as well as support such an amazing community. There are not enough words that demonstrate how life changing this experience has been, where I have not only learned but taught as well. A community that has welcomed me since the very beginning of my experience, from the students to teachers. Especially Ms. Mayra, who gave me the opportunity to help her English classes. At first, I believed I was not as fit to teach English knowing it would be my first time teaching the language to a different community. I have had the experience of teaching as a mentor through PeaceJam, but this experience was immensely different. I knew Guatemala because of my family on my father’s side, but now I know the country in a completely different lens. As we know, there is a wide range of cultures throughout the world and I have had the opportunity of getting to know the one here in Guatemala further. My view of the world has changed to recognize there are individuals you can serve as a mentor to, especially through teaching. Those that are younger pick up so many things, from those you teach to things they pick up themselves. I plan on visiting Guatemala again because there is yet so much more to learn, as well as the family I have here in the country. Guatemala is beautiful, in our culture here, we tend to be welcoming and kind, giving what we might not even have if we could.
My Capstone project has been going really well, especially since the Kaqchikel language teacher provided me the necessary resources regarding Mayan culture. Ms. Yamaniq sent various books regarding the origin, significance, and traditions of the Mayan culture in this region. It makes me very happy to be able to correlate the culture seen here within my own project, while giving significance to the students and teachers of the Pavarotti Education Center.
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