Before I begin, let me first start by saying that I have had a lovely time volunteering with the community here in Guatemala, both in El Paredon and in Antigua. I also enjoyed volunteering in Honduras.

I have volunteered with three different organizations and hotels in Central America and it has been absolutely fascinating, but also eye- opening. Moral of the story: do I recommend volunteering here in Guatemala? Yes I do, but there are things to be aware of. Let me explain.

The infrastructure here for tourism is fairly new, and the education systems vary country to country and city to city similar to the USA and Europe.

The communication and need depends on region.

For example, in Honduras there are many bilingual schools for French and Spanish that need support.

However, in Guatemala students are mostly taught in Spanish and there are very few teaching English here. Education is not as developed in Guatemala, and there are many NGOs that help fill in the gaps.

You can also volunteer with more hostels and tourism here in Guatemala as well, because they’ve started receiving tourists and are looking for help.

Now with all this in place mind, as a young person coming here you are choosing to take on a huge responsibility to come and support efforts here.

They are expecting you to work, since they need it.

So while I recommend it to students and young professionals, be aware that a lot will be expected of you because they really need the support.

They are depending on tourism a lot more now in Central America and the development of their education system is actively in progress.

My personal experience has been and what I have seen of other volunteers is that it can be a lot to take on with very little time for training or adjustment.

Another thing to understand is the communication differences between Asia, Europe, and the USA.

Central Americans mostly only speak Spanish and they are not being educated on the English language so if you come, don’t expect to use English full-time.

They don’t have our communication skills either, due to the lack of foreign interaction, so be patient.

Don’t expect there to be efficient transportation and time like you are used to in your country, either.

These countries are called developing for a reason.

I have seen foreigners come here to Central America and complain about their inability to speak English and put no effort into learning Spanish.

This morning, we did a turtle release at the hostel I was volunteering for, and every foreign interaction needed me, an English translator. Why is that?

Why are we going to their countries expecting them to speak to us in our language and not learn theirs?

You can see the video of the turtle release experience below:

All of this is being shared to discuss our passport privilege . We (“expats”) can travel to their (“immigrants” ) countries no visa and start businesses and gain residency through investment into property but they are required to have visas for us, and are being deported from our countries!

We need to understand passport privilege more.

Coming to other countries and expecting people to cater to us emotionally, mentally, and physically when we won’t let them in our own homes is wrong. Sexual exploitation here is not acceptable.

Until we acknowledge it, and advocate for change for those who are less fortunate than us, the colonial ties of the past and present will continue.

I hope this inspires a new conversation about what it really means to live a life beyond ourselves, and to put the shoe of another person on our own foot.

Empathy is dying, and I’m trying to change that.

Thank you for reading this far into my post, and I encourage you to share it to a friend or group chat.

Let’s continue this conversation in our communities and make the world a better and more conscious place, as we navigate traveling around the world.

Until the next adventure,