Central and South America have been on my mind since I began relearning Spanish last year. Initially, I thought the easiest way to go abroad would be to teach English (for cost reasons). I began researching prospective locations and cycled through Peru, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. However, I ruled out all of those amazing places when I was introduced to Guatemala.
The bulk of my job is assisting clients in getting their needs met through effective communication. I see studying Spanish as an opportunity to expand my ability to communicate with a wider variety of people and therefore open up more career and life opportunities. This is why language acquisition has always been the primary goal. The advantage of studying in Guatemala is that I wouldn’t have to rely on teaching in order to accomplish it. I will be able to focus on learning and immersing myself in the culture.
Guatemala is currently in recovery from a very long, very terrible civil war (1960-1996) where many people disappeared and crime abounded. Social justice is very important to me, which is basically why I studied sociology and became a social worker. I find Guatemalan history to be a compelling example of the effects of corruption (often times backed by the United States) and though the war is over, there is still a lot of rebuilding to be done. I think it is important to not only travel to, but also assist disadvantaged countries in order to gain perspective about the United States and my life in it.
Finally, and most importantly, Guatemala it is cheap. I am a social worker and live off a limited income as it is. Deciding to go on this trip is a big decision and in order to make it possible I need to consider the price. Through my research, I discovered that Guatemala Spanish programs are less then half the cost of other countries. The plane tickets are also very inexpensive and day to day living is cheap. All of this makes the trip easier on my pocket book.
