CES Update: Guatemala

CES faculty Michael Hass and Kelly Graydon led a group of Chapman students on a travel course adventur e in Guatemala during the January 2010 inter-term. Eleven students came on the trip, including two Ph.D. candidates, 6 Ed.S. in School Psychology students, and 3 undergraduates. Our journey began in Santiago Atitlan, a small town on the shores of beautiful lake Atitlan. In this community, we worked with local students at a children's library, La Puerta Abierta. This agency was created by Amanda Flayer Chif, a native Californian who moved down to Guatemala while in the Peace Corps, and never left. She was an amazing inspiration for our group, as were the adorable, energetic, and enthusiastic students we interacted with.

The second stop on our adventure was La Antigua, a gorgeous and well preserve d colonial town that was once the capital of the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Here, our students moved in with local host families, and attended Spanish language lessons at La Union. This school was fantastic- they were friendly and welcoming, while also providing extremely challenging Spanish instruction. Our students received four hours per day of private (one-on-one) instruction, and their Spanish skills improved remarkably as a result. During our stay in Antigua, we also worked at a rural community school, El Jardin de Amor. This school was established to serve children in an impoverished area who would not otherwise receive an education. We worked with the students in their classrooms and on a field trip, and also helped to improve the grounds by painting the walls and adding in bright, colorful murals. Working in this setting was a humbling and eye-opening experience for our group. While in Antigua, we also took a field trip to the Paca ya volcano, and hiked (or went on horseback) to the top to see the lava. At the top, above cloud level, we watched red lava rocks tumble down toward us, and ate marshmallows roasted from the heat.

Our trip concluded with a trip to Tikal, in the northern and rural part of Guatemala. We stayed within the national park boundaries, deep in the jungle, and visited three different Mayan archeological sites (Tikal, Yaxa-Topoxte, and Ceibal). We climbed to the top of over 200-foot high temples, hiked through steamy jungles, took an authentic "jungle cruise", and toured the forest canopy via zipline. We had some amazing animal sightings while in the region, including spider monkeys, howler monkeys, toucans, a jaguar, and a tarantuala that was truly zoo-worthy. This was an amazing experience for our group, and the best way to fully comprehend the amazing Mayan history, culture, and accomplishments.

In all, this was a successful trip that we hope is the first of many. Our students had a wonderful time, and were exposed to so many unique, meaningful, and life-changing experiences. Additionally, as instructors we were incredibly proud of their maturity, responsibility, bravery, and willingness to leap outside their comfort zones in order to savor the best of this opportunity.


From student, Tina Byington: "Guatemala was an amazing experience in so many ways! I did things that I never would have thought possible, pushed myself to limits that I never considered reaching as an individual, and had some of my best college experiences while on this trip! I was lucky to get to share this trip with two girls that I was very close with and we created a bond that we will share forever! I am so glad that I was able to go to Guatemala and learn all that I did. It really opened my eyes to what the world is like outside of my comfort zone and helped me to realize just how lucky I am and how to help those who are less fortunate than myself!”