We’ll begin our journey by meeting up at a U.S. airport hub and flying together to Guatemala City. From there we’ll transfer to a small coffee farm which will be our orientation site in the Guatemalan highlands. We’ll spend the first couple of days getting to know each other and learning more about Guatemala, the culture and how to stay safe and have a great time over the rest of the course.

From our orientation site, we’ll visit the community of Pachaj, a small indigenous mountain town nestled in the pine forest outside of Guatemala’s second biggest city, Quetzaltenango. In Pachaj we’ll learn about indigenous Guatemalan culture, going directly into short homestays and daily language lessons. You’ll be living with families of Kiche Mayans who will teach you about their rich history and traditions while you practice your Spanish in a family setting. In Pachaj we’ll also partner with the Chico Mendes Reforestation Project, an organization dedicated to rehabilitating the environment around Pachaj. We’ll learn about the environmental issues facing Guatemala and how this community is responding to them.

From Pachaj we’ll prepare ourselves for our three day trek from Quetzaltenango to Lake Atitlan. This trek is an amazing opportunity to see some remote areas and stunning natural beauty. We’ll explore Guatemala, the fields and valleys and volcanoes the way that many Guatemalans do, on foot! Arriving at the view of Lake Atitlan is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This huge crater lake, which is ringed by volcanoes, is a very special place culturally and spiritually and will be home to our next stop in the small town of San Juan de La Laguna. Here we’ll live with local families, have intensive language lessons in the mornings, and spend the afternoons volunteering with the Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute to learn about and help with their community projects. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in an Independent Study Project to explore an aspect of local culture from weaving to cooking to music to dance and more. We’ll also have several guest speakers here that will talk about all kinds of issues relating to the community including immigration, Mayan spirituality, and the history of the region.

For our final days together, we’ll move to a quiet retreat space for our Transference, which is a time to reflect on the experiences and lessons we’ve learned over the past two weeks. These closing days are a way for us to appreciate one another and the country we’ve learned so much from over our travels.