What inspired you to travel abroad?
I enjoy discovering other philosophies, cultures, and lifestyles. I travel in search for personal growth, social change, new ideas, and ancient knowledge within equitable intercultural exchanges. I am particularly interested in learning about and sharing knowledge with marginalized cultures in ethical and sustainable ways.
I also wanted to learn more about non-Western forms of learning. Indigenous forms of learning emphasize integration of disciplines, relationships, and the open sharing of knowledge over separation and specialization, competition, and the guarding of information for exerting power.
Why did you choose IPSL?
I deeply resonated with IPSL's mission "to engage students, educators, and grassroots organizations around the world in hands-on service to promote equitable relationships, social justice, sustainable change, and a commitment to our shared humanity." This approach to learning is both more practical and effective.
As an educator and life-long learner, I know that experiential and intercultural learning can offer some of the most impactful life-long lessons we will ever receive. The social justice focus of IPSL's programs are aligned with my own values and learning goals.
What was your favorite part about your host Guatemala?
The relationships I developed while studying and working with the Maya of highland Guatemala have shown me many valuable lessons. I have become a more self-motivated, more accepting, more adaptable, and a better listener within these relationships. The values for community and hard work, evident in the vast networks of support I witnessed and emphasis on cooperation, stood out to me as two particularly impressive and productive aspects of Maya culture.
Many Maya I met work long hours on a variety of tasks or jobs and enjoy their work. The Maya cosmovision explains to serve one's community is to fulfill one's sacred role in the universe. It is not an obligation but a sacred part of being human.
IMAP entrance
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
The organization I worked for, Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura (IMAP), was the primary reason I was able to delve deeply into the culture and immerse myself in the Maya cosmovision. Without their resources, community connections, and relational support, I could not have learned nearly as much as I did or meet such inspiring community leaders, activists, educators, artists, and more.
I visited numerous communities around Lake Atitlán with connections to IMAP to learn about their history, social struggles, community organizing initiatives, and environmental changes. The comrades at IMAP are hard-working, supportive, socially-conscious, and mindful workers with strong political motivation.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
Most importantly, the staff at IMAP always made me feel welcome and safe to be myself. They helped me to achieve my learning and professional goals, giving my plenty of freedom to explore a variety of interests while supporting me when I needed help.
They held me accountable, practiced clear and compassionate communication, and displayed great transparency and integrity in their work. Witnessing them living their own values provided me great motivation and inspiration. I also appreciated how much the staff shared with one another and worked together to complete difficult tasks with sometimes very little resources.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I wish I had relied less on my translator who assisted in my studies and research. After visiting Colombia, I realized later that I had learned more Spanish in other countries when I challenged myself more and met more people.
Looking back, I would try harder to only speak in Spanish and ask the help of English-speaking staff to hold me accountable to my language goal. I also would have liked to volunteer more hours at IMAP.
My studies took up a lot of my time and did not always relate fully to IMAP. I would have preferred to have a more balanced work schedule with both computer/intellectual work and outdoor/physical work.
Amaranth, ancestral grain of the Maya
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
I wake up early to the sound of the birds and practice yoga with the other volunteers before cooking my breakfast and starting my work. I may do a variety of different tasks, depending on the day as agriculture follows the schedule of nature which is constantly changing.
I usually have classes in the morning (either at IMAP or off-site) or focus on more intellectual work. In the afternoon, I volunteer on projects previously identified as important and chosen based on my skills and interests. In the evenings, I prepare and eat my dinner in the shared kitchen while socializing and sharing food with other volunteers and students.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
I most enjoyed walking, meditating, listening to music, dancing, swimming, and doing yoga. Occasionally, I would travel to neighboring cities to try a new food or meet a new friend. Cooking and cleaning took up a large majority of my time since there is less access to the convenience of prepared food and high-powered appliances compared to my home-country, the US.
I enjoyed these chores as they gave me an excuse to care for myself. I would listen to music while doing laundry or get creative in the kitchen with new recipes. I loved to share food and recipes with other staff and students.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I lived in a private room made from natural materials with a balcony overlooking Lake Atitlan. My favorite aspect was the view and the art. I had plenty of room to myself. Occasionally, groups will visit IMAP for workshops, and I would share common spaces with new people.
This was an exciting way to meet like-minded people and practice other languages. I always felt comfortable and happy. I loved to walk around Pachitulul, the community where IMAP is based and greet neighbors or watch the birds. IMAP is located in an area that offers sanctuary to migratory birds so it is an ideal place for nature-lovers.
What is one thing every future participant should know about IPSL before their program begins?
Working with IMAP and IPSL both require a high level of self-motivation and self-management. If you don't have these skills developed yet, you may encounter some challenges, but you will develop these important skills in the process.
The schedule at IMAP is very flexible with a long lunch hour, but there is always plenty of work to do. It is up to you how much you would like to contribute. Because of the short time I had to complete my research and studies (5 months), I needed to maintain a disciplined schedule with great flexibility to meet my basic goals. I redesigned and refocused my research plans several times to adapt to the flow and availability of resources I had.
Would you recommend your IPSL to others? Why?
I would recommend this program to people who are flexible, self-motivated, eager to learn, independent, and adaptable to change. This program naturally builds these learnable skills but also requires some previous experience in investing in your own learning.
This is a more specific program than a typical study abroad program so it is most suitable for a person with niche interests who has already identified their passion and is highly driven to achieve their goals.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
I believe the challenges and conflicts encountered while traveling are the greatest areas of growth. Often these arise when encountering cultures, beliefs, identities, traditions, etc that are unfamiliar and seemingly very different from our own.
For example, learning a new language can inspire us to reconsider our pattern of communication in our native language and offer us a chance to learn new patterns. Whatever insights you gain from these experiences will last a life-time.
San Lucas has many hummingbirds or colibri. Colibri are considered messengers from other world by the Maya.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
My time abroad has impacted my life as much as any other event in the sense that it is part of my identity. I identify with the experiences I've had here on a deeply personal and spiritual level.
They have influenced my current interests (e.g. I have been inspired to learn Spanish and follow US foreign relations, etc.) but more importantly they have influenced my view of myself, my relationships with others, my relationship with nature, and my relationship with the universe and my spirituality.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel is whatever suits your goals. If you want to enjoy your life with great music and scenes of nature, there is nothing wrong with that. People travel for such diverse reasons that it is almost impossible to generalize.
However, if your goal is to learn a language for example, you will want to meet and talk with as many people as possible to make your experience meaningful. If your goal is to connect with yourself, you may want to travel somewhere quiet and remote without many distractions.
One of my most important goals was to connect with a like-minded community and I was able to achieve that at IMAP by doing a lot of previous research to find the right community, prioritizing my relationships, maintaining honesty and integrity throughout my work, and valuing my own health.
Did your program provide specific pre-departure Covid support? If yes, tell us what kind of support you received.
Yes, my program alerted me about the COVID requirements in the countries I visited. They also helped me locate testing or health services when necessary.
How did your program help you stay (and feel) safe abroad amidst the ongoing pandemic?
IPSL and IMAP both made me feel safe by answering all my questions, finding me necessary resources to protect myself and others, and offering cultural guidance.
