INLEXCA

Definitely a very formative experience for me, one that I’ve very grateful for. I had so much fun and so many amazing opportunities with my internship placement. From learning in depth about native plant species and their importance in maintaining the biodiversity of the country, to staying with an indigenous group and sharing with and learning from them as well. The team from my placement were so welcoming and friendly, they made me feel like family and I was able to learn a lot from them and share some incredible experiences with them. My host mum was also really lovely and I was able to spend a lot of time getting to know her and doing lots of fun things together with her and her family. I definitely feel like I have a family here in Costa Rica that I will be coming back to visit! My experience wasn’t without its challenges of course, but I’m very grateful for the difficult parts too as they helped me to grow as a person. All together an amazing experience.

My time in Guatemala went by really fast and I enjoyed it. My host family was awesome and they involved me in everything and took really good care of me. Inlexca also was great and took great care of me. If I had a question or I was sick for a few days they offered help in every way possible. It was kind of sad that I didn't had the much patient contact but that was because of covid. But in the departments of the health care center I worked in, I got good insights in how the system works. My spanish got so much better, thanks to the 2 weeks of classes bevor work and because of my host family that was excited to teach me mor and learn with me. All in all I can only say I had a great time and would go again any time. Thanks to Inlexca and my great host family that I will hopefully see soon again.

Volunteering at Corazon del Bosque was an amazing experience. The work itself was very interesting - they have a great mindset for what they want to work towards. As long as you bring initiative, there are some really interesting opportunities to help out. The homestay with the local family was a great way to learn about local life, about Mayan culture, and to practice Spanish. My family was hugely accommodating, they made me feel at home the whole time there. The programme itself was also very supportive, checking in with me regularly, and always providing helpful advise when needed (either about the programme or about travel in Guatemala more generally). Overall a fantastic experience! Lots of yummy food eaten and was great to learn about this, also trying to make tortillas (harder than it looks...) Caldo de pata was the most interesting and authentic thing to try!