Life In The Field

Vishna Shah

When signing up to volunteer with GVI, I have to admit I was rather nervous, simply because I had volunteered with other organizations abroad, and was shocked by how shallow a company can be, by cashing in on the poverty around the world. To be honest however, I was surprised by the impressive transparency of information that GVI’s friendly staff and web page provided. The break down of the costs were amazing…every penny was directed towards the project, from the transportation to the teaching materials…and on top of that GVI had its own linked charity, to fund this genuine non profit organization. So, I set off for what was described as the perfect summer: a chance to really make a difference, to learn a new language, and discover the culture of a country, which quite frankly is undiscovered by many British!

From the moment I arrived in Guatemala, I was made to feel very welcome. Dom and Doreen’s (our co-coordinators) enthusiasm and genuine desire to make a difference made the first few weeks very pleasant and easy. With so many boundaries of traveling on my own, not speaking the language, never having taught before, it was simply amazing how homely I was made to feel. As a bonus, even my mother felt re assured as she had also spoken to Dom, on the phone, all the way from Guatemala!

I had always wanted to teach in a rural school, where I knew the work was genuine and the impact on the children was a real one. This is exactly what the project in Santa Maria, Guatemala was. The children, one of the poorest in the world, lived in such a contrasting lifestyle, based around farming and selling produce at the markets. GVI had created a bond with the local indigenous village, and our headmaster Santiago, making it even more possible to make a real difference. From my 8 weeks in Guatemala, we moved into a new school, and we introduced bread in the morning, along with the fruit already provided, because GVI realized how important a balanced diet was for the kids health and concentration. The first week was terrifying but once the initial period was over, I never wanted to leave. Just like with every GVI volunteer, I created an unbreakable bond with these special children, and their keen approach to learning, made me just want to teach them forever!

So I reluctantly left my amazing summer, learning so much about my self and the world around me, discovering a truly colorful culture of the Mayans, and geographically visiting some amazing volcanoes (an active one too!), beautiful beaches and the Caribbean coast, while making friends with some truly amazing people. As a result, I plan to return next year with GVI, because once you discover them, it’s hard to want to go through anyone else.

Thank you GVI, Dom and Doreen for everything.