Escuela Integrada - Antigua, Guatemala

Interviewee: Nancy Elisabeth Brise (27 yrs) from Los Angeles, USA, art teacher
Report By: Elvira Rodriguez, Senior Language Holiday Advisor & Volunteer Coordinator at Cactus

I met Nancy at the volunteer project Escuela Integrada in Old Antigua. This association was funded by an American couple from the US that were disheartened by seeing that the organisation they used to volunteer for did not use the help received in the way they were supposed to. 5 years ago they started this non-profit organisation aimed at promoting access to education in families where children are required to work and/or have no access to education. They currently have around 300 children at their school, providing lessons from kindergarten to eighth grade. During their time at the school the children receive a holistic education that includes teaching in art, music, sports and English. The school also has an infirmary with a part-time doctor and two on-site psychologists.

During my brief visit I was interested to know how volunteers actually work and feel during their time in a foreign country.

Nancy's heart is in volunteering and in helping these children in a way that not many people could do. She arrived in Guatemala City in 2003 with a degree in Art, 3 weeks of Spanish classes and full of energy to help kids. The reason she chose Guatemala stemmed from some years previously when she had taken advantage of a scholarship from her university to visit the country. Since then she fell in love with Guatemala and made a few other short trips before deciding to take the plunge.

Shortly after her arrival in Guatemala City, things changed for Nancy in a way she could never have imagined. The Spanish lessons that she had booked were never taken, as when she arrived at the volunteer organisation in Guatemala City, IMA (International Medical Assistance), she was asked to stay and teach a variety of subjects despite her lack of Spanish - and then have her lessons afterwards! Although it clearly should have been the other way round. Even though she accepted, she never actually took those lessons and learnt Spanish the hard way, all by herself without any help except from the children she was teaching.

So what made her stay? Her eyes brighten when I ask her, and she simply replies that when she arrived at her first class she was feeling good about herself knowing that she was going to be able to teach art to these children who had so little. She had her lesson planned and was looking forward to helping them. Instead she found herself surrounded by children who run to cuddle her with all their might. She knew that she could not leave and she has learnt so many things from these children that she is convinced it is not the volunteer that gives, but the children who give to the volunteer. What they give and teach her (and all other volunteers) every day is much bigger than any westerner can give to them. This is a difficult lesson for any volunteer to learn, as the common and natural viewpoint is to visit a poor country and help them out with a set project, and feel good about ourselves for doing so. But it rarely crosses our minds how much we are going to receive and learn from them.

Imagine yourself going to a country where you hardly speak the language, in this case Spanish...you are in a big city with lots of crime, you are 24, female, alone and have to teach Maths, Geography and other subjects in a language that you barely know yourself. Well, this is what Nancy did.

During her time in Guatemala City, Nancy barely left the area of town where she was staying as the host family and locals kept saying how dangerous it would be for her. She could not even go shopping in the market unaccompanied. During her first six months she did not even leave the city, as she was told transport out of the city was too dangerous. By then her Spanish had improved, down to her own hard self study and from having to simply listen, learn and use it.

One weekend Nancy's host family went to Antigua and they took her with her - it was here that she heard English for the first time! And she found herself in an environment where she had the freedom to walk anywhere she wanted. So she kept coming back to Antigua every weekend, regardless of advice to not travel by herself, until she met someone that talked to her about the project Escuela Integrada...where she has now been working for the last two years.

During her time in Antigua Nancy received much help from her church back home, and she says it was her faith in God that kept her going in Guatemala City. Her church is also funding her basic expenses like accommodation, food and living expenses. Although Escuela Integrada pays their teachers out of the donations, she prefers her pay cheque to be used for the school.

As there are few English teachers available, Nancy is currently developing a student plan for English lessons, to create a continuity among teachers/lessons and fill in the gaps in between.

If you are interested in becoming a teacher in Antigua, Guatemala (or any other location), please note the following:

• The school calendar year in Guatemala is from Jan to Oct
• Organisations prefer teachers for 3 months minimum; otherwise it is very disruptive for the children.
• Nothing will really prepare you for the reality: lack of resources and food (same food very often); culture shock
• You must be really pro-active: don’t expect your volunteer organisation to hold you by the hand - they are far too busy!
• Accommodation is very simple
• Remember you are not the giver: you will learn and receive more than you could ever give with your qualifications and experience from a cosy life back home
• Enjoy! And learn as much Spanish (or the language of the country you are going to) as you can, as the locals won’t speak your language

It was a real pleasure to meet Nancy!