Hello from the Tijuana International Airport– just across the border from San Diego, CA– where I await my flight to Guatemala City!
For the next three weeks, I will be participating in the UA in Guatemala: Development and Human Rights trip through the Political Science department in Antigua, Guatemala. Having never visited Central America, I am incredibly excited to explore the country of Guatemala and experience its vibrant culture. I have always known that I wanted studying abroad to be a part of my college experience and the location of Guatemala stuck out to me as providing perhaps a different experience compared to the more typical study-abroad destinations. Additionally, the opportunity to earn credits for two upper-level Political Science courses on such interesting topics was very appealing to me.
Leaving the day after the Fourth of July made my time for packing a little tight, but our professor has likened Antigua’s temperate climate to that of Southern California, so there was not much that I needed to purchase for the trip. Over the course of our trip, we will be visiting a variety of places including Lake Atitlan and the country’s Pacific Coast which will likely result in a variety in weather, so I made sure to come prepared with clothes ranging from rain gear to warm weather attire.
Overall, I am very excited to embark on this study-abroad journey and any sense of hesitation or nervousness that I have is matched by an even greater sense of anticipation and eagerness to arrive in Guatemala and share such great experiences with my classmates.