I was a little nervous about moving to a completely different country for a couple of months, totally immersing myself into an area where English is barely spoken. With little knowledge of any Spanish, I imagined becoming very frustrated before flying to Costa Rica. But when I arrived, I felt very welcomed, at the volunteer house as well as the project I was working with, (helping with children in crisis.) The staff working with the program is very friendly and are always eager to help with any questions or issues we may have. The Spanish classes that are offered are very helpful, and after a few weeks of living here, I feel much more confident speaking to natives. I am sad to say I am leaving in a month, and my only regret is not staying longer!
Rustic Volunteer and Travel
I was a little nervous about moving to a completely different country for a couple of months, totally immersing myself into an area where English is barely spoken. With little knowledge of any Spanish, I imagined becoming very frustrated before flying to Costa Rica. But when I arrived, I felt very welcomed, at the volunteer house as well as the project I was working with, (helping with children in crisis.) The staff working with the program is very friendly and are always eager to help with any questions or issues we may have. The Spanish classes that are offered are very helpful, and after a few weeks of living here, I feel much more confident speaking to natives. I am sad to say I am leaving in a month, and my only regret is not staying longer!
I participated as a volunteer for the Spring Break of 2015 with Rustic Volunteer and Travel. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have been able to participate in. I highly recommend to volunteer in Xela, Guatemala for undeserved communities.
We had one of the most wonderful experiences here in Xela. The women´s project was very empowering and we could see how communities are benefited by stoves we built.
Our host family was fantastic and we loved having had the chance to meet them and share our experience with them. Thank you to all the Guatemala staff for such an empowering experience. As the trip leader for this service-learning trip, I would recommend Rustic to other student groups. There were some communication issues with the US office which made things a little complicated but my experience in Guatemala was great overall.
I was the faculty advisor on a service learning trip to Guatemala. The program was extremely well run and organized. Everything ran as smoothly as possible, from the transportation to the organization of our transportation and work sites.
I particularly want to commend Oscar Gomez, the in-country coordinator, or his outstanding organizational skills and his extensive knowledge at the city. He also went above and beyond to make sure that all of our needs were met, including showing up at our house family's house when he heard that one of the students was sick.
I highly recommend this program.
