The Spirit of Christmas in Guatemala

It has been exciting to return back to Guatemala from our inception of Cultural Embrace’s H.U.G. project exactly one year ago. What is our H.U.G. project? In 2010, I wanted to establish a way to offer support on a more personal and corporate level, so we may work together to Help, Understand, and Grow select local and global non-profits. Cultural Embrace will continue to connect our participants with the best suited local placement for our volunteer, teach, intern, work, and travel programs, but I wanted to have a more meaningful commitment to causes that personally touch my heart.

In 2010, we sent 52 individual and group volunteers to Guatemala to support our H.U.G. project. Our participants have built a library, pharmacy, garden, helped build a new home for a family, painted seven homes in the village, created a jewelry-making co-operative, and spent hundreds of hours tutoring their school work, and being positive mentors.

We wanted to throw a party to start the Christmas holiday weekend right. On Thursday, my niece, Alexa, and nephew, Michael, picked out two piñatas that we filled with candy, and we bought little toys and presents for the kids. There is something so special about the H.U.G. children, as there is a sense of family, love, and togetherness.  The older children would look after the younger children when they sang songs and danced for us. The children that grabbed more candy from the piñata would share it with the other children.  One of the boys handed Michael a lollipop without anyone requesting him to be generous. But isn’t that the true spirit of Christmas? To laugh, care, share, and give back to others.

Back in Guatemala for the holidays

Hola y Feliz Navidad! I’m back in Guatemala enjoying another Christmas in one of my favorite cities, Antigua. I decided to return back this year to check out our H.U.G. (Help Understand Give) Guatemala project, and to share this beautiful country and holiday season with my family and friends.

Although I usually travel alone or have a friend meet up while I check out or create new business developments for Cultural Embrace’s program, my oldest sister, Ann, brother-in-law, Bill, and 12 years-old niece and nephew, Michael and Alexa wanted to go on a meaningful vacation during the holidays. They currently live in a town right next to San Mateo, California (near San Francisco), so they thought it would be fitting to spend the holidays sharing it with children from our H.U.G. project in San Mateo, Guatemala (near Antigua).  So this is a rare, yet very special treat to have my family join me on this holiday adventure.

I have customized this trip a bit from our typical Volunteer in Guatemala week program, or our popular requested Group Travel itinerary, so we can have a family fun-packed week.   We are spending the first 5 days in Antigua…one of the most charming cities in the world. It is foreign-friendly city, with cobble-stone streets filled with delicious restaurant, cafes, shops, and hotels; yet it still maintains the local Guatemalan culture (indigenous and modern) and charm.

Most of our participants take 4 hours of one-on-one Spanish lessons with our partnering language school in Antigua, and I was thrilled when Michael and Alexa agreed to take lessons during their ‘vacation’. We enrolled them for two hours of Spanish a day for the past three days which is perfect for younger children and their attention span…and they had a blast! I loved hearing that they had more fun and learned more Spanish in the first two hours than all the years that they have been learning Spanish since age 3 at nursery, elementary and now middle school.  To be honest, their attitude and confidence in Spanish showed immediately after their first class, as they were trying to speak Spanish to the locals.

Ok, I can go on and on, but it’s 7pm on Christmas Eve. I certainly don’t want to miss a meal in Antigua, as the restaurants and cafes are delicious and beautiful. And then we will join the locals and celebrate Christmas by attending a service at the Cathedral located in the town square.  Feliz Navidad to you and your loved ones!