My senior spring break: Working with a community of Mayan Indians in rural Guatemala

Here are some pictures from my spring break trip last year to San Lucas Toliman, in the highlands of Guatemala. With a group of ~15 students from Cornell University, this year (like last year) we will work with the rural Mayan Indians to build stoves in their homes. Most of the indigenous people currently cook on open fire pits, which, because of the smoke, often leads to blindness and respiratory diseases. Therefore, a stove has a huge impact on these families' health and cooking ability, and also reduces the amount of firewood needed (which in turn reduces deforestation).

Most of the villagers speak both their native language (Kachikel) and Spanish. The most amazing part for me to travel to this small town, is to spend time with and learn from the indigenous traditions and way of life. Just seeing the beautiful smiles of the children and playing with them, was a life-changing experience. I am excited to return and continue on my learning journey with people of another culture.

Entonces, hasta pronto, Guatemala!