Hello, my name is Jeremiah Keith Jackson, I am 24 years old, and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Findlay studying Professional Communication. I am also a former American football player at the University of Findlay where I played football for six years. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in Business Management in the spring of 2023, and will be completing my Masters in Professional Communication in the winter of 2025.
Through college I struggled finding my career path. But with trying new things, joining abroad programs through my school such as Maximo Nivel, I rekindled a childhood passion through exploration.
What ultimately led me to Maximo Nivel was my interest in traveling abroad, and my desire to teach English abroad. Ever since I was a child I’ve held on to this dream of traveling the world. To be able to experience different cultures and learn new values I could apply to my own life.
Through the University of Findlay, I have been able to make that dream a reality by traveling to a number of countries. So, when I was approached with the opportunity to come to Guatemala to teach English through Maximo Nivel, I knew that was something I wanted to be involved with.
Volunteering with Maximo Nivel in Guatemala
Going into this experience I wanted to come in with no expectations. I did this because I don’t like to compare my experiences abroad to one another because that can take away from the experience itself. And this was going to be my first time teaching English abroad.
From my experiences in Costa Rica, I somewhat understood the landscape of Central America and how vibrant the natural landscape was with its mountains, volcanoes, rainforest, and wildlife. So, I came in seeking to enjoy the nature aspect of things.
In terms of the program itself I’ve taught here in America through subbing for grades K-12, and teaching speech classes at the University of Findlay. But I had no idea how teaching English in Guatemala was going to be.
From the start I appreciated the beauty of Guatemala. From staying in the city of Antigua, loving the compactness of the city, being surrounded by beautiful volcanoes, the architecture and experiencing the vast marketplace, it was incredible.
Ziplining for the first time at Lake Atitlan, and seeing the massive, marvelous lake was seeing such an amazing experience! Two other amazing experiences were going to the Cerro de La Cruz (Hill of the Cross), and the Pacaya Volcano Hike. The Cerro de La Cruz gave a beautiful view of the city of Antigua and served as a reassurance of my faith due to the story behind the journey. There was an uncertainty of our group making it there because of limited time, but we found a way.
And the volcano hike served as an eye-opening experience of the wonders of this world, and God’s creation. To be able to hike and see a volcano up close, including the peak, even roasting marshmallows in steam holes around the volcanoes was such a fantastic experience.
But the most transformative moment/experience for me was interacting with the kids at the public school where I taught English. I really loved how I was embraced by the kids, the other teachers, and truly the entire community!
The kids were so excited to see me every morning and were interactive during our lessons. My favorite moments came seeing the growth and development of the kids with their English over the course of the week and playing soccer with them at recess.
As I mentioned before I played football for six years and would call myself really athletic. But these kids made me look like a fool playing soccer with them because of how talented they were.
I see educating as an act of service and teaching the kids English for that week made me realize the impact one can have on someone through service. Not knowing the impact I was truly having on the kids in that moment, but to see them show their appreciation and gratitude was really heartwarming.
Discovering Guatemalan Culture
One of the things I was really excited about was immersing myself into Guatemalan culture. From learning about Mayan culture to learning how to salsa dance, I gained a rich perspective on my experience.
I studied some Spanish before I came to Guatemala; therefore, I was able to hold conversations using my basic knowledge. But what I found was after a couple of days of immersing myself in the culture I was able to expedite my Spanish knowledge. I was able to hold more complex conversations and use my new knowledge to navigate around the city of Antigua. And that allowed me to buy food and other things from stores, interact and meet new people.
One thing that stood out to me was the experience of the Mayan Culture. Cooking a meal from Guatemalan culture and seeing first-hand how they hand-make the attire that represent their culture was an amazing experience to me. Even more so because I now understand how difficult and time consuming it can be to create some such things.
Something that I really enjoyed was also the salsa dance class. I admit I am not a dancer, but I found myself in an all-out sweat, because I had such a great time during the salsa class. Trying out the moves the instructor showed us, having a great time alongside everyone else, it was such a blast!
And I can’t forget the market tour which opened my eyes to a different way of making a living. I learned how families rely on people buying their food or fruits, clothes, and jewelry that they would sell on the market to support their families. And that is something I am foreign to here in America.
The market in Antigua literally had everything. I needed to buy some soap, I went to the market; Wanted some candy, the market; Wanted to buy a Real Madrid jersey; market. I felt hungry, literally the market. The market had everything I could want and need. I liken the market to our malls in America, but just more outdoors with many, many tents.
Challenges and Successes While Volunteering Abroad
I will not act like things were perfect on my trip. Every trip has its ups and downs.
On my first day of teaching, I was thrown into the fire. Of course I have teaching experience, but I have never taught English as a second language to foreigners before. So, the first couple of lessons I taught were rough.
But how interactive the kids were with my lessons gave me the confidence to keep going. Their eagerness to learn English, and how excited they were to see me kept me going early on.
Something else I experienced was the cultural shock. With cultural immersion, cultural shock naturally comes. I am not the fondest of Latin cuisine but coming in with an open mind I found that there’s a ton of Latin foods that I really enjoy.
Lessons Learned from Volunteering in Guatemala
This trip teaching English in Guatemala with Maximo Nivel instilled a ton of confidence in me. I was unsure about how teaching English would go for me because it’s something I’ve never done before. But to see myself shine with my personality, and the ability to educate the kids, leaning on my experiences of teaching. This allowed me to exude confidence at a level I didn’t know I possessed.
Also, I have learned to express my gratitude to others through my various interactions on my trip. With interacting with the students, the Maximo Nivel employees, and from the people of Guatemala. I learned how important it is to express my gratitude to others. Because culturally in Guatemala people had no problem expressing their gratitude to me. And their words truly made me feel good to my core.
I am a firm believer that you should give people their flowers while they are still able to smell them.
Tips for Future Volunteers
A couple tips or wisdom I could share is to first practice your Spanish before going to a Spanish speaking country. You will naturally improve your Spanish being immersed in the culture and there will be times where you must speak Spanish. So, practicing prior to coming on your trip will allow you to communicate more with Spanish speakers.
Another is to be open-minded and that is understanding the differences and trying new things. It is best to be open-minded, because you don’t want to come off as disrespectful, and you could learn something new.
I would also say to have patience. With experiencing cultural differences, you need to have patience. With the language when interacting, understanding not all cultures prioritize time the same way. And understanding what you can see as disrespectful is a kind gesture in different cultures.
But most important I would say to be present in the moment. Know that you are being given the opportunity to experience something completely different than what you are accustomed to. Be present and recognize the differences around you.
What can you take from this experience, and how can this moment help you improve as a person? What are you experiencing that you do or do not like? What can you do to change that? How does each moment make you feel? What are you now inspired to do? What new values or skills can you take back home, and how can you apply those? How can you make an impact with this experience?
These are all the questions I asked myself through the course of my days seeing how different the educational system was in Guatemala. Seeing how these kids are not afforded the same opportunities for education as I am back in America. And that is because of their circumstances with finances, or the education system in Guatemala not being significant.
I thought about how blessed I was. But I also saw how much they enjoyed their daily lives. I observed how people were able to have fun with what they have, not worrying about the things they do not have. Being present in the moment led to me realizing what’s really important in life. Taking values and skills, I learned through my interactions and observations and applying them to my own life.
Do I Recommend Volunteering with Maximo Nivel?
My overall impression of Maximo Nivel was amazing. The employees made me feel welcomed and assisted me with teaching, creating lesson plans, navigating around the city of Antigua and more.
Also teaching me about Guatemalan culture, which was very crucial to my experience. I am thankful to Maximo Nivel for the events and activities they held. There was always something to be involved in. Someone would find it extremely hard not to feel at home with Maximo Nivel.