Nazia Tabassum - Guatemala 2017

As I entered the airplane, I thought of all the times I dreamt of getting on a plane to go back to my home country of Bangladesh. This trip to Guatemala wasn’t exactly the trip I was dreaming of, but stepping on the plane was the start of a totally different and wonderful journey. As the plane went up, I could see myself getting far from my comfort zone and closer to embracing unexpected experiences and situations. Once we landed and drove to Antigua, there were many things that my eyes caught, which touched my heart. I saw little kids who seemed so excited to get on the bus to go to school, a woman struggling to carry a large bundle of flowers, and smoke from a volcano spreading over the sky throughout the city. When I entered my Guatemala family's house for the first time, I was given a much needed warm welcome after the tiring day of travel.

On the 2nd day, it really hit me that I am in a whole different country where everything is unfamiliar but also familiar in some sort of way. I woke up to the chanting of a parrot and chicken, which gave me a fresh flashback to my village in Bangladesh. As I stepped out of my room, my stomach screamed, “ I am hungry!!!” and I walked to the fridge to look for food. But then I realize my stomach would have to wait a little more. Maybe a lot more, actually, because I was fasting during the day for Ramadan. I wasn’t overly worried though because I had fasted for Ramadan for the last 5 years. Throughout that day, we got introduced to our kids who we would be teaching English to for the next three weeks. My hunger hid itself as soon as I met my class. Their cheered faces and humble nature melted my heart.