A surprise visit to the children in Suchitepéquez

Two weeks ago, we finally set off to pay a surprise visit to the children in Suchitepéquez at their school. This time, our team was even bolstered by an additional helper: Celina, our first participant in the volunteer program, joined us.

When we arrived at the school at 11:30 a.m., however, classes were just wrapping up and the children were almost on their way home. The teachers informed us that they had to prepare a special class for the next day and had important errands to run, including shopping. Therefore, they had ended classes an hour earlier than usual. This meant a last-minute change of plans for us. We quickly packed up our things and went to one of the school children's homes with all the children. Once there, each child was asked to think about what they wanted to be when they grew up. We tasked them with reflecting on their dreams for the future and expressing them as drawings on paper.

The children were quite surprised because such thoughts are not common in the poor, rural areas of Guatemala. When we asked the children in Suchitepéquez during our first visit what they wanted to be when they grew up, they responded with "I want to be a mom or dad." The idea of pursuing a specific career is not even considered there because most of them unfortunately do not have the opportunity to dream about their future professions. Inspired by this activity, the children eagerly grabbed the colored pencils and started drawing with enthusiasm. As you can see, the sweetest and most imaginative pictures were created.

After each child had put their dream on paper, naturally, our stomachs started rumbling. Fortunately, Elvia and her children had already diligently prepared sandwiches and fruits the day before, so we could fuel ourselves with delicious snacks. We spent an unexpected but no less successful and beautiful day with the children in Suchitepéquez and returned to Antigua in the evening, full of impressions.