In this interview, you’ll hear from Peyton West, a Peace Corps Youth Development volunteer in Guatemala. Peyton shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Youth Development volunteer in Guatemala?
I work for schools in a community, giving classes on different life skills. We focus on the skills that they do not learn in the classroom: soft skills like communication and self-esteem. I make sure that all my students are comfortable presenting in front of a group of their peers by the end of the school year. I also teach English at a preschool started by a local man and his wife.
The preschool is in a smaller part of the community where I live, so exposure to English through my classes is the first time hearing it for many of the students. Once in a while, I will help the Maternal and Child Health volunteer at my site with charlas (Presentations of specific topics) for kids in the community.
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in Guatemala?
I’ve been around the Peace Corps my whole life, as my mom served back in the 90s. After college, I knew I wanted to work with kids, but I didn’t have an exact plan for how to make that work. I applied to the Peace Corps with no real expectations, but told them I would be happy to serve anywhere that spoke Spanish, as I grew up bilingual. I was offered Guatemala, and after thinking about it, decided to accept.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing like in Guatemala?
I live with a host family, but semi-independently from the main house. I have my own kitchen and bathroom. I am definitely lucky in my situation, my host family having had volunteers for years before I arrived. They’re used to the need for independent living and are excellent people. There is internet, and if I need anything at all, my host family is happy to help me.
4. What moments or interactions stand out during your service?
As a young person with no kids, I still get questions about when I will have them and if I have a boyfriend. My students love to tell me that they have a single cousin or uncle that they can set me up with, and I have to politely decline every time. It still makes me chuckle every time I get told I’m so young to be living away from home in the same breath as someone telling me I should have kids by now. Very funny juxtaposition.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about living or working in Guatemala?
Working in Guatemala has taught me that work/life balance is an incredibly high priority. Making sure people are fed on breaks and that people have the resources they need is very different from work in the States. Living in Guatemala has reminded me how lucky I am in the States to have access to food on demand. Food insecurity is unfortunately common here, and you often have to travel distances to a grocery store, not just the fruit and vegetable market.
6. What challenges have you faced in your Youth Development work, and how did you respond?
One challenge is the class times. In a typical public school, classes are only 35 minutes long. It can feel difficult to get a meaningful lesson in when the time is so short, but splitting my lessons into two periods can make it flow more smoothly and feel more comprehensive than trying to cram everything into one period.
7. What secondary projects have you worked on during your service?
I have done a few collaborations with the health center in my site and teach English at a preschool.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to future Youth Development volunteers in Guatemala?
Guatemalan youth will teach you more than you expect. They will challenge you and push your buttons, but being with them is truly a gift. I love seeing them every day and seeing what they bring to class. Join in on school activities and don’t be afraid of looking silly in front of your students.
9. How did Peace Corps training prepare you for service?
Do PST (Pre-Service Training) with all the effort you can, but remember that volunteer experience is king. The PC training is helpful for information about logistics, but it can’t prepare you for living in a community. Take the info about health and wellness to heart, though. You’re going to need the PCMOs (Peace Corps Medical Officer) more than once.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. What would you tell future volunteers to pack—or leave behind?
Leave behind the t-shirts. I brought way too many and didn’t take into account the thrifting culture here. There are pacas (thrift stores) on every block, and you can find every item you need. Bring plenty of hair product if that is important to you, especially if you have curly hair. There are basics here, but I made sure to have enough to last me a few months before a family member could bring me more.
11. How has language learning been for you in Guatemala?
Immersion is king. Being in community has truly improved my language level to something I barely recognize. I grew up speaking Spanish at an immersion school, but truly being able to be involved completely with the language has made my skill improve by miles. If you are struggling with grammar or conjugation, I would spend an hour a day revising, but truly, you improve by speaking. There is no language building skill like having to speak it 24 hours a day.
Social Identity
12. How has your personal identity shaped your service experience?
I am one of the few black volunteers in the country, which makes for a different experience than my peers. I sometimes find myself trying to defend my experience, which differs from that of my white peers. I have experienced more micro-aggressions from locals and non-locals pertaining to my intersecting identities.
13. Did your identity lead to specific challenges or situations?
Finding a community of PCVs that share your specific identities is helpful, within your country and in the global groups.
14. What advice do you have for volunteers who share your identity?
Remember that you’re not a model minority and don’t have to be perfect. Whether you’re black, queer, or anything else, you don’t have to represent the entire community. You will be asked more than once about your experience as a non-white or queer volunteer, and you should feel comfortable saying no to representing your community. It’s okay to prioritize your own comfort if it makes you uncomfortable.
Final Thoughts
15. What final advice would you share with future volunteers?
Take the time to enjoy your work while also taking advantage of the country you’re in. I love seeing parts of Guatemala that are off the beaten trail and have mostly been recommended by locals. The tourist areas are great, but the most authentic experiences are the ones off the beaten path.
Enjoy your two years and remember that the time will pass anyway.
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Peyton, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect. Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Guatemala Government.
