What? EntreMundos volunteer fair
When? May 25th, 2 - 4 pm
Where? EntreMundos Office (El Espacio) on 6a Calle 7-31, Zona 1, Xela
Tel? (502) 5606 9070, (502) 7761 2179

© mricha15 - Xela’s Central Park

Quetzaltenango (more familiarly dubbed ‘Xela’) is probably the place to volunteer in Guatemala. It’s the country’s second city after Guatemala City, but smaller, somewhat safer (with exceptions: two of my friends were robbed at gunpoint, so you still have to be careful when it’s dark out), and with just the right balance of foreigners and locals to offer a sufficiently authentic local experience. Whatever you get in Antigua in terms of Spanish schools and bars and cafes to make your comfort zone, you’ll also get in Xela, but the latter is nothing like the seemingly self-absorbed bubble that is Antigua.

© Emily Ding - The famous arch in Antigua

But of course, as with everything, you have to give and take. And Antigua, being an old Spanish colonial town is, hands down, a lot prettier than Xela is. For the passing tourist who can only afford a few days, Xela might only stay in their minds as ugly and nondescript, kind of like Guatemala City. But for the dedicated volunteer or long-term traveller looking to stay in one place and live some semblance of a life, Xela is a good choice. From the people I’ve heard who have lived there, they’ve loved it.

The only reason I’m not in Xela, despite the fact that there is so much more there with which to keep myself occupied… is this nagging question I ask myself: “Why would I come to a country like Guatemala and live in a city?” I’m going back to London town in exactly three months, and I’ve lived all my life in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia also home to the world-renowned Petronas twin towers. Why then would I choose to live in the city here in this still-developing country? Better to live a small-town existence on the tranquil shores of Lake Atitlán which, have I mentioned, is the most beautiful lake in the world. At least, until I see something else to rival it.