We woke up early and piled into a combi to travel to a neighboring town called San Marcos where a current business volunteer lives. The ride followed the mountain roads, and we were interrupted several times by crossing cows, donkeys, and sheep. San Marcos is in a valley, and although the town itself is somewhat rough, the surrounding beauty is distracting. We had the opportunity to teach English in a local elementary school, which was a great experience. We decided to focus on learning numbers and body-parts so we could incorporate some fun and interactive games into a short session. The students were pretty well behaved, and we managed to play Simon Says and teach them the lyrics and motions to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, which was priceless.

After our English lessons we explored San Marcos and had Trucha for lunch, which is a delicious salmon-type fish found in local mountain rivers. Following lunch, we observed a youth entrepreneurship class that was formed by two business volunteers living in the area. The class consists of a 2-3 month weekly seminar that focuses on basic business principles and how to form a small business enterprise. The students involved are the highest achieving upper level high school students, and they are responsible for forming and carrying out an entrepreneurial activity in their community. The students start their small business, advertise, and sell their product in local markets as part of a class-wide competition. It was awesome to see how well developed this program was and how engaged the students seemed. Vocational and business development is something I will definitely want to do as part of my service if it fits into my community’s need.