Marquette University High School and the community of Cojobal, Guatemala

The trip started with 19 Marquette University High School Students at the Milwaukee General Mitchell Airport at 5:30 A.M. Despite the long travel day, hopes were still high as we arrived at our first sleeping arrangement of the trip: a local hostel in Guatemala City. The next morning we loaded up the bus, and headed to the village where we would be staying at for the duration of the project. After a heartwarming welcoming ceremony from the village, including fireworks, cultural dances, clothing and music, the school's students quickly greeted us and took us on a beautiful walk through the farm fields. There introduced us to their traditional game of pera o manzana, and a classic game of hide and seek. After a busy day of activities, we headed back to rest up and prepare ourselves for the next 3 work days ahead of us.

At the roosters’ call at 7 in the morning, we began the first work day with a special ceremony, led by a local priest, to lay the first shovels of sand and stone, blessing the work we were about to perform. We quickly got the hang of the project and the different tasks. One third of the court was already completed by the end of the first work day. Later that afternoon consisted of art and cooking lessons, where the group got to practice traditional embroidery and learned how to make Guatemalan Tamales (which we then indulged in as a pre-dinner appetizer). To wrap up the day, the group came together to reflect on our experiences and learning so far. A common theme that arose in our reflection breakout groups was the topic of a changed perspective. A common perspective change was the new realized benefits of being disconnected from technology, which empowered the group to be more present when interacting with others, and ultimately led them to forming more authentic friendships and connections. Another perspective shift was related to play, as we experienced firsthand that regardless of differences in culture and spoken language, you can make deep connections with others through games and sports.

We quickly got accustomed to the enjoyable schedule of court construction in the morning, and cultural exploration in the afternoon. On our second work day, we worked together to adjust our flow into one that was more efficient thanks to our self-organized assembly lines, or as Peter called it, the “Bucket Brigade.” That afternoon, we visited the local bakery. Here we were shown the traditional process of making different types of bread. The bakers were kind and answered our many questions, sold us freshly baked bread and even made us hot chocolate!

Our third and final work day was the most productive one yet, moving at a fast pace as we already knew the drill. After a well-earned celebration of the finished court and a quick lunch, we boarded a bus with the local students to visit the sacred ancient Mayan ruins of Iximché. Here we visited a museum explaining the history of this ancient city and it’s artifacts. During the exploration of the ruins, we were lucky enough to see a traditional ceremony being held by a local who was honoring their ancestors. On our bus ride back to Cojobal, we stopped at the town of Tecpán were we got to shop at the local vendors' displays of clothing and food.

The following day was kicked off with a lovely opening court ceremony, where another priest came to bless the finished court, tokens of appreciation were given to us, and was finished with lively dance performance from the local students. After some time connecting with the locals through various activities like basketball and soccer, we painted traditional Guatemalan mugs (just like the ones we drank throughout the entirety of the trip) through the help of a professional and locals. This activity seemed to take the crown of highlights for many of our group as well as the local children. After a day full of play and celebration, we headed into another group reflection. This time, students contemplated the question of what we missed most. Almost, if not all, answered with simple things like hot showers, driving their own cars, eating what they please, and living where they do. This night of reflection really made us realize how truly fortunate we are to have such easy access to these commodities, compared to other populations around the world. However, we also realized that despite Cojobal not having such access and materialistic items, they still seemed happy, if not happier, than we are. This drove home the lesson of how happiness is not derived through material possessions, but rather through genuine relationships and love.

Our last day in the community was very bittersweet. We started the day off the day with an interesting mass held in the local Catholic church. The church itself was beautiful, with crisp white walls and a detailed wooden ceilings and pillars. Afterwards, we shopped around the local farmers market, located right outside of the church. After a nice morning in the bustling city center, we headed back to the village for our final goodbye ceremony. As a small token of our appreciation, each one of us gifted a flower to each of the women who had cooked for us during the trip. After pictures with each individual grade level, the women who cooked, and the teachers, we all felt both happy and sad, as we walked through two lines of students toward the bus that would take us away from Cojobal.

Despite the sadness of our farewell, the fun didn't stop there. Peter surprised us with an amazing night at the large and beautiful lake Atitlan, an ancient crater that is now filled with water and is surrounded by stunning, non-realistic looking volcanoes. In the morning, we went on a boat excursion to San Juan La Laguna, a colorful and alive port town. Our first stop was at a Co-Op where local women are empowered to make and sell their own woven items, such as scarves, bags, rugs, and napkins. We even saw an excellent demonstration of the multi-step, lengthy process it takes to weave these intricate Guatemalan treasures. Afterwards, we then had a few hours to shop in this beautiful city before taking the boat back across the lake.

As our trip came to the end, legs and eyes started to tire as we headed back to the hostel where we stayed our very first night in Guatemala City. During our last reflection we shared about 1) The things we learned from this trip and 2) How we’d changed. During this genuine sharing, the group came to several shared conclusions, including an understanding for the blessed opportunity to come on this service trip, to experience Guatemalan culture, and for the friendships made. We learned you don’t have to go on a special trip to serve others, but that we can actually serve others in each and every one of our daily interactions.

All 19 Marquette University High School Students came to the real realizaion of what it means and takes to be a true man to others, and all stood in an oath to try to be the best man that each one of us can be.

~ Written by Kenny Maciolek and Logan Gaengel, Marquette University HS Students

Volunteer quotes:

”I learned from the community how to treat everyone with respect and to have a positive outlook on every situation.”
~ Chase Kennedy

“I would recommend a Courts for Kids trip because it is not just a service trip, but a perspective-altering, friendship-forming and immersive experience where you learn just as much about yourself and become part of the community.”
~ Jude Ballinger

“I felt a change in the way I wanted to see the world when I got to actually fully immerse myself in the culture that the community experiences every day. Seeing how all different types of people live is now a fascination that I want to dive deep into.”
~ Bobby Walsh

“What I learned from myself is to take that risk of going out of your comfort zone can change everything of how you see and understand things. Once outside it’s hard to fully realize how incredibly lucky and grateful I am for all the little things  and how much the truly mean to me.”
~ Michael Maciolek

“I learned from the community that what every human being really wants is to live life with a smile and spend time with loved ones.”
~ Eric Lohse

“The community taught me so much about respect, hospitality and kindness. Everyone in Guatemala seemed to have a smile on their face. Being kind is not very hard, so why not be kind all the time.”
~ Gregory Brunclik

“This trip humbled me but in the best way possible, it taught me to be grateful for all the little things and to appreciate full human connections more, but it lead me to live in the present which is the only way to live your best life.”
~ Evan Egelhoff

Community quotes:

“For many years we had a grass soccer field to play on, but this place was private and the owners recently decided that we could no longer use it. As parents we felt very sad and we did not have a place to recreate ourselves and especially our kids, but Courts for Kids came to change the perspective of many and brought joy back to the entire community since there are many kids and young people who wanted to have a place like this and now we know that many will come to enjoy, not only the classes but also a space where they will learn to play different types of sports.”
~ Irma Chicol, Community Member

“There is no recreational area in the community. Our kids felt sad because they did not have a place to play or relax after school. When they found out about this project, our kids were very happy. This joy spreads to the entire community of Cojobal and we all feel very grateful for the court.”
~ Mary Cujcuj, Community Member

“As parents, we are very grateful to Courts for Kids and the volunteers. This project that they carried out in our community will be of great help to our kids and now they have a more ideal place to play. The place they used to play in the winter turned into puddles of water and in the summer there was a lot of dust. Thank you very much for all the help provided.”
~ Vicenta Solís, Community Member

“My family and I are very happy about the court we now have in our community. The teenagers will feel more motivated to learn new games and techniques without worrying about getting hurt because of the poor conditions of the court before. Also, the exchange we had with the volunteers was extraordinary because they had a great time; they shared and learned a lot just like us.”

~ Herlinda Teleguario, Community Member

“The students of the school are very grateful to Courts for Kids and the volunteers because this project has been a dream come true for them. For the students it was an incredible experience to share with people from another country, but most of all they are happy to now have a decent place to relax and have fun. “
~ Sara Mutzutz, Community Leader