The school has an outreach program that teaches Spanish to adults in the little farm village of Almolonga, near Xela. I joined the small group that trekked into the hills for the afternoon session. Each volunteer had several students, outdoors or in a small room with a dirt floor. The ceiling was about 5'10", which is fine for the villagers since they are mostly under 5 foot tall. But they sure got a big kick out of me walking around with my 6'2" head cranked all the way over to one side.

I was blown away by the enthusiasm we encountered. They were absolutely thrilled to have us there. I was inspired by their desire to improve themselves. Their native language is called "Mam". I call it "Twenty-Seven Different Ways to Clear Your Throat". I couldn't come close to differentiating and pronouncing the guttural sounds they tried to teach me.Certainly Spanish and English are just as foreign to them.