I'm Carolee Terpstra of the Peoria North, AZ Rotary Club. I am also a multi-year veteran of Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) Tours to Guatemala. I thought it might be helpful for you to hear a fellow Rotarian's perspective on attending a Rotary-GLP trip.

GLP tours really offer a unique opportunity to travel throughout the Guatemalan highlands, meeting the students, teachers and parents who benefit from Rotary-funded GLP programs. I have been a tourist in many countries, but on the GLP tours I saw amazing places and had unforgettable experiences I would have never been exposed to as a tourist.

In addition to interacting with the beautiful Guatemalan schoolchildren, the tours also offer a great chance to share in Rotary fellowship. It’s so special to travel with Rotarians from the U.S. and Canada, as well as meet Guatemalan Rotarians also supporting the GLP projects. They are so pleased to welcome us to their country and invite us for dinner in their homes.

I hope you’ll join the next GLP Tour. There’s a good chance I’ll see you there—I’m hooked! If you would like to learn more about my experiences on the GLP tours, or have any questions at all, feel free to contact me at terpstra63@cox.net.

By the way, you might be wondering about the accommodations on the tour. The hotels truly exceeded my expectations—they were quite nice and not at all like a typical service or mission trip. If you’ve thought about traveling in a developing nation like Guatemala but have concerns about comfort, the CoEd trip might be a great fit for you.