Language at the Lake: A New Way to Experience the Heart of Guatemala
Today we welcome Hazel Bendix (19 years old, she/her pronouns) to the Ties blog. Hazel is a first-year student in college, majoring in Sociology with other areas of interest in Spanish and Child Advocacy. She is the third of four adoptees in her family. She has two older brothers, one adopted from Guatemala and one who was born in New Orleans, LA. Her younger sister and twin, Emma, was adopted at the same time. Hazel is a Guatemalan adoptee and has traveled with Ties three times! In this blog Hazel reflects on her previous trips and shares why she is so excited for our newest program to Guatemala - Language at the Lake!
Hazel with fellow Ties tour members.
Growing up I always knew I was adopted - Mom calls our family our rainbow family - I knew I was from Guatemala from a young age. Whenever we talked about Guatemala in school or it was in the news, I would get really excited. Mom had always asked us kids if we wanted to go back to where we were born. My eldest brother, also adopted from Guatemala, has a complicated relationship with being adopted and Guatemalan. He hasn’t been interested in going back, but Emma and I were always really interested. Mom, unbeknownst to us, started looking for a way to travel there.
Within days of Mom finding the Ties Program she brought it up to Emma and I and we started planning our trip for 2020, but the trip got postponed due to COVID-19. My Mom, Dad, Emma and I finally ended up going on the Ties Heritage trip in July 2023 - the first trip Ties did after the COVID-19!
The trip gave me self-awareness of not only who Guatemala people are from a cultural and living perspective but also the realization of how cool Mayan culture is (of which I am). I gained clarity, self-realization and understanding that being different is ok, being adopted is ok, and there are more people out there like me. It also made me want to learn more and go back! The trip wasn’t over and I was planning my next one!
Hazel reads with Guatemalan children.
In 2024 I joined the inaugural Service & Language program (S&L). It was my first time being away from my family and traveling alone. I felt so much better when I saw that Ties sign outside the airport, welcoming me. The S&L trip enlightened me with what it feels like for someone to live in Guatemala and being with a group of adoptees all my age gave me a sense of belonging. The independence and amount of personal responsibility within a set of rules and expectations made me feel like an adult. I made deep connections with the other participants and now I call them my friends. I volunteered at El Amor Children’s Home. At El Amor was a volunteer who was living there for several weeks, which opened me up to the idea of being able to stay at El Amor (I was already planning my next trip to Guatemala, see a theme here?).
In 2025 I took a gap year; I figured college wasn’t going anywhere, but I had this amazing opportunity, so I took it. I worked for almost a year to pay for my third trip to Guatemala. I lived at El Amor in their guest house for six weeks in the summer of 2025. The hardest part with this trip was the language and how exhausted my brain felt. I would literally sit on WhatsApp and listen to my family talking in English so my brain would get a rest from all the Spanish. This trip I connected with the younger kids at El Amor and it showed me how much I love working with kids! And, I got to help plan my next trip to Guatemala - one I’m hoping you’ll join me on.
“I love the way Language at the Lake is designed to gain a greater understanding with new experiences in Guatemala.”
Rebecca (Guatemalan Ties Program Manager) was already cooking up Language at the Lake (did you know new trips usually take years to plan), and needed someone to go check out the community and language school she was considering for the program. I, along with Bella, and Marisa (Ties travel staff member, check out her post about her trip to Ethiopia!) got to go to San Pedro la Laguna (San Pedro) and experience the possibility of a new Ties program. My job was to take pictures and to look at things from the perspective of being a participant with a new Ties program. I instantly fell in love with San Pedro, the language school, and the school (the view!!!).
Hazel with tour members outside the language school.
In November, when I got the email announcing the Language at the Lake program and without any hesitation, I signed up that night. I talked with Emma, my sister, about things that we would see and get to do and asked if she was interested in going and she said yes! I was filled with so many emotions because I never thought I would be going back so soon, and with my sister this time! My mom is talking about coming now too!
I love the way Language at the Lake is designed to gain a greater understanding with new experiences in Guatemala. I’m excited to take classes at the school. It’s immersed with plants and nature and has the most stunning view of the lake, not like any school I’ve ever attended. The classes will be small groups (two students to one teacher, often) so I’m excited and nervous for the individual attention.
Last, but certainly not least, I’m excited for the different housing options: homestays, hotels, and Airbnb’s. I’m planning on staying in a homestay for a more immersive and deeper experience. My sister is hoping to stay at a hotel. I love that this program provides us both the opportunity to stay where works best for us.
I can’t wait for San Pedro (join me!)! I am looking forward to new experiences, meeting more Guatemalan people, making more connections, and having authentic memories with my sister and other adoptees and their family (maybe you?). I may also be looking forward to escaping some of Minnesota winter (the trip is Dec 26, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027). I hope you come and join me!
Language at the Lake early bird registration ($200 off) ends March 31st, register today.