Confession: I almost dropped out of university

University lectures were not for me. I hated memorizing, regurgitating, and later forgetting theoretical knowledge that had no practical use. I felt imprisoned by institutionalized education and rebelled. So I booked a one-way ticket to rural Guatemala and lived in a village that only spoke Spanish. Exposing myself to first-hand poverty, and living in a Mayan community gave me a new perspective. This is a story of how I dirtbagged across Latin America for 16 months, nearly half of my time in university, and got school credit for it.