"I fell in love with a local in Guatemala and flew back to surprise him... but it didn't last"
- 4 months ago
A woman fell in love with a local in Guatemala after just two weeks together – and flew back to surprise him.
Rose Kodal, 21, met Carlos*, 20, on her first day in Guatemala while on a cultural tour and struck up a friendship.
The pair continued to run into each other at the school where Rose was learning Spanish and slowly their romance blossomed through deep chats and adventures.
Rose continued her travels in November 2023 but felt a pull to return to the country to see Carlos.
She surprised him and they reunited a month later and the pair spent the run up to Christmas exploring and soaking up the culture.
Rose flew back to Esbjerg, Denmark, on December 22, 2023 and the pair decided not to commit to a relationship due to their distance.
But Rose doesn’t regret opening her heart and says the experience was “magical”.
Rose, a student, said: “Before I went I said I’m definitely not falling for a local while travelling.
“It’s really beautiful you can love someone from a different world.
“I’m open to whatever happens in the future.”
Rose threw herself into meeting and speaking to locals on her first day in Guatemala in October 2023 and attempted to speak Spanish to Carlos when she first bumped to him on a cultural trip.
She said: “It was a very basic conversation.
“I started Spanish lessons the next week and saw him at the school.
“We spent more and more time together.”
When Carlos offered to give Rose a ride on his motorcycle she realised her feelings were more than friendship.
She said: “We drove around some small villages and tried some street food.
“One evening we went out and it started raining and we went to the park.
“We were just talking and started having deeper conversations.
“It felt more special.
“I’d had lots of superficial chats with people. I thought 'this guy is sweet and intelligent'.
“We had our first kiss not long after that.
“I was surprised by my own feelings.”
Rose only had a week left before she was due to travel to Mexico and they spent the last week seeing each other as much as they could.
After Rose left the pair continued to FaceTime and said their love grew stronger.
She said: “We became closer when I was away.”
Rose knew she wanted to return to Guatemala and decided to surprise Carlos.
She said: “I thought it would be fun to surprise him.
“I came up with a plan and said ‘can you go to a market and can you FaceTime me at this time?’
“I went up to him and surprised him.
“He was very happy and shocked.”
The couple spent the next few weeks sharing traditional Christmas traditions.
Rose said: “We both knew I had to go at some point.
“We decided it was probably not going to be possible to do long distance.
“We’re both going to be busy.
“I was crying a lot saying goodbye.
“But it was the happiest I’d been in a long time.”
Rose looks back at her romance with fondness and wouldn’t rule out a reunion in the future.
She said: “I’m grateful to get to experience that.
“It’s so much more beautiful to love with your whole heart even if that means getting your heart broken.
“The whole experience felt quite magical.
“It’s a waste when people are afraid to love and afraid of getting hurt.
“Don’t hold back your love.”
Rose Kodal, 21, met Carlos*, 20, on her first day in Guatemala while on a cultural tour and struck up a friendship.
The pair continued to run into each other at the school where Rose was learning Spanish and slowly their romance blossomed through deep chats and adventures.
Rose continued her travels in November 2023 but felt a pull to return to the country to see Carlos.
She surprised him and they reunited a month later and the pair spent the run up to Christmas exploring and soaking up the culture.
Rose flew back to Esbjerg, Denmark, on December 22, 2023 and the pair decided not to commit to a relationship due to their distance.
But Rose doesn’t regret opening her heart and says the experience was “magical”.
Rose, a student, said: “Before I went I said I’m definitely not falling for a local while travelling.
“It’s really beautiful you can love someone from a different world.
“I’m open to whatever happens in the future.”
Rose threw herself into meeting and speaking to locals on her first day in Guatemala in October 2023 and attempted to speak Spanish to Carlos when she first bumped to him on a cultural trip.
She said: “It was a very basic conversation.
“I started Spanish lessons the next week and saw him at the school.
“We spent more and more time together.”
When Carlos offered to give Rose a ride on his motorcycle she realised her feelings were more than friendship.
She said: “We drove around some small villages and tried some street food.
“One evening we went out and it started raining and we went to the park.
“We were just talking and started having deeper conversations.
“It felt more special.
“I’d had lots of superficial chats with people. I thought 'this guy is sweet and intelligent'.
“We had our first kiss not long after that.
“I was surprised by my own feelings.”
Rose only had a week left before she was due to travel to Mexico and they spent the last week seeing each other as much as they could.
After Rose left the pair continued to FaceTime and said their love grew stronger.
She said: “We became closer when I was away.”
Rose knew she wanted to return to Guatemala and decided to surprise Carlos.
She said: “I thought it would be fun to surprise him.
“I came up with a plan and said ‘can you go to a market and can you FaceTime me at this time?’
“I went up to him and surprised him.
“He was very happy and shocked.”
The couple spent the next few weeks sharing traditional Christmas traditions.
Rose said: “We both knew I had to go at some point.
“We decided it was probably not going to be possible to do long distance.
“We’re both going to be busy.
“I was crying a lot saying goodbye.
“But it was the happiest I’d been in a long time.”
Rose looks back at her romance with fondness and wouldn’t rule out a reunion in the future.
She said: “I’m grateful to get to experience that.
“It’s so much more beautiful to love with your whole heart even if that means getting your heart broken.
“The whole experience felt quite magical.
“It’s a waste when people are afraid to love and afraid of getting hurt.
“Don’t hold back your love.”