trying to make this paragraph flow better:

Volcanoes towering above the landscape, children playing soccer in the dirt streets, homes with tin rooftops, and insignias all around that told me I was in gang and drug territory; these were the scenes as I arrived in Guatemala City, Guatemala. So distant from what I thought to be normal, I was overwhelmed by what I experienced. What made Guatemala City contrast so vastly from my home in XXXXXXX? Why were these phenomena here? Since that dramatic experience, geography and geospatial technologies have provided a means to answer these questions, and propelled me to study these disciplines at BYU. I have constantly been building and strengthening a geographic framework and I know an opportunity to study at XXXXXXX will allow me to further develop my expertise and understanding.