My Life in Guatemala
Guatemala
A beautiful, very green, country with rich culture, warm people and a wide variety of travel opportunities ranging from relaxing on the beach or in a colonial town to white water rafting or climbing volcanoes. Aside from what you may read or hear about Guatemala City, I find it to be a nice city with a lot to offer the ex-pat. If you removed Zone 10, you could place it inside any US state and it'd fit right in, minus the chicken buses with black smoke billowing out. There are restaurants, malls, movie theaters and cafes on every block.
If you're a traveler with a week to spend in the country, the advice I'd give you is what I'd say about almost all big cities. Spend a day in the city and move on to the outskirts to check out Mayan ruins, Lake Atitlan, the colonial town of Antigua and climb a volcano or two.
The people here are extremely nice and helpful. I find them to be more friendly than the people in Chiapas, Mexico, where I lived last year. There is also less of the machismo - ie. idiots mouthing off to females on the street every time you leave the house. I'm thrilled that the people here seem to be a bit more educated, it is a bigger city, and they will simply look at you, and they may look twice, but it's in a way that isn't as gauk-like and offensive as it was in Mexico.
There is definitely crime here, so taking a few precautions is smart (ie. don't go for a walk at night), but it's nothing to worry about on a constant basis. We were told at school about foreigners kidnapping children outside of the city, so to be careful about taking pictures because you could invoke an angry response from locals, especially because it's election time and tensions are high. I thought that was a bit strange, but I've seen stories on the internet. I'm not sure if this was concocted by paranoid Guatemalans or if it's true. There are also muggings and car jackings that you'll read about on the internet, but the odds of this happening are not good and if you avoid public buses and use taxis instead, things should be just fine. I also try not to carry anything with me that I wouldn't mind having stolen. If I can't live without it, I don't carry it on the streets unless absolutely necessary.
Climate
The climate rocks! It's the rainy season right now, so it's like southern California, but with more rain. I guess in November and December, it's like Fall in SoCal and it does get a bit chilly in January and February, but by March, it's warm again with perfect temps in the 70s. Finally, I've chosen a comfortable climate!!
Apartment
I live in a one-bedroom, spacious apartment on the 6th floor with a nice outdoor patio and views of the city and green hills. In the mornings, there are often a low, fluffy clouds visible from the huge windows in my bedroom and living room. The security guys at the front desk are very nice and helpful. When I come home with tons of shopping bags, they help me carry everything to the elevator and always have a smile. Customer service here seems to be very good so far - I'm impressed!
There's an excellent gym downstairs that I've been able to get up at 5:30 am and use before school. I watch CNN en Espanol and run for 30 minutes, then head upstairs to take a shower and head out the door. I've met a few guys in the gym who are regulars and seem eager to practice their English, but I always respond in Spanish. I'm here to speak Spanish; I speak English all day at school with my students because I have to!
The real estate agent who showed me my apartment in early July told me that the small grocery store downstairs in my building is the best place in the city to get wine. That's what really sold me on the building! :) There's also cheese from around the world in that little market. Also downstairs is a bookstore where you can hang out and read.
Neighborhood
I live in Zone 14, which is mainly residential, but there are a few great restaurants, bars and cafes very close. I met a group from school on Sunday at Cafe Barista, just two blocks from my front door. There's free wireless everywhere, including my apartment, which is a huge bonus!
I can walk six blocks to Paiz, a grocery store owned by WalMart, and ten blocks to Zone 10, also known as la zona viva or the "alive zone" because that's where all the good nightclubs, bars and restaurants are. The school is in zone 15 and bus transport is provided by the school, so I'll catch the bus and it'll take about 40 minutes to get there each morning and afternoon.
School
The school is on a beautiful 54 acre campus that also houses a university. The grounds are very well manicured and it's extremely green. My classroom is big and, just like in Mexico, I have a corner room so I'm surrounded by windows on three sides! There's a huge bookcase filled with books and a ton of classroom resources. I'm not used to being spoiled with resources like this!
The administrators in the school are all from the States, so everything is organized and the attitude is one of improvement and constant growth. There are professional development opportunities abound and an understanding of current educational strategies, so I'm looking forward to growing as a teacher here. In Mexico, the system was a bit behind the times, so sometimes it felt like I was moving backwards.
I'll be treating myself to cappuccinos on the university campus almost daily as they're only 12 Quetzales or $1.50. You can't find those prices at Starbucks! And the coffee in Guatemala is muy delicioso!
Co-Workers
The other teachers at the school are great! There are about 20 new teachers from the US and Canada and on Thursday we'll meet the entire staff, about 50 more people. It's been hard enough remembering everybody's names! But, it's great fun to have such a nice variety of people to meet and hang out with. I think we're all going to have fun together.
Travel
I think everybody at home will be surprised at how much there is to do and see in Guatemala. There are Mayan ruins, canopy rides in the jungle, white water rafting, catamaran trips in the Caribbean, surfing at the Pacific beaches, colonial towns, Lake Atitlan and the highlands, volcano climbing and much more! If you think you'd like to go to Costa Rica, you'll enjoy Guatemala more and for half the price.
If you'd like to visit, check out www.spiritair.com for INCREDIBLY cheap airfare. To give you an idea, there are round trip tickets from Chicago to Guatemala City for around $200. And the same goes for Los Angeles, New York and Miami.
Here's the blog for two of my co-workers with some pretty good information, as well http://www.kariandadam.com.
A beautiful, very green, country with rich culture, warm people and a wide variety of travel opportunities ranging from relaxing on the beach or in a colonial town to white water rafting or climbing volcanoes. Aside from what you may read or hear about Guatemala City, I find it to be a nice city with a lot to offer the ex-pat. If you removed Zone 10, you could place it inside any US state and it'd fit right in, minus the chicken buses with black smoke billowing out. There are restaurants, malls, movie theaters and cafes on every block.
If you're a traveler with a week to spend in the country, the advice I'd give you is what I'd say about almost all big cities. Spend a day in the city and move on to the outskirts to check out Mayan ruins, Lake Atitlan, the colonial town of Antigua and climb a volcano or two.
The people here are extremely nice and helpful. I find them to be more friendly than the people in Chiapas, Mexico, where I lived last year. There is also less of the machismo - ie. idiots mouthing off to females on the street every time you leave the house. I'm thrilled that the people here seem to be a bit more educated, it is a bigger city, and they will simply look at you, and they may look twice, but it's in a way that isn't as gauk-like and offensive as it was in Mexico.
There is definitely crime here, so taking a few precautions is smart (ie. don't go for a walk at night), but it's nothing to worry about on a constant basis. We were told at school about foreigners kidnapping children outside of the city, so to be careful about taking pictures because you could invoke an angry response from locals, especially because it's election time and tensions are high. I thought that was a bit strange, but I've seen stories on the internet. I'm not sure if this was concocted by paranoid Guatemalans or if it's true. There are also muggings and car jackings that you'll read about on the internet, but the odds of this happening are not good and if you avoid public buses and use taxis instead, things should be just fine. I also try not to carry anything with me that I wouldn't mind having stolen. If I can't live without it, I don't carry it on the streets unless absolutely necessary.
ClimateThe climate rocks! It's the rainy season right now, so it's like southern California, but with more rain. I guess in November and December, it's like Fall in SoCal and it does get a bit chilly in January and February, but by March, it's warm again with perfect temps in the 70s. Finally, I've chosen a comfortable climate!!
Apartment
I live in a one-bedroom, spacious apartment on the 6th floor with a nice outdoor patio and views of the city and green hills. In the mornings, there are often a low, fluffy clouds visible from the huge windows in my bedroom and living room. The security guys at the front desk are very nice and helpful. When I come home with tons of shopping bags, they help me carry everything to the elevator and always have a smile. Customer service here seems to be very good so far - I'm impressed!
There's an excellent gym downstairs that I've been able to get up at 5:30 am and use before school. I watch CNN en Espanol and run for 30 minutes, then head upstairs to take a shower and head out the door. I've met a few guys in the gym who are regulars and seem eager to practice their English, but I always respond in Spanish. I'm here to speak Spanish; I speak English all day at school with my students because I have to!
The real estate agent who showed me my apartment in early July told me that the small grocery store downstairs in my building is the best place in the city to get wine. That's what really sold me on the building! :) There's also cheese from around the world in that little market. Also downstairs is a bookstore where you can hang out and read.
Neighborhood
I live in Zone 14, which is mainly residential, but there are a few great restaurants, bars and cafes very close. I met a group from school on Sunday at Cafe Barista, just two blocks from my front door. There's free wireless everywhere, including my apartment, which is a huge bonus!
I can walk six blocks to Paiz, a grocery store owned by WalMart, and ten blocks to Zone 10, also known as la zona viva or the "alive zone" because that's where all the good nightclubs, bars and restaurants are. The school is in zone 15 and bus transport is provided by the school, so I'll catch the bus and it'll take about 40 minutes to get there each morning and afternoon.
School
The school is on a beautiful 54 acre campus that also houses a university. The grounds are very well manicured and it's extremely green. My classroom is big and, just like in Mexico, I have a corner room so I'm surrounded by windows on three sides! There's a huge bookcase filled with books and a ton of classroom resources. I'm not used to being spoiled with resources like this!
The administrators in the school are all from the States, so everything is organized and the attitude is one of improvement and constant growth. There are professional development opportunities abound and an understanding of current educational strategies, so I'm looking forward to growing as a teacher here. In Mexico, the system was a bit behind the times, so sometimes it felt like I was moving backwards.
I'll be treating myself to cappuccinos on the university campus almost daily as they're only 12 Quetzales or $1.50. You can't find those prices at Starbucks! And the coffee in Guatemala is muy delicioso!
Co-Workers
The other teachers at the school are great! There are about 20 new teachers from the US and Canada and on Thursday we'll meet the entire staff, about 50 more people. It's been hard enough remembering everybody's names! But, it's great fun to have such a nice variety of people to meet and hang out with. I think we're all going to have fun together.
TravelI think everybody at home will be surprised at how much there is to do and see in Guatemala. There are Mayan ruins, canopy rides in the jungle, white water rafting, catamaran trips in the Caribbean, surfing at the Pacific beaches, colonial towns, Lake Atitlan and the highlands, volcano climbing and much more! If you think you'd like to go to Costa Rica, you'll enjoy Guatemala more and for half the price.
If you'd like to visit, check out www.spiritair.com for INCREDIBLY cheap airfare. To give you an idea, there are round trip tickets from Chicago to Guatemala City for around $200. And the same goes for Los Angeles, New York and Miami.
Here's the blog for two of my co-workers with some pretty good information, as well http://www.kariandadam.com.