First 24 hours in Guatemala
It
has now been almost 24 hours since I arrived in Guatemala City to start my new
life in Latin America. Sadly,
Janae and Neyla won’t arrive until Monday night, so I am all alone for the time
being. On a positive note, that
gives me time to get our house ready for their arrival and to learn the lay of
the land a bit.
Upon
landing and driving from the airport to my new house my very first impression
was that it was strikingly similar to other Latin American cities that I have
visited. The streets were crowded
and crazy with a sort of organized chaos, adverts in Spanish were all around
and street vendors were plentiful.
It was however much more vibrant and beautiful than I imagined. From what the average American hears
about Guatemala in the news I was not sure what to expect, but that first hour
was pleasantly surprising to me.
Next
I arrived at our new home in the La Hoya condo complex. There was a very secure guardhouse out
front with armed guards and a steel reinforced gate, but that is to be expected
in virtually any Latin American city.
The green row homes had beautifully manicured gardens and a nice park that
I’m sure Neyla will enjoy. The
home itself is incredibly spacious, in fact, I’m not sure what we’re going to
do with all the space, so many of you need to come visit! The style of home here is very
different than most homes in Chicago mostly due to the almost perfect climate
year round in Guatemala City.
There are several outdoor spaces to be enjoyed and a ton of large
sliding doors that invite the natural light and air into your home. I have to say that it is quite a beautiful
to live. I am very excited to
spend the next few years of our lives in this house. However, there is one downside that I am going to have to do
something about. The shower in the
master bedroom is made for a person who is about 5’6’… and as many of you know
I am a bit taller than that.
After
settling in I was able to Skype with Neyla and Janae in order to tell them my
first impressions and to see their beautiful faces. I did this on the school’s campus that I will be teaching at
and to say that the campus is naturally beautiful is an extreme
understatement. It is wooded, surrounded
with gardens and smells like a spring morning in Florida with citrus
smells. After a quick look around
the campus I headed off with my new boss for a beer and dinner.
We
stopped at his place for a minute and had a beer on his back patio and
rooftop. It was the absolute best
view I have ever seen in my life!
His house is located on top of a hill and from the rooftop you can see
all of Guatemala City and the surrounding volcanoes. As we were up there the sun was beginning to drop behind the
mountains to the west and there was a thunderstorm off to the north of the
city. I think he has gotten accustomed
to the amazing view, but I was left with my jaw on the ground.
From
there we went to dinner in La Cayala, a newer part of the city that reminded me
of a very clean and well-kept European town. The neighborhood had a beautiful Church and center that
reminded me of the Spanish steps in Rome.
Beautiful shops, cafes, bars and restaurants surrounded the cobblestone
streets. We settled on a sort of modern
sports bar and the food was tasty and relatively inexpensive for such a nice
establishment. My boss commented
that this was quite expensive for Guate (as the locals call the city), but believe
me it was quite reasonable compared to Chicago restaurants. The bartender served us the local
favorite beer and even gave us a few pints on the house after finding out it
was my first night in Guate.
It
was a great first day here. I can’t
wait for Janae and Neyla to join me!
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