The Cost of Doing Business in Guatemala

The Quetzal (ket-sal) is the name of the local currency here in Guatemala.  It is also the name of the national bird.  85 quetzal converts to roughly 10.80 USD.  For 80-90 quetzal, there are an amazing array of items & things available....many of the items are are not equal in worth to me..but who am I to question such things.....

Things that cost between 80-90quetzales: 
                                           dinner with drinks :85
                                           2 hour shuttle ride to a lake: 80
                                           hotel with breakfast: 88
                                           1 pair leggings: 85
                                           second dinner with friends: 90

Second dinner, by the way, occurs at least one or two times per week as lunch is served at 12:30 more or less, first dinner at 7 more or less...& dinner is usually small....most people are quite hungry after first dinner.  There are days where a second lunch is needed as well & that usually consists of a crepe´ with nutella & fruit.  There is also the mandatory early morning second coffee and mid-day coffee while studying....it is amazing I don´t weigh 900 pounds & sleep at night!!

I continue to make steady improvements in my Spanish...today at first lunch, there only women eating.  We discussed, with our house mother, the problems of limited contraception use in the indigenous Mayan cultures. The culture clashes between those who have decided to live in the city,  how it has affected & forced change on the Mayan culture.

I visited a special school for the poorest children in the area supported by an organization that also provides other services to the country.  They support a home for infants with malnutrition, a project to protect & rescue young boys & girls sold into sex trafficking and a center to feed the homeless.  They also raise money to build homes for the poorest Guatemalan´s.  Each home only costs 2000 USD & provides a much safe and better quality of life for those families.....it´s pretty amazing.

I took a tour of the local hospital for adults & children (all in Spanish) with cognitive and physical disabilities.  It is supported by donation, volunteer doctors & other foreign trained health providers as well as local health providers.  It was a bit shocking to see the conditions of the hospital & the way things are managed, severely impaired children living in small cribs with severe bony deformities. It was interesting think about the cultural differences between medical care and expectations for life skills between here and home.

I inquired about volunteering at both organizations however it is the country´s long holiday, similar to our summer break, & all the volunteer opportunities don´t start again till February 4th.....oh well....

The school sponsored a visit to an indigenous village. I was a hapless participant in the marriage ceremony...where I was the boy (officially the first same sex Mayan/Cathoilc wedding ceremony in all of Central America) because the entire tour group from school consisted of women.  We each had a turn at helping complete a weaving, making tortillas and crunching fresh roasted coffee beans for coffee.  We were treated to a traditional meal of pepian (a sauce) with rice and chicken.

Last weekend I went to a place called Panahachel near Lago Atitlan.  I spent the night there, walked around a nature reserve the next morning with the hopes of seeing wildlife (totally thought of you Kelsey!!).  I did see Coati which was pretty cool & a lot of butterflies.  I took a boat to a place called Santa Cruz where I proceeded to sit in a hammock for a few hours and napped.  Saturday night was cross-dress night at my guest house.  It was only cross dress night for the men/boys, there was a room full of women's clothes....bikinis, dresses, etc...if the men dressed up they got an extra hour of happy hour....it was a pretty hilarious night.  On Sunday I swam in the lake, sat in a hammock (again) and just enjoyed the views.

I continually meet lovely people and get braver at speaking Spanish  It is astounding how poor it is in areas & how much of a bubble where I am living appears to be.  I feel lucky to be able to speak as much Spanish as I can so that I can have interesting conversations with people about cultural changes and challenges here in Guatemala.

Friday is the Day of the Devil and apparently people light trash on fire in the streets and then burn a giant rendering of the devil, who is also carried around town...should be interesting!!!!

Views around Panajachel & La Laguna Santa Cruz

Indigenous Mayan Pueblo Visit

A Guatemalan "Chicken Bus"