HAY QUE ACOSTUMBRARSE… PART I

Another week of full day Spanish classes has gone by... same thing, different teacher... and it's been great.

Well, so far I have been living a very good life here. Focused, simple, not much distraction (other than you-know-who) and a lot of time to enjoy not feeling stressed at all. I think I could get used to that.

There are, however, those little unexpected challenges that are part of living in a country far away from home. I will share some with you in the next few weeks, while I am getting used to life here.

Water:

> First immediate experience…warm water is not obvious! So far I have lived in two houses, both of the 'nicer' sort and both didn’t seem to be able to provide the kind of warm water that I have grown used to when taking my morning shower back in good ol' Suiza. As a matter of fact, the warmest it gets barely helps me not to have to hold my breath… I am probably just a little bit of a 'wuss'!

I am thinking they do it on purpose here, so people don’t spend 20mins in the hot shower like I know some of us do back home, but then again, probably not. My showers are certainly very quick and much less fun over here. :)

> Water in general is a thing to be watched. I have already talked to a few people here and the consensus seems to be that tap water or any running water is fairly contaminated and definitely not drinkable. You can’t (read: shouldn’t/mustn't, well as a delicate European anyway) use tap water to brush your teeth and my host mom doesn’t wash vegetables with it either. She puts anything that is not cooked, peeled or otherwise boiled and safe in disinfectant. Nancy’s family have an ozone-filter, which I assume is the most common thing to have to make sure you don’t have to buy bottled water day in day out.

Yet, I have been drinking nothing but water, tea and coffee (with milk) here so far. 

> It’s very common to see used / dirty water to be thrown out on the street, just like it's done with waste.

> As much as rain is needed to make sure the large amount of people living off agricultural products here in Guatemala can survive, rain is also a real pain in the b*tt!! Not only does it not come softly and nicely, but in huge amounts, it also completely destroys traffic patterns, entire streets turn into rivers, entire mountains move downhill, mosquitos are multiplying like there’s no tomorrow and the humidity levels raise to uncomfortable levels.

These high humidity levels have also made my first night in my new bed in Antigua a little bit of a challenge, because the mattress, bed sheets and covers were so humid (practically wet) that I didn’t know how to sleep, well didn’t sleep. And I am certainly still getting used to the constant smell of humidity in my room and in the bathroom.

Mosquitos:

The little f**kers do not deserve to exist… ‘nuff said!!

Security:

Everybody constantly speaks about seguridad here. And it really is a topic.

> All cars (ALL cars) have polarized, black windows all around so that nobody can see who’s in the car from the outside. Bullet-proof windows are quite common, too.

> My host mother Elsa is the mother of a high level government employee. As a consequence, she gets special treatment in the form of a bodyguard of the Policía Nacional that’s with her 24/7. So, sometimes I am having dinner with Elsa and someone, who carries a gun. Just like in a movie :)

> Antigua Guatemala is a really cute little town with lots of shops, bars, restaurants and lots of things happening in the streets. Many tourists come here for its beautiful buildings and churches that are all UNESCO World Heritage. As soon as it gets dark however, the streets quickly empty and only in the very center of the city can you still see people outside. Why, you ask? Because it gets dangerous.

People, and especially white folks (supposedly all rich) get robbed regularly. Just the other day I was talking to an US-American who got asked nicely to only keep his underwear on and then walk away. So if you have to be outside at night – let’s say you go to a bar or club, do it in a group and/or take a taxi to go home. Most people are home by latest 8pm, though. 

I mean, don’t get me wrong, living here is calm, easy and the people are generally very warm and hospitable. At the same time, you just do quickly find out which streets to use and which not to use at night. You never carry a lot of money or more than one credit card. And you do develop a certain heightened attention for potentially difficult situations… and not to draw attention to yourself.

> It’s for example not possible to carry a nice phone, wear a nice watch or anything of value, because you run the risk of ‘losing’ it very quickly. And if you happen to have a new iPhone, you do not want to show it around in the street, even during day time.

Therefore I am not wearing my watch and my local phone - that I sometimes use on the street - is a fairly small and simple one (remember your first Nokia?). If I carry my laptop, I don’t carry it in a backpack that could make it obvious that there’s a laptop in it… I carry it in a simple bag that looks like nothing specific.

> Even more than in Antigua, it’s very common to see armed guards in front of supermarkets and other places like that in the city (Guatemala City), which for an average Swiss traveler certainly comes across weirdly.

More about these topics and others soon. Also, I promise to post pictures more regularly going forward. And I will definitely post pics and visual impressions on facebook more often.

Hasta luego!