Hey people, I have been doing some thinking today about my life here. Is it better here? Well, I have left everything in the US. My friends, my family, my good job, my school, and my girlfriend. Some might say this is crazy. Why would I leave all that? Here I get paid worse, I'm not going to school (that much), I do have good friends, but no girlfriend. Sometimes, though, I get happy knowing that I'm living somewhere else. Especially a place as crazy as Guatemala. But here, also, life can get boring or lonely. It isn't that I can't [View Full Entry]

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Hey Everybody, Well I'm still in Guatemala City and teaching a lot. I go on vacation from work on the 14th of December. Only two and a half more weeks of teaching. I teach a "summer school" class every morning for three hours. It is killing me, but it has also made me a better teacher. I have been taking Spanish lessons two days a week. It is nice but I speak way too much English here. I went to the border of El Salvador last weekend and renewed my van's visa. I have been playing guitar and harmonica a lot. [View Full Entry]

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Hey Everyone, Life here in Guatemala city is going good. I am making friends and working a lot. I work about 7 hours a day. I teach everyone from adults to children. I'm not sure what type of student is better. Some kids really learn English fast and it can be fun, but kids are irrational and can be a pain. Adults are fun also, but some adults feel that they aren't that smart and give up before they try. I even have one private class that pays 13 dollars a hour. I get my first real paycheck in a week [View Full Entry]

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Dearest friends and family, Life here in Guatemala City is going pretty well. The school that I work for is awesome. I am working 5 to 6 hours a day. I have a sweet apartment that looks like it is in the country and not the middle of the city. I have a cool roommate named Hergil. We threw a house-warming party that was pretty cool. I had never thrown a party in a foreign country before. I am just trying to work and maybe save some money. I got news last night that Trevor Moen, a good friend of mine, [View Full Entry]

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Hola amigos y familia, Still here in Lago Atitlan. My experiences here have been great. Spanish is a second language for most around these parts. The locals speak Tz'utujil first Spanish second. It makes things a little more confusing. I spent 3 days in San Pedro de la Laguna. It is a very pretty town with lots of good restaurants and bars, but the place is overtaken with Israelis and other tourists. If you want a cheap place to relax San Pedro is for you. There is a restaurant there that plays a different movie every night. I finally saw the [View Full Entry]

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Dearest full/part-time friends and family, Man, I feel good! I'm in San Pedro on the beautiful Lago Atitlan. This place is just what I needed. I'm surrounded by three volcanoes and a huge lake. It was rough getting here taking a collectivo and then a boat. My hotel is sweet and is only ten dollars(75 Quetzales) a night. I only brought a a couple pairs of clothes and some books. This place is a cool hippie town known for its bud. I plan on chilling here for 3 days. I start work on Friday. I signed a 6 month contract as [View Full Entry]

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Dearest friends, Sorry about the depressing last entry, but I was pretty bummed. I got my window fixed on the van thanks to the director of my Spanish school. I bought a new camera. I finished a one week Spanish refresher course that was great! I went to a job interview on Friday, and I got a teaching job in Guatemala City! I have met some cool people here in Antigua. I met a kid who can beatbox with his mouth better than anyone I have ever seen. Today I went to a volcano called Pacaya. It was freaking nuts. I [View Full Entry]

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What's up? Well I'm all alone in Antigua, Guatemala. There are a lot of gringos here. My first night here someone broke a window on the van and stole my stereo(again), my bikes, and my guitar. But I'm still alive. My Van is now in a Parqueo and is safe. I guess maybe growing up in such a safe place made me more trusting my stuff. Now I realize that parking my van on the street is not a good idea. But really, stuff is just stuff. It can be replaced. I am taking a week long spanish course here and [View Full Entry]

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Dearest Friends, I finally left Guadalajara. I had probably over 700 dollars of stuff stolen from me in that city, but I still like it. I met some really cool people like Max, Cynthia, Stevens, Alejandra, Linda, Annabelle, Margaret, Blake, and Udelio. I have an alarm and a new stereo for my van. I now feel the van is pretty safe. I am now in Morelia and I have to find my friend Francisco´s family here. I think it will be tough or weird. I actually met this kid who traveled with me from Guadalajara his name is Max also. He's [View Full Entry]

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Dearest Friends, So, I graduated from my TEFL course yesterday. I am now certified to teach English. The course was rough, but I had great classmates. I will miss my friend Max. He was from Vancouver and we ran all over this city together. We will always have Bar Americas! The class was great though, and my Hostel is awesome! On Monday I am driving to Morelia to see my friend and ex-employee's house there. Then from there I am driving to Guatemala. I have no idea how long it will take, but I think that I will be OK. I [View Full Entry]

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