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Published: April 2nd 2019
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Landing in Guatemala City the layout of buildings can be seen stretching out onto the cliffs. Buildings here are built wherever a stable plot of land to support it can be found.It is the morning after arriving in Guatemala for my four week rotation (the last of my medical school career) focusing on Medical Spanish and international medicine. I am so thrilled to be here and excited to get started soon with the lessons and volunteer work in the clinics. I am writing this blog to help keep family and friends connected to the trip and also to share some photos. I will do my best to post every several days.
My travel here was really very smooth. I arrived in Guatemala City around noon, breezed through customs, and was met outside the airport by a very kind woman holding up a sign with my name on it. I had indicated to the school program that I would like to be met by someone at the airport, but had no idea what form this would take! I walked over to her and she gave me a hug, which was a bit surprising to me, but I accepted. She then introduced me to 3 other american medical students who had arrived ahead of me. She drove us all in her personal car to a bus station several miles away, helped us buy
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My bus ride from Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango (Xela) in an older coach style bus. our tickets for the 4 hour ride to Quetzaltenango, gave another hug, and said goodbye.
The bus ride did its job but I wouldn't say it went smoothly. Roads here are bumpy littered with potholes, traffic lanes are little more than a suggestion, and climbing thousands of feet in a coach style bus on very windy mountainous roads didn't help. After the long bus ride, however, I made it to the Pop Wuj School in Quetzaltenango, which I will start referring to as "Xela" from now on (the local name for the city). Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala with a population of 500,000 and is located in the Western Highlands - a very mountainous region of central america. Here, I am at an elevation of 7,600 ft and don't even have to worry about mosquitoes/Malaria because they don't live at this elevation.
Shortly after arriving at the school, I was met by my host family, a very kind grandmother named Irmita. She took me directly to her home, showed me to my room, and prepared a wonderful traditional tamale dinner. I was surprised at how large the home is but quickly learned why. I am
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Chicken Bus - retired American school buses that are painted brightly and used for public transportation across much of Mexico and Central America. They are often crowded and driven very rough. They are also known to break down frequently and are not the recommended form of transportation for tourists here. living with 3 out of Irmita's 8 grown children, 2 of her grandchildren (3 and 4 years old), and Guatemalan student unrelated to the family who is living here while attending college. It seems to be quite the happening place with everyone coming and going all the time. Irmita is certainly in charge and seems to spend the majority of her time in the kitchen preparing meals for her students and family.
Now I head to school to begin my instruction in the Medical Spanish courses. You can expect to hear more about that in several days! Please message me if you have specific questions about the trip. I also plan to share more about the family I am living with and the home soon.
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