On Becoming an Expat

Most people I encounter ask, "Why Guatemala?" and that`s a pretty valid question, considering the history of this place! But to really understand, you have to go back to the beginning . . . back to the country I was born in.

I knew I wanted to go through Central America, so I bought the guidebook. It started with Guatemala and went down to Panama. Mexico wasn`t included, so I figured I`d wing it. Everyone said that everyone spoke English in Mexico anyway. Little did I know the reason they said that was because they`d only been to places like Cancun!

Needless to say, I didn`t meet anyone who spoke English in Mexico, except other travelers. Somehow, I managed to bumble my way down the Baja by bus, only to realize when I reached La Paz that this was a dead end! So, with another traveler, a guy from England and some fellows from Israel that we met in the ticket line, I boarded a barge headed for Mazatlan and got myself back to the mainland. By the time I hit Guadalajara, I was exhausted, sick of not understanding ANYTHING and wondering how the heck I was going to get down to Guatemala.

I had 0 interest in staying in Mexico for any length of time. My guidebook told me where to stay in Guatemala and where to find Spanish schools (which I realized I needed desperately!), so that is where I was headed. It took me nearly two weeks to get there, including about 70 hours on buses or in bus stations, plenty of vomiting and a bout of dehydration, but finally I arrived in Guatemala.

By that point, I was ready to stop for a bit. My money was running out already, thanks to not understanding how to find cheaper buses in Mexico, and I needed to look for work as well as learn Spanish, which is why I stopped. I figured I`d stick around for 6 months to a year in Guatemala and then continue my travels . . . but that didn`t take into account finding the man of my dreams!

Unless you have a work visa, you aren`t supposed to work in Guatemala, but from the time I arrived, it was obvious that rule wasn`t well followed! Gringos worked in just about every bar and restaurant in Antigua.

Teaching English

It didn`t take long for me to find employment at a small English school teach, of all people, Koreans English. I had no experience, but it really didn`t take long to pick up. Basically, if you can talk, you can teach English. I was paid a grand total of $3.50 an hour, which paid my rent and let me eat pretty well.

Later, I left the school and taught privately, but this was something that I fell back on for years. In fact, for a year before my son was born, I even taught in a private school as their English professor.

Cooking
In Guatemala, most restaurants hire Guatemalans to cook, but for some reason, I got a job at a place called the Bagel Barn, right off the central park in Antigua. My job was to take orders and cook them . . . which was a lot of fun, really. However, after several missed paychecks, I started looking for employment elsewhere.

Bartending
Ah, the staple of travelers . . . working in a bar. I spent three weekends working in a friend`s bar but once he realized I was there to work, not to flirt, he canned me. No worries, though, I walked into Reilly`s Irish Tavern and the owner at the time, Robert (one of the originals, it`s changed hands many times since then) didn`t even interview me, just asked if I could start at 6 that night!

Bartending was a great job while I lived in Antigua. I ended up staying for over a year, longer than any other bartender and made my way up to basically managing the place. It was a fun place to meet people and chat with new travelers, as well as locals. It only paid $1 an hour, but the tips could be awesome.

Since moving up the volcano and having kids, I`ve turned to freelance writing to make a living. It`s a good way to earn money from home so I can stay with my family, plus I earn in dollars, which go further than quetzales.

I was volunteering mornings at Hospital Hermano Pedro when I saw him for the first time. The first thing that struck me was that this guy was VOLUNTEERING in a hospital. And he was very sweet with the people there. So I asked a mutual friend about this cute guy.

While I learned his name (Irving), it turned out that I was not on his radar. I was a gringa, he had been badly burned before and had pretty much no interest in dating someone (or even talking to!) who would most likely be leaving soon. So that was that. We had nothing to do with each other until one night I went out with my housemate to a nightclub and the guys were there. Irving had been drinking enough that he actually talked to me and after that . . . well, we pretty much were never apart again!

Irving lived with me for a bit in the shared house where I stayed, in Antigua, but after his grandmother died, he suggested we move up the volcano to his home pueblo. And the die was cast! I had to make a huge decision . . . would I stay in the country for love or continue with my travel plans? Obviously I decided to stay and here I am still!

After three miscarriages and basically giving up on ever having children, I discovered that I was pregnant again. This time it stuck and our son, Dorian was born in December of 2005. He was born in the public hospital, which was quite the experience in and of itself and it was discovered within minutes that he had an imperforated anus . . . essentially, no anus at all.

Dorian was whisked away to a hospital in the capital to have surgery, the first of three he would need. You can read more about Dorian`s journey here. It was a difficult time for us, with bills and a new baby who came home at 8 days with a colostomy. But we finally had our little family, we were building a home and life was good.

Just 16 months after Dorian arrived, his baby brother, Dante showed up. It was pretty stressful, dealing with two small children at the same time, but we survived! I was building my freelance writing business at that point . . . we finally had internet at the house, so I could work from home.

Dante proved to be the total opposite of his brother . . . at least for the first three months! He was calm and laid back and a total little doll. Course, he`s outgrown that and is now our little Destroyer. :) But we love him to bits and pieces.

Our final addition to the family was born in 2012. Dominic is still tiny, but we love him to bits and pieces. He is much younger than his big brothers, but they dote on him and are amazingly loving to their baby brother. We expected some sibling rivalry or uninterest in the new baby, but Dorian is already talking about having six babies in the house. Little does he know that Dominic is our last.

He was born via C-section since he was persistently breech during the pregnancy. The experience was so bad that we decided to stop right here, though we had originally planned on having four little ones. So Dominic is destined to be the baby of the family and probably quite spoiled, if things so far are any indication!

Jimmie asked in the guestbook about what my family back in Canada thought about my staying in Guatemala. Good question and one I`m very willing to answer.

My parents, like any parents, would love it if I lived closer, particularly since they are now grandparents and my sons are their only grandkids. I`m sure they worry, too . . . early on in my stay here, my father called frantically to the house where I was living because they had just flashed an erupting volcano on the news and said that it was in Guatemala. Not knowing if it was near me or not, he got very worried! My roomie was able to reassure him though.

Of course, everything you see on television about Guatemala is bad in the North. So, I know my parents are worried every time they hear about these things. I try to make sure to let them know that I`m fine whenever a hurricane makes it`s way through here or an earthquake or if there is a big riot or other nasty news that might make the news up in Canada.

Out of all my family (3 sisters and my parents) only one sister has made it down to see me, twice. We have plans to go up and visit soon though! It will be the first trip out of the country for Irving and the boys.

In the meantime, we do make sure to stay in touch. I email my parents on a daily basis and we use Skype video to let them chat with the boys "face to face". My older son, Dorian, dictates emails to them from time to time, as well and my mom sends the kids postcards and little things in the mail, which they absolutely love. My sons know who their grandparents are, as well as their aunts and even their great grandparents!