My roommates and I referred to Tikal (the official name for the Mayan ruins) as “McMaya World” because by the end of our day there, the park was so crowded you had to wait in line for a chance to climb up the ruins. The site had guards, flush toilets and snack shacks that sold… Read More McMaya World
A few weeks ago, my roommates and I drove 14 hours into the jungle to visit the sight of some ancient Mayan ruins. As far as 4th century pyramids in the jungle of Central America go, I guess they were pretty sweet. And if my interest in Mayan civilization extended beyond Mel Gibson’s Apocolypto, I… Read More Graffiti in Maya World
This is just a quick note to say that yes, I’m still alive (and I’m feeling much better, thank God) and I’m going to be traveling to Nicaragua tomorrow. Hopefully after two taxis, a night in a hotel and 23 hours on two different buses, I will be out of the rainy, cold highlands of… Read More I’m Going to Nicaragua Tomorrow!
I remember reading once that when a caveman had to chose which female he wanted to club over the head, drag to his cave and have his way with, he wouldn’t necessarily chose the prettiest or the smartest one, but rather, the healthiest. He’d look to see how thin the cavewoman was, how much hair… Read More Cavemen and Stomach Troubles
The other night, at around 11 o’clock, I stood outside a karaoke bar and debated whether or not it was safe to make the block-long walk from the bar to the park. Even though I only lived five blocks away, I knew that walking on my own all the way home would have been too… Read More Why It Sometimes Sucks to Be Female
I held a paid teaching position in Guatemala for exactly five weeks and one day. Although I quit for financial reasons, the fact that my other co-workers resented my presence didn’t help the situation any. At first I thought I was just imagining their cold looks and silent treatment. And when they ignored me on… Read More Is Working in a Developing Country Ethical?
Maybe this doesn’t come as much of a surprise to you. It certainly wouldn’t if you’d been around me the last few weeks and listened to my endless grumbles of “I don’t get paid enough for this” or “I’m not here to play Hilary Swank to a bunch of unmotivated, ungrateful punks.” Because besides the… Read More I Quit My Job
Patriotism by Alex Thomson “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” That’s what the crowd of Americans seated at the table next to mine were shouting. My housemates and I were in a sports bar, eating cheeseburgers and buffalo wings and watching the World Cup football (soccer) match between England and the United States. While this may have resembled… Read More Patriotism: Good or Bad?
Last Saturday I went to Mexico. I ate some tacos, watched the World Cup in an air-conditioned restaurant, bought some toilet paper at Sams Club and then…went back to Guatemala. The entire trip lasted six hours. My tourist visa was about to expire and I needed to get it extended for another three months. And… Read More Visa Run
The Education system in this country is corrupt. I know that this shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that this is Guatemala, after all. It’s by no accident that two percent of the population live in mansions while the rest of the country (read: the Mayan indigenous population) live under the International poverty line. … Read More Guatemalan Schools are Corrupt (I know. Duh, right?)