Archive for frustration
Patience in Guate
Posted by: | CommentsThe Wife frequently complains that I sometimes post stories from other blogs that aren’t entertaining. I know that some of you are interested in all things Guate, and not just the silly things that happen to me whilst I navigate the Calles and Avenidas of Antigua, so I try to share things from other blogs that give some insight into what life is like here.
Patience is not one of the virtues I like. It’s hard. However, I’ve been living with a woman for over 15 years and now I have a teenager, so I’m getting a lot of practice. Brandon relates a story of what Guate can be like sometimes, and how it can help you grow in virtue:
Flexibility is handy no matter where you live. But living in Latin America tends to require more than I am used to. Jenny and Kelley went to take BabyM to the doctor at 5:30 yesterday. They were there for 2 hours just…because. We had a team meeting last Monday but could not attend because people who were supposed to get paid for planting trees to prevent deforestation had not been paid by the government and decided to block all the highways throughout the country to make their point. Which they did. And in the process hurt all the people who did nothing wrong and also choke the economy and generally frustrate everyone but the government.
GuateBanking 2
Posted by: | CommentsIn the first installment of GuateBanking, I mentioned my initial challenges with the ATMs. You probably concluded by the end of the story that the frustration from that day’s events was over once I got the cash out. You’re a naive, future potential expat if you actually fell for that.
Hitting the ATM on a daily basis became a regular feature for me, and it took me a while to reconcile my bank statement with all the ATM withdrawals. I realized that in the US almost all of my banking was electronic, either online billpay or debit/credit card usage. I rarely carried much cash. Looking at my online statement, I was shocked at how much cash I had withdrawn.
The closer I looked, I began to see problems. For example, I was seeing withdrawals on days that I had not gone to the ATM. On other days I was seeing multiple withdrawals. I knew that on some days I had hit multiple ATMs, owing to their low maximum per-machine withdrawal, but I knew that wasn’t right because to keep under my card’s daily limit, the 2nd withdrawal in a day was always a lesser amount.
What I concluded was that the ATMs were saying I had withdrawn money even when the ATM had not given money. If you remember from part 1, it’s not uncommon for an ATM to be out of service, although it will rarely say so. It will just say your card is declined, or funds are unavailable, etc. (Ironic that neither people nor machines here can ever directly admit responsibility for anything).
In short, on several occasions I had attempted to withdraw 2000Q, the machine rejected me, but told my bank the money had been withdrawn. If you think that’s not a big problem, contact your bank in the US, tell them you were in Guatemala, tried to withdraw money but didn’t get it, but that your statement shows it was withdrawn anyway. If you bank with a small, local bank, you might get a lot of help (and alot of questions from small-town bankers who probably don’t know where Guatemala is). If you bank with a big national bank, be prepared for six months of red tape before they do anything.
Moral of the story: if you have ANY problems with a ATM in Guatemala, make an immediate note of the date, time and location of the machine, and contact your bank immediately to advise them of the issue. As with anything, the sooner and more aggressive you are in dealing with a problem, the easier it will be (ultimately) to resolve it in your favor.
A Day in the Life of an Expat in Guate
Posted by: | CommentsStories like this are so common…things just don’t work like we expats think they will/should. It can crush you, if you’re not ready, not prepared, not committed to growing and learning through the pain. Someone once told me upon my arrival that if I made it six months and didn’t hate the place, I’d make it.
Reading the story below and reflecting on some of our own adventures (many not yet published), I recall the old saying, “If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger”.
Or is it, “If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stranger?”
Anyway, a story from some Pennsylvania missonaries here in Guate:
Those are strong words…”I hated today.”
But I did.
I’m back in Guatemala now, and that’s a good thing. But it was difficult traveling with 4-year old twins, a pregnant wife, a small dog, and 6 pieces of luggage to a foreign country. And then we waited at the not-so-safe airport for our mechanic to pick us up in our own car.
(Sidenote) Yes, we finally spent money on a car. Here in Guatemala, a 1996 Toyota 4-Runner cost us about $8,000. I know it’s outrageous, but it is what it is.
(Back to my story) I wanted a few things done on the car while I was in the States just to be extra safe. New shocks, brakes checked, lights checked, oil change, etc. It was in great shape, but I just wanted to be sure. I arrived in Guatemala and was handed a bill for 12,000 Quetzals! We paid the bill and went on our way. Remember, it is what it is.When we were a good 45 minutes out of the city, my car practically blew up. It started dragging like it was in a low 4-wheel gear. I slowed down, and did my best to mess with the 4-wheel drive gear shift….but to no avail. It suddenly siezed up and yanked us to a stop as if we had hit a cement wall.
Now, mind you. We were in the middle of a ton of traffic, in a third-world country, with a smoking, busted car. I didn’t know what to do, except get my kids over to the side of the road (yes, those twins), along with my wife (yes, that beautiful pregnant one) and my dog (yes, that poor Yorkie) where everyone would be safe.
But we weren’t safe. We were soooo not safe.
To read the conclusion, visit their blog here.
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