Why Guate?

I’m frequently asked why I moved my family to Guatemala.  There are several reasons, none very earth shattering.

First, we had been contemplating an overseas move for some years.  Our original destination was Buenos Aires.  However, year after year went by and we weren’t getting any closer.

I was burned out from my investment banking job and wanted a slower, more relaxed life. If we maintained our previous standard of living in Arizona, I couldn’t afford to cut my work week back to just a few hours.  If we could find a safe place to live where the standard of living was much less, I could make it work.

We also wanted to become fluent in Spanish.  There are a lot of opportunities to learn Spanish in Phoenix, but it just wasn’t happening for us.  I knew immersion was the only way to go. After years of procrastnation, we scheduled several yard sales, started giving stuff away to family and friends, and made probably a dozen trips to good will.  In the end I had to put ads up on Craigslist offering free furniture if people would simply come and get it.  That did the trip.

In the summer of 2008 we hopped on a bus in Phoenix and headed for Mexico City.  We spent six months in Mexico and enjoyed the experience.  It was a way to ease into Latin America.  During that time I visited Guatemala, specifically Antigua, and fell in love with the weather; it’s like Phoenix in the winter, 70 and sunny every day.  True, the colonial town has some charm as well, but I knew the cobblestones would wear off quickly.

What sealed the deal for me was making some instant friends among the eclectic group of expats here.  The expats who’ve been here a long time all have developed an ‘edge’ that has helped them cope and survive here.  It’s very much like what I imagined the pioneers had who were moving west after we bought stole the land from the American Indians.  The business opportunities here abound because the challenges to operating a business here have scared off all but the most adventures of entrepreneurs.  I was fascinated by that adaptation and wanted to be part of it.

In short, Antigua provided that opportunity for total immersion in the language and culture we wanted, in relative safety, and with a built-in expat community to reach out to when in need.  We’ve cut our monthly budget by more than half from where it was in Phoenix and are on our way to fluency-with no plans to leave Antigua.  Come visit and I’ll buy you a cup of Guatemalan coffee!

Comments/questions:  mark AT guateliving DOT com