I’ve now been in Guatemala for over 2 weeks.
I moved into my apartment, I have a go-to tortillaria as well as a go-to corner store, and most importantly, I feel comfortable in Panajachel.
But now I want need to set some personal goals to make the most of this incredible experience.
- Join a soccer team to make guy friends who will invite me to parties where I’ll meet girls
- Read Howard Zinn’s ‘A People’s History of the United States’
- Work through the 5-disc set of Beginning Portugese so I can be ready for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
- Learn how to properly drink out of a small plastic bag
- Drive a tuk-tuk for a night
- Improve my Spanish to a point better of that than when I left Chile
- Seek out additional responsibilities at work
- Stay in touch with those who are important to me
- Establish a real connection to Central America, on top of my Nicaraguan nationality
This is by no means an extensive list but it does represent my priorities as they currently stand. Had I done the same exercise 2 weeks into my study abroad experience in Chile, a side-by-side comparison of expectations versus reality would have looked quite different. But this is a good starting point.
I’m excited to see what I can accomplish in the next few months.
—
Oscar
