Don’t get me wrong.
I love it here. Guatemala is one of two countries I love the most (along with Burkina Faso) and I am very attached to the place. I was supposed to be in Guatemala for only two months this summer, now I’m staying for at least eight. Life is good here, people are interesting, and the surroundings are beautiful.
I don’t think I will choose to live here for longer than eight months, however. There are some jobs here opening up in the next couple months – year long contracts that pay minimally but that could probably support me. I think, however, that once I finish my six months as volunteer coordinator for a local cooperative that I am going to choose to say goodbye to Guatemala and look for jobs somewhhere new.
Crime rates are up in Guatemala. Against foreigners, they are up 138%. Xela (Quetzaltenango) feels a bit different than last year, not quite the tranquil oasis in a chaotic country that it used to be. Stories of crimes against foreigners in the city are much more frequent than they used to be.
I’m not scared, really. I still enjoy living here. Most of the bad things have happened late, late at night when people weren’t taking the proper safety precautions like taking taxis (not to say anyone deserves what happens to them, but risks can be mitigated.) I am very safety conscious here and as a result I feel secure here.
At the same time, I don’t want to have to be so safety conscious. I don’t want to have thoughts about safety always occupying my brain. I don’t want my evenings out to be dictated by how I am getting home safely.
I love it here, but in no other country I’ve been to has safety been on the brain that much.
Guatemala is still a wonderful, beautiful, amazing country that everyone should visit. Crime should not deter people from traveling here, because safety precautions can be taken to avoid problems. In fact, I am always struck at just how easy travel here can be.
It’s different when you’re somewhere long-term, though. It’s true that in the long run, I plan on working in less secure places (I am planning on applying to be a delegate with the Red Cross in a year or so) so I know that being safety conscious is going to be a big part of the rest of my life. After six more months here, though, I’m going to move on somewhere totally new. How it will be, I don’t know, but until my “career” gets “serious,” I’d like to take a shot at being carefree.
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