Interning for From Houses to Homes - What you need to know
Get your vaccines, pack up your bags, and hop on a plane. This will be the adventure of your life! That was what ran through my head the summer of 2018, when I spent almost three months in Guatemala interning with FHTH’s school, Kemna’Oj. To be honest, it was a little frightening, leaving the country by myself at 19 years old. But a year and a half later, I couldn’t be more grateful for that opportunity to work with FHTH—and truly, it couldn’t have gone much smoother.
Accommodation
Housing is probably the first thing to look at when you’re spending time in another country. Antigua was the perfect place. It’s a tiny tourist city full of life, and there are plenty of families that offer home-stays, as well as inexpensive hostels. You can check-out the FAQs on the FHTH website. I found a homestay and lived with the Castellano family on the outskirts of Antigua. And remember: if your host family says be back in the house by 8 or 9p.m., listen to them!
Food and Eating Out
Food is delicious in Guatemala. Be sure to check out the traditional meals! My favorite breakfast joint was a tiny restaurant called “El Comedor” on 3rd Street. It had a traditional Guatemalan breakfast: eggs, beans, plantains, and your choice of pan dulce (sweet bread) or tortillas, all for 15Q ($2). There are panaderías (bakeries) all over the city, and each had different special breads. If you are a bread-lover, be sure to explore all of them. For extended stays, La Bodegona is the giant supermarket on 7th Street. But be careful with fresh foods; wash your fruits or veggies in water and bleach before eating.
Water
Water is a bit of a commodity in Guatemala. You can’t drink right from the faucet, and bottles of water can be a dollar a piece. But luckily, if you walk through the center of Guatemala, 4th and 5th street have a few businesses that have filtered water where you can refill your bottle for free!
Markets
There are markets all over Guatemala where you can find trinkets to bring home to loved ones. Don’t be afraid to haggle down to a lower price! If you ask after the big market, you can eventually find, on the outskirts of the city, a huge market with food and clothing items and souvenirs and anything else you can think of! Most of the sellers speak some bits of English, but be prepared for charades.
Transportation
As far as transportation, there is nowhere in Antigua more than 45 minutes away on foot. But if you don’t want to walk that far, you can hail down a Tuk-Tuk and tell them where you want to go; agree on a price before getting in and pay when you get out. To get out of Antigua, there are several buses that leave from the big marketplace. Just ask for the bus to the city you want to go, and somebody will point you there.
Sites
And don’t forget to check out the sites! San Cristobal El Alto is a beautiful mountain and tourist area not far from Antigua. Cerro de la Cruz is a beautiful viewpoint within walking distance of Antigua. There are so many museums and ruins to walk through in Antigua. And if you just hang out in Parque Central on weekends, you are sure to find something going on or somebody to talk to!
Finally, if you have questions about anything to do with Antigua or Guatemala, go to the Facebook group, “The Real Antigua Guatemala Classifieds.” Somebody will be happy answer you!
This blog post was written by Nina Wurzelbacher.