Georgians en Guate

2010-03-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted recently, but lots going on. We've all been here a month now. The boys are getting settled in school and Will is getting to play some golf. Last night we learned all about medical care in Guatemala. Bram was hit in the eye (note the use of the passive voice) pretty hard with a golf club and we had to go to the ER. Thank God for our neighbor, a urologist who is friends with the chief of opthalmology at the biggest hospital here. I think all will be well, but Bram has the biggest black eye I've ever seen on a little boy!

2010-02-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

Al mercado dominical en San Lucas Sacatepquez:

Pound of baby potatoes: 60 cents
Small string of garlic: 36 cents
Bag of fresh spinach: 12 cents
Ear of freshly roasted corn: 60 cents
Half pound of tomatoes: 24 cents
Half pound of yellow onions: 36 cents

Finally eating vegetables: $2.28.

(What'd you expect me to say?)

2010-02-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

Kay and the children are supposed to arrive today, but they're snowed/iced in at home. (Tangentially, our missing cat, appropriately named Snowball, showed up on the doorstep at home during the snowstorm after an absence of several months. Ironic or appropriate, not sure which)

On Guatemalan banking: They're VERY cautious with your money, a lesson I learned this week in a couple of different instances.
1. I signed an application for internet banking, and they called me to tell me there was a problem. I went to the bank, and it appears they rejected my application because my signature didn't exactly match the one on my signature card. Apparently this can happen when you write checks as well. So the moral of the story is this. In Guatemala, make sure you sign your name EXACTLY THE SAME EVERY TIME!
2. I wrote a check for my used Hyundai Terracan, and the bank called me -- twice -- to confirm that I had indeed written this check and the amount, etc.

2010-02-08T05:29:00.000-08:00

Starting my classes in Spanish today in Antigua. Beautiful place!

2010-02-04T07:09:00.001-08:00

Tom here. Arrived in Guatemala yesterday. It took awhile to get the animals through customs (9 hours, to be precise), but it all worked out in the end. They were happy to see me. Today's events: enroll the children in school, open a bank account, get a car, etc. etc!

2010-01-17T09:11:00.001-08:00

Testing, testing!