Mi Vida en Guatemala
By Sócrates
1. What would your family income be in Guatemala?
My mom would make 16% less.
My dad would make 56% less.
They would likely be teaching in a dual language school.
2. What city and neighborhood would you live in?
I would live in Central Antigua. Previously the capital when under Spanish colonel rule, Antigua has beautiful and old homes and buildings. Central Antigua is a beautiful neighborhood overlooking the central park and within walking distance of many museums, churches, and historical monuments.
3. What type of dwelling would your family live in? How much would rent or your house cost?
We would live in house for $198,000 USD.
4. How many cars would your family have? What types of cars? If you have a driver's license here, would you have one there? What transportation would you use to school and to other activities?
We probably wouldn't have a car and none of us would probably have our driver's licenses because of that. I would probably walk to school or take a chicken bus if I was running late. Chicken buses are refurbished american school buses commonly used in Guatemala for everyday transport.
5. Where would you go to school?
I would go to Antigua Montessori AMS, a Montessori school in southwestern Antigua.
6. What classes would you be taking? What would your schedule be?
Much like in Venezuela I would get to school have my classes: Ciencias Biologicals, Castellano y Literatura, Historia de Guatemala, Dibujo Técnico, Inglés, Computación, and Educación Artística. These classes would be in fluctuation as it is a Montessori school and no schedule would be fixed. I would have lunch in between two classes and I would leave school at two. A lot of schools in Guatemala have a strong focus on language to help serve its large tourist population.
7. What extracurricular activities would you be involved in?
I would probably be involved in soccer. I might also be involved with playing the Marimba after school maybe at church.
Marimba Antigua Guatemala
8. What activities would you do with your friends after school? What about on weekends?
I would probably play soccer, I would probably be involved in Marimba practice after school as well. I would probably have a job or apprenticeship in some kind of tourism. I would probably not have any extra time to spend with friends because of that.
9. Which church would you attend?
I would go to the the Union Church of Guatemala.
10. What would your typical meals be?
My typical meals would consist of various Mayan inspired dishes like Chiles Rellenos, Kak'ik, Elotes.
11. Where would your family shop for groceries?
We would go to a supermarket in Antigua called La Bodegona.
12. Where would you shop for clothes? Do they cost the same there? What would you wear to school?
I would get my school uniform from the school. It is about the same price for a uniform there. I would wear that and a random list of clothing from various second hand shops and neighbors.
13. Who would be a national celebrity you might like?
I really enjoy the work of Nobel Prize-winner, diplomat, and poet Miguel Ángel Asturias. The painter Carlos Mérida is also really cool. His mix of cubism with traditional Mayan art is really fascinating.
14. What type of music would you hear?
In very traditional settings, I might hear some Marimba every so often which has gained popularity in the past and in Antigua in particular. Rock music dominated the 90s music scene and gained popular media support and full radio coverage and is still listened commonly today. The mainstream support of rock music led to many other alternative music scenes like punk and metal. This music, because of the monopoly rock music had on the radio and media, grew in the underground on sites like myspace and rockrepublik. Bohemia Suburbana is one of these alternative bands that spread originally in the underground.
Bohemia Suburbana - Peces e Iguanas
15. Where could you go on vacation?
I could stay locally in Antigua and visit my city from a tourist's perspective. I could visit the many of the church ruins like the Convento la Recoleccion. I could also leave the center of Antigua to go to the Mayan ruins nearby in Tecpán, Guatemala.