RSS

Posts Tagged ‘Kent Green’

August 9th, 2010 - 7:00 pm § in Costa Rica, Country, Culture, Guatemala

The Centries: Handing Out Awards to Central America

While you read this, I should be on a plane back to the States. As this Latin American production wraps up, I’d like to present the Centries, which honor the highlights of my Central American experience (the marketing department’s working on the name). Best special effects: The Friday me[...]

August 4th, 2010 - 10:17 am § in Country, Culture, Guatemala

Sub-juncting Myself to a Test of Generosity

The subjunctive mood in Spanish twists the mind like overwet taffy. Rarely used in English, it’s a different set of conjugations used to express wishes, doubts or uncertainty. According to my Spanish teacher, Latin America is the best place to learn it: ”La vida aqui es muy duro,”[...]

August 2nd, 2010 - 5:00 pm § in Country, Culture, Guatemala

Nobody (At Least Not Me) Knows the Trouble Guatemala’s Seen

One of the best things about Spanish school is that it’s not just about Spanish. Coming in, I’d envisioned the teacher I currently have, who spends most of our time practicing grammar forms. God knows I need it, but my previous teacher (the school swaps instructors each week, so you can[...]

July 28th, 2010 - 10:29 am § in Around Town, Country, Culture, Guatemala

Oh No, Ojos! (or, Why Gringos Don’t Make Eye Contact)

A white girl smiled at me today, and that is not as racist as it sounds. It’s also not as common as it sounds. Yes, Xela has a fairly sizable population of gringos – and, of course, people from all races and backgrounds. The town’s high concentration of language schools and its prolife[...]

July 26th, 2010 - 6:00 pm § in Culture, Guatemala

We Dance If We Want To (so why don’t we?)

Having been immersed in Latin culture, I’ve realized just how fantastic the skill of dance is. What’s great about it here is that regular people, not those with training or extensive practice, often break out into dances with style, with form, like the merengue or salsa. As it was explai[...]

July 21st, 2010 - 11:01 am § in Around Town, Costa Rica, Country, Good Ideas, Guatemala, Panama, Tips & Resources

Getting Schooled in Spanish Schools

Well, I’ve done this all backward. More than six months after coming to Central America, I’m finally taking a long-term shot at Spanish school. I decided on the school I’m at – Sol Latino in in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala – after hearing good feedback from some travelers I met. B[...]

July 19th, 2010 - 6:00 pm § in Around Town, Country, Culture, Guatemala

Guatemala’s REAL Danger: Not Wanting to Leave

There comes a time in a young traveler’s life when you land in a place and something about it gets you. You don’t just think, “This’d be a cool place to stay.” Instead, the idea of never leaving seizes your brain, and you start asking questions to locals and other extranjeros what th[...]

July 14th, 2010 - 5:00 pm § in Costa Rica, Country, Culture, Nicaragua

Living the High Life (and not even knowing it)

I don’t know why I hate the idea of me being rich. Maybe its because I don’t like people who flaunt money, or because I’m jealous I never will be rich, or because I’m a good-old America-hating socialist. Whatever it is, that label was put upon me recently. It made me really u[...]

July 7th, 2010 - 7:00 pm § in Around Town, Culture, Day in the Life, Panama

The Devils of Panama City

A rarely heard utterance: “My favorite thing about the city was the buses.” A Dutch traveler said it to me about Panama City before I left. I inwardly scoffed; she must just think that because they use bikes so much in the Netherlands. But then I got there, and she’d nailed it. Sorry, Karl[...]

July 5th, 2010 - 9:00 am § in Country, Culture, Day in the Life

Paging Maintenance, We Have a Crisis in Aisle 4

I walked in and froze at the abundance. The shelves towered over my head. The aisles extended half a football field into the store. Endless varieties of products created a hall-of-mirrors effect down the shelves. I’d gone to supermercados in Costa Rica, but they were relatively small. This was[...]





Bad Behavior has blocked 648 access attempts in the last 7 days.