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| Around
The House In Guatemala -
You’re a Homeowner in Guatemala, with a Maid, and a Gardner.
Ah!, Heaven! A Dream Come True. ....Now , Here are the Rules You’ve
Gotta Play By. Finally! A full-time employee to clean the house, cook,
make the beds. And another to do the yard. And a third just to watch over
the property. It’s a Wonderful Life. But before you drift too far off into
dreamland, here’s what you’ve gotta know about your responsibilities towards
your Guatemalan employees. |
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| Geezers
Just Like Me - A Central American Change of Lifestyle -
Under the joyful cloak of geezerhood... I bounded from my hermitage in
search of the companionship of other geezers. And I found them basking
in the sun in Antigua’s Central Park. A motley crew at best, we all had
three things in common; we had cast off the burdens of middle age, we were
free of unholy matrimony and we were living on fixed incomes. The latter
was a major source for conversation and the bonding that is unusual to
a group that resembles a gathering of rogue elephants. |
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| Living
On $400 A Month In Guatemala -
What it takes to live in Guatemala, and how to live there on $400 a month. |
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| Hasty
Generalizations About Central Americans and their Differences -
We all know how easy it is to generalize about "national character": the
English are reserved, the Americans are outgoing, the French are cultured,
etc. etc. We also know that when we try to apply such characterizations
to individuals of these countries, the individual doesn't fit the pattern.
In spite of this caveat, here is a quick overview of how Central Americans
have appeared to my wife and myself after working with people in each of
the countries over the past forty years. |
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| On
Being Snowbirds -
“For the past fifteen years we have migrated with the seasons.” We spend
winters in Antigua, Guatemala and summers in Washington, D.C. These are
our feelings about the process. |
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| The
Sailing Life On The Río Dulce -
The Río Dulce is not generally regarded as a place to retire. “That’s
because property is pricey. Most people on the river are living on boats.
They come and go.” But, having fallen in love with Guatemala and it’s people,
Sharon and Big Al decided to stay and build a house boat. Due to the heat
and humidity in the Río Dulce area, they felt that a house boat
would give them more wide open breezes and the ability to enjoy the beauty
of nature. |
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| Ten
Years Already, Yet. On The Grandkids Farm - After a few years living
in Antigua, we thought we’d like a place “more in the country” so the grandkids
could really know Guatemala. And so, we bought some land four miles from
Antigua. A garbage dump, really, with a bonus of some very old coffee trees.
An acre and a quarter. And now, after a lot of hard work and planting a
few thousand more coffee trees, Al processes, roasts, bags and sells “Finca
Los Nietos” coffee. “Finca Los Nietos”? It means, “The grandchildren’s’
farm.” |
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