_
What to pack:
- Don’t forget Cipro…you WILL have some serious GI problems and you will regret it if you don’t have it with you. Take it at the first sign of a problem and you will be very happy you did
- Don’t worry about heels or cute clothes. Jeans and t-shirts and maybe a couple of nice tops will work.
- Tennis shoes and sandals are a must. Don’t really worry about packing anything else. Maybe some flats for if you want to go out salsa dancing one night, but even then, sandals or tennis shoes are fine
- Winter is worst in November and December, but even though it is near the equator and may be “spring,” it does get cold. Of course a nice day where it’s around 65-70 during the day and maybe upper 50s at night is fine in the US, but there is no insulation and no heat….layers are necessary!
- Don’t waste suit case space with “business casual” work clothes. Scrubs are your best friend and they will be all you need in clinic.
- Don’t go there assuming that you will just buy certain things once you get there. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. are much more expensive there.
- I questioned if I would need to pack my own towel…yes!
- You won’t need your white coat…don’t waste your time
- You can bring a stethoscope if you want, but there are plenty available to use
- Don’t’ worry about laundry detergent, etc. There is a service through the school to have laundry done really cheap, and the money goes towards scholarships
- You will get sick of the food, and will likely get hungry. Taking some of your favorite snacks (granola bars, etc.) will really be helpful
- Everyone I met was intrigued by pictures of my family, of my house, my school, etc. Lots of pictures (not only on the computer, but old fashioned print outs) will help spark conversation and everyone will really enjoy it
- Summer for us = rainy season there. Don’t forget your umbrella and a water-proof jacket.
- If you have ever had problems with motion sickness before, make sure to get some Dramamine and take it before going on any road trip. If our roads are a straight line, theirs is more like a go-cart track
- If you have anything that requires a 3-prong plug-in, be sure to get 3 to 2 prong converters. All of the outlets only have two prongs.
- Don’t expect to have anything mailed to you. Take all that you need, mail can take weeks
- A good book would probably be good, but don’t go overboard. The school has plenty of good books you can check out to read.
- Don't worry about going through all of the fuss with trying to get a US cell phone to work in Guatemala. Not a lot of carriers work there, and it is pretty expensive. If you can find a cheap phone in the US that takes SIM cards, it would be fine to take, but I probably wouldn't even bother with that. You can get a phone through Moviestar or Claro- phone companies in Guatemala. Moviestar is the best for calling and texting the US and you can get an initial startup package with a phone, 20 free texts, and 250 quetzales worth of credit for about 160 quetzales (less than $20US). They often run specials (like 3 for 1, 6 for 1, etc.) where you can get triple, quadruple, etc. credit for how much you want to buy. It generally costs 1 quetzal per minute for calls in Guatemala. Moviestar charges the same for calls to the US whereas other carriers generally charge 2 quetzales per minute to the US. Text rates vary.
Getting to Xela:
- Xela is about a 4 hour bus ride from Guatemala City. If you get in late afternoon, chances are you already missed your chance to get on a bus for the day and I probably wouldn’t recommend it. The school has a woman (Maria) that has been working with the school for years that will pick you up from the airport, let you stay the night, and will take you to the bus station in the morning to arrive one block from the school in Xela. If you want to arrange things on your own, I would at least recommend having her pick you up from the airport and take you to the bus station because you never know who to trust and aren’t that well oriented when you first arrive and have very minimal Spanish knowledge
- I planned to arrive early and stay with Maria so I could have time to visit Guatemala City. It really isn’t a tourist place, so if you were planning on doing the same, save your time and money!
- If you want to plan in advance, you can arrange through adrenalina tours to have a shuttle pick you up at the airport and take you directly to the school for around $30US. This may be a good option and you don’t have to worry about lugging around all of your things
- There are a lot of bus companies and a lot that are better than the one recommended by the school (Galgos), but I would also recommend this one for initially arriving since it is literally around the corner from the school. Without a map, being fluent in Spanish, and having any idea of where or how to contact people it just makes it a lot safer and more comforting.
Clinics:
- Don’t worry if you have absolutely no Spanish. If you want to do triage, the questions that are absolutely necessary are written down, for pharmacy you can do as much as you are comfortable, and if you want to see patients, you can either go with a doctor or a resident who may be rotating there. They will match you with someone who has a decent level of Spanish.
- I would definitely recommend doing pharmacy, you will likely never again have the opportunity to do the job of a pharmacist. If you are comfortable doing so, you can explain to patients how to take their meds and answer any questions as well. If not, someone else can.
- You can delve as far into history as you want with triage. This is a good way to help out those who will be examining the patient and practicing your Spanish.
- Really don’t worry about your Spanish level. The patients are so appreciative of us for being there and understand that we are learning Spanish. If you are really having a difficult time, there are plenty of people around to ask for help…and a dictionary and class notes are always welcome!
- Mobile clinic is awesome and happens every Wednesday. You are assigned to groups to determine if you will be in mobile or at clinic at the school. If you have a strong desire to spend more time in clinic, you can definitely ask.
- You will have an orientation to clinic before starting, and won’t work in clinic during the first week as you will do cultural competency lectures during the morning of that week and have your lessons in the afternoon.
- Clinics are in the morning Wednesday and Friday. If you want to go to work with the midwife, you can go any day you want and can even stay overnight a few times.
- I would recommend spending time with the midwife to get a feel of rural medicine in another country, especially one that has roots to some really traditional medicine that may not be found anywhere else. But just an FYI…men aren’t really allowed. Sorry!
-
Travel:
- Chichabal-pretty steep hike to a lake that continues to have pretty well preserved mayan culture. They have done a trip through the school and if you are interested in going, they would be able to provide information.
- Champerico- also done on a trip by the school. The beach had black sand but there were serious currents, so you can’t really swim, but it’s nice to go enjoy a day at the beach. Even though it is only a few hours away, it is HOT year round! Take sandals, the sand will definitely burn your feet (it was over 100 degrees when we went and it was only in the 50s in Xela).
- Fuentes Georginas- easy to get to by a chicken bus to Zunil and then walk down the hill to the church where you will find pickup trucks to take you to the hot springs. It is definitely worth a day trip, and you can even leave early in the morning (7ish) and be back by 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
- Lake Atitilan – Everyone wants to be sure to take a trip here. If you need a taste of home, the area around San Pedro is pretty much all English-Speaking and you can get a hot, full pressure shower and a nice, comfortable bed. A lot of people like to stay at La Casa Del Mundo which will make you feel amazing! It is only accessible by boat and so some people opt to stay in San Pedro. Sak’ari is a nice hostel/hotel to stay in as well. If you want to stay until Monday, you can easily get on a bus in San Pedro at 4am to make it back for Monday morning lessons. If you have lessons in the afternoon, 8am bus will work just fine.
- Tikal- it may be crazy, but you can leave at 3pm on a Friday and be back by noon on Sunday. The trip is through Adrenalina tours, but you can easily piece together the trip yourself. If you want to go to Guatemala city and then fly up, there are flights every day (I believe at around 6am) to Flores, so that is also an option. Just know that flights will cost about as much as flights in the US will cost, but if you want the trip all by bus, it comes out to about $160US.
- Antigua – Pretty much everyone goes here for a night before leaving Guatemala. It is only about an hour away from Guatemala city and there are frequent shuttles, so if you have an early flight, you won’t make it from Xela in the morning, but you can take a shuttle to Antigua and do an early morning shuttle from Antigua to Guatemala City. The shuttle to Antigua from Xela is ony about $30US (for a private shuttle from Adrenalina tours, but I believe you need at least 2 or 3 people). A lot of people like to stay at The Yellow House or El Hostel.
- HIKING! –Guatemala has some of the craziest terrain I have ever seen. When you look out of the plane window flying in, you will know why hiking enthusiasts love Guatemala! If you are into it, I would definitely recommend it. There are some really difficult hikes (Santa Maria where you can look down into an active volcano!), Chichabal was pretty intense, San Pedro is a pretty difficult hike that a lot of people like because of the awesome view of Lake Atitilan, and if you want a really intense hike that doesn’t take the entire day around the lake, there is Nariz del Indio (Indian nose) which a lot of people like and it actually gives a much better view of the lake. There is a company (quetzaltrekkers) that does a bunch of hikes all the time. If you are a solo traveler, don’t worry…there are always people at the school inviting everyone to go places, but if you just do a quetzaltrekkers trip yourself, you are sure to meet some awesome people as well!
- Some useful travel sites:
o http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/
o http://www.adrenalinatours.com/
o http://www.xelapages.com/
Things to do in Xela:
- TRAMA textiles- fair trade commission of indigenous women. They have a store with awesome products that a lot of students like
- The first Sunday of every month is the market in Xela. You can get pretty much any souvenir you want for pretty cheap
- Sabor de India is a pretty good Indian restaurant that everyone loves to go to
- Buy fruit/veggies along 16 avenida. Just going to the market is fun
- Everyone ends up wanting a taste of home and a bakery is a great way to do it. Xela Pan is really popular, as is the Bake Shop- a Mennonite bakery a few blocks from school
- Every Wednesday night there are salsa classes followed by a salsa club in town that everyone likes to do
- Café R.E.D. has traditional cooking classes that some people really liked
- You can learn traditional Mayan backstrap weaving through a few different places in town. There are always signs up on the bulletin board about it.
- Parque central is a great place to go to study. There are plenty of park benches as well as coffee shops and bakeries that make for an awesome time. It is definitely my favorite area of the city.
CONTACT ME!
Have questions? Don't hesitate to contact me. I don't want to put my email address on here, but my name is Tavia...and that is all you need for my medical school email address. If you go to UNC, you should be able to figure it out from there (or ask someone in the Office of International Studies).
What to pack:
- Don’t forget Cipro…you WILL have some serious GI problems and you will regret it if you don’t have it with you. Take it at the first sign of a problem and you will be very happy you did
- Don’t worry about heels or cute clothes. Jeans and t-shirts and maybe a couple of nice tops will work.
- Tennis shoes and sandals are a must. Don’t really worry about packing anything else. Maybe some flats for if you want to go out salsa dancing one night, but even then, sandals or tennis shoes are fine
- Winter is worst in November and December, but even though it is near the equator and may be “spring,” it does get cold. Of course a nice day where it’s around 65-70 during the day and maybe upper 50s at night is fine in the US, but there is no insulation and no heat….layers are necessary!
- Don’t waste suit case space with “business casual” work clothes. Scrubs are your best friend and they will be all you need in clinic.
- Don’t go there assuming that you will just buy certain things once you get there. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. are much more expensive there.
- I questioned if I would need to pack my own towel…yes!
- You won’t need your white coat…don’t waste your time
- You can bring a stethoscope if you want, but there are plenty available to use
- Don’t’ worry about laundry detergent, etc. There is a service through the school to have laundry done really cheap, and the money goes towards scholarships
- You will get sick of the food, and will likely get hungry. Taking some of your favorite snacks (granola bars, etc.) will really be helpful
- Everyone I met was intrigued by pictures of my family, of my house, my school, etc. Lots of pictures (not only on the computer, but old fashioned print outs) will help spark conversation and everyone will really enjoy it
- Summer for us = rainy season there. Don’t forget your umbrella and a water-proof jacket.
- If you have ever had problems with motion sickness before, make sure to get some Dramamine and take it before going on any road trip. If our roads are a straight line, theirs is more like a go-cart track
- If you have anything that requires a 3-prong plug-in, be sure to get 3 to 2 prong converters. All of the outlets only have two prongs.
- Don’t expect to have anything mailed to you. Take all that you need, mail can take weeks
- A good book would probably be good, but don’t go overboard. The school has plenty of good books you can check out to read.
- Don't worry about going through all of the fuss with trying to get a US cell phone to work in Guatemala. Not a lot of carriers work there, and it is pretty expensive. If you can find a cheap phone in the US that takes SIM cards, it would be fine to take, but I probably wouldn't even bother with that. You can get a phone through Moviestar or Claro- phone companies in Guatemala. Moviestar is the best for calling and texting the US and you can get an initial startup package with a phone, 20 free texts, and 250 quetzales worth of credit for about 160 quetzales (less than $20US). They often run specials (like 3 for 1, 6 for 1, etc.) where you can get triple, quadruple, etc. credit for how much you want to buy. It generally costs 1 quetzal per minute for calls in Guatemala. Moviestar charges the same for calls to the US whereas other carriers generally charge 2 quetzales per minute to the US. Text rates vary.
Getting to Xela:
- Xela is about a 4 hour bus ride from Guatemala City. If you get in late afternoon, chances are you already missed your chance to get on a bus for the day and I probably wouldn’t recommend it. The school has a woman (Maria) that has been working with the school for years that will pick you up from the airport, let you stay the night, and will take you to the bus station in the morning to arrive one block from the school in Xela. If you want to arrange things on your own, I would at least recommend having her pick you up from the airport and take you to the bus station because you never know who to trust and aren’t that well oriented when you first arrive and have very minimal Spanish knowledge
- I planned to arrive early and stay with Maria so I could have time to visit Guatemala City. It really isn’t a tourist place, so if you were planning on doing the same, save your time and money!
- If you want to plan in advance, you can arrange through adrenalina tours to have a shuttle pick you up at the airport and take you directly to the school for around $30US. This may be a good option and you don’t have to worry about lugging around all of your things
- There are a lot of bus companies and a lot that are better than the one recommended by the school (Galgos), but I would also recommend this one for initially arriving since it is literally around the corner from the school. Without a map, being fluent in Spanish, and having any idea of where or how to contact people it just makes it a lot safer and more comforting.
Clinics:
- Don’t worry if you have absolutely no Spanish. If you want to do triage, the questions that are absolutely necessary are written down, for pharmacy you can do as much as you are comfortable, and if you want to see patients, you can either go with a doctor or a resident who may be rotating there. They will match you with someone who has a decent level of Spanish.
- I would definitely recommend doing pharmacy, you will likely never again have the opportunity to do the job of a pharmacist. If you are comfortable doing so, you can explain to patients how to take their meds and answer any questions as well. If not, someone else can.
- You can delve as far into history as you want with triage. This is a good way to help out those who will be examining the patient and practicing your Spanish.
- Really don’t worry about your Spanish level. The patients are so appreciative of us for being there and understand that we are learning Spanish. If you are really having a difficult time, there are plenty of people around to ask for help…and a dictionary and class notes are always welcome!
- Mobile clinic is awesome and happens every Wednesday. You are assigned to groups to determine if you will be in mobile or at clinic at the school. If you have a strong desire to spend more time in clinic, you can definitely ask.
- You will have an orientation to clinic before starting, and won’t work in clinic during the first week as you will do cultural competency lectures during the morning of that week and have your lessons in the afternoon.
- Clinics are in the morning Wednesday and Friday. If you want to go to work with the midwife, you can go any day you want and can even stay overnight a few times.
- I would recommend spending time with the midwife to get a feel of rural medicine in another country, especially one that has roots to some really traditional medicine that may not be found anywhere else. But just an FYI…men aren’t really allowed. Sorry!
-
Travel:
- Chichabal-pretty steep hike to a lake that continues to have pretty well preserved mayan culture. They have done a trip through the school and if you are interested in going, they would be able to provide information.
- Champerico- also done on a trip by the school. The beach had black sand but there were serious currents, so you can’t really swim, but it’s nice to go enjoy a day at the beach. Even though it is only a few hours away, it is HOT year round! Take sandals, the sand will definitely burn your feet (it was over 100 degrees when we went and it was only in the 50s in Xela).
- Fuentes Georginas- easy to get to by a chicken bus to Zunil and then walk down the hill to the church where you will find pickup trucks to take you to the hot springs. It is definitely worth a day trip, and you can even leave early in the morning (7ish) and be back by 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
- Lake Atitilan – Everyone wants to be sure to take a trip here. If you need a taste of home, the area around San Pedro is pretty much all English-Speaking and you can get a hot, full pressure shower and a nice, comfortable bed. A lot of people like to stay at La Casa Del Mundo which will make you feel amazing! It is only accessible by boat and so some people opt to stay in San Pedro. Sak’ari is a nice hostel/hotel to stay in as well. If you want to stay until Monday, you can easily get on a bus in San Pedro at 4am to make it back for Monday morning lessons. If you have lessons in the afternoon, 8am bus will work just fine.
- Tikal- it may be crazy, but you can leave at 3pm on a Friday and be back by noon on Sunday. The trip is through Adrenalina tours, but you can easily piece together the trip yourself. If you want to go to Guatemala city and then fly up, there are flights every day (I believe at around 6am) to Flores, so that is also an option. Just know that flights will cost about as much as flights in the US will cost, but if you want the trip all by bus, it comes out to about $160US.
- Antigua – Pretty much everyone goes here for a night before leaving Guatemala. It is only about an hour away from Guatemala city and there are frequent shuttles, so if you have an early flight, you won’t make it from Xela in the morning, but you can take a shuttle to Antigua and do an early morning shuttle from Antigua to Guatemala City. The shuttle to Antigua from Xela is ony about $30US (for a private shuttle from Adrenalina tours, but I believe you need at least 2 or 3 people). A lot of people like to stay at The Yellow House or El Hostel.
- HIKING! –Guatemala has some of the craziest terrain I have ever seen. When you look out of the plane window flying in, you will know why hiking enthusiasts love Guatemala! If you are into it, I would definitely recommend it. There are some really difficult hikes (Santa Maria where you can look down into an active volcano!), Chichabal was pretty intense, San Pedro is a pretty difficult hike that a lot of people like because of the awesome view of Lake Atitilan, and if you want a really intense hike that doesn’t take the entire day around the lake, there is Nariz del Indio (Indian nose) which a lot of people like and it actually gives a much better view of the lake. There is a company (quetzaltrekkers) that does a bunch of hikes all the time. If you are a solo traveler, don’t worry…there are always people at the school inviting everyone to go places, but if you just do a quetzaltrekkers trip yourself, you are sure to meet some awesome people as well!
- Some useful travel sites:
o http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/
o http://www.adrenalinatours.com/
o http://www.xelapages.com/
Things to do in Xela:
- TRAMA textiles- fair trade commission of indigenous women. They have a store with awesome products that a lot of students like
- The first Sunday of every month is the market in Xela. You can get pretty much any souvenir you want for pretty cheap
- Sabor de India is a pretty good Indian restaurant that everyone loves to go to
- Buy fruit/veggies along 16 avenida. Just going to the market is fun
- Everyone ends up wanting a taste of home and a bakery is a great way to do it. Xela Pan is really popular, as is the Bake Shop- a Mennonite bakery a few blocks from school
- Every Wednesday night there are salsa classes followed by a salsa club in town that everyone likes to do
- Café R.E.D. has traditional cooking classes that some people really liked
- You can learn traditional Mayan backstrap weaving through a few different places in town. There are always signs up on the bulletin board about it.
- Parque central is a great place to go to study. There are plenty of park benches as well as coffee shops and bakeries that make for an awesome time. It is definitely my favorite area of the city.
CONTACT ME!
Have questions? Don't hesitate to contact me. I don't want to put my email address on here, but my name is Tavia...and that is all you need for my medical school email address. If you go to UNC, you should be able to figure it out from there (or ask someone in the Office of International Studies).