Landed in a Sweet Spot in Guatemala City

As a lifelong tennis player, I was always taught to find the sweet spot – the point on the face of the racket between the middle and tip that propels the ball with more power and less vibration to the hands. Well after landing in Guatemala City on Tuesday afternoon, I think I found the sweet spot. But I didn’t do it on my own. It took a community of friends and a network upon which I seem to naturally rely, all with God’s blessings.

On Tuesday afternoon, I landed in Guatemala. After a 2-hour, 19-minute flight (wheels up to wheels down) from Fort Lauderdale, the plane came in for a landing at Guatemala’s La Aurora International Airport. Only about one-third of the plane was full, which made for a comfortable ride from my “extra leg room” emergency exit row seat, which can be had for a $5 upgrade or included in a bundle package on Spirit Airlines.  

As we made our decent, you can see a very mountainous terrain, as you descend into the valley that Guatemala City, the capital, is located in. Someone told me that unlike cities like L.A. or Mexico City, Guatemala City does not trap the air in the valley, but was almost picked for the flow of the wind through it. The air here is pretty clear and fresh, despite it being the largest city in Central America. Outside my window, I had an amazing view of what appeared to be Volcan de Agua as well as Lago de Amatatlin. What a welcome!  

When I first visited Guatemala two years ago, I made a local friend in Rossmary Casasola, who I got to know through my friend Kyle Huwa, who was living here then, and who I was visiting. The three of us spent time in Antigua and hiked the Pacaya Volcano. This time around, I had a new local friend waiting as Rossmary picked me up from the airport during her lunch break. What local hospitality! I had packed quite a bit (2 checked bags and a carry on) as I plan to live here for the remainder of 2021. I will also have a few stints back to Florida – but my first stretch here will go about 87 days.  

The airport is very conveniently located in the city and it was just a short 15-to-20-minute drive to the apartment building I am living in, City Haus. This building is only two years old. And here’s how I found it. When I was first considering a move to Guatemala and teaching at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin, I had let my friend Jorge Jraissati know, as I know he is familiar with UFM. I met Jorge a few years ago at a Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) conference in Atlanta in 2018. He was from Venezuela and finishing up his studies at my alma mater, Florida Atlantic University. When I told him this past fall that I might be going to Guatemala City, he told me that his former roommate at FAU, Luis, was from Guatemala and was back living there now. He introduced us by email and Luis was a huge help in guiding me on what places in the city I might consider living – among other tips and advice! I also was receiving information from Pablo, one of the members of the UFM leadership team who was so instrumental in bringing me to UFM to teach. And, of course, I was constantly consulting with my friend Kyle Huwa, who had the experience of living here for nine months in 2019 and he advised me on many of the things I should be thinking about.  

Pablo had suggested I might see if I could find an apartment at one of several buildings in Zona 10. The city is divided by numbered zones and Zona 10 is one of the safest, more commercialized zones. It also includes a lot of foreign influence, including from American tourists. One of the buildings he mentioned was City Haus. I sent an email to Luis asking about this building and that’s when he told me: “I think my boss lives there.” Luis and his boss, Alvaro, work for PepsiCo. Luis got back to me within a day or two and told me his boss not only lives there, in a spacious 2-bed, 2-bath apartment, but that he also rents out one of those bedrooms via Airbnb. He put us in touch and within days I was on the phone with Alvaro, who is in his 30s, and did a video call, where he gave me a tour of the apartment. It looked nice! And for a price that was superb! It’s exactly what I was looking for and he is allowing me to rent it by the month, with future months blocked out for me until I decide to depart.  

So, I finally arrived to this apartment at the City Haus building on Tuesday afternoon, with Rossmary helping me take my bags in.  The building has a ton of security, including armed guards, and cameras everywhere. When you enter through the lobby, you can see their screens with probably 60 to 100 different camera angles all over the building. The entry doors to the lobby and other various places, such as the gym and the many common workspaces around the building, require an entry card, of which I am now in possession of as part of my amenities. There is also an amazing rooftop, with green space and plenty of tables and chairs to relax or get work done. From the top of this 16-story modern designed condo building, you can see all of Guatemala City, as well as the surrounding mountains and volcanos in the distance. Amazing views! 

The apartment itself is also completely furnished. The bed is comfortable. The water pressure is strong and the showers will be hot. The WiFi seems strong. I even have my own closet with drawers and space to hang clothes. There is a small desk with shelves and drawers that will be perfect for what I need here. There is also a washer and dryer in the unit; he has a house cleaner come once or twice a week for upkeep; and the kitchen has great amenities. And, to top it off, the place also has a comfortable balcony and Alvaro says, yes I can smoke my cigars here. This is all a real luxury in Guatemala City and I’m paying about $650 per month for it. There are no extra fees. No electric bill. No cable or internet bill. No water bill. No trash bill. No HOA. One of the reasons I came here was to reduce my living expenses as I work on launching a business online. That part has been met and I feel really comfortable here already. He even put my big luggage bags in his storage space downstairs in the parking garage.  

Alvaro also pointed me in the direction of a nice shopping and dining plaza called Central Comercial La Estacion, just a 5-minute walk away, which includes La Torre, a really nice grocery store. It’s hard to beat Publix, but this place is clean and the produce and meats are fresh. I couldn’t have asked for a better grocery store nearby. I’ve been advised to always be aware of my surroundings when walking the streets. Even though this is one of the safest areas of Guatemala City, there are plenty of thieves and even muggings. But as long as I am not walking with any valuables, I should be good. While the university I am teaching at is only about an easy 15-20-minute walk away, I will not be walking there with any valuables, such as my computer. So, I’ll mostly be taking short Uber rides there.  

On my first evening here, I also met Alvaro’s neighbors, Julio and Margarita, who also appear to be maybe in their early 30s. Very nice people. They have a beautiful dog named Chester, that appears to be a golden retriever of some sort, that they take on a walk every evening around 6:00pm, and Alvaro joins them, so I also joined them on this evening.  

Alvaro speaks fluently in English and Spanish; however, he knows one of my goals here is to become as close to fluent in Spanish as possible. I know some Spanish, minored in it in college, and have Cuban relatives, but I’ve never been able to quite be fluent. This is my opportunity and I’m taking full advantage. So far, I am feeling confident because I’ve spoken more Spanish in my first two days here than I have in a long time. Alvaro is constantly only speaking Spanish with me and is correcting me or helping me find words. What a great situation! I am blessed to have landed here in Guatemala City, among old friends and new ones and I plan to write more each day to share my experiences of this exciting new adventure. For those back home, please know I am in good hands in a great living situation. And perhaps because of my lifelong devotion to hitting millions of tennis balls, or the great friends I have been blessed to have made over the years, or the angels watching over me, or perhaps some combination… I have once again managed to find the sweet spot.