I arrived in Guatemala 6 weeks ago and like many things in life, the time flew by!! I've said it before and I'll say it again...I honestly feel like I just stepped off the plane yesterday (with my kind Texan friends that I had just met, by my side). To tell the truth, thanks to the latest news headlines I was unbelievably nervous about traveling in Guatemala. Leaving my husband and the comforts of the US was going to be a challenge, I thought. But the minute I stepped outside my host family's house that first day those feelings of worry vanished and I realized Antigua is just like any other city in the world. There are friendly tourists, food vendors selling food and hand made clothing, colorful buildings, kids gossiping as they walked to school, and locals to greet you with a pleasant 'buenos dias.' Sure, the noisy and unpleasant-looking chicken buses and the armed guards with gigantic guns were a bit of an eyesore at first but I admit, they kind of grew on me (well, maybe not the chicken buses...). My point is, I had a few terrifying internal moments before I left the US (thank God, I didn't share these with my mom). At one point, I actually thought to myself 'is it too dangerous for me to travel to Guatemala?' I now can honestly say no, it's not too dangerous...it's a fantastic country to explore! Fearing the unknown is normal. But not pursuing it is worse.
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