Returning to Guate after 4 years away

I spent the end of the year like I've spent the last three, traveling.

If I'm honest with myself, this last year has not been a highlight when it comes to traveling. We ended 2015 and celebrated the start of 2016 with a bang in Thailand/Cambodia. That trip meant a lot to us and heightened our want to travel more. As last year progressed, choices were made that would alter our ability to follow through on our plans to keep adventuring.

In 2016 I found out that finding the work you love doesn't necessarily translate to a sustainable living wage. Midway through the year, I found a great opportunity and freedom I've always craved in my professional life, but with that came a steep pay cut...I took a chance.

I figured that being fulfilled in my work life would compensate for the shortage of funds; I realize now this is not true, at least for me. I want to do work that I love, but don't want that work to interfere in doing the things I do in my personal life. And unfortunately, that's what happened.

High on the list of adventures was a trip to Guatemala for a family reunion. At the time we began to plan logistics I transitioned into my new job. Right around that same time my partner lost her job, forcing us into a financial bind.



Going back to Guatemala


Due to a new shortage of income, we had to cut our group trip. This year I would be the only one heading out of the country.

This trip not only served as a re-connection with the country but a celebration of my parents. They were renewing their vows after three decades together.

The days drew closer to my departure, and I became eager to get back to Guatemala. So much of my adult life has been shaped by the choice I made at 18 to live there. Those few months opened up a world of possibility, and I've never looked back since.

My last trip there was in 2012 when I introduced the country to my daughter. We shared a journey that tied the innocence of my past with the responsibilities of the "Adult" life I live now.

I flew out on Christmas day and spent a week connecting with the people that bring me alive. Getting re-acquainted with the culture I forget about, and the roots of my family. I traversed the land, the city, taking in the beauty of 'La eterna primavera' (The Eternal Spring) as the countries unofficial title.
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A week in Guatemala flew by and leaving proved just as difficult as it always does. A big goal in the near future will be to move back there as a family.

My short term goal I'm working on for 2017 will be to find a healthier balance between my work life and finances.

I foresee a future where Guatemala becomes a yearly ritual until I find the space to make living there a reality. The plan for 2017 at the moment will be on taking steps to start making that a reality....starting now!


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