Mi Casa

Click this link for more pictures of mi casa.

The house I live in is about 14 miles west of Guatemala City - at least the part of Guatemala City where I study Spanish. For now I will discuss my home. I will feature the family I live with in a later blog.

The route from Semilla/CASAS to my home is partly city streets and partly a 4-lane highway that winds its way over a mountain. On days when traffic is light the trip takes 30 minutes. On days when traffic is heavy (almost every day) the trip takes 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Yes, it has taken us 1.5 hours to go 14 miles. Traffic around Guatemala City is a mess during rush hour.

My family used to live closer to Guatemala City, but 8 years ago they purchased their current property and built a new home. Their daughter and son-in-law (Claudia and Daniel) are architects and designed the house. The reason they moved further out into the country is that their prior home was in an area where gang violence was increasing, and they felt it was best to leave the area.

The home is located on the side of a mountain (elevation 7,000 ft), about 1/3 of a mile from the main road. (See house location in Google Maps) The house is built of concrete, as are most houses I have seen in Guatemala. The are two main floors in the house. The first floor has a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and master bedroom. The second floor has an office/computer area, three bedrooms and a storage room. Halfway up the stairway there is a laundry room. Our water supply is from a spring located further up the mountain. We have electricity, phone, and internet service. The only hot water available is from a small electric heating element in the shower head (well, it is not always hot - but usually is warm enough to shower).

The lane leading up to the house goes further up the mountain - about another 1/10th of a mile - and then turns into a path. It is possible to hike to the top of the mountain (elevation 8,000 ft). Jose Luis (father of my family) said he will take me up there sometime. The problem for me will be the elevation - I get out of breath quite quickly. Jose Luis is 10 years older than me, and he can hike up the lane and mountain path at a good clip; I have to stop and rest several times.

About 5 years ago Claudia and Daniel (the daughter and son-in-law) also built a small house on the property and moved here. I have not been in that house. It is a single story structure and seems to be constructed of wood. I presume it is a temporary home - I'll have to ask about that.

Daytime temperatures have been in the upper 60s to lower 70s. At night it gets quite cool - in the mid 50s. That might not seem cold to those of you in Indiana, but when you are in a concrete house with concrete floors and no heat, located on the side of a mountain at 7,000 feet, it is quite cold. In the evenings I wear a t-shirt, shirt and jacket, and I still often feel cold. At night I sleep under 3 blankets.