In Guatemala, many many people live in poverty. Guatemala is one of the top countries in Central American that suffers from malnutrition due to poor living conditions, lack of education and resources. Pictured to the left is a common home for a family of 8 who experience a life of poverty. As you can see, its a one room home. The roof is made of tin and the walls are typically made with corn stalks. This house does have a "stove", you can see the chimney coming out the top. A "stove" is usually a stone setup that uses firewood to cook with. And obviously, the floors are just dirt. There is no running water, there is no bathroom. Likely the family has one mattress that everyone shares or they have hammocks that tie up at night. The Guatemalans are industrious people who creatively use the resources that they do have at their disposal. However, those resources are usually limited.
When we were in Guatemala in 2010, our host family lived in a house like this.
This is taken from the back yard looking into the house. It is very common to have an open construction type dwelling. To the left, behind the clothes is the kitchen, open to the air. Next to the kitchen, on the left, is a small bathroom and then two bedrooms. There is a small living room area straight ahead of the open porch. All the floors are tile and there is a tin roof covering the entire house. The house is constructed entirely of cement block. This is a nice home in Guatemala and we were privileged to stay at such a place.
If you are wealthy, you have some more options. Like this lovely colonial house is near Antigua, Guatemala. It's selling price is a mere $270,000 USD. This is for rich American retirees.
Back to the original question, where will we be staying? We will be living in a home somewhere between these two. We do not know our housing exactly yet. We will be staying Guatemala City, Guatemala. Guatemala City is more developed than the rural areas of Guatemala. We will not be living on dirt floors and we will have running water. I cannot be sure of having a hot water heater, but I do know there will be indoor plumbing. The Assemblies of God prefers we live in a gated community where there are armed guards. This is for our safety. Guatemala can be a dangerous place and have a gated community helps slow down unwanted visitors to the neighborhood. We are praying even now that God will prepare the perfect home, situated exactly in the perfect location so that we may do his will.
Have you ever lodged in an interesting place? Share with us your experience.
