Tag Archives: Travel Tuesday

Culture Shock! And The Sorry Complex – Hong Kong

Welcome to the new series that basically named itself! We’ve just landed in a new continent that is about to challenge us in completely new ways. Some will undoubtedly be intriguing and funny little things we’ll have to adjust to. Others will surely be frustrating or beyond comprehension. Finally, there will be cringe-worthy moments certain to have us questioning why we ever left the comforts of home in the first place.

Each article in the series is intended to be an opportunity to learn, grow and share. It is our collection of observations and information from the different cultures we visit from our subjective anthropological perspective. We never intend to shame or shed negativity on anyone else’s way of life. Wherever we can, we will do our best to understand and explain how to respect and behave in a given place. Though sometimes, we may only be able to share on what NOT to do, as we figure out life as a local through our embarrassing mistakes and faux paus moments.

Pandamonium! Arriving in Hong Kong -- Karina's Extraordinary Life

Pandamonium! Arriving in Hong Kong — Karina’s Extraordinary Life

Culture Shock! And The Sorry Complex

To kick off the series I definitely want to poke fun at one of the most famous stereotypes we deal with as Canadians. Most have heard the jokes, especially if you watch ‘How I Met Your Mother’, about how apologetic Canadian culture is. That’s saying it nicely I guess. Most jokes state that you could punch a Canadian in the face and spill their beer and said Canadian would apologize for running into your hand and offer to buy you a drink! I’d be willing to bet that has never happened, but to a certain degree, absolutely, we apologize for everything. It’s more of a reflex than a heartfelt “I’m sorry”, and most of us may not even think about it, but that absence of acknowledging that you may have possibly, in some minor way bothered, obstructed, touched or dismissed another person has become a very loud silence since we arrived in Hong Kong. Not once have I been apologized to for anything here! Not even when the airline lost my bags!

Continue reading →

Adios Guatemala, Hello Asia

The magnificent Lago De Atitlan --Atitlan, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

The magnificent Lago De Atitlan –Atitlan, Guatemala — Karina Noriega

Thanks Guatemala, We Will Miss You But It’s Time For Us To Move On!

The most difficult part about leaving this beautiful country behind is that we are knowingly walking away from so many other extraordinary places we still have yet to discover. Guatemala has been our home for the past 6 months and while we did explore magnificent locations like that of Lake Atitlan, Antigua, Semuc Champey, Livingston and Rio Dulce, there just never seems to be enough time to see everything. I wanted so much to learn more about Guatemalan culture and through our experiences during Semana Santa, I definitely feel a deeper connection to and a greater understanding of the Guatemalan people. I can say with pride that after attending language classes I was able to further develop my Spanish speaking skills. I know without a doubt that I will end up back in Guatemala once again so I can discover even more of the country’s attractions while continuing to practice effectively rolling my R’s. Plus, there are so many different types of Guatemalan street food I still have yet to try! Continue reading →

It’s Never Too Late To Become An Explorer

Dad and I in the parque central. Antigua, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

Dad and I in the parque central. Antigua, Guatemala — Karina Noriega

Adventures with my Dad were always kept pretty close to home when I was little. He would often help me collect gardener snakes to wrap around my neck as I played about in the woods nearby our house. He sat me on his lap when I was 9 years old and taught me how to drive our family van. When he was doing small repairs on the roof of our house, if my mother wasn’t looking, he would allow me to join him. To this day I will never forget the rush brought on by the impending sense of danger, as I hung my legs over the eaves trough and stared down at my friends on the ground below.

From the beginning he always understood the adrenaline junky in me.

Now the tables have turned and I am the one introducing adventure into HIS life. For just over a week my Dad joined Karina and I on a wild excursion in the tropical jungle of Livingston and the Rio Dulce, followed by our exploration of Guatemalan traditions in Antigua. We had the time of our lives together and in order to showcase our little expedition I created a 3 minute video summary of my Dad’s very FIRST backpacking trip.

He is living proof that it’s never too late to become an explorer.

~ An Extraordinary Story by April Beresford ~

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Making the Most of Your Foreign Language School Experience (Part III: Homestay vs. Hostel)

My bedroom in Xela was a concrete addition added on to the rooftop of the family home. When I stepped outside of my bedroom, this was the view overlooking the city. Xela, Guatemala -- April Beresford

Choosing the best language school accomodations for you: Homestay vs Hostel

Out for a night on the town, eating typical Guatemala food at a local restaurant, La Cuevita De Los Urquizu. Antigua, Guatemala -- April Beresford

Out for a night on the town, eating typical Guatemala food at a local restaurant, La Cuevita De Los Urquizu. Antigua, Guatemala — April Beresford

The big question you will ask yourself, once you have selected the best language school for you , is “Where am I going to live while I am studying?” If you don’t have friends or family who are able to host you, you are likely to go with one of two options:

  1. Stay with a local family (which can be arranged through your school).

OR

  1. Live in a hostel.

I spent three weeks living with a family and three weeks living in a hostel. Both options are relatively low cost but each option has its own benefits. Here are 6 helpful tips I learned from first-hand experience that can help you decide which environment is right for YOU!

Three Advantages To Living With Locals While Attending Language School

Spending time with my host family. Xela, Guatemala — April Beresford
Rooftop Laundry- The family I stayed with dried their laundry on a line located directly outside of my bedroom door. The fresh smell of detergent wafted into my bedroom every morning. Xela, Guatemala — April Beresford
Homestay Room- Photograph of the accommodations provided by my homestay family. Xela, Guatemala — April Beresford

1. Peace of Mind

The homestay experience allows language students to pay a reasonable fee to live and eat with a local family.  When I signed up for language classes in Xela, Guatemala I opted for the homestay experience as it was my first time living in a foreign country. I appreciated the peace of mind I received paying one fee to have all of my food and shelter arrangements taken care of. This relieved significant weight from my shoulders so I could concentrate my energy on my studies.

The weekly fee of US$155 included 25 hours of private classes at the Celas Maya school plus the homestay package with a local family. Meals were provided by the family 6 days a week. On Sunday, students must make their own arrangements for meals which is a common practice for most homestay contracts in Central America.

2. Meals Are Prepared For You

Spending time with my host family. Xela, Guatemala -- April Beresford

Spending time with my host family. Xela, Guatemala — April Beresford

The meals prepared by my host family were very basic and there wasn’t much variety from one day to the next. I found them to be hearty enough that I did not need to purchase additional food.  Students eat whatever the family eats and while each household is slightly different, a staple in most Latin American homes is beans and rice which was served at least once per day by my host family. Families are open to supporting dietary restrictions but in order to ensure the cost benefit ratio serves their interest, they will not increase your food budget.  If you want to increase your meat intake or eat extra veggies every day, you will need purchase those items yourself and the family will cook them for you.

3. Socializing In Your New Language

The best way to create a more authentic immersion experience is to live with a local family. This increases the opportunity for engaging with locals in your immediate environment.  Every time you sit at the dinner table for example, you will have the opportunity to practice your new language. You can’t help but pick up a language faster when everywhere you turn, you are forced to communicate in that new language.

Also, living in the same space as a local family will allow you to connect more deeply with their culture.

Homestay families will provide the quiet environment necessary for you to study and get your required rest so you can maximize your potential for learning.

Three Advantages to Staying in a Hostel While Attending Language School

Hostel Bedroom 1 or 2- View of my hostel bedroom. Antigua, Guatemala — April Beresford.
Study Space- This is the area in the hostel where I typically did my studying. It was the designated smoking area but it was used for such purposes, infrequently Antigua, Guatemala — April Beresford

1. Paying For What You Want

Hostels provide basic services to customers and in turn, provide very inexpensive accommodations to travelers. Most travelers only stay a few nights while they are passing through town, so hostel managers are willing to negotiate a deal on the price when customers are able to commit to a longer stay. While pricing out hostels can be more time consuming than paying for a homestay, in the end you will have more selections to choose from. Also, hostels often provide customers with free wifi access. Your homestay family is unlikely to provide this so your internet access would then be limited to being on-site at your language school. Many hostels will provide free coffee, tea and water throughout the day whereas in a homestay situation, you will be limited as to when and how much you can use of these items.

2. Preparing Your Own Food

Messy Hostel Kitchen- Unfortunately when you are staying in a hostel, some patrons fail to clean up after themselves. Maid staff will clean up the mess when it bottlenecks but I encourage you to be a respectful traveler and clean up your own mess. Antigua, Guatemala -- April Beresford

Messy Hostel Kitchen- Unfortunately when you are staying in a hostel, some patrons fail to clean up after themselves. Maid staff will clean up the mess when it bottlenecks but I encourage you to be a respectful traveler and clean up your own mess. Antigua, Guatemala — April Beresford

Often guests have access to a shared kitchen space where food can be prepared and stored. You can eat whatever you want, when you want (as long as you respect the kitchen’s hours of operation). When committing to a homestay on the other hand, you must respect the families designated meal times and this creates obvious barriers to your freedom if you prefer to come and go as you please. Living in a hostel, if you purchase food at a local market and prepare it yourself you can stay healthy, and keep costs down or you can choose to attend restaurants as you please. The point is, that by utilizing a hostel for accommodations you operate on your own schedule at all times.

3. Immersion Diversion

Learning a new language will be mentally draining. Staying at a hostel will open you to the opportunity of potentially interacting with people who speak the same language as you do. This will give you a break from the immersion experience if you are finding this type of environment too isolating. Lots of new people from all over the world come and go from hostels every day which will expose you to a diverse range of cultures. The hostel environment does however, run the risk of diverting your attention from your studies as they often cultivate a party culture. This can be very distracting as you might be easily swayed to stay out late, getting to know a stranger, when you need to wake up early for school the next day. If you possess unwavering discipline, you will remain a step ahead of the game.

Browsing through local shops with some new friends. Antigua, Guatemala -- April Beresford

Browsing through local shops with some new friends. Antigua, Guatemala — April Beresford

Still have questions?

The strategies presented in mind will definitely help set you up for success as you take on this new venture. If you have any additional questions about selecting language schools , or creating strategies to optimize your learning, please feel free to comment on one of the 3 articles in our Language School series. We are happy to help support you on your quest to learn a new language.

~ An Extraordinary Story By April Beresford ~

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Capital Punishment: A School Room Lesson on Route 66

We pulled off the historic route 66 in the tiny Oklahoma town of El Reno, to explore an old school house that had been standing since the late 1800’s. Karina wandered about the building in awe of all the authentic antiques while I took video footage, documenting the experience. The heat in the schoolhouse was oppressive so I quickly snapped my camera shut and proceeded to hop over a row of two-hundred year old desks, making my way back outside. This should have been a straight forward goal to accomplish; however, I ended up complicating things a little with my clumsy nature.

In the schoolhouse there was a sign posted which highlighted numerous rules and regulations that applied to students and teachers. One rule specified that female teachers were unable to be married and retain their job. (Very interesting!) A story for another day! El Reno, Oklahoma, USA – Karina Noriega

In the schoolhouse there was a sign posted which highlighted numerous rules and regulations that applied to students and teachers. One rule specified that female teachers were unable to be married and retain their job. (Very interesting!) A story for another day! El Reno, Oklahoma, USA – Karina Noriega

These hateful, wickedly archaic style desks have the chair mounted to the table with a thick metal bar. I understood, mistakenly, that the two were connected with no moving parts between them. The chair appeared to be sturdy with a seat capable of supporting my body weight.

The evil, pain-inducing desk. El Reno, Oklahoma, USA – Karina Noriega

The evil, pain-inducing desk. El Reno, Oklahoma, USA – Karina Noriega

Ultimately I learned that the desk was in fact, a trap, and I was dead wrong to take my safety for granted. When I stepped on the seat it suddenly folded up sending my foot launching toward the floor seconds after I slammed my leg hard into the backrest of the chair. My whole body let out a howl likely resembling mating calls typically sounded off by wolves and coyotes. Although, I will say that no pack animals came to my rescue.

Wow, did that ever hurt! Continue reading →

Semuc Champey, Guatemalan Heaven on Earth

Lower pools, panoramic @ Semuc Champey, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

~ It’s only paradise until discovered! ~

Bliss, high pools panoramic @ Semuc Champey, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

Bliss, high pools panoramic @ Semuc Champey, Guatemala — Karina Noriega

Semuc Champey has been known about to locals and few nationals until the last few years. Once a few hearty explorers and adventurous backpackers made the precarious trek deep into the remote valley of Alta Verapaz, the secret began to spill out slowly. Nowadays, it’s the absolute premier destination in Guatemala, if you are enduring and venturesome. Though infrastructure near the area has been vastly improved as far as the town of Pajal, the last 22 kilometres remain a steep and beaten path impassible to anything less a 4X4 machine with high clearance and horsepower.

Good!

I not so secretly hope that it never improves.

Extraordinary places like Semuc Champey should require tremendous efforts to be reached.

Semuc - LowPool

And an extraordinary place it is!

Cascading pools of Semuc Champey, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

Cascading pools of Semuc Champey, Guatemala — Karina Noriega

Continue reading →

Hotter Than Hell – Death Valley, California

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, California, USA -- Karina Noriega
The Devil’s Golf Course is a huge salt pan on the floor of Death Valley, located in the Mojave Desert. The area was once covered by Lake Manly and when the water evaporated all that remained behind was salt chalked full of minerals. Because the area now remains dry, the salt flat is subject to weathering and erosion processes which sculpt the salt into magnificent formations. Quite the sight to behold. Death Valley, California, USA -- Karina Noriega

The Devil’s Golf Course is a huge salt pan on the floor of Death Valley, located in the Mojave Desert. The area was once covered by Lake Manly and when the water evaporated all that remained behind was salt chalked full of minerals. Because the area now remains dry, the salt flat is subject to weathering and erosion processes which sculpt the salt into magnificent formations. Quite the sight to behold. Death Valley, California, USA — Karina Noriega

We arrived in California’s Death Valley National Park just in time to watch the blazing sun fade away behind the mounds of rock and sand. We opted to sleep in the car rather than pay for accommodations as we had done without issue for most of our five month road-trip across the USA. Our extensive experience traveling through deserts in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, had proven to us that the oppressive heat produced by the desert sun is always replaced by cool, comfortable air following dusk. We had yet to experience a desert which continues to roast its inhabitants the whole night through. The inferno formed in California’s infamous Death Valley produces record temperatures so high that it would leave Lucifer himself climbing the walls in search of an escape. It is located in Mohave Desert where the rain shadow produced by the Sierra Nevada mountains blocks all wind and weather systems from reaching the valley. This land is renowned for being the hottest place in the entire world and the driest in all of North America.

We didn’t want to overheat our engine so we only ran the air-conditioning intermittently. Basically we endured the heat until one of us begged the other to be released from the torture chamber. Death Valley, California, USA -- Karina Noriega

We didn’t want to overheat our engine so we only ran the air-conditioning intermittently. Basically we endured the heat until one of us begged the other to be released from the torture chamber. Death Valley, California, USA — Karina Noriega

Continue reading →

Lost My Face

Monument Valley at Sunset, Utah, USA -- Karina Noriega

Monument Valley at Sunset, Utah, USA — Karina Noriega

For nearly a decade, my dark tinted, thick framed Oakley’s have become a part of my face. I wore them everywhere I went, from down to the store to across the planet. Those sunglasses have dominated the foreground in nearly every photograph taken of me around the world. I even wonder if people would recognize me without my beloved Oakley’s. I love those sunglasses.

For a traveling nomad, my worldly possessions have come down to owning only what I can carry on my back. That minimalism creates certain bonds with particularly important items; like my passport and those really good underwear’s! You know the ones, they dry really fast and protect you from the awful humidity induced chaffing. (Travellers relate?) My Oakley’s, hair ties, pens that work and excellent shoes often make the list as well. I love those sunglasses.

My sunglasses didn’t just protect my eyes from harmful UV rays. Those glasses had blending powers! Due to the glorious colour of my skin, it’s not difficult for me to pass as a local in a multitude of cultures. That helped me move safer and unnoticed in many places where I could otherwise experience some harassment. I even got the local prices! (Not the inflated tourist rate.) That was only until I removed my sunglasses of course… or opened my mouth. Ha haha! I love those sunglasses.

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In fact, I could not face parting with my Oakley’s despite the fact that the plastic frames would no longer stay fixed on my head and the lenses where irreparably scratched. Every time I turned my head, leaned over, or if the wind blew, I had to hold on to them, or new scratches would appear from repeated escapes. I hated those sunglasses!

This weekend – almost 10 years since they were gifted to me – while exploring terraced gardens over the mythical Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, my Oakley’s simply evaporated! Hours of searching yielded nothing. They truly vanished. It’s a mystery. I even applied superstition to the cause given the recent discovery of a sunken Mayan city below the lake –  perhaps my very distant ancestors are telling me that time has come. My heart aches for the loss. My brain sensitively reminds me of the years now spent cursing those lenses.

I feel like I lost a part of my face. I have long hidden emotions like wonderment and fear behind the impenetrable darkness of my Oakley’s. Perhaps, it is time for a change.

Continue reading →