Xelaju Champion 2006-2007

Yesterday was a special day for Xela, her soccer team won the Guatemalan Championship 2006-2007 after 11 years! The match took place in San Marcos, in the north of Guatemala and we tried to get some tickets but it was impossible. So we went to watch the match with Mynor and his friend in a bar. It was packed and there was a brilliant athmosphere. Especially when Xelaju (Xela's team) goaled twice in the first 15 minutes. The final score was 4-0 for Xela!

We were planing to to in the street celebrating but the rain started really hard. The rain which didn't come this month finally arrived the day of the celebration! So we stayed in the bar dancing for a few hours. Then we went for diner and as the rained had stopped where planing to go to join the crowd close to the city center to wait for the team arrival. But as soon as we finished eating, the rain started again. Yes the raining as finally started! I stayed at the bar for an other hour, then went to bed as I'm working today.

Mynor told me that the team arrived only at 3am this morning completly drunk. Well I was right to go to bed! All this celebration reminded me of the World Cup in Paris when the French team won the quater of final. It is nice to see Xela waking up to celebrate. Usually it's always very quiet. Soccer is the national sport in Guatemala and the most popular.

This week

This week, I have a formation of Bartender on Tuesday all day. I think it is going to be fun, making drinks and coktails.

I'm starting my diploma in Tourism only on the 6th June, they delayed it because there wasn't enough people.

At the hostel, it's going slowly better, people start to hear about us and come. I'm going to concentrate on publicity this week. Got a few ideas to get more people. Oh we have a TV now with a few DVD, but we're still waiting for internet! More than 2 months, it's crazzy. When I say that people don't want to do business here...

[May 16th, 2007]

Work and study

Not much news from the Black Cat, work is busier during the week end but the rest of the time it is slow. Everybody is waiting for the tourists to arrive for the summer.

In the Best of the Guests we had the last two weeks, I would like to write a few lines on Gwenaelle and Gregory, a French couple. They were travelling on a short budget, that i understand. So coming to the Black Cat was spending a bit more money than they were willing to. So we agreed that they paid 35 Quetzales each without breakfast. Normally it's 50Q. But then they were complaining about all the prices and trying to negociate the food prices! In the morning when they left, they argued on 5 Quetzales (=0.45 euros). I hate these kind of people who want to travel without spending money. Why didn't they stay home if they didn't want to spend money??? yes people are weird sometime...

I have decided to invest all my free time to study. On Saturday I'm taking Human Ressources classes. On Wednesday I'm going to take Tourism management classes, starting next week. And when i can take special classes organized by the Tourism association we are members of. Like a course to learn to make drinks and coktails.

[May 10th, 2007 ]

Le chat noir

We should change the name of The Black Cat by Le Chat Noir. In the last two weeks came to the hostel 10 French, the first time I met French in Xela!! One very simple explication is that the old hotel is in the Guide du Routard (French travel guide). And French like a lot this guide so you're sure that if the place is in it you will meet French people. So i started using my French again... feel like I'm talking a Foreign language sometime.

I started taking Spanish classes with Mynor. I know it might seems weird to take Spanish Classes with your boyfriend but it's working really well. He has been teaching for 9 years and you can see that he knows a lot about the language. He's really strict and that's what i need. To correct all the small mistakes I'm doing all the time. My Spanish is improving slowly but sometime I feel not quick enough. But the problem is that I'm talking mostly English during the day.

Work at the hostel is very very slow this week. After a busy last week, we have only 4 people this week. But it's the same everywhere, in Xela as in Lago Atitlan. The raining season has started, that made people leave the country. So this month is going to be quite tuff for us, but we have reservations the end of the month.

On Saturday I'm going to start a course in Human Ressources. It's every Saturday for 4 hours for 4 months. Might be hard at the begining to follow the classes but it is a challenge for me and i need it!!

[ May 8th, 2007 ]

Antigua and the volcano Pacaya

Last week I went to Antigua for two days, to get away from the hostel. First time in 5 weeks I was leaving Xela, was good!!! So on Thursday, I decided to go to Pacaya, which is an alctive volcano. I had been planing to go ages but always canceled it for an other trip. So this time, I wasn't going to miss it.

We left at 2:30 pm Antigua, the weather was really cloudy but i hoped it would clear up later... In my group we were 20 people, which was for me a lot. We arrived at the begining of the treck and all the kids jumped on us trying to sell us walk sticks, and the adults a trip on a horse. Yes really touristic!!! it changed of Santa Maria where you meet hardly any people. The walk was really easy but the guide was going really fast, like he was doing a marathon! We were joined by an other group of 8 people on the way up, so the group got bigger and bigger.

You can't climb to the top of the volcano because it's too dangerous. But we went at 50 cm of the lava. Hot hot hot!!! First time i saw it so close. So that was a good experience. Just don't stay too long or your shoes can start melting...

Unfortunatly we didn't see much of the landscape because it was really misty. And we started going down before the night. Back at Antigua at 9 pm, happy to have done it but I wouldn't do it an other time (like santa maria that i climbed 3 times).

Pictures here

[ April 26, 2007 ]

A quick summary of my life in Xela....

A good job

Mid March I got a job as Manager of a new hostel which opened on March 24th in Xela. The owners, Alejandra and Jose Manuel Gutierrez are brothers and sisters and are from Xela. They opened an hostel in Antigua one year ago and it's working really well. So one year later, they decided to open an other one in Xela where Jose Manuel is working. They recruited me to be the manager and I started by a week of training in Antigua before moving to the hostel.

The hostel

The Black Cat is situated at one block from the Park Central of Xela, close to all amenities. It was a B&B named Casa Kaehler before and they renovated the house. We have 2 double rooms and 5 dorms between 6 and 10 beds. For a total capacity of 47 people. We have a restaurant and bar too opened 8am till 10 pm.

The work

I have an administrator coming every morning 8am till 12pm, Monday to Saturday. I'm working 4 days 12pm to 10 pm and I have a co manager covering me. I have 4 cookers which are working in shif, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. And a girl doing the cleaning.

Work is very slow at the moment, because it's the low season until June. We have about 8 to 10 people staying every night, but it's not enough to cover all the expenses. My bosses bought a mini bus to organize shuttles between Antigua and here 3 times a week. Hope it will help to bring people! Because in Antigua it's always full but people don't come to Xela. We are members of a tourim association and they are trying to help the development of the tourism here. I went to a meeting on Wednesday and it was very interesting, they have very interesting ideas. No let's see if it will bring to something.

Outside work

Even if work is taking most of my time, I'm trying to keep some time for myself. I have started taking Spanish classes again, I'm learning how to do a website, planning to take more salsa classes...

In the end of May, I'm going to start a 4 month course in Tourism. It's only once a week, every wednesday. I have been looking for a while to get a formation in tourism so that's a good opportunity. It is given by Agexport, an association which helps to developp the exportations.

I'm going to try to travel a bit too. Next week I'm going to Antigua for 2 days. To do some publicity but to hike at the top of the Volcano Pacaya too. I have been planing to do it for a long time but always had something else to do. It's an active volcano. And in June I want to go to San Christobal de Las Casas in Mexico for a few days to do some publicity too. It's the closest Mexican town of Xela and many people are passing through before to go to Guatemala. And will take the opportunity to go hiking in a park.