LIST OF THINGS YOU MIGHT NEED IN GUATEMALA

EASY TRAVEL: Students from the United States, Canada and the Europe do not need a visa or tourist card in order to travel to Guatemala. A valid passport is the only document needed to enter the country.

PERMISSION TO STAY IN GUATEMALA: The immigration officer will give you a 90-day stay visa.

VACCINATIONS: It is recommended that those traveling in Guatemala update their tetanus, diphtheria and poliomyelitis shots before leaving. If you plan to visit rural areas, typhoid and gamma globulin are also highly recommended to prevent typhoid and hepatitis A. It is best to complete these at least two weeks before departure. Malaria is not a danger in Xela. For more information on vaccinations, visit this web site:http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm

FLIGHT RESERVATIONS: We recommend you to contact EXITO, Latin America Travel Specialists, for discounted flights to Guatemala at 1800-655-4054, ext. 8531, ken.exito(at)wonderlink.com, or visit http://www.exitotravel.net/affiliates/casaxelaju/gua.html (USA and Canada). For other countries, please contact your preferred travel agency.
If you would like travel to Tikal, ask in the office at Casa Xelaju for the packages and flight tickets sold to the benefit of the children of la Pedrera community.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS: Passport, photocopy of your passport, driver's license or other identification, traveler's checks, $50.00in cash, and your international phone card are recommended.

ARRIVING ON YOUR OWN: If you do not want to be met at the airport, we recommend the following strategy: Exchange at least $50.00 into Quetzales (rate US. $1.00 =Q 7.60) at the bank located on your way to customs or second floor of the airport. If you are arriving in the afternoon, take a taxi to Hotel el Aeropuerto Guest-House, 3 blocks away from the airport, 15 Calle A, 7-32. Zona 1. The cost for one night is $US30.00 including continental breakfast and transportation back to the airport. Please take note that if you do not show up due flight cancellation or other reasons, you must pay for that night to Casa Xelaju office. If you are leaving to Quetzaltenango next morning, please tell the hotel to give you the free ride to the bus station. If you need the name of your family in Quetzaltenango, please contact Jaime Fernandez (jaime(at)casaxelaju.com) or 612 235 4347 three days before you arrive.

If you are taking the bus, next morning take another taxi to Transportes Alamo, 21 Calle 0-14, Zona 1, Tel: 2471-8626. If you are arriving in the morning, take a taxi directly from the airport to Transportes Alamo. Buses leave to Quetzaltenango at 6:15 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:30, 3:00 and 4:00 PM. Never walk from your hotel to this bus station because there are pick pockets in the area. Taking the taxi is very safe. An alternative company is Autopulman Galgos located at 7a. Avenida, 19-44, Zona 1, Tel: 2253-4868. Buses leave for Quetzaltenango at 5 :30 AM, 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:30 PM. (slow buses).The trip from Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango will take about four hours. It is best o wait until the bus arrives at the terminal in Quetzaltenango to get off. From the terminal, take a taxi to Casa Xelaju. The school is open from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM Monday-Friday, and closed on weekends. If you need to call from within Xela, the number is 7761-5954 or 5955. If you arrive after these hours and are unable to contact anyone from the school, we recommend the following: Casa Xelaju has one and two bedrooms apartments. If you wish to make reservation, please let us know. If we have space, the cost of one night is $12.00. HOTELS: Pension Altense, 9 Calle, 8-48 Zona 1, Tel: 7761-2811. The cost is about Q75 or $9.00. Another option is Kiktem-Ja, 13 Avenida, 7-18 Zona 1, Tel: 7761-4304 or 7761-2667, at Q125 or $16.00.

BEING PICKED UP AT THE AIRPORT: Please inform CX one week in advance if you wish to be met at the airport. The cost to be brought from the airport to Quetzaltenango, "Xela", is $40.00 for students arriving in the morning and $50.00 for those arriving in the afternoon and who need a hotel reservation to stay overnight in Guatemala City. Our representative will be holding up a sign with "Casa Xelaju". You will be taken to the hotel where you will have a paid reservation. The next day you will be picked up and taken to the bus station where you will be given a paid ticket to Xela. Once you arrive in Xela you will be met by CX representatives and taken in a taxi to your new host family. If you have any problems locating our representative at the airport after 20 minutes, please call Karla Zaper/Gerardo Pérez at 5686-1917, 5200-5770 or 2476-3243. If there is no answer, call CX at (cellphone) 5796-1486 (spanish only) or 5682-2539. If there is no answer, follow the instructions under, "arriving on your own." Upon arriving in Quetzaltenango, you will be met at the bus terminal by another CX representative who will introduce you to your family. If for any reason you must cancel your arrival date please advise us as soon as possible. The pre-paid hotel and bus ticket are non-refundable so you will be held accountable for payment. If in the airport your baggage is lost, you can wait for it or go on to Xela. Your baggage can be claimed by our representative and put on a bus to Xela for $15. This covers the cost of his time and the bus ticket. It is likely that the representative will have to return for your baggage more than once, in this case, you will be charged accordingly.

*IF YOU ARE ARRIVING ON THE FOLLOWING DATES, THIS MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU:
The Casa Xelajú bus will be at the airport on June 18, June 22, and July 8, 2007. We can take your directly from the airport to your host family´s house in Quetzaltenango. Space is limited and reservations are based on a first come first served basis. If interested, put in your application under comment section that you would like this service or send an email to jaime@casaxelaju.com.

WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CARRY VALUABLES AND MONEY ON YOUR PERSON WHEN TRAVELING

BY BUS IN GUATEMALA. TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST DAY IN GUATEMALA: Bring a change of clothes and valuables in your carry on bag. Put money and passport in money belt or neck wallet. Guatemala City, like most capital cities in the world, has pocket pickers. Do not put toilet paper in the toilet as the plumbing cannot accept it. To avoid amoebas or stomach infections, do not drink the tap water, eat salads in restaurants or the food sold in the street.

REFUND POLICY FOR CANCELING CLASSES: If you decide to cancel any amount of the time you signed up to study at CEX, you will be expected to pay for it. WE GIVE A 50% REFUND FOR TIME CANCELED. If you do not arrive on the day you tell us, and your teacher is left waiting, you will be charged accordingly. You might be able to make up the days with your teacher when you arrive.

E-MAIL and Internet Our office has 10 computers with access to the internet. In addition, we have wireless internet access in our building. You are very welcome to bring your laptop. You have to ask our webmaster for the password.

PHONE: International phone calls.
Casa Xelaju is offering cheap international phone calls to the US, Canada and other countries. Our rate is Q 1.00 per minute ($ 0.11) and there are no connection fees.
AT&T, MCI or SPRINT usually charge $ 0.25 per minute with a calling card. But long distance calling cards don't work from our phone. So it is much easier and cheaper to make international phone calls from the office at Casa Xelaju.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS: Casa Xelaju recommends bringing any textbook you feel comfortable with. For drills and homework, please purchase The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice by Ronni L. Gordon and David M. Stillman (Passport Books), a Spanish and English dictionary and 501 Spanish Verbs by Christopher Kendris, (Barron's Educational Series, Inc.). Digitial recorder, for lectures or taping class or test preparation and 120 watts transformer are optional.

FOR STUDENTS WHO WANT TO READ ABOUT GUATEMALA BEFORE ARRIVAL, WE SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING BOOKS: Guatemala Country Guide, Inside Guatemala by Tom Barry (Politics, Social, Cultural, Ecological), I Rigoberta Menchú by the Nobel Prize Winner (Indigenous Culture and Struggle), Eternal Tyranny-Eternal (Politics, Social, Cultural, Ecological), I Rigoberta Menchú by the Nobel Prize Winner (Indigenous Culture and Struggle), Eternal Tyranny-Eternal Spring by Jean Marie Simon (Contemporary History & Politics), and Bitter Fruit by Stephen Schlesinger & Stephen Kinzer. Please call the Resource Center in Albuquerque, 505-842-8288, if you want more information (mention CX and have your Mastercard or Visa Ready). If you are an advanced student who wants to study Guatemalan history we
strongly recommend buying, Guatemala: Voces desde el Silencio, a Spanish language narrative edited by Mark Zimmerman.

PERSONAL ITEMS: Shampoo, soap, towel, water bottle, sunscreen, swimming suit, sunglasses, mosquito repellent, money belt or neck wallet, a small flashlight, alarm clock, prescription drugs, Pepto Bismol, tampons, contraceptives and other personal and pharmaceutical items that are expensive in Guatemala.

SUGGESTIONS:Bring photos of yourself, family and friends, and a map of where you live to show your Guatemalan family. If you want to bring gifts for your family, simple and inexpensive items such as cups, T-shirts from your city or school, pens, pencils, crayons, sewing material, candies and chocolates, shampoo, towels and kitchen items would be considered generous.

WEATHER:Quetzaltenango is located 2,333 meters (8,000 ft.) above sea level. It is not the tropical area of Guatemala. We strongly suggest you bring warm clothes, hat, scarf, gloves, thermals and warm pajamas to sleep in, and a coat. In the months of January-March, it can get down to 32f/ 0c at night with no indoor heating. In the mornings there is a fog and until it lifts it is very cold. Once the sun comes out, the temperature rises to 70f. April and May are warmer at nights, but you still need a windbreaker and long pants for the early morning. June through October is the rainy season. Bring raincoat, goulashes, and warm clothes as it is still chilly.

PROJECTS AND PART TIME VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:CX works with a local, semi-agrarian community called "La Pedrera." Community members live at various levels of poverty: None of the houses has running water and most have earthen floors. The majority of people are illiterate and hardly any family makes enough money to send its children to public school. Our project includes the sponsorship program, where we look for people to support the children's studies economically. We provide tutoring and family support with a parents and community support group, homework tutoring and various educational workshops. Regular classes provided at CX
include English, math and literacy, We always need part time volunteers with all aspects of the project, as well as grant writing ideas and connections with corporations and organizations. We can use donations of school supplies, books in English and Spanish, math books of all levels, art supplies used clothing, and blankets or money to buy blankets which cost about Q35 or $5 a piece. We can use anything that you decide to bring, as the needs here are severe. Clothing. Remember that Guatemalans
tend to be shorter and smaller build than people from the US or Europe. We suggest bringing wool, flannel or thermal clothing as the community members live in flimsy houses and suffer from the cold. These items can be easily obtained through church, community or organized collections. We are grateful for any help, ideas, or donations. For more information on community projects, please contact Coordinator at pedrera(at)casaxelaju.com.pedrera(at)casaxelaju.com.

Casa Xelajú; receives very often donations for la Pedrera from former students. If you wish to help us taking down to Guatemala these donations, please contact the office in the United States.

HOLIDAYS- NO CLASSES. January 1, Good Friday, May 1, June 25, September 15, October 20, November 1, December 25. Holidays falling on a weekend are celebrated on the previous Friday. In weeks that have holiday, the tuition remains the same.

Updated, May 2006.