OH HOW THE MIGHTY SHALL FALL.

View from the Inn, with the plaza and Cathedral at the end

Weather: Cold and nippy, yet sunny. Invigorating.

Local news have been running on the discovery that the US had been using Guatemalans as guinea pigs in the Mengelian 1940s. There is more to that than has been published to date in the US media, but the deeper and longer tentacles of this news will slowly come afloat in the coming weeks. I am sure that many Guatemalan politicians loved the opportunity to grandstand about it and deflect attention from the very real social and political problems they are currently facing in the country, such as the inroads of narco-traffic corruption at all government levels. Not that I see any real solution to this anytime soon. I guess the end to this will be that the US will throw some money at the Guatemalan government as "compensation", part of which shall be pocketed by politicians.

Meanwhile, the US expat community in Guatemala---if we can be called a community (we are more like a large bunch of loosely-connected individuals)--has been quite shook up by the news that a prominent blogger and self-styled businessman, Mark Lassman from Arizona, who made a point of being loudly ultra-conservative, religious and 100% "truth-speaking" ... was apprehended by the FBI for running a Ponzi scheme in the US, among other things. He was listed among the Top Ten Fugitives, as can be read by clicking here.

Mark .... actually Jeffrey Lynn Cassman from Tennessee ... had become well-known here. His useful, informative and entertaining blog GuateLiving developed a large following of both lovers and haters, and he confidently posted photos of himself, his wife and kids online. From what I know about him (we corresponded sometimes), he truly did care for his kids.

Moreover, seems that the family managed to get letters and photos to relatives in the US, describing the kids being home-schooled, and their mother giving birth at home to her 10th child, attended to by her 14-year-old son while his father was at Mass. Also, according to the same article, "In the photographs, the children appear to be healthy, including the baby girl, but it appears their hair had been dyed".

Mark Lassman aka Jeffrey Lynn Cassman (in custody)

Articles also state that "Cassman allegedly has used the ill-gotten funds for personal expenses and to finance his fugitive run" and that he actually claimed, to one of his victims, “No court will put me in jail because I have so many children. Someone has to take care of them, so a judge wouldn’t do that.” You can read more by clicking here.

The man was going to be caught sooner or later, not only for being high profile in a small country, but also because--call me paranoid--I rest assured the US Embassy keeps informers among the expat crowds abroad. Just stands to reason that they would! Cassman is not the first---nor will he be the last--who tries to integrate into the fabric of society while on the lam. He might have benefited better from keeping a lower profile, but being self-effacing and discreet is, perhaps, simply not in his nature.

The idyllic setting where Jeffrey Cassman was living in Antigua

If I must say something for Mark--he was openly contemptuous of Guatemalans and Guatemalan society, and he had raised the suspicions of quite a few as to why, exactly, he was here. However, he was also very smart, funny, entertaining, friendly and could be quite generous and charitable when needed. This is the same person who--allegedly (he hasn't been sentenced yet)--defrauded others with nary a qualm. Like all human beings, a complex and interesting character.

Eerily, his blog automatically keeps posting articles, even though he is in prison awaiting extradition to the US. You can still check it out at www.GuateLiving.com . It really has plenty of useful information and interesting articles about living in Guatemala, even if the man's view of country and people seem straight out of Rudyard Kipling's Raj-glorifying novels! I'd dare say he will truly be missed by many around here ... and by others, perhaps not so much.

View of Nebaj in the Highlands
(just loved the picture!)

Recently with us at the inn for a week, among a bevy of really fascinating guests, we had Mark Kendall, who is making a documentary titled La Camioneta (see flyer below). This is Mark's second film. I watched his first film, The Time Machine, which won a Grand Jury Award for Best Student Film of 2010, and has been shown at a slew of film festivals. The Time Machine is a slice of life kind of story, seemingly suspended in time. Furthermore, it is an aesthetically beautiful film, with some truly breathtaking moments. I highly recommend it!

To check out Mark's (very cool!) stuff, visit www.MarkKendallPortfolio.com.

Mark Kendall's new production (still in the works)

A few medical contretemps have kept me from the blog, being that my husband had to have gall-bladder surgery. And I, of course, was morphed into the caretaker.

We have great medical insurance, which covers all our care at the best local hospitals where one is truly pampered. Our doctors are all US-trained and have license to practice in the US.

Contrary to the USA, however, with its "managed care" rush, doctors here give one an hour or more per visit! Even for the simplest procedures, they hold one's hand and walk one through the whole process. The medical insurance here is also much cheaper, like a third of what we paid in the US, with top of the line care. In the US, we had to pay around US$700 per month for health insurance, with a huge deductible! Here we pay, as I said, a third of that, with much better care and no deductible.

Clinics of Aprofam in Downtown Guatemala

Having said that, I decided to get my annual mammogram at the local public family planning clinic nearby, which is but a couple of blocks away, in order to avoid traffic jams at the private clinics of Zona 10. I was very impressed!

The equipment is top of the line, A Donation of USAID, as stickers prominently announce, and the attention very no-frills, yet considerate and efficient. I waited only 10 mins and the technician was telling me how they have been trained by US personnel on the use of equipment. I had my results that very same day!!!! All for US$25.

Aprofam, the clinic, has run afoul of the Catholic Church here because they provide very cheap vasectomies, family planning, free sex education for youth and women, and those that qualify get free care. If I had a serious issue, I would go to the private hospital, but for routine care, I definitely plan to make this my mainstay care-providing facility!

6th Avenue (La Sexta) late on a weekday night

The main artery of downtown Guatemala--The Historic Center--is 6th Avenue or La Sexta. It has been cleared of street sellers, filled with modern statues, and during the day it is filled with walking throngs of people, since it is now pedestrian. The place is also full of mimes, musicians, and all sorts of street performers. New cafes are opening, old cafes remodeling, young people skating and it will include a Bike Route as well. The locals sit on the benches to watch the scene and while the time away.

La Sexta in the process of remodeling

Despite its absolute prettiness, we decided against living in Antigua because it is quickly becoming way too kitschy and more of an expat "gringo" gated-community place. Prices have shot up accordingly. Even bottled water is more expensive in Antigua. Downtown Guatemala, on the other hand, is less "cute," an underrated and under-appreciated jewel of a place, but the real hub of all things happening art and culturewise. The art crowd has long known this, and now the investors are following.

What I like about it is that downtown houses people from all socio-economic levels and one finds everything within walking distance: excellent restaurants and cafes, pubs, galleries, bakeries, grocery stores, clinics, hospitals, bookstores, etc. Street food is also yummy here. Pharmacies and food places deliver to your doorstop. So does the (pirated) DVD seller! There are awesome open air markets and the night scene is lively and varied. So is the blossoming theater scene located in downtown Guatemala.

I have even been lucky enough that all projects I have been hired to work on are directly located on or related to Guatemala's Historic Center. Even my art school is located here! So I get to work, party and play at being an art student, all in the same place.

Portal del Comercio (on the plaza). Downtown Guatemala

In these 2 years I have made so many friends who live and work here, that I cannot walk a street without bumping into somebody (which has its advantages and disadvantages!). It is truly an international crowd, with pals from Guatemala, Europe, Israel, Asia and the US living downtown. And all of us love La Sexta!

The work situation for young expats is pretty good. I managed to help a friend from California, who had come for a 6-month stinted and wanted to stay, nab a job at one of the private language schools here, which cater to wealthy local students. He has a BA degree, so he was hired on the spot! Or almost, by Guatemala's understanding of time. He is getting paid pretty nicely, enough to keep a nice apartment downtown with his girlfriend and travel around, which is basically what he wants to do, as well as gain some teaching experience.

So that is for now expat life in Guatemala. Will be back soon!

www.QualityGuate.com

Bed and Breakfast - Parking
Your home base in Historic Downtown Guatemala