Guatemala City - Post Report Question and Answers
What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
Guatemala City is car-culture if you are an expat or a rich person. Also, I have bicycled in so many places the world and I would never get on a road here on my bike. It's way too dangerous. If you live in Zona 10, you can bike on the weekends when one of the main roads is closed to traffic. If you don't live near there, however, it is not at all safe to ride down that way. - Oct 2022
That you and your kids really need to learn Spanish. - Oct 2022
This is a small city and in general, pretty infuriating to navigate. It's not cosmopolitan at ALL. I always underestimate how much I will hate the traffic, but seriously, I HATE the traffic here. It's the worst of anywhere we've lived. Because of that issue, we tend not to leave our neighborhood much, which can get a bit isolating, particularly as a SAHM. - Jan 2020
I wish I'd taken the time to study more about the history of Guatemala. Current events would have been much easier for me to understand if I'd known the events of the past. Whether you agree with them or not, get up to speed on the U.S.'s current immigration policies... they WILL come up in conversation. I also wish I'd taken the State Department's security class (FACT) before coming; I think it would have helped me to feel more comfortable faster, particularly the driving. - Mar 2019
That the crime doesn't feel as scary as the internet makes it seem. There are more dangerous zones of the city but you just don't go there. That being said, crime can happen anywhere, but if you take precautions and go places in groups, you greatly reduce your chances of becoming a target. - Apr 2014
