Listen, if you want to go to Guatemala, please, take the following advice to heart.

1. If you want to go somewhere for a vacation, Guatemala City is NOT the place! I went to Guatemala to learn more about lesser developed countries. The city is the capital, and it is geared towards international tourists. A lot of places in Guatemala City are bilingual. It is like any other place on Earth, okay? You have downtown and uptown. Think about it: I’m an American and one dollar equals to 7 of the national currency.

2. There is a lot of unspoken prejudice in Guatemala/Central America. Remember, there are Indigenous peoples (Mayans) and Mestizos (people of Spanish and Indian ancestory).

3. Transportation? Try an old American school bus, painted in several unique murals, three to four people in one seat. Yes, you will ride the bus with your meal, if you eat meat. I kid you not, I had chickens flying over my head and a pig walking down the aisle.

4. Hot showers? Forget about that! That is a luxury. A lot of things we take for granted, it is not necessarily needed in Central America and you’ll pay a lot for it. Another luxury: toilet paper. Pack toilet paper with you and get accustomed to using the bathroom in the great outdoors.

5. Custom: if you’re a woman, wear skirts. Do not wear shorts in Guatemala. A classmate wore shorts and no one talked to her. They talked to me, and I was wearing a skirt. See number 4 on why I recommend wearing a skirt. You can even get away with wearing jeans in certain situations. Also, women do not engage in certain things in Central America like we do in Western society. One experience I had was riding a bicycle. Women are second to men in some segments of Guatemalan society.

6. Shopping: Chichicastenango. Best place to go. You will barter for some prices. The prices are absolutely worth it, though: virtually everything is made by hand. I bought some beautiful placemats, purses, dolls, and even a bag. Trust me: if you want to learn something about Guatemalan culture, buy something and people will talk!

7. Pictures: the people will charge for pictures. It is also polite to ask women if you can take a picture beforehand.

8. Schools. You can contribute things like notebook paper, notebooks, pencils, old books to the schools. The above are considered luxury items.