AIDG
Intern Preparation Guide
This document contains information on the following topics:
Please read this entire document! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Corrina Grace:
Email: corrina [dot] grace [at] gmail [dot] com
A great map of Xela can be
found at
http://www.xelapages.com/mapa.htm
The AIDG Xela Map created by AIDG can be viewed the free program Google Earth, and has hundreds of data points in good resolution, including tool shops, material shops, restaurants, bars, markets, etc. The file is a .kmz file, and after it is downloaded, open the file with Google Earth. Have a nice flight!
Safety Concerns
Before coming to Guatemala or Haiti, one should be aware of the risks of living there.
Violence in both countries is a serious issue. While we do not want to scare you
away from this beautiful countries, we do want you to be well-informed.
From the US Department of State:
"Guatemala has a developing economy, characterized
by wide income disparities. Hotels and other tourist facilities in the
principal tourist sites most frequented by visitors from the United States are
generally good to excellent. A peace accord, signed in 1996, ended a 36-year
armed conflict. Violent crime, however, is a serious concern due to endemic
poverty, an abundance of weapons, a legacy of societal violence, and
dysfunctional law enforcement and judicial systems."
"Haiti is one of the least developed and least stable countries in the
Western Hemisphere. The availability of consumer goods and services is
barely adequate in the capital, Port-au-Prince, but other parts of the
country experience chronic shortages. Most consumer products are
imported and expensive. Some tourism facilities in the large cities and
resort areas are satisfactory, but many are rudimentary at best, and
are difficult to find in most rural areas and small towns."
Please check out the
following links before you depart:
For Guatemala: Up-to-date travel safety information
and general notes
For Haiti: Up-to date travel safety information and general notes
To stay safe, here is a partial list of common sense and street smart
suggestions:
- Do not travel at night.
Some hostels suggest not being out past 10pm. If you must travel past 9pm, travel
with a group of at least four other people and take a taxi when possible.
- Never be in a public bus or shuttle alone. Get out if everyone else gets out.
- Females: do not travel
past dark (7pm) alone.
- Do not wear jewelry or
expensive/inappropriate clothing.
- Do not show that you
have expensive electronic equipment; i.e., don't dangle a big camera around
neck or have a fancy camera or computer case.
- If you bring a laptop,
be OK with the fact it might get stolen, and back up all of your information
before bringing it.
- Carry a whistle with you,
and potentially pepper spray
- Do not carry your
passport on you. Make a color copy and keep that with you at all times.
- Use a money belt for
your cash and/or credit card
Health
Check out the following websites
at least one month prior to your
departure date to assure that you have all the necessary immunizations (and
that they have time to become active before you arrive) and that you are aware
of health risks in country:
Here are some general health
tips:
- Schedule a travel consultation
with your doctor at least one month
prior to your departure date Some immunizations take time to kick-in, so more than a month might also be needed.
- Have all necessary
immunizations.
- Bring all necessary
personal medications (allergies, prescriptions, etc.).
- Some American doctors recommend
bringing an antibiotic, Cipro, for stomach illness--consult your doctor with questions.
- Make sure that you have
either travel insurance or that your medical provider insures coverage
overseas.
- Alert AIDG staff of any
allergies or medical conditions you deem appropriate, and carry documentation
in Spanish of any allergies.
- Drink only bottled
water.
- Do not eat street food.
- Wash hands frequently.
- A good item to bring is
hand sanitizer.
- Bring sun block and sun
hat
Weather
A synopsis of the Xela weather,
courtesy of XelaPages:
"Being in the highlands, Quetzaltenango
is blessed with a mosquito-free, generally cool climate, ranging from 0 to 30°C (32 to 85°F). The dry
season begins in November and ends towards the end of May. During the winter
months (November-January) it is quite cold, and since buildings here do not
have heating, it is recommended that you bring warm clothes to sleep in, and
for the
day-time, clothes that you can layer well (t-shirts, long-sleeved
shirts, sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves and gloves). Between June and
November, Quetzaltenango has frequent rain-showers in the afternoon after
generally sunny and warm mornings. A warm wool sweater and a rain jacket or
umbrella is recommended if you are out in the afternoons. During the daytime,
light dress (shirt, pants, shorts, etc.) is fine."
A synopsis of the Cap Haitien weather, courtesy of TripAdvisor.com:
"Haiti's second largest city, Cap-Haitien, has a tropical climate
with fairly constant temperatures year round. The day time
temperatures in the city average in the mid to high 80's, with slightly
lower averages in the winter and slightly higher ones during the
summer. The low temperatures in the city usually average in the high
60's to low 70's at night, but can get down as far as the high 50's in
December and January, the area's two coldest months.
The season with the most rain in Cap-Haitien is the spring, with
April and May being the wettest with an average of about two inches
each per month. The rest of the year gets very little if any rain,
making the city a fairly dry and hot place."
What to Bring, Donations, How to Prepare
To Bring:
- PASSPORT
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants (if you are
riding a bicycle)
- Hat (to protect against
the sun)
- Snow hat (for when it
gets cold a night)
- Shirts, both short and
long-sleeve
- Work jeans (Carharts,
old jeans, etc)
- Warm fleece/jacket
- Hiking/ working boots
(closed-toe, supportive)
- Salsa shoes (optional)
- Bathing suit/towel (if
you want to jump in a waterfall/hot spring)
- Sun block/protective
clothing
- Whistle
- Duct tape
- Flashlight or headlamp
with fresh batteries (the power does go out occasionally)
- Camera (batteries,
uploading cord, any accessories)
- Prescriptions, eye care,
etc.
- First aid kit-include
bug bite anti-itch lotion (when visiting tropical areas) and aloe vera!
- Cell phone-only bring if
it is a GSM phone (one with a removeable chip). Otherwise, 5 intern phones
already exist. Additional phones cost about $30 (and include 100 minutes of
initial airtime).
- USB flash memory stick,
if you have one
- Laptop (we have several
computers but welcome interns bringing their own; risk of theft is equal to
that of any big city in the US). Please contact us if you have any questions.
- Specialty foods, or
other snack foods that you can't live without
- Sheets (size
semi-matrimonial), although all the beds at the intern house have sheets, more
is better.
- Books, journal
- Musical instruments
- No jewelry or flashy clothing
Electricity runs on the same
voltage as the USA, so no electrical output adapters are needed. Xela has drug
stores, pharmacies, and new and used clothing stores, in case you forget
anything or would prefer not to carry it on the plane (i.e., an umbrella).
Donations:
- Office supplies (
staplers, pens, pencils, white-out, etc.)
- Old or new shop tools
(see www.aidg.org/donate.htm for a
full and updated list of needs)
How to Prepare for Guatemala:
- Read up; Bitter Fruit, CIA in Guatemala
- Practice your Spanish
(watch Spanish TV)
- Get in shape: Xela's
elevation is around 7,500 ft.
How to Prepare for Haiti (more coming soon):
- Read up
- Practice your French and Creole
Country Specific Information
Below are documents containing country specific information that we suggest you print out and carry with you on your trip. Included is how to get from the airport to your destination, directions to AIDG offices, lodging suggestions and country specific safety reflections If you cannot for any reason open these documents, please contact us so we can get you a copy before you leave.
Guatemala
Haiti (coming soon)
|
Internships 
