What’s with the name?

It took us a little bit to come up with a name. We wanted it to say something about where we are (Antigua, Guatemala), who we are (gringos), what we do (eat Avocados) and what we strive to do (become temporary Antigueños). When I saw the nickname of the local fútbol club, I knew we had to incorporate it in our blog name.

I think we’ve bought about 20 avocados in the first week we’ve been here. And I don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon either. I’m not sure what level of avocado consumption qualifies you as an Aguacatero, but I’m pretty sure we’ve surpassed it.

Coming from a college whose mascot was a fighting maple leaf, I have a soft spot in my heart for mascotas muy tranquilas. I’m not sure who would win in a fight between a maple leaf and an avocado, but it would be a long and boring battle.

We are doing a “family sabbatical” for one year in Antigua, Guatemala. Our primary goal is to become proficient in Spanish. As much as we’ve tried to learn in the past year, we know nothing quite replaces immersion. After a couple months of language training, we hope to do some volunteer work. For me that could mean producing some videos, for Mira it could mean teaching piano lessons. 

Unlike many families that do this completely on their own dime, my employer is one of the few that still offers a sabbatical with partial salary. In today’s money/profit-driven world, sabbatical benefits are disappearing faster than guacamole on our table. And yet, burnout from the demands of modern work makes sabbaticals more necessary than ever. Even my sabbatical was far from guaranteed. In our last contract negotiations, management attempted to eliminate it.

We decided to start a blog, mainly for our benefit. But, we also hope it’s a way for family and friends to stay connected with us during the year.

Brett