I want to welcome our new Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Andrew Tate and his wonderful family to Guatemala! And to do so, I have invited him to write a blog on his first impressions, over to you Andy:
On 3 January I arrived at La Aurora with my family to take up my new job as Deputy Head of Mission. Guatemala is my second posting to a Latin American country and it is good to be back in the region. To be honest I had already spent two months in Antigua at the end of last year learning Spanish, so I had an advantage over the rest of my family. The school I attended in Antigua was excellent – the quality of teaching was some of the best I have experienced and I am not surprised that Antigua has developed a reputation as a centre of excellence for Spanish language learning. Living with a local family meant that I was also able gain some insight into local life. Guatemala City is a much bigger city than Antigua but it has been surprisingly easy for us to get used to our new home over the last couple of weeks. This has mostly been down to the friendliness and helpfulness of local people and my work colleagues. This has extended from finding a local soccer club for my son to join, to finding out where the nearest supermarket is. And walking along Las Americas on Sunday morning we already felt at home in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I think we can look forward to an enjoyable and productive few years here. And I have every expectation that my children will be fluent Spanish speakers by the time we leave. If you have any tips on how to adjust to Guatemalan living please let me know.
On the work front the British Embassy has a close relationship with the Guatemalan authorities, private sector, international community and civil society. We also like to meet as many people as we can and please look out for our public events in British Week. I am also looking forward to my trip to Honduras in a couple of weeks – not my first as I went to see the amazing Copan ruins recently – so I know both countries have spectacular pasts and I hope spectacular futures.