interview

Interview what is the education like in your country?( ¿Qué es la educación como en su país?)
 * The education system of Guatemala is fighting with a lot of problems that are stretching to the whole range of educational courses available. Nursery schools that are used as preparation for the elementary school, elementary schools, schools for professional training as well as universities suffer -as long as they are in the hands of the state- from severe lack of money, less qualified teachers and inadequate and bad equipped training rooms. Private schools that are providing the same educational offers like state schools do not know these problems, but only the better-off middle and upper class that are only accounting for a very small part of the population are privileged to enter these schools.

What is the economy like right now there?( ¿Qué es la economía como ahora?)

Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force in July 2006 spurring increased investment and diversification of exports, with the largest increases in ethanol and non-traditional agricultural exports. While CAFTA has helped improve the investment climate, concerns over security, the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continue to hamper foreign direct investment. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with the richest decile comprising over 40% of Guatemala's overall consumption. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line and 15% lives in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups, which make up 38% of the population, averages 76% and extreme poverty rises to 28%. 43% of children under five are chronically malnourished, one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. President COLOM entered into office with the promise to increase education, healthcare, and rural development, and in April 2008 he inaugurated a conditional cash transfer program, modeled after programs in Brazil and Mexico, that provide financial incentives for poor families to keep their children in school and get regular health check-ups. Given Guatemala's large expatriate community in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient in Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports. Economic growth fell in 2009 as export demand from US and other Central American markets fell and foreign investment slowed amid the global recession, but the economy recovered gradually in 2010 and will likely return to more normal growth rates by 2012. President COLOM, in his last year in office, will likely face opposition to economic reform, particularly over a long-delayed tax reform and an IMF-recommended reform to strengthen the banking sector. Larger budget deficits and increased debt can be expected in 2011.

What type of government do you have in Guatemala?( ¿Qué tipo de Gobierno tienen en Guatemala?)

Guatemala has a Constitutional democratic republic which means the states as the central government is divided into three branches: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. Alvaro Colom is the President of Guatemala

What is the favorite national sport of Gutemala?( ¿Qué es el deporte nacional preferido de Gutemala? )

Definitely futbol because we have a national team and ussually make it in to the world cup every 4 years. Everybody there plays all the time in fact I used to play futbol myself. Sadly though the national team has never won a world cup

If I came to Guatemala as a tourist, what sites would you recommend I visit?( ¿Si llegué a Gutemala como turista, qué sitios recomendaría que visitar? ) I would recommend visiting Flores because it is a good starting point to access Mayan ruins of Tikal, the largest of the maya ruins. I also recommend visiting the capital, Guatemala city, because it has many amenities. Another great place to visit is lake Atitlan, A volcano-rimmed lake with plenty of backpacker hostels and Mayan villages that dot the shores. ||  ||