zedlanier

We are going to Spanish school in Panajachel (Dad, Mom, 14 yr old boy, 12 yr old boy). We will be doing a homestay.

What kind of camera should we bring? We have a tiny Nikon point and shoot. Should we bring more than one?

I wear primarily dresses (jumpers) for comfort. Should they be longer than knee-length? Am I better off with shorts/pants? Do I need headcovering for the churches?

Any suggestions for a gift for a homestay? Should we request a change after a week to have a more well-rounded experience or stay with one family for the two weeks? Can we count on a warmish shower daily?

We are budget travelers, campers really. Should we bring a small water purifier or will it be unnecessary with a homestay? Should we bring sheets/towels/TP?

Thanks!!!

SusanInToronto

You should be fine with dresses - I like dresses as well for comfort. They don't need to be longer than knee-length. I also wore capris and longer pants when I was there. I don't tend to wear shorts, but lots of people do.

I didn't wear any head covering when I entered churches.

hopefulist

I'm with Susan - dresses and skirts are fine; I choose to wear capris or long pants most of the time and save shorts for beachy areas.

Traveling as a family I'd definitely take more than one camera as back up and because it fascinates me to see different family member's takes on what's important. I have an older smallish digital camera (Pentax Optio 450) that takes great pictures and is easy to use; I brought home 1396 photos from last summer's 3 week visit to Guatemala.

For homestay gifts I like to take small items that represent our area: small calendars with Oregon photos, dried cherry products (our area on the Columbia River has one of the world's biggest cherry crops), post cards, refrigerator magnets (we see Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood from our place and the magnets with snow-capped mountains have been a hit). Also take a collections of photos of your town, school, pets, relatives, etc. as talking points with hosts.

I wouldn't switch homes unless the situation is worth escaping; I've found that it often takes a week or more to start really getting to know a family and the 2nd week is more enjoyable and productive. I wouldn't count on warm showers although I've had the occasional one; sometimes they have the instant-heater shower heads I call "death heads" because of the really scary wiring.

I pack a water purifier for travel trips (used to take a pump system, now a UV Steripen) but for a host family/school trip you shouldn't need anything. Likely the school and the hosts will provide purified water and you can refill your bottle and you'll be staying put enough to buy jugs of water if you fill the need. I avoid buying lots of small bottles because of the waste issues.

Keep us posted!!

zedlanier

Thank you both! I feel much more comfortable about my wardrobe. I was worried that if my knees showed a bit, I'd feel like I was overexposed or offending someone. Sounds like I'll be just fine.

With the cameras, there are all these warnings not to flash jewelry or cameras. Will my little cameras attract interest? Where do you carry yours?

Thanks for the advice on the homestay. I have never stayed in anyone else's home for that long.

This should be quite an adventure!

hopefulist

I keep my camera in a backpack sometimes but if I'm out and about and using it often I like to keep it in a pocket so I can whip it in and out without having to dig around in a bag. I don't just hang it on my wrist or around my neck when I'm not using it and I try to be sensitive about taking people pictures. I haven't worried much about it, but I'm paranoid enough to choose multiple smaller memory cards instead of 1 or 2 large ones; periodically I stash one away with my passport for safekeeping. That way if my camera is lost or stolen all my photos won't be lost. Happy trails!