My very first Workaway volunteer job is caretaking of an 84-year-old English woman, Annette. She is easily one of the most fascinating humans I have ever met. She graciously agreed to an interview for my travel blog. Enjoy!
Annette, The Artist
Annette, “the Artist”, has been living in Antigua, Guatemala for roughly 40 years. She was born in India on February 24, 1931, then moved to England when she was 8 years old.
In her 20’s and 30’s, she traveled off and on throughout Europe. She made her living through painting, specializing in portraits. At 36, she moved to NYC and worked for Portraits, Inc. Two years later, she moved to Antigua, Guatemala.
Shortly after she had 2 kids, Tanya and Charles, with a Guatemalan native. Things did not work out with the children’s father. Later in life, she met her soulmate, Johnny, and they got married after 9 years of dating. He passed away 3 years ago. Although he is not with us, she speaks about him daily.
She has 4 houses, 1 dog, 2 maids, 1 gardener, and 1 caretaker/live-in bestfriend (me).
Where I came In
As Annette got older, her son realized she needed a little bit more help and some company. She lives alone and is unable to get around town without the help of others. He put a listing on Workaway for a caretaker to help her with simple tasks around the house and for live in assistance in case anything were to happen. I saw the opportunity and thought it would be perfect. I had no idea what I had signed up for (lol). Like I said, Annette is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. She says WHATEVER is on her mind.
I’m staying in her second bedroom with a private bathroom. Annette and I have all our meals together, sit and drink tea, and organize her large home.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
Q&A
What made you come to Antigua? I went up to Boston for a weekend to visit a friend from Switzerland. She showed me photographs of a Guatemalan woman with a pot on her head and told me that I must go to this place called Antigua. I had never heard of Guatemala before. I was looking for somewhere interesting to go and paint.
What do you like best about Guatemala? The climate. It keeps me here. My country [England] is cold, the people too. I’ve been very fortunate to have met lifelong friends here. I like SOME food, not all. It’s completely different than my life in Europe, very different culture. It opened a different field for me. You really learn a lot.
What’s your favorite thing about being 84? People stop cars for me, gentlemen always help me. It’s very nice. It’s like when a man falls for you and opens the door for you. When you’re 84, you get to experience that all over again, because you’re old. Also, people think ‘oh, it’s okay, she’s old.’ You can really get away with murder. [Reminder: these are her exact words (lol)]
Tell me about your childhood. I was raised Catholic. My parents both came from a very old fashioned family. I went to a convent, an all girls Catholic school. When I first started school, I had whooping cough. A nun thought I was lying and would tell me off in front of all the children. I couldn’t help it, I was sick, I hated it. I didn’t like getting up at 7am everyday for mass. They woke us up by saying ‘blessed be the holy child Jesus’ and you had to respond with ‘now and forever more. Amen’ and rush out of bed. After, I went to boarding school. You slept at school for 3 months then went home for the holidays. Those damn bells would go off in my head when I would be home for the holidays.
What would you like people to remember you by? When I was young, I did not care, I didn’t want to be famous. I realize now it’s important, as an artist, to be known for your work. I would like to be famous one day [she doesn’t know about her fame on my facebook].
Favorite place you’ve traveled? That’s difficult. India. I lived there as a child. The snakes and the mongooses put on shows for tourists. The snake comes out [she hums the snake charmer music] then the mongoose comes out. Neither kill each other, it’s just for show.
If you could go anywhere, what would your next adventure be? India. I want to go back to where I was born. [She’s never been back.]
Advice for travelers/people who want to travel? Don’t be afraid. But be cautious, you cannot predict everything.
Speed Qs
Favorite food: Indian food, frijoles, curry, Mexican food… the main thing is, it has to be well cooked.
Favorite drink: Gin and tonic
Favorite color: I don’t like any particular color, it’s how you put colors together. I like combinations of colors.
Favorite artist: Leonardo da Vinci.
Least Favorite artist: Artists that do a scribble on the page, they call themselves artists, but they are rubbish.
Favorite movie: Lawrence of Arabia [her current Netflix movie that she’s watching]
Favorite child: That’s a nasty one, I love them both.
Favorite book: Oh gosh. It’s about this one girl who looks after old people [me?]. This man, he lives in an old house. She meets this man and falls for him. Oh how does it go? Um. She ends up marrying him. [name that book…]
Final Qs
Any life advice for the young? LIVE LIFE! Do not let one day go by without living it to the fullest. Because tomorrow you might die. Sorry it’s the truth. Or you might live forever, like me.
Biggest risk you’ve taken? I went in a racing car. My boyfriend was the son of one of the wealthiest men in England. There was a crash and I had 30 stitches in my face. All my front teeth are false. I broke a bone in my wrist. That was a crazy thing to do, go with this character. You’re young and you do stupid things. They couldn’t make out my face right after the crash. My mother and father came and saw me in the hospital and thought I wouldn’t have a face left. Six months later, the boy had the same crash with another girl.
Anything you would have done differently in your life? Yes, a lot of things. I would have taken the boat ride in Sicily. I was being cautious about my money and didn’t go. Sadly, I said, “I’ll go back and see it later” and never did.
Also, I would have stayed in England, I would have been a lot better off. The children would of had a much better life. I had a chance to go to Africa instead of Guatemala. And I wish I would have gone there.
Life has a lot of possibilities. You can either go this way or that way. I may have missed a lot of opportunities. We were lucky enough for Johnny to take us under his wing. I think about this often. But you have to make those choices in life. I am very fortunate in life. My friends are all probably jealous of the luxurious life I live here. I have maids and get a massage everyday.
Annette
Thanks for reading! xoxo
Want more information on Workaway and Free travel? Check out, How To Travel for Free!
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One Month Living in Antigua, Guatemala | Courtney The Explorer
May 27, 2020 at 5:45 pm[…] My 84 Year Old British Roommate in Guatemala: Q&A How Much Does it Cost to Travel Guatemala? […]