There's a new warden in town

"On behalf of U.S. Embassy Guatemala, the Consular Section and the American Citizen Services Unit wish to express the appreciation of the U.S. Government and your fellow citizens for your acceptance of your appointment as a warden."

Warden Rob, at your service.

I have to admit that I was surprised when the U.S. Embassy called and asked me to serve as consular warden in zone 1. Yet, my answer was a quick and confident "Yes".

According to the information package I received, consular wardens "provide a vital service to fellow Americans in their area by distributing information of interest and assisting them in time of emergency."

It adds "Guatemala has been subject in recent history to a number of disasters: earthquakes, hurricanes, war, volcanic eruptions, airline crashes and civil unrest. The citizen registration and the resulting warden system are the keys to getting news out to the U.S. citizen public."

That would be a responsibility I'd be pleased and proud to perform.

As the warden in Zona 1 of Guatemala City (or "area GTGT01B", as it's officially known) I'll be a "point of contact between the embassy and U.S. Citizens", in this case 12 other Americans who live in my area. In fact, I'm looking forward to introducing myself to them this weekend.

So in recent days I've gone from posting photos of protestors burning American flags on my website, to forming part of the United States Embassy advisory system. Funny thing is... I feel that both are my duty as a U.S. citizen living in Guatemala!