Catching Up
I’m sitting here having just bought a ticket home to visit for two weeks thinking a lot about Guatemala and the United States. The reason I’m visiting so soon is that I have some sick family members in both L.A. and the Bay Area, so will be taking some time to visit with both of them. Its hard to have been away this long, and still be away, and be missing my family and feeling the emotions of not being with them, however little time I may have spent with them when I DID live at home.
And though it will be a hard visit, I’m also excited to set my feet on American soil for a variety of reasons. First, the easy ones. I miss my friends and family. I miss hot showers. I miss burritos, Fatburgers, Thai Food, Indian Food, Taco trucks and a montón of other foods I’ve been living without for the past five months. I miss good amber ales and good scotch. And I miss the vibrant nightlife (and daylife) of a big city. Beyond that, I’m curious to see what its like to be in the U.S. after these five months gone. Guatemala and the U.S. really are quite different.
How are they different? I’m not even quite sure yet. Physically, well, living in a Central American historical city center provides its differences. Old houses, peeling paint, crumbling twisty cobblestone roads. Looking up at a volcano all the time. Living for the first time in my life in a city which in which I don’t need a car, and everything is walkable. And the difference in cost of living that allows me to live more-or-less as I like for about $300 a month.
Beyond these differences though are the socio-cultural differences. One huge one is time. Guatemalan Spanish is full of very-often-used words which provide for a vague definition of time. Ahorita (a derivative of ahora, or now) means sometime between now and an hour or two. Un Rato which more or less means A While, is used a lot in situations where a more precise definition of time would be wanted by myself and most people I know at home. City buses run without a schedule; just walk to a street they run on, raise your hand and they stop for you. The world I’m a part of here in Xela places such a smaller relevance on time than the worlds I’m used to at home. I’m still trying to decide how much I like this, though it is definitely a good way to encourage myself to chill out
Thinking about time in Guatemala has alshown me how a different language or use of language can reflect societal concepts. There’s a vagueness that can be heard in other descriptions as well, say when you ask for directions, that points to a less precise cataloging and control of the world then I’m used to. Ask someone where a business or house is, and rather than a street or address, you get allá abajo or allá arriba or recto, recto, recto!”(while pointing in a non-descript direction). After a while, I realized they were just saying “down there”or “up there”or “straight, straight, straight” more or less – frustrating for a new visitor to a ciy. This led me to realize that people from Xela don’t really use addresses, they just know what is near what and get around that way.
More subversive is fear. Before coming to Guatemala, I read lots and lots on the interweb about how dangerous Guatemala could be, but also how beautiful and safe. For me, I can still say I’ve gotten by without even a threatening glance from anybody. But I hear constantly about people who have been robbed, or people-who-know-people who have been robbed. Sometimes I get very sick of hearing these stories, and having to think about them when I walk home.
Other things. Its interesting to live in a culture based around bargaining, where I feel like a chump if I DON’T bargain hard for the things that I buy, whether they be mangoes or socks or computer parts. Its fun being able to buy ice cream in the park for $0.15, even if it is unrefrigerated. Its not so fun to have to worry about the sanitary value of every meal I eat, though I’ve gotten pretty ballsy these days, and as most of you know I love street food so I can’t think too much about that 
And to finish, two things I’ve mentioned before. One being showers. The experience of every shower I’ve had the pleasure of having in a residence of mine for the past five months, is well, an interesting one. First hot, then cold, then warm, then hot, then warm, then cold, then warm, then…. You can never really settle in and enjoy a temperature because it changes so fast. Not to mention the light electrical shock I sometimes get when I turn it up or down.Though it is a pleasure when I find a shower that works well, or when mine works well for a day.
And the second is transportation. Whether it be cheap or luxury, bus or van or car, transportation in this country sucks. Chicken buses are an experience for a short while and dirt cheap, but not comfortable nor particularly safe. And everything else is still made hard by the construction on the roads, which leaves you driving through dust/cloud storms sometimes, or waiting an hour in a cola or line of cars stopped at a construction site.
And all this not saying that I don’t love this country. If you actually made it through all this and have any comments let me know. Or come visit and I’ll show you around.
