My trip to Guatemala - Day 21

October 2, 2010

As I mentioned yesterday, I have no idea what the heck the pharmacist gave me to cure my illness, but whatever it was, it was like a miracle drug because I feel pretty much cured. Not only was today a victory for my nasal passages, but it also marks the day that I finally learned to use the shower!

Gracias a Dios de la Ducha!

Most showers in Guatemala do not have hot water. Instead, they have an electrical device on the shower head that supposedly heats the water. Well, I just assumed they were shoddy and didn't work as I could never get the water in my shower to go above lukewarm. Well, today, I experimented with the amount of water I let pass through the faucet by only turning it on a little bit.

Hot damn (literally) if warm water didn't come out! I completely reveled in the glorious heat, and I must have taken at least a fifteen minute shower. It only took me three weeks to figure out how to use it, but gone are the days of soaping up outside of the shower, bracing myself and then rinsing off in the cold, numbing trickle.

After my amazing shower, I went up to the roof to listen to some music and meditate. While I was up there, Linda stopped by and nearly scared the crap out of me as I had my headphones on and didn't hear her approach. Once I got over my initial shock, we chatted for a bit before deciding to head to the market.

Other than the time I went to the t-shirt store, I haven't been to the market. So, since it's my last weekend here, we decided to go. Holy crap - I had no idea how big it was! Beyond the t-shirt and souvenir shops is the food area. Beyond that is what seems like an endless warehouse of used clothes (most of them are from the US, which explains why a lot of people here wear shirts with English writing on them).

I snapped a few shots of all of the seemingly delicious produce before we headed to the clothing area.










After the roof, we headed to our regular spot, Monoloco. There, we attempted to have a conversation about Twilight in Spanish. I'm not particularly proud of having a conversation about Twilight, but I am quite pleased that I can now say "vampire" and "wolf" in a different language. I still need to look up how to say "Twilight is unrealistic bullshiz," but I suppose I'll save that for a different day.

When I got home, I saw our roommate, Calvin, and his new "friend" sitting at the kitchen table. They were listening to electronic music and making small talk. Calvin called me out of my room and told me he wanted me to meet his friend. I did, but his name escapes me now. After some brief conversation, they asked me to go on the roof with them.

I just thought they wanted to look at the stars (how naive am I?), but I'm pretty sure getting stoned was their main objective. And I'm also pretty sure the "friend" was a drug dealer.

Here's an excerpt from the conversation that happened on the roof:

Sketchtacular "friend": So, do you speak Spanish better than your buddy here?

Me: Well, he's just learning, so I hope so. Yes.

Sketchtacular "friend": Haha. Cool.

Me: How'd you two meet anyway?

Sketchtacular "friend": Um, outside of a bar.

Me: You met outside of a bar?

Sketchtacular "friend": Yeah...

Me: How did that happen? You just started talking, even though he speaks virtually no Spanish and you don't speak much English?

Sketchtacular "friend": Something like that, yeah.

Me: Hmm. That's interesting.

Pause, followed by Calvin repeatedly proclaiming that he can't believe he's getting high in Guatemala.

Me: So...where do you live?

Sketchtacular "friend": About three hours away.

Me: What brings you to Antigua?

Sketchtacular "friend": (Grinning) The tourists.

Me: (Not understanding that he means he likes to sell drugs to the tourists) Yeah?

Sketchtacular "friend": Uh-huh.

Me: So what do you do where you live?

Sketchtacular "friend": (Pauses) I'm a farmer.

Me: A farmer?

Sketchtacular "friend": Yep.

Me: What do you grow?

Sketchtacular "friend": Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Apples. (Long pause) Marijuana.

Me: (Finally cluing in): Oh!

He must have thought I was either some sort of narc with all of my questioning, or just the biggest idiot on the face of the planet when it comes to drugs. The latter is probably true.

Sketchtacular "friend" then offered me some pot, but I declined. Instead, I just sat on the roof, gazed at the stars, and giggled to myself at my own naïveté.

To view more pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.

My trip to Guatemala - Day 20

October 1, 2010

I was sick again today. Barf. Well, I didn't actually barf (praise everything holy!), but that was my reaction to feeling like crap-o-la upon waking up. If there's one thing I hate being, it's sick on vacation. I didn't go to class again today, so instead, my teacher came to me. I was surprised to see her, and felt really special that she came over to check on me. We conversed for about an hour, and we even attempted to talk about 9/11 conspiracy theory in Spanish. Wow, was that ever difficult. I'm still not sure she knew exactly was I was saying, but she nodded a lot, so I suppose that was good.

Before she departed, she told me that I should pick up some medication at the pharmacy. She even recommended penicillin. I questioned her and protested that I hadn't been to a doctor, and since I have no health insurance, I couldn't afford to go. She looked at me like I was the silly one, and quickly informed me that one doesn't need a prescription to get medicine in Guatemala. She instructed me to go to the pharmacy, tell them my symptoms and then purchase whatever they say to buy.

As she began to leave, it dawned on me that today was my last Spanish lesson. So I thanked her repeatedly and gave her a hug goodbye. She really did feel more like a friend than a teacher, and she taught me more in three weeks than I ever thought possible.

After Yaneth left, I slept a bit more and waited for Miranda to come home. When she did, she walked me to her favorite pharmacy in town. I walked in and told the pharmacist that my head, throat and entire body were in pain. He brought out two tiny boxes of bills. I asked which ones were more expensive. He pointed to the box on the left. I then asked which ones were more effective. He pointed to the other box. I ended up going with the more expensive, more effective option. When he rang me up, I think the pills were the equivalent of less than US $2.

Wow. You mean, I can just walk to a pharmacy, tell them what my symptoms are or what kind of drugs I want, and they just give them to me? For really cheap? That's, like, magic. Or heaven.

I have no idea what he gave me, but I popped one in my mouth and started to feel better quickly thereafter. Because it was my last weekend in town, I wanted to go out. I had originally planned to travel somewhere over the weekend (outside of Antigua), but due to my illness, I decided that sticking around and sleeping in a familiar bed was probably my best option.

So instead, we went out to the Rainbow Cafe and then headed to Cafe No Se with Linda. There, we met John, an older, American ex-pat who had been living in Guatemala for quite some time. He was a gregarious fellow, and he looked like he spent a good deal of his time telling stories about his time in Vietnam. Whether he actually served in Vietnam, I don't know, but for some reason, I could see him telling tales with the likes of Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump. I do recall that he had been in the military at some point.

We chatted him up for a while before I noticed that he had a handgun tucked into his belt. It wasn't even in a holder. It was just in his pants, for all the world to see, like he was some mobster. Upon viewing the gun, I think my eyes must have popped out of my head as he caught my stare and he shifted his position so he could move his jacket over the gun. I tried not to say anything. After all, I generally try not to piss off people who are well-armed.

After several bowls of popcorn (it's free at Cafe No Se), I headed home for some more rest. Fingers crossed that I feel better tomorrow!

To view some pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.

My trip to Guatemala - Day 19

September 30, 2010

Today was a big, fat doozie. I came down with some serious cold/flu/yuckiness. I'm not sure what illness I have, but it's wicked and I hurt everywhere. My throat was so bad that I even skipped class today.

Instead, I hibernated inside and watched episodes of Intervention (my favorite show) in Spanish. What better way to learn a language than to watch a subtitled show that features drug addicts selling their bodies for crack? Like, for instance, I learned that the word for heroin in Spanish is heroína. And the word for cocaine in Spanish is cocaína.

So now, if I'm ever at a party with Spanish-speaking drug addicts, I will be able to communicate. It's good to know these things.

Fingers crossed that I get better tomorrow. Even though it's raining like nobody's business, I still hate being cooped up in the house.

To view some pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.

My trip to Guatemala - Day 18

September 29, 2010

The ol' guesthouse got a new roommate today. His name is Calvin, he's 18 years old, and I don't know that he could make me laugh more. He's originally from California, but after a semester of college in Indiana, he came here to do volunteer work.

He's endlessly optimistic, smiley and animated, and he sounds like a surfer. After everything you say, he looks directly at you and says, "yo, that's real talk" or "that's what's up." Without fail. I still half-expect him to finger snap and add an Ali G-style "boo-ya-ca-sha" every once in a while for good measure.

I ate dinner with him, and we bonded over our mutual love of electronic music. I then retreated to my room and quietly laughed to myself as he rapped along with Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy." Had I not been so tired, I might have even joined him.

To view some pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.

My trip to Guatemala - Day 17

September 28, 2010

More of the same today: class and drinking. God, I could get used to this. If only I had an endless cash flow (P.S. Any potential sugar parents out there want to help me in that department?).

I stuck around after class to watch Voces Inocentes. The film tells the story of a little boy in El Salvador who tries to escape life as a child soldier. While there were no subtitles, so I didn't understand what exactly was being said half the time, the acting was superb and I was blown away by the injustice suffered by so many child soldiers. What's even sadder is that the film points out that many of the forces training child soldiers were from the United States. It never ceases to sadden or amaze me what a government that's supposedly based on freedom is capable of doing.

After watching the film, I called Spirit Airlines to book another free flight (How awesome is Spirit? Seriously, if Jesus had an airline, I think it would be Spirit). I received an email two days ago saying that if I didn't use some of my miles by the end of the month, I was going to lose them. So I looked at where Spirit flies, and decided that Costa Rica will be my next vacation destination. Bring on the zip-lining! On a very strained Skype call that took way longer than it should have, I booked my trip for May. As I hung up the phone after receiving my confirmation number, I grinned from ear to ear. Yay traveling! I know relatively nothing about Costa Rica, so if you have any tips/advice for what to do, I would love to hear from you.

In the evening, I headed out to Ladies Night at Monoloco. On ladies night, women drink for virtually nothing. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm against sexism and gender division. However, when it costs less than fifty cents (US) to get a mixed drink, I sometimes (shamefully) make exceptions. And that's exactly what I did tonight. Annie, Linda and I parked ourselves at one of the upstairs picnic tables and partook in the cheap, sexist beverages.

At one point, a man walked up to our table. He could barely speak English or Spanish, but somehow we managed to find out that he's from Korea and, like us, he's here taking Spanish lessons. He explained that he had two friends with him, and then asked us if we would like to buy him and his friends some drinks.

Holy presumption, Batman! Uh, thanks, but no thanks.

So we declined, and he went back to the picnic table where his friends were waiting.

After about five minutes, he came back again! This time, it seems like he had rehearsed what he was about to say (much like an Oscar-acceptance speech). He once again communicated that he had two friends. And since there were three of us and three in his group, we should all sit together. He then corrected himself and said that it would be him who would buy the drinks.

What I'm making sound like easy conversation was anything but. We easily said, "what?" at least 20 times, and our communication was a mix of broken English and Spanish. Finally, after shaking our heads "no" repeatedly for quite some time, he wandered back to his table. I couldn't help but laugh as I pondered how he, with his little English or Spanish abilities, was nominated to be the representative from the group to approach us.

After several drinks, we headed home. On our way home, we stopped at the equivalent of a party store, and got approached by a woman named Casey. It's not uncommon for strangers to approach in Antigua, but this just seemed odd. She kept asking if we wanted to hang out, and told us stories of how she had immigrated to the United States without papers and had to work as a stripper as that was her only option for money. She told us she was from El Salvador and that she was just in Guatemala for an extended vacation. I thought that sounded somewhat strange, and I recalled the time when my teacher told me that a lot of people from El Salvador come to Guatemala (seeking under-the-table jobs) without documentation as El Salvador is even poorer than Guatemala.

While we were talking, a large, older man called her name. She looked in his direction, and appeared to be fearful. She quickly told us she had to go, and walked in the other direction. He then pursued her as he repeatedly called her name. As not to cause a scene, she slowed down and he grabbed her arm and walked her back in our direction. I'm sure he knew that we were catching onto the situation (that he was her pimp), and casually tried to make conversation with us. He told us that he had been a teacher at one point, and that Casey was just his friend. He even went so far as to ask us how our vacations were going before they left. After quickly slipping around a street corner, they were out of eyeshot.

I don't remember how we parted ways, but I couldn't help but feeling this awful sinking in my stomach. My heart went out to her as I imagined what her life must be like. I envisioned how bad or destitute her home-life must have been to make her think that escaping to other countries to work as a sex worker was a better life. I then began to think that perhaps she didn't even make that choice. Perhaps she was kidnapped and trafficked and had no idea how to return home even if she wanted to. Perhaps her "wanting to hang out" was a way of reaching out, a way of plotting her potential escape. I just hate the way our society can make people so expendable. Just the way child soldiers were used and thrown away (and continue to be today in certain parts of the world) in the film I watched, so are sex workers. I felt so helpless as I saw Casey and the large man (who was still clutching her arm) escape into the darkness. I'm not sure what life will bring her, but I certainly hope she finds a safe way out.

To view some pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.

My trip to Guatemala - Day 16

September 27, 2010

Today was a pretty typical day: I went to class in the morning, ate lunch and dinner with my roommates and then retired to bed. We've officially entered the rainy season, so I think my days or aimlessly walking around and sitting in the park might be over. While I wish I could get outside more, there's something very peaceful about hearing the pitter patter of raindrops on our house's tin roof.

One of my favorite parts about traveling is pondering the subtleties in cultural differences of where I am versus where I am from. One of the differences I've noticed is greetings. In Guatemala, it's considered rude if you don't greet someone as soon as they walk into the room. Like, you actually have to interrupt what you're doing in order to shake their hand/hug them and ask about their day. This is true even if the person stumbled late into a meeting or event.

In the US, if you're late to a meeting, I find that we appreciate it if you quietly find a seat, settle in and perhaps quickly apologize for not being prompt. However, in Guatemala, if you come in late, it's like a party. Everyone breaks from the meeting's agenda to take turns greeting you.

I first noticed this in my classes. When someone would walk by our table, my teacher would always invite them over and say hello. They would shake my hand, ask how we both were doing and briefly detail how their morning had been going.

I kind of like the way they do things here. It makes you feel special, acknowledged. I feel like we're so quick to rush things in the US, and even when we are exchanging pleasantries, I feel like people don't really care. They say things like, "hi" or "how are you?" because it's customary, but I don't know that they really want the answer. Here, it seems that people actually do.

I've also noticed that there are a lot of young, single moms here. Birth control is very frowned upon (and I believe abortion is illegal) since it's a predominately Catholic country. In fact, birth control is so hush-hush that some clinics have a scar-free way of performing tubal ligation surgeries so women who undergo the procedure don't have to tell their husbands/partners. Since it's Catholic, I would assume that people would get married when they're relatively young (since, the last time I checked, sex before marriage was still a no-no in the Catholic church). But, they don't seem to. Instead, they seem to have relationships which result in pregnancies, and then it seems like a lot of the women are left to take care of the babies. The same is probably true in the US, but perhaps I've been noticing it more here.

To view some pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.

My trip to Guatemala - Day 15

September 26, 2010

Today was a low-key day. I think I needed the rest after a night of bar-hopping.

Linda, Annie, Miranda and I joined Leidy (one of the women who works in the office of La Union) and her two-year-old son for a late breakfast at the Bagel Barn. The Bagel Barn is a great little coffee shop that you might see in an American college town. It's very cozy, and filled with people writing in journals or using their laptops as they sip various hot beverages. The Bagel Barn even plays Spanish films for free in the evenings.

Plus, they have cool breakfasts that come with your choice of multivitamins or cigarettes. Tough call on which to choose: an immune system booster or cancer.


That's Linda with Leidy's adorable son.

He kept wanting to toast, and kept repeating the Spanish word for "cheers" as he brought his glass up to mine. Precious! For a brief moment, it kind of made me want one.

After we left Bagel Barn, we headed to another coffee shop where Linda, Miranda and I chatted for a long time, and I attempted to study (although I actually just got sucked into facebook-browsing and people-watching).

In the evening, I went to the movie theatre for the first time. There's only one cinema in Antigua, and it only has one screen. The films are free to view if you buy a drink. And, trust me, they have drinks a plenty as the theater features a full bar and restaurant menu. While you're at the mercy of the staff's movie selection (romantic comedies like "Love Happens" aren't generally my first choice), the atmosphere is really quiet and provides a nice opportunity to get lost in a film.

So after some beer and cinematic romance ("Love Happens" wasn't nearly as awful as I thought it would be), I headed home and fell asleep quickly.

To view more pictures of my trip, go check out my album on facebook.