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Published: October 15th 2013
Okay, so not really crazy, but there are definitely a handful of things that are so different from the U.S. that Roger and I have made note of them. Some were mentioned already (like roof dogs, and the park that's only a tree), but most we've kept out of blogs. We're not complaining at all - we really love this country and that includes all it's quirks. These are just a few things that have most surprised me in the 3ish weeks we've been here.
1) No recycling. This one might be a bit of a complaint, because it would really help beautify the place. There's garbage all over the place, and no places for recycling anywhere. However, you can leave your bottle (of pop, or adult beverage) at the store you bought it at, and apparently when you buy said pop (or other beverage), you can ask for it in a bag, and the clerk will open it, pour it into a shopping bag and give you a straw. She keeps the bottle, you get the bag with a straw sticking out of it. We have yet to try this, but it does seem like it'd solve my recycling issues.
2) Prices. This is crazy good. Everything is so much cheaper here! It's amazing. For example, we just left the panaderia (bakery) and bought a super fresh loaf of wheat bread, one doughnut, and one cupcake for 12Q... or like $1.30. It's nuts. There's a bunch of second-hand clothing stores around, called pacas, and they just have a sign outside the door that will say "TODO 5Q" or "EVERYTHING 75 cents" essentially. Some are more, but even when we're paying 20Q for a wool sweater from Ann Taylor... I'm only paying $2.25... for an almost-new wool sweater from Ann Taylor... and 15Q for that dress from American Apparel ... love it.
3) Dogs. I know I already talked about roof dogs (turns out, it's because there usually isn't enough yard space for a dog to move around, so many people keep their dog on their roof), but there's even more craziness with the dogs. Multiple times now, Roger and I have passed two dogs in the street that are... stuck together... in a sexual way... and the other stray dogs are humping heads and whatever else they can reach while the poor couple stuck together just take it! It's pretty sad...and hilarious at the same time. There's no other way to explain it.
4) Earthquakes are normal now. That's pretty crazy coming from 2 Minnesotans, I think.
5) Toilet Paper. No, nothing is too crazy with the toilet paper itself. I think we have Charmin' or something right now. I don't know what brand, but it's normal (well, it's scented, but I think that was buyer error). What's crazy is what you do with the toilet paper...after you use it. You don't flush toilet paper in Guatemala. The septic systems are, apparently, too fragile for that in most of the country. So you throw it away in a wastebasket. There's guidelines online that can show you how to fold it the most inoffensive way possible and everything. LUCKILY, in addition to providing us with purified water, our apartment complex has a newer septic (sewage? I don't know the right word) system, and we CAN (and do) flush our toilet paper right down the toilet. But every time we go out to a restaurant or bar... if there's toilet paper to begin with... when we're done, it goes in the trash with everyone else's.
6) Drivers. Are. Terrifying. Do not get off the 2 foot wide sidewalk or you run the very serious risk of getting hit by a vehicle. We watched a guy get hit once. He was fine. But the car that hit him didn't stop or anything; actually the driver flipped him off. Sidewalks are also weird, because they are TINY and most are missing sections to them so you're forced to walk in the terrifying cobblestone road.
7) Cable TV. This is crazy in a good way. We totally get Monday Night Football in Guatemala. Plus, we have CineMax and Starz so we're able to watch movies that are dubbed in Spanish. Oh Movies are crazy too - we just bought "We Are The Millers" (that's what it's called right? ours is called Somos Los Millers...) for 10Q (1.50$ish) and it's not even a bad version! Its like the actual movie...with Chinese subtitles on the bottom. But it's even in English - we put Spanish subtitles on OVER the Chinese ones so we could at least read Spanish while listening to English.
Okay - I'm done with Guatemala's crazies right now. Since we've been putting a lot of our time into volunteering with TRAMA, we don't have as much to blog about. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them -- I'd love to have new things to write about!!
Besos!!
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Mommasita
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Happy hump day!
Have you seen any yoga studios? It's also time for a pedi! Stay safe and keep on the trails. Andy is going up to D-town with Kelsey this weekend and Red is going to DL hunting, leaving me home to harvest before our first freeze. Thinking of you both.