Goodbye from afar

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All right, so my location is not technically in Xela. In reality, I'm chilling in the in my parents' verdant backyard in warm, sunny, dry-to-the-point-of-crackling-skin California, and not in cool, atmospheric, clamorous Xela, but since I ended my last entry on a negative note (whining about the rain, boo-hoo), I felt it was important to expound on a place where I spent so much time and which I enjoyed so very much.

So now, what I don't miss and do miss about Xela. I know lists aren't the most interesting format for writing, but for those of us who are, let's say, organizationally-challenged, they are handy-dandy. Forgive me.

Things I don't miss about Xela:

1. The scary-ass transportation. Tourists who live on the fancy Pullman buses will scoff this off as paranoida, but I'm not talking about transport with adult-sized seats and windows capable of opening and a working break pedal. I'm talking about the infamous chicken buses, outdated American school buses which get a shining coat of paint and little else in the way of renovation. They're OK if you're noodling around town, but that's a little different than being on one of these on a twisting mountain road around Xela, especially when it's raining and the driver is trying to pass on a blind curve, pictures of naked women and Jesus staring in pity at you from the dashboard. Fun times.

Local buses, AKA minivans, which are, if you can believe, even less comfortable, are usually crammed with up to fifteen people in a space made for six. I took one of these twice a day for four months, and while they're convenient and cheap (18 cents flat rate around town), you know that one of these in an accident would not end well, at all. I practically bowed before my bus back in the US in all its functioning glory.

2. The produce. Yes, it's delicious, and in fact many of the bright vegetables you so enjoy in winter are from the fair country of Guatemala. Still, this is where I found the Kryptonite to my otherwise steel stomach: while I've been eating street meat for the past five years without so much as a grumble, a mere glance at spinach in Guatemala can bring me to my knees. It's true that boiling the veggies first will disinfect them, but do you know how much time this takes at over 7000 ft or 2000 m up? Do you? A long, long time, after which you'll be too disgruntled to want to actually dine on the veggies in question. So not worth it, especially if your lunch break is a generous 30 minutes long.The first thing I did when I got back to the US was to stick my head in a giant pile of lettuce, and I am only slightly exaggerating.

3. The weather. Sure, there's no malaria in Xela, nor are there any cockroaches. I'm all for that. But do you know why there's a lack of insect life in Xela? Because it's FREEZING. Granted, daytime temperatures proved comfortable enough, and I could get by with just two sweaters and a pair of sweatpants during the night in April, but the rest of the time was snowperson central. I reckon this is the reason why I so savored my time in Flores, smack in the middle of the steamy jungle near Tikal, whereas most peoples' reaction to the city is more along the lines of "meh--" it was hot, sticky, and you didn't wake up in the middle of the night because you accidentally stuck your leg out of the covers and cold air was biting your ankle. It was a real treat.

4. Danger. I didn't have any problems when I was in Guatemala, as luck would have it, but crime is on the rise in the once-tranquil city of Xela. Drug cartels have been eyeing the city for a while, but even more troubling are the gangs of young men (not to generalize, but it's pretty disproportionate, realistically) who make walking down a side street or in the cemetery a risky venture. To be fair, I don't know anyone personally who had any problems; it was more of a "I know a girl who knows this girls who..." sort of connection. So, luck is a factor, but street smarts (not walking home drunk at night, taking a safe cab, not trusting every charming guy or girl tearing up the dance floor) will get you far.

Still, this is why I do miss Xela, and why people thinking about going there just should:

1. Vibrant indigenous culture. I was in Xela for four months, but I never tired of feasting on the sight of the beautiful indigenous clothes that women donned around town. Western-style pants and shirts are becoming more popular, but I'm impressed by the women who've bucked that trend. As wearing westernized clothing has long been considered the ultimate phase of "progress," these women are quietly making a firm stance that the demolition of their culture is not a mere step along the path. Without making a fuss, they're stating that their culture is just as valuable as European culture, and that the two can coexist. And besides, the clothes come in pretty colors.

2. The music. As I'm sitting in my backyard now, the only thing I can hear is the hum of the neighbor's air conditioning and cacophony of birds chirping. It's lovely and serene, but sometimes I miss the onslaught of sound that you get in Guatemala: pop songs leaking out of stores, passing cars blasting their radios, musicians rocking out in the park. A friend once complained when, at 7 AM in our hostel in Antigua, our neighbors starting blaring the radio and shouting that, "Guatemalans are noisy," but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The entire city feels alive, pulsing to the tips of its soul. True that this is less than fun at 7 AM, though.

3. International exposure. According to Lonely Planet (and I am way too lazy to verify this), one in ten Guatemalans lives in the US. As you can imagine, most people have a decent amount of exposure to other countries, especially my own, and I can't help but ponder whether that accounts for the fact people are pretty open-minded about other cultures in Guatemala. After having lived in Latin America for a year before, I had been expecting an interrogation of sorts when I moved to Guatemala, something along the lines of "Why does your country think it rules the world?" or "Why are Americans so lazy and uneducated?" Instead, all I heard were warm stories, like those of relatives receiving help from complete strangers in the middle of Ohio. While I try to take negativity about my culture in stride (because some of it is probably true...), it's nice not to be put in the "You're American and so you're like this..." box from day one.

4. The people. Guatemalans. Are. So. Nice. Sure, you'll run into your fair share of jerks in Xela, but you'll probably leave with an overall warm and fuzzy impression of the place. The fact that one of the first expressions you'll learn in Guatemala would be "No tenga pena" (don't worry about it) is all the indication you need: people in this country are kind, unhurried, and patient with mistakes. Accidentally step on someone's foot in the bus? "No tenga pena." Don't have any small bills to pay for your lunch, so the owner of the restaurant has to run to the bank across the street? "No tenga pena." Have to cancel your class for a last-minute visa run? "No tenga pena." Of course, what lies beneath this is unknown: the Guatemalan in question could be thinking something along the lines of "Stupid gringa, you don't see anybody else complaining about the fact that their computer doesn't work and wanting to change stations," but they never show it. Some people would deem that as fake, but I consider it treating your fellow humans with civility.

So, Xela. It's a place to grow, a place to learn, and definitely a place I miss.

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