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Published: November 16th 2008
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I’d like to talk about my experience on the road. From chicken buses to shuttles buses where bags get stolen, people meet people (from travelers to locals), where music gets played at the whim of the driver and his companion who also hangs out by the doorway, calling out the destination of the bus and then later collecting money from you as he walks from the front to the back of the bus. These cashiers ask where you’re going in their route so they can charge the right amount of money, and they even sit down and talk to the women that they may be attracted to, especially the ones they recognize as locals.
The fun part in the bus ride is meeting friendly people that will talk to you. You can also meet other traveler’s there that you will befriend, and next thing you know you’re traveling together. I met some great people that way.
The reality of my bus ride was to witness the condition of the country of Guatemala and Belize, for I traveled mostly by land. I witnessed a beautiful landscape, poverty, indigenous communities, old towns with their catholic churches, and the imprint of obstructed
roads that were plagued with flooded water from the harsh rain that the country had not seen in 25 years.
I experienced rides like that of an action movie where literally the driver is playing chicken with oncoming traffic as he attempts to surpass slower traffic on a one-way road. We are talking about bus drivers here that pretend they are driving a Lamborghini! I got use to it though and it made the long drive more interesting. It even became an adventure, and foolishly we hopped on top of the shuttle buses' to hold on for dear life. Sorry mom.
A vivid memory comes to mind now of a bus ride I had. I recall seeing a young girl that stood outside her parents’ television shop and waited for the taxi to pick her up so she could make a delivery. I thought then how simple her life must be. Hard even from the looks of her dad's shop, but she looked happy. I recall another time that is relevant to the point of a family taking a shower and washing their clothes by a river. They looked happy as they enjoyed themselves with the water, splashing
it at one another. I learned from them that we could all be happy with what we have. Whether it is everything or nothing in living standards, it seems that happiness can be found in both lifestyles, and as long as there is peace of mind and peace among people, life can be enjoyable and fun. It was very fulfilling for me to see that.
Another part of me saw the struggle of the country though as I remember reading on a billboard the reality of an educational struggle for a town that stated, “Un pueblo que lee, progresa (a town that reads, progresses).” This is important for any community but more so for Guatemala for it has the lowest literacy in Central America. I would like to go back and help communities with the struggle of education. Even help build better eco-friendly homes.
Paraphrased hard copy journal entry
I wish to travel a lot more to get to know the world, but there's nothing like finding yourself on the road...This trip has definitely changed me. I wish to live simple, I wish to be more compassionate for the things around me. I'm not here to exploit
the land and riches of Guate, I want to better it. How? I guess I'll go home to think about it more. Education maybe? Environmental?...Trash is a big issue that I've seen throughout the country. We just drove by a home with a pile of trash almost the size of the house itself. The trash will be either burnt or disposed of through the river. The roads are definitely an issue also, from the flooding, to the broken roads, to the land slides. A possible solution could be to educate the people on how they can better their living standards or how they can help their community, and the right people to influence and start this revolution are the college students that can volunteer to better Guate...From all the rain that has been falling, something like a water filtration system could be developed by college students and implemented to make use of the excess water. Make the bad good somehow. I know this isn't unique, I guess I'm being too idealistic. Almost arriving to our destination now. Chao.
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